A High School Student won a contest to paint a Mural for the Grant, Michigan Public Schools. I looked at the painting that the young women did and it was not what I thought was great art but I didn’t see anything wrong with it. I read further in the article and some people were up in arms because the colors of the shirt on the boy are supposedly the colors of the Trans-pride flag. There is a girl in the painting with all kinds of colors like the colors of the rainbow and I guess people are saying that is representing the gay pride flag. There is suppose to be a demon in the painting but sorry I don’t see that one at all. I will be honest with you when I looked at the picture I saw nothing that made me think of the Trans issue or the Gay issue. All I saw was some work of art that won a contest. Art is something that a lot of people interpret differently than what the artist intended. I know I do all the time. Isn’t that what art is suppose to do? There were people in the crowd that claimed it was hate material. A mural of smiling children’s faces is hate material because she used colors that you don’t like? Do we even know what hate is anymore?

Well, our election is getting closer and I don’t have a clue on how it is going to go. I know how I want it to but let’s face it people don’t always get what they want. Isn’t that part of the problem today that fueling much of the hate? Donald Trump and his supporters not getting what they want? Whatever happens with the election we must keep on working to move forward!  We must keep working on moving past all the hate. My Democratic neighbor is not the enemy of the people and my other Republican neighbor is not the enemy of the people. I am told that I lean to the left. I am the same person that 40 years ago was told that I lean to the right. That is what it is to be an American. Do I like the direction the country is going in? No, I don’t. I just may see it a little differently than the people that are telling us how to think. Do I think that our Democratic Republic is at risk? Yes I do. It is at risk by some of the people that say that they were trying to save our Republic, that wear those silly red hats. Everyone one that stormed that Capitol said that they were fighting to preserve our Republic. Those same people are also the ones that didn’t get what they wanted from the election. What is the driving force for them? Not the truth, because they didn’t spend anytime really searching for the truth. They just listened to a man like Trump that fuels their hate and runs with it.

The funny thing is that we seem to hear the truth once or twice but the lie seems to take a life of its own. I am still hearing that more people voted than there were actually registered voters. That lie was debunked right away yet; you still see that same lie on social media. I sum that up to some pretty powerful hate. What did the Democrats do to deserve such hate? Is wanting healthcare for everyone such a bad thing? Our employers really don’t want the pay for it. Taking care of children after they are born? Is that such a terrible thing? Is a fetus more important than a living breathing child? Are women’s rights such a threat to the country that their freedoms must be suppressed? I live in Ft. Myers were the recovery from Ian is happening as I write. I don’t have a clue what we would do without all the Hispanics that came to the United States looking for a better life. They will help us rebuild but when it is over there will be people that still will want them gone. Even when they help us they still get too much hate in return.

I have been told that I have a lot of hate. That made me think a little and I don’t know if I have a lot of hate but there are things that I do hate. Growing up in the 60s and watching the Civil Rights Marches I have to say that the racism has reared it’s ugly head since we elected a Black President.  That is something that I hate. I wish everyone would hate Racism. DeSantis’s anti-diversity campaign just feeds people’s racism so of course that would be something that I hate. I hate suppression of any kind whether it is women or minorities. I can’t say that I am Pro Abortion but I can say that I am Pro Choice. Freedom is just a hollow word if all women aren’t free to choose. I hate the fact that they still try to make it hard for some people to vote. No person should have to stand in line for hours so they can cast their ballot. This is the 21^th century we can do much better than we are but we don’t and ask the question why?  

Are there enemies of the Republic? I would have to say yes but then probably say that it isn’t your neighbor.