Why Do You Fight? -- by William C. Riley

​Why do you fight? Why resist? He won the electoral vote, right? We should give him an opportunity to prove himself and if he proves to be as bad as the liberals say, we can vote him out in 2020.
 
This has been a common conversation between some of my friends and I. My Facebook wall, once adorned with goofy D&D memes and music videos took a pretty significant turn in January. Up until then, I hoped one of the various cogs in the political machine would wake us up from the nightmare that started back in November. I trusted that someone out there would make it stop. First, I had faith in my fellow voters. Voter turnout was lower than I hoped and despite Clinton winning the popular vote, Trump was projected to win the Electoral vote. But, I had faith that the Electoral College would do what they were meant to do and prevent an unqualified man from taking the White House and they let me down.
 
A week or two before he was sworn in I realized I couldn’t keep hoping that someone else would do the right thing. I had to do more than vote. I had to start acting. If no one else was going to save me from Trump, I realized that I needed to take action and try to prevent him from leading us down a road we cannot turn around from. This is my country and it is a country where every voice matters, you just have to be willing to speak up and speak out.
 
The internet can be a blessing or a curse at times like these. But I found out about the Indivisible movement because of social media and then one of my favorite podcasts featured on of the folks responsible for the Indivisible Guide. For the first time in my adult life, I was taking time to learn about my government. Research on the President’s cabinet nominees and what they will be asked to do in their appointed roles. Research on bills and proposals, at the state and federal level.
 
But being active is more than just research. You need to be willing to speak out. I started with emails on local issues. I got in a few heated email exchanges between myself and local legislators on topics of importance to myself and my family.  Then, with the help of our local Indivisible chapter, I started tweeting and calling. My voice would be heard. And if, in order to be heard, I needed to send out tweets, emails, and calls each day, then that is what I would do. It can feel a bit daunting, but I know I am not alone.

But the question is, why do I fight? I fight because I am afraid that someone like Trump will one day tell me that my life doesn’t matter. That my husband and I deserve to be second class citizens. I fight because we need affordable health care and affordable quality education. I fight because I believe we all deserve better.