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I was going to do a video but I know that will never happen so here I am, not a BOT, but an American who has never sided with a political party and now will vow to never vote Democrat again. I just decided to post after that recent post of the man on here who had a neighbor leave a note to take his American flag down as it was a symbol of hate. Wow.
Born and raised outside of Boston, we never talked politics in our family. My dad, a Marine, was a definite Republican and my mother said you never ask who someone votes for, when they are getting married or when they are having kids. {smart in the 70s, now we have to be vocal to keep our country together}. I never followed politics that much and when it came time to vote, I voted on issues I knew, but turns out, I had just sound bytes on. I voted Bush Sr., Bill Clinton., Bush Jr., Obama {twice} and now Trump {and will vote him again....if you see the pattern, everyone I vote for tends to win {smile}.
My awakening came when I moved from a busy part of the country in New England to 45 minutes from any town in the southern rockies of Colorado. One fall afternoon, I was followed while out running by three men in a truck and it went on for an hour until I had to run through the woods and behind homes to my house as they frantically drove around looking for me. I was able to get home safe and did something I never thought I would have to do, and that was buy a gun, take a conceal carry class and practice it often. In a place with under 500 people in the fall and winter, no cell service at 8K feet in elevation and 45 minutes from police help, I was not having that happen twice. But when I told family and friends back east, they were shocked {as that isn't like me to own a gun} and I was told not to tell my nieces and nephews I owned a gun {because they are really not used to being around them and some of our family are not a fan of them}. That is when I saw the cultural difference between the northeast and southern Colorado. The difference between a liberal mentality towards our right to bear arms in the northeast {people not thinking guns should be in the hands of the average person} compared to the need and desire in the southwest and the conservatives views on it. It made me buy more, actually, and practice more and while I don't hunt, I enjoy it and add to my collection.
A dear friend that I became close with would often ask me why I stood behind Obama. I honestly "thought" I knew, but I didn't. I was flying all over the country for work, working 12-14 hour days, being brainwashed in the terminals of airports by CNN and MSNBC and then continued that when I got home. I never turned Fox on, even though my niece had been an anchor for Fox outside of Philadelphia. This particular friend challenged me to watch Fox for a week. It was around the time of the Ferguson riots and I got to witness first hand the difference in reporting. As well as the division in our country that our President at the time, Obama, and his side kick Holder, were creating. Not to mention the direct outright attacks on our policemen and women. I was mortified. I thought, who is even going to want to JOIN the force after this? Then what happens to the safety and law and order in this country? It was then that I publicly apologized to everyone on my Facebook page and in person for voting that guy in. I was embarrassed I had not taken an active part in my country and our politics.
At the time, my husband and I were both self employed and I thought, hey, let's see about this Affordable Care Act. My first quote was $1,500.00 for two adults and the hospital that was 45 minutes away wasn't on the plan, the one 3 hours away was. My second quote last year was $1,700.00 a month for two adults. No children. No surgeries, never been under anesthesia. Because we make decent salaries, I realized we are now supposed to pay for the people in the county that want to rent houses and ski the mountain and bar-tend when there are no powder days. To the tune of someone telling me they pay $50.00 a month and everything is covered. Me? I had another mortgage payment in the form of the lowest coverage health insurance and oh, if you don't pay it, you get fined. On top of that I had to pay $3,500 in physical therapy from a dogsledding accident I had - the girl paying $50.00 a month on Obamacare? Her therapy was all covered. Approaching 50 years old, I decided I would give up my business last year and work for a company directly. Both for the team interaction as well as it would provide me and my husband healthcare without the nightmare of the ACA. What a shame this is how the Affordable Care Act worked out.
As a result, I decided to learn everything and anything I could about politics and I witnessed the complete breakdown of the left when Trump won office. I saw the hate, the lunatic fringe mentality and I saw even more division I had ever seen in my life. I paid attention to the corruption in the Clintons, the Obamas and the FBI. I lost friends on Facebook and in real life {LOL} when I started posting my political views and discussing my right to bear arms, own an AR15 and wear a right to bear arms dog tag with a .22 bullet around my neck. I hang the American flag everyday and a Don't Tread on Me Gadsden flag. I am proud to call this country my home. Proud that my family fought in our wars. I have been to every state in this country and there are good decent people all over. We need to stand up to this hate and get people to unite and to love one another again, regardless of their backgrounds or political stances. This movement is doing just that and I am proud to be a part of it.
Lastly, I am saddened that this country forgets itself. My hometown in Massachusetts had men marching from our center town commons to the North Bridge in Concord {not too far away} to start the Revolutionary War after Gage sent his men to take our munitions in that barn...today, there are kids on those town center lawns protesting guns, with their parents along side them. Old Ironsides, The Old North Bridge - this is where our field trips were as kids. We pledged the flag in school in the mornings. Today? #@$%$ the NRA signs held by 8 year olds and worse signs held by young women alongside their moms in protests to our country. To this day, when I see another #$@%$ the NRA post by someone, I pay for another friends membership for one year. I urge people to do the same when and if they can.
I walked away. I urge people to RUN away from the hate and start spreading love and unity and common sense. Let's not have our forefathers continue to spin in their collective graves. We are Americans and everyone should be acting like it.
Thank you for this page. Peace.