I Wonder

by Ruth A. Sheets

I’VE spent a lot of time THESE PAST 5 YEARS OR SO completing and signing petitions related to the issues I care about most.  One theme that comes up often lately in my responses is, “why am I begging for a right that all American citizens, all human beings should already have?”.  Recently, I realized there are a lot of things I am wondering about.

I remember back in my simpler days when I wondered why the sky is blue and what I would do over summer break.  Of course, today’s wonderings seem to me more complex because the answers can’t be found in a science text or resolved by my own choices.  These are some of my wonderings today.  Feel free to add to them with some of yours.

I wonder . . .   

- why we the people have to beg our representatives for the most basic right of being a citizen, the right to vote unimpeded by political partisanship so one party, (these days, the Republicans) can gather and consolidate power they have not earned. 

- How is it vote suppressors are allowed to get away with voter suppression.  I know part of it is that our Supreme Court  does not seem to be able to be trusted to do the right thing for anyone but rich white Christian (OK claiming to be Christian) men and their corporations.  I know that was not what the founders had in mind, but they who cry that they are originalists simply lie because what they are really deciding is what is comfortable for themselves and what gives themselves the most prestige with their masters, the rich white "Christian" men and corporations.  That doesn’t fully explain it, though, so I still wonder.

- how Republicans believe they should have power even though they have to cheat and lie to get it, and no one seems willing to stop them, even Democrats.

- why we the people haven't risen to vote out the representatives at all levels who regularly lie to constituents.  Oh wait, their cheating, lying, and voter suppression may be giving them edges in certain states, like maybe Texas, Iowa, others while they challenge votes in states that have actually proven their integrity related to the vote.  This does not explain this completely either.

- why a president we just elected to right the wrongs of the previous administration has done so little, even in the areas where he has power.

- how it is that Donald Trump is never held accountable for anything he does.  This has led to a lot of likeminded people trying to follow his game plan, whatever that is to keep themselves from accountability too.

- how 74 million people voted for an impeached president who clearly committed the crime the Republicans in the Senate refused to acknowledge.

- why we, an enormously wealthy nation allow children to be raised in poverty, a condition that warps the spirit as well as the abilities of those who live it, then, we blame them for their condition.

- why medical care is not available to every person in this country.  Not covering everyone ends up costing more than if we did in work days lost to illness, and pro bono coverage by hospitals of those who are not covered.

- why we have allowed tech corporations to become huge and able to control all areas of life, nearly unregulated and with little evidence of any kind of positive ethics related to the people who use their services or are employed by them.

- why so little is being done related to the size and complexity of global warming, to stop its progress and reverse its effects, even in the face of massive wildfires, storms, and flooding.

- how it is we the American nation have not fallen under the weight of our own divisiveness, selfishness, and nationalistic foolishness.

- why so many people refuse to get vaccinated when it is clear that is the best way to protect oneself and others from a destructive disease.  They whine that they should have control over their own body and should be able to decide what happens to it.  OMG, isn’t that what women have claimed for generations about their bodies and reproductive freedom?  Perhaps that “right” only goes for men and conservatives, not those pesky women.  

- why white people are so afraid of everyone who is not white, so persist in trying to limit the rights and opportunities of people of color and won’t acknowledge that is what they are doing.

- why gaslighting (telling people they are not experiencing what they are experiencing) is so popular among leaders these days.  I am guessing it’s because it works, but I don’t understand why we let it work.  Republicans now claim the January 6^th insurrection was just some loving peaceful tourists visiting the Capitol (OK, even if that were true, due to COVID, tourists were not permitted in the capital building).  Can they not see what is in the videos taken even by their own attackers? 

- How Republicans get away with calling bills in Congress  and their PACs and organizations opposite of what the bill or organization actually does. (e.g., the “Freedom to Vote” bill was really the freedom to exclude people of color, young people, and students from voting act).

- how Christians can claim to be Christian while supporting leaders who don’t follow any of the teachings of Jesus:  do unto others . . ., welcome the stranger, give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, do good to those who hurt you, care for the orphans and widow (not deport them), love your neighbor as yourself, and so on.  They even support candidates who don’t even begin to follow the Ten Commandments which Evangelical Christians claim to love so dearly.

- why so many white men believe they need guns, not only in their homes to “protect their castle,” but also in their car, and in their pocket, but don’t want other groups to have the same privilege and are OK when police kill a Black man for having a registered gun.

- police officers believe they should be immune from responsibility for whatever they do on duty.  People in most other jobs don’t have that privilege, except maybe Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, and the people who got pardoned by Donald Trump.  The police are supposed to be our employees, not our intimidators and killers.

- why so many white people claim they don’t have a racist bone in their bodies, then do or support racist actions, like voter suppression and denying funds to stop poverty.  I am thinking maybe it’s because they actually don’t have “a” racist bone, but a whole racist skeleton, and it is hidden inside, but I am not sure.

- why I am a chocoholic and don’t want to be relieved of my addiction.

I’ll keep wondering and hope you will too so we can bring our wonderings to our people in power.  I will not apologize for my biases in this set of wonderings because that is where I am right now and want change that will make a difference for all, not just the privileged few.