Category Archives: President-Elect Donald Trump

02.13.17
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Growing a thick skin

Some new friends  recently told me I was brave for sharing my social and political opinions in light of the backlash they are seeing  on social media.  The anonymity of tapping away a response to a Facebook or Twitter post has emboldened some to attack those with an opposing viewpoint. As a result, these friends have stopped posting their personal views.

(image courtesy Wikipedia More details

The Princess and the Trolls –The Changeling, by John Bauer, 1913.)

 

I get it…trolls are often hurtful, and in many cases fail to make a point without harsh and often nasty comments they would never verbalize in a face to face conversation.

Checking my Twitter notifications I find I now have a troll. I considered whether to share this comment because it would give this person the publicity or recognition that they seek. In the spirit of free speech I decided to share one of those comments here.

I will spare you the more nasty ones.

The thing is, we cannot allow others to silence us or to prevent us from having a meaningful dialog with those who may not agree with everything we believe it.  My goal is to find a list of common issues and possible solutions that we can all agree and act upon for the sake of our country.

Growing thick skin can be painful…but we must stand strong and resist the effort by trolls to silence our voices.

 

 

02.08.17
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Sisters it’s time to huddle

 

After hundreds of thousands of women marched on Washington, many questioned whether it was a moment or a movement.

One of my moments came in the middle of a crowd of strangers  as I stood next to the Hubert H. Humphrey Building.  As dozens of young adults were pounding out a beat on five gallon pails  and elders joined in to chant against injustice –my emotions got the best of me.  I stood very still in the middle of this empowering crowd and let go of my tears.  At that moment I knew in my heart the resistance had begun and I would be a part of it. womensmarch-wewhobelieve

Our moments will sustain the movement that brought together millions of women, men and children around the world on January 21, 2017.

What is happening in Washington DC is no longer simply a matter of politics.  When the top US Senator shutdowns another senator for reading the words of an honored civil rights leader we must condemn his action.

When nominees are unqualified for the top jobs in our country we must question them and pressure our representatives to put aside politics in favor of our country.

I live in Minnesota a great state with deep roots in the Democratic Party (Democratic, Farmer and Labor) tended by such great Americans as Mondale, Humphrey and Wellstone.   I count among them, Klobuchar, Franken and Nolan now serving Minnesotans.

Growing up I was taught to respect others, love my neighbors and work for the common good.

The events unfolding in Washington under our new administration is cause for alarm. The current leadership seems determined to claw this nation back to a time when labor had little power over corporations.  A time when women were muzzled and held few rights— and a man’s character was measured by his skin color –and the right to love the one you love was locked away in a dark closet.

It is time we stand up for America. It is time that we huddle to develop a game plan. Our country’s future and our way of life needs to be defended.

Here is an invitation from the Women’s March Organization;

During the first ten days of Feb, we gather together in our neighborhoods all over the world to define our next steps, and envision how to transform the energy we saw at the Women’s Marches into local and national action.  Find a huddle near you and bring your ideas!

01.19.17
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Finding my voice

On Friday morning I will get on the bus for a long trip to Washington D.C. to participate in the Women’s March.  I look forward to finding my voice after a long career as a journalist.

michelle-lee

For 40 years I have refrained from voicing my opinions  on the stories I  covered as a journalist. I lived by a simple rule shared by thousands of journalists; find the truth and tell the truth –in a fair and unbiased fashion.

I left my position as a television news anchor and reporter in Duluth, Minnesota at the end of 2016.  I am  now eager to find my voice, develop my skills as a community activist and learn how to support the issues that I feel are essential to maintain our hard fought rights and freedoms.

On election night 2016 I reported in a fair and un-biased fashion the results of the presidential race while holding  back my personal feelings. Now for the first time in decades I am free to share with your that my heart was broken that night.  When I woke up the next morning I was praying that the outcome of the election was just a bad dream.  But the reality remains that Mr. Trump will be sworn in as our 45th President on the same day I will find myself on a bus with dozens of women traveling to our nation’s capitol.

A Trump presidency scares me, the current majority in congress scares me.  As a woman and a mom my fear is not for myself.  My fear is reserved for our future generations and my friends and family who are being threatened with the loss of health care.  I fear the loss of the right to  marry those we love and for our fragile environment  balancing on a razor’s edge.

Fear is a great motivator.  I will use it to find my voice.