Stop Signs
As I was driving on unfamiliar streets on a recent trip, I thought about how much I rely on other drivers to follow the same traffic rules that I do. I assume, as I approach a 4-way stop, that almost all of the time, the other cars will also stop and let whoever got there first go through in an orderly manner. I realize I still have to look both ways and check, but I have a fair degree of confidence that I will be safe if I proceed as I have been taught.
We have certain societal and cultural norms that make life safer and more pleasant. If every car drove at whatever speed the driver wanted, and used whichever lane they liked best, and approached intersections in unpredictable ways, I would be terrified to go out. It helps all drivers, as well as pedestrians and cyclists, to have some predictability in our behavior. For my life so far, this has been a given. People who drive have to pass a written and a road test and have a valid license to operate safely in a community. While not 100% reliable, and while there are some bad drivers who are inattentive or under the influence of alcohol or illness, these are the exceptions.
Likewise, air safety relies on pilots understanding and obeying air traffic controllers. If planes tried to take off and land wherever and however they chose, air travel would be extremely unsafe and impractical. .jpg)
But now, with the Trump administration in office, many of my assumptions about societal norms have been challenged. I thought it was not acceptable to use certain words in public, especially if one is a public figure. When I see the president saying “F* you” to a heckler, and then White House press office saying it was an appropriate response, it bothers me. I could go through a litany of norm-shattering incidents in the past year, from Cabinet officers lying to members of House and the Senate during formal hearings; to pardoning convicted violent criminals and drug smugglers; to removing historically accurate information from official websites and museums; to destroying public health protections and undermining safe medical practices.
The current administration is so far removed from the realities of day-to-day life that they can’t see the damage they are doing. The president’s motorcade can ignore traffic signals. He travels in an armored limousine with Secret Service vehicles surrounding it. He doesn’t have to worry about someone running a red light. When Air Force One or the government planes used by senior officials take flight, they get priority over everyone else and can operate on their own schedule and with their own rules. They don’t have to endure flight delays or circling an airport waiting for a gate to become available.
Each individual act has consequences that I don’t like. Together they undermine our fundamental societal structure. Our governmental system operates based, in principle, on the people giving consent to chosen individuals to wield power on our behalf – of the people, for the people. When those in power recognize or fear that the people no longer consent or support the actions they are taking, they resort to lying, misinformation, withholding files, stonewalling court orders, and ultimately violence against citizens, in order to hold onto the power they were initially granted. This is very dangerous.
And so, on MLK Day, I express gratitude to all who are standing up for what is real, for what is right, and using what power and privilege we have to push back on these dangerous behaviors, policies, and practices. We still have power. We need to use it to vote, but that isn’t enough. We need to step up now, to keep stepping up now, before it gets worse. Kudos to those in frigid Minnesota who are resisting illegal ICE kidnappings and violence. Kudos to all of us who have stood on street corners with signs and slogans and chants. Kudos to all who have been able to provide funding to legal resistance efforts and to provide food and support to families impacted by ICE raids. We need to keep it up, make it bigger, and just say “NO” as loudly as we can to so-called leaders who are putting their personal insecurities, dementia, power lust, and egos above the needs of the people they purport to serve. May it be so.
It is not a new idea. But it matters now more than ever. WE THE PEOPLE hold the power. We can run for office, we can educate ourselves about who is running for office at every level – school boards, local government, all the way up the chain. We can get involved in political party bureaucracy and try to influence the choices of who runs and who gets funding and other types of support.
There may not be many Republicans who read this blog, but I wish there were more courageous Republicans who would work to take back the reins of their party. It would be good for the country to have a diversity of viewpoints within the fundamental framework of our constitutional democracy. How can we engage and empower all eligible voters to have their views and values represented and their rights protected? We need to offer more choices across the political spectrum. I’m not anti-Republican as I used to understand the Republican Party. I disagreed with many of their positions, but as President Biden said in the State of the Union address, “you can’t love your country only when you win.” I’m proud to have been a civil servant in both Democratic and Republican administrations in my years in Washington.
What to do? It takes leadership and time to move us into more productive waters. We first need to do everything possible to make voting safe and secure; to support and protect election officials who are essential in performing this sacred duty. Then we need to encourage and support good candidates from both parties who demonstrate integrity and a commitment to serve for the common good, not for personal power.
Help register people to vote. Offer to work at voting centers. Join a civic organization and learn about the role of different offices and work to elect people you trust. Donate money to candidates and organizations that are working to promote your views and values. Among other things, I have written over 3000 postcards to voters across the country in elections at all levels of government to encourage them to vote. It is vital to VOTE in every election you are eligible for. You vote is your voice. It matters. For the sake of my granddaughter, I have to believe it’s not too late!
In fact, if this website designer specialized in messaging that reflected her conservative evangelical “Christian” views, she would be an unlikely choice for a same-sex couple seeking a wedding website. And in fact, the case was basically made up. The plaintiff had not started her website business nor turned down any same-sex clients. Nobody was trying to force her to offer messages she disagreed with. All she would have been required to do, before this ruling, was to offer whatever business she was in to anyone who chose to hire her. So if she only offered websites strewn with messages about love between a man and a woman, and only had designs that showed heterosexual couples, no existing law would have required her to change her artistic offerings. Clearly the Supreme Court majority was just looking for an excuse to undo existing precedent about nondiscrimination in public accommodations. So sad, so unnecessary.
I am glad to see challenges to abortion restrictions based on Jewish teachings, and I was amused when parents in Utah objected to the Bible being in school libraries because it contained lewd and violent content that violated restrictions intended to ban books with more progressive content. [That decision was quickly reversed after parent protests … hypocrisy is alive and thriving …]
But all of this is a huge waste of time and money, to say nothing of the suffering of people who just want to live their lives, get an education, plan a wedding, and read books of their choice. We don’t live in a zero-sum game, despite many folks acting like we do. Helping those in need does not diminish the rest of us – it makes all of us better. Making books available that represent the diversity of our society helps everyone feel seen and respected. Parents still get to choose what books their young children check out, and they can choose whether or not to bring their children to a drag show.
So I return to my main message, my perpetual message: we get the kind of government and the kind of society that we choose, either by our action or our inaction. If you think these issues are important, please get involved. Find out who’s on your local school board and work to elect those who support your values. Get involved in local, state, and national campaigns. Contact current elected officials, and work to get good people into office. We can change course. We can make reforms to the Supreme Court like term limits, and we can do better if we work together.
The Library of Congress and the National African American History Museum represent the complicated history, culture, and challenges of our nation. The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library with more than 173 million items including books, recordings, photographs, maps, sheet music, and manuscripts. The majestic building is filled with statues, murals, and quotations. Established in 1800, it was described as a library of “such books as may be necessary for the use of Congress.” The initial modest collection burned in the War of 1812. 
Fourteen avenues to the west, the National African American History Museum (NAAHM) rises on the mall, design inspired by an African crown. It took over 100 years from when the idea for such a museum was first presented until the official opening. I have great appreciation for those who persisted and made it happen. It is a must-see for anyone visiting Washington, and visiting Washington is a must-do for everyone. 
While we admire Thomas Jefferson for so much in our history, and named the main Library of Congress building after him, in addition to his stately memorial on the Tidal Basin, the NAAHM shows Jefferson in front of a pile of bricks, each with the name of one of the enslaved people at Monticello. The museum has four floors dedicated to the history of slavery, and it is brutal and blunt. I was pleased to see a delegation of public safety leaders (police and fire chiefs and senior staff) from a nearby Maryland county touring the museum with a Black tour guide. This is important history for us all to understand.
The history section continues to the present, documenting scholars, soldiers, educators, politicians, and other Black leaders, as well as the struggles they endured. There is a lunch counter where visitors can consider choices made by civil rights activists. 
When you exit the history section, the museum offers a “contemplation courtyard” which I felt much need for as I was overwhelmed by emotion.
There were plenty of Black families sharing their heritage with their children. I was proud to see two handsome Black women in full US Army dress blue uniforms, both sporting many ribbons and decorations that I presume mean they have been successful in their military careers. I’m conflicted about all the corporate donor recognition plaques. It’s wonderful that this museum exists and it takes money to make that happen. So good for these corporations for donating some. Again, I fear this is a bit of window dressing, and wonder how many executives have really taken in the history in this place, and taken action to dismantle racism in their organizations and those where they have influence.
I learned in school that our system of government is based on the idea that we grant power through our electoral system. Every citizen is entitled to vote for the candidates that best represent that voter’s preferences, and the candidates who earn the most votes are entrusted with certain powers according to the office to which they were elected. In the legislative bodies, whether a local city council or the US Senate, laws are enacted and policies adopted based on majority rule – the ideas that have the support of the majority of elected officials in that body become part of our societal and legal framework. When I was on the city council in my town, I could vote on budgets and zoning changes and capital investments within the limits of my city. I did not have the authority to intervene in school board, county, state, or national level issues other than expressing support or opposition. The power to act at those levels of government were reserved to the people elected to those offices.
I am deeply troubled these days by the increasingly frequent attempts by elected officials to intervene way outside the boundaries of their authority. Whether it’s congressional committees threatening state prosecutors or senators threatening judges, it’s not acceptable. What’s even worse is when elected officials, once they get into power, try to change the system and replace or undermine legitimate opposition so they can hold onto power even when they would lose a fair and open contest of ideas in a free and open election.
It is hard work. It is dangerous work. But I refuse to accept that we have to keep giving power to people who consistently block sensible gun safety measures, like a ban on assault-style weapons and large ammunition sales and universal background checks. This is not what the people want. We know that most people want better gun safety. Nobody wants to fear sending their children to school. The majority see the folly of expecting teachers to take on police responsibilities when we have seen even trained police officers failing to protect school children from armed shooters.
It’s tax time, and I think we need to understand that our tax payments are an investment in a well-run public sector (some of which operates well today, and some of which is in need of significant reform). Without an effective government, we would not have measurement standards, for example. I could claim that my package weighs a pound whether or not it conformed to an official definition of a pound, and you, as a consumer, would have no way of knowing. You could not enforce a contract without a court system to hold signatories accountable. I could make a competing product using your corporate name and logo if there were no trademark protections. All of these things matter.
If we only apply the laws that we like, and if we spew lies and make threats against the legal system when they hold people accountable who we want to protect, we damage our whole society. We know there are imperfections everywhere. We know that systemic bias exists. It has been well documented. We need better education and systemic reforms that are based in reality – not imaginary problems created by space lasers or dead people. Everyone’s rights deserve to be equally protected. There is much work that is needed. Violence is not the answer.
Why be a voter at all? It’s confusing. Does it make any difference anyway? Yes, voting matters. Do you want your school board to ban books or discussion of certain topics? Or do you want teachers to focus on teaching critical thinking skills by presenting controversial topics and helping kids think for themselves? Your vote for in school board elections determines who decides. At every level of government, decisions are being made that impact your life. Fundamental rights are being defined and expanded or limited by Supreme Court justices appointed and approved by the president and Senate – all elected officials. The people making decisions about housing, transit, and climate action are the people that WE elect. If we choose different people, we get different outcomes. So, how do you become an educated voter? Step one: register to vote. It’s easy. If you live in San Diego, go to SDVote.com. If you live somewhere else, look up your Registrar of Voters. Just to be sure, do it TODAY! In general, there are three types of elections: primary, general, and special. The primary election determines who the candidates will be in the general elections that are held every two years in November. Not every office has a primary – some are just in the general election. Special elections can happen at any time to fill vacancies, for example, when an official dies or leaves office for another reason. Once you are a registered voter, you should receive information about specific elections that you are eligible to vote in. 
You will see and hear ads, and get lots of mailings and other communications about candidates and issues. Read and listen carefully. Always look at the source, follow the money, and consider what their agenda might be. Mailings must include “paid for by.” Look up any organization you don’t recognize to see who’s behind it. Fact check and talk to knowledgeable friends and colleagues. Consider setting up a potluck discussion group to share information and opinions. 
Nonpartisan organizations, like the League of Women Voters, offer objective information. The League studies issues and offers pros and cons for major ballot questions. They post candidate statements and studies on the VotersEdge.org website. The League never endorses candidates but takes positions on some ballot questions. Go to candidate forums and hear directly from the candidates. A challenger with no track record can easily promise to solve difficult problems but may not really understand the legalities and complexities that an incumbent must address. Look beyond specific issues to the candidate’s character, values, and experience. You don’t know what might arise in the future. Past actions speak louder than empty words. No candidate will be perfect. Choose the ones that you think will take us in the general direction you want, or at least the one who isn’t going to take us in a direction you don’t want. “Confirmation bias” makes us inclined to accept information that matches existing beliefs and reject conflicting views. Think critically. Vote wisely. The health and well-being of our families, our communities, and our nation depend on it.
But there are things I can do. Voting is first and foremost. I also work for the Registrar of Voters for every election so I can be one of the people actually collecting ballots and interacting with voters to assure them that the system works. I give money to organizations that are working here and in other states to encourage good candidates to run for office, and who are organizing to help voters exercise their precious right. I write postcards to voters to help encourage active engagement in every single election at all levels. They all matter.