Mobbed Up Commie

I am not now, nor have I ever been, a member of the Communist Party.

I mean, I like parties—especially the kind that serve cake. I often joke that I would join any committee that serves cookies and have served my share of time on a wide variety of committees, with an array of cookie types. For the record, Tea Cakes are my favorite.

I’ve been a lot of things in my life: daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother. I was once—albeit briefly—even a Girl Scout. ‘’Be Prepared, is the Girl Scout motto, and I occasionally was. I was not prepared, however, to *sell* cookies, I was more prepared to *eat* them, and my time as a Girl Scout had a sell-by date.

In the early ‘70’s, I became a card-carrying member of the Young Republicans. I sent Ronald Reagan’s failed presidential campaign a whole dollar—which my father gave me, probably some sort of campaign finance violation, now that I think about it-- and they sent me a Young Republican’s card. Sadly, no cookies came along with it and, perhaps for that reason, political activism took a back seat in my life.

Until now.  

These days, my political activism has climbed out of the back seat, hollered “Shotgun!”—which is what you say when you want to sit up front, but not yet behind the wheel—and started paying closer attention. I care where America is headed.

I subscribe to the radical notion that libraries are A Very Good Thing and that our tax dollars should continue to fund them. I believe that children are our future, that we owe them clean air, clean water, and renewable energy sounds like a good plan to me. I believe that education is the great equalizer. I believe in the humanity of all people, where everyone from every walk of life, has a shot at the American Dream; that we humans have more commonalities than differences; and that elk are the juvenile delinquents of the animal kingdom and are delicious when served with gravy.  Pretty much most of that aligns with the Democratic Party—I’m guessing the Elk Thing, not so much-- and while I don’t have a card proclaiming me to be a “Young Democrat”—or even a middle-aged one—that’s probably how I identify. I don’t think that makes me a member of a “mob”, as the POTUS called me—I think that makes me a person, and American who plans to “vote Blue.”

Carolyn Long, People over Politics

 I have met both candidates for Congressional Dist. #3, but it’s been a couple of years since I’ve seen Jaime Herrera Beutler in person. I have been frustrated with her unwillingness to meet with her constituents and hear our concerns. “We the People” are her boss, after all.

 I am very impressed with challenger Carolyn Long’s background as an educator. The fact that she literally teaches a course in “Public Civility”—how to go out into your community and have difficult conversations—gives me great hope for healing our divide. Heaven knows we have a lot to bridge. 

Cookies would probably - couldn’t hurt, either.