Dear Dad,
Thank you. Thank you and the men and women, who placed their lives on the line, hoping that the FUTURE for this nation, and the world, might stand a brighter chance, a better stance, and begin again to find humanity actually acting human.
Fascism was a danger you told your kids, it was a blatant affront to decency, it was a decay of Democracy, and its intent was to destroy anything decent. Until WWII was near its end, you lowered your voice, causing all of us to lean in closer to actually hear not only with our ears, but hearts, whispering, that not until, near the end of that War, had you realized how mad men and women could become, feeding off their own rot and ruin, and fear of others. You, later on in your life, would tell us, that you knew man could be monsters, but you had no idea, just how monstrous their intended actions could be.
Dad, I am sorry to inform you that in America, 2023, there are monsters among us. These Domestic Monsters, praise, Fascists. These Domestic monsters feed on the fears of the insecure, who act as bullies, pretending that they somehow desire freedom, for themselves of course, and not for anyone who is not them. They wrap themselves, not in the Stars and Stripes, but in Nazi Flags, Confederate Flags, Three Per Center Flags, “Kekistan” Flags, Gadsden Flags, and America First Flags. Most of those carrying and proudly waving those flags, I believe, seem to provide their middle finger as a salute to all of the actions, efforts, patriotism, hopes and prayers Veterans provided from the days of the Civil War to the World Wars, to the Conflicts never truly called wars, but just as terrible from Korea Viet Nam, Iran Iraq, and Afghanistan.
Dad, I am so sorry that something hideous, horrendous, heinous, has taken hold within parts of this nation. I almost find it to be like the Zombie viruses science fiction writers warn us about. It is an insidious virus that destroys any intelligent life within a person’s body, replacing it with a most hostile projectile of violence, hate, loathing, and venom. Dad, thank you and millions upon millions of women and men, who placed freedom, justice, equality, and democracy as a priority, but I remain fearful that all of those struggles are struggling to hang on. I will remain LOUD, I will NEVER FORGET, I will ACT UP, I will FIGHT BACK. You are my role model for all of that!
Love, Gerry
