(Because Will Boyd said so)
By Lynda Kirkpatrick
Hello Everyone!! This is not addressed to Democrats or Republicans. I want to speak to Americans. I have always been a person who believes in “you be you” and have friends from every walk of life. It never mattered to me if a person was gay, straight, or bisexual. It never mattered to me if a person was Black, White, Hispanic, Asian, or Native American. I didn’t care if a person was rich or poor, old or young. Their religious choice meant nothing to me—whether they were Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, or Atheist. I have always accepted someone for who they choose to be.
That changed a few years ago when I was always on the defensive as a political spokesperson for the Democratic Party. I was naive enough to think that my views would be respected just like I had always respected their differences of opinion. I was wrong. I was wrong to think that as a Democrat in the reddest area of the entire country, I would be treated with the same acceptance that I offered to the MAGA Republicans. I was wrong. I have been insulted on just about every level, but I was determined not to stoop to their level of ignorance.
Over the last few years of listening to the insane comments coming from some of the local people around here and being discriminated against for who I am, it has become almost impossible to keep my mouth shut. As most of you already know, I am not one to walk away from a fight. However, I became worn down. I wrote letters to the Alabama Democratic Party resigning my position for House District 17 in the State Democratic Executive Committee, and a letter resigning as Chair of the Marion County Democratic Party. I was tired of defending myself against my family, who do not share my political views. I was fed up with being mocked and insulted by the ignorance of people who were so uninformed about who or what the Democratic Party stood for.
Then I ran into “him.” I’ll call him Sam. Sam and I have been casual friends for several years. Sam and I ran into each other at a local restaurant. He is married to a Hispanic woman, lives in Section 8 government housing, receives food stamps, and draws his Social Security as his only income. He depends on Medicaid for healthcare for himself and his wife. He joined me for coffee and asked if I was still “a communist.” I began the conversation with a sense of humor; however, it didn’t last long. All of the years of Trump insults, MAGA lies, and the pure ignorance of being uninformed and just plain stupid hit me, and I was no longer the “when they go low, we go high” Democrat. No, Sam, I am not a communist.
Sam assumed that I was the same dignified, respectful lady with whom he had always had these conversations, but… Sam was wrong. Stop here if you are sensitive to strong language because it gets graphic. I love Jesus, but I do cuss a little when I get mad! He said to me, “What’s wrong with this country is you damn Democrats giving away things to sorry-ass people who won’t work. All of you are nothing but a bunch of crooks and liars. I can’t believe that you are still wrapped up in their bullshit.” There it was! It was time for me to say, “I’m sorry you feel that way,” but NO, NOT THIS TIME! I said, and I quote, “The bullshit? Oh, you mean the Social Security you depend on to pay your bills? The bullshit of those food stamps you get every month to feed your family? Or maybe the Section 8 bullshit that pays your rent and that bullshit Medicaid that you need to go to the doctor? Or maybe it’s the bullshit that you are supporting a president who would send ICE after your wife if he knew where she was? The bullshit is YOU.” He said, “Well, I know you hate Trump, and you are too stupid to admit that he saved this country.” I replied, “You are right about that. I do hate Trump. He is the most vile, disgusting excuse for a human being I ever saw. He is a rapist pedophile who lusts after his own daughter, and the bullshit is that Christians like YOU do not find that offensive. As for saving this country, please tell me, what did he save us from? A war we were not in? Or maybe an economy that was on the rebound until he started using the taxpayers’ money to fund his own selfish ego? We have the highest deficit in history, and he is still spending our money to destroy our democracy. The Republicans you vote for are bouncing off the walls to take your Social Security, and just in case you have not heard, Tommy Tuberville called it a scam. They have drastically cut funding to Medicaid and Medicare. Those food stamps you are getting are another thing Tuberville intends to stop, so you go ahead and keep your head up your ass, and you will end up homeless and starving, and there is not a Republican in Alabama or Washington, D.C., who will give a damn about you.” I got up, put $5 on the table for the coffee, and said, “Democrats are the reason you have a roof over your head and food on your table. Democrats are the reason you can go to the doctor and your wife can live in this country. There is nothing communist about that. And YOU call ME stupid? Don’t you ever speak to me again.”
I went home, tore up my letters of resignation, and started working on my next project: The ELECTION!!! I started calling our candidates to invite them to Mule Day. I got confirmation from our new Chairman of the Alabama Democratic Party, Bobby Singleton, that he would be “delighted” to come! Wayne Rogers confirmed that he will be there and said, “I had so much fun last year that I would come even if I were not a candidate.” Ben Harris, Vice Chair of County Affairs with the State Party, said, “I wouldn’t miss it.” Amanda Puschez, who spent Mule Day with us last year, said, “I already have it on my schedule.” Several other candidates have confirmed that they will be there. I broke down and cried because this is who we are. This is why we County Chairs and members of our local county parties work so hard and endlessly to keep this going. We may not win over all the “Sams” in this state, but we are making a mark that hasn’t been made in a long time.
When I was working on the Rick Neighbors campaign, he and I had a joke between us, and I would always promise Rick that when I spoke on his behalf, I wouldn’t cuss. I told Will Boyd that story, and he laughed. I was speaking for Will at a rally in Tuscaloosa, and I said, “Will, I promise I won’t cuss.” He gave me a hug and said, “You be you.” This is who we are. We accept folks for who they choose to be. And by the way, I didn’t cuss!!! I admire and respect Will Boyd more than I can say. He is the “real deal.”
This election is important because the future of Alabama depends on who is elected. If you listen to what our candidates are saying, it speaks to who is on the side of the people. What are the Republicans saying? They are running two candidates who do not even qualify to be on the ballot. If you see a candidate endorsed by Donald Trump, that should tell you all you need to know.
My message is simple. I know how it is to feel frustration and anger. I know how it feels to just want to give up and go somewhere and scream! I know it is not easy to keep fighting and pushing forward when so many things are against you. But… you can’t walk away from it. My Daddy told me, “The right thing to do is always the right thing to do.” Don’t give up. If we give up, they win.
We will be at Mule Day on the weekend of September 25th and 26th. We will set up on Friday afternoon and be ready for the Friday Night Blow Out!! The stores will be open till 10 p.m., the booths will be open, the food trucks will be serving every kind of food you can think of, the arts and crafts will be available, and live music and the fireworks will go off at dark! We will be back on Saturday morning at 7 a.m., ready for the Big Day, welcoming Chairman Singleton and all of our amazing candidates!!! The parade will start at 10 a.m., and we will be looking forward to showing Robert Aderholt our signs!!! The Winfield Pirate Band will lead the way, and all the floats, wagons, mules, and horses will be on display!! It is going to be FUN FUN FUN!!!! So come to our Marion County Democratic Party booth and YOU BE YOU!!
Lynda Kirkpatrick