When Politics Creep Onto the Table...

Unpopular opinion time.

You were warned...

As much as I refuse to discuss politics (or the series finale of America--potato, potahto), I follow them very closely. While I have never required my friends to think exactly as I do, I do enjoy being around humans who think, period.

I don't hold a person's political views against them any more than I hold my daughter's inability to sleep through the night yet against her. People--and Tiger Lily--do just what their brains and development allow them.

Politics have been creeping onto my table for a while now.

I'm married to an immigrant. Allow me to spill the beans--we don't get ANYTHING free. Not healthcare, not food sramps, not WIC, NOTHING. There is also no free money given to him just for being here.

(Also...the cost of naturalization is steep. I actually plan to go into detail about that next post.)

We are not religious. Our beliefs align with being good people, and we believe strongly in taking care of family, community, world.

We don't believe government has any place regulating a woman's body. As long as Georgia has collapsing bridges and buckling roads, soldiers sleeping under the bypass, and teachers relying on EBT to eat despite educating our literal future, my ovaries and uterus should be the last concern of the powers that be.

We understand that this country is NOT a theocracy (i.e., a society ruled by religious doctrine) therefore a person's faith or lack thereof does not make them superior nor fit to hold office. In fact, it makes overly religious quite unfit, due to inability to separate Sunday school from Monday government.

...and I have never ended a friendship over politics.

I have ended friendships over sickening beliefs that Black and Brown lives are worth less.

I have ended friendships over the belief system that create division based on religion--since America was originally founded for religious freedom of the Pilgrims, explain why their descendants have issue extending the same courtesy???

I have ended friendships over hypocrisy. You cannot vote and align with racist policies and then coo and fawn over my kids, because my family is exactly what racists hate and fear most--we are educated, upstanding, financially stable Black and Brown humans who have the nerve to effect a positive atmosphere wherever we are. Race mixing, successful underdogs?! The nerve of us!

I hope I didn't lose you--unless you needed to be lost. In that case, good riddance!