Polite confessions of a liberal

I will protect you by covering my nose and mouth even if you do not do the same.

I understand that your rage about being asked to wear a mask is a mental health issue, and you have my sympathy and compassion.

I understand your contempt when you hear the words “climate change.” It is far too terrible to contemplate, so it must be bogus. I know that you sometimes have the same problem with the reality of the holocaust.

I will continue to fight for you and the planet.

I will donate to Sierra Club every month because that organization is our best hope of preserving wildlife, open spaces, and fighting climate change.

I did not have any children because it didn’t seem fair. I must now pass old age without the joy of grandchildren. However, I still worry about your grandchildren and the world they are inheriting.

I understand that you are troubled by political corruption and political dynasties. So am I.

I get it that electing someone who came from outside the established political system seemed like an experiment worth trying. I truly hoped it would succeed. I am sad, not gleeful, that it ended as it did.

I get that you worked hard all your life. So have I.

I get that you may have been born into a family that had little. I was raised by a single mother, and we lived in small apartments throughout my childhood and teenage years.

Even though my own business has not suffered in this pandemic, I worry about the future of local, independent business.

I am buying a few things, like hand-made soap and homemade dog treats, that I don’t really need. That’s because I want local business to survive.

Though I am going to fewer restaurants than I used to, I am spending more money when I do go out.

I will wear my Black Lives Matter T-shirt until my African American neighbors get the same treatment I do.

I understand that, when you say derogatory things about the Black Lives Matter movement, it’s because you are afraid. I will do what I can to make you feel safe.

I will continue to hold Brianna in my heart.

–Lynn Hamilton