Democracy Archives - Chris Ullrich dot net

Moving Forward Day By Day

Posted on November 8, 2024

Well, I don’t mind telling you this week has been rather difficult. I know I’m not alone in this. In fact, I feel like there’s millions of you who agree with me. And that’s how it is.

I’ll probably have more to say in the near future, but for now, I want to state for the record I’m an ally to kindness, to love, to family and to any LGTBQ folks reading this. I see you. I hear you and I accept you (not that you need that from me). I just want it known I’m on your side.

I’m sorry about this week. It sucks for people who want to choose right from wrong. I was hoping for more from my fellow citizens.

Many of them showed up and did the right thing. More did not. It’s gonna take some time to process that. I don’t understand it right now, and to be honest, I’m not sure I ever will.

In the meantime, I’m taking it one day at a time, doing my work, creating, making my version of art, being with my loved ones and taking some time for self-care. Is that the best strategy right now? I don’t know. It’s what I’ve got so I’m gonna do it.

Try to take care of yourselves and try to be kind. We need it now more than ever.

Hope 2.0

Posted on November 9, 2020

Well, well. As much as I was thinking and hoping positive change was coming, I still had some doubts. 2020 has been a bit too rough to go quietly.

Fortunately, it seems, this year can still surprise me and it looks like the adults are back in charge of the country again. Compassionate, decent, thoughtful, science-loving, education-loving, kind and sincere adults.

About fucking time.

Sure, we’re not out of the woods yet. He who shall not be named is still squatting in the People’s House and looks to be staying, at least for the short term. But I’m not going to let that get me down. Not me. Not this time. He’ll be out soon enough. One way or another. If I get a vote I choose “dragged away in cuffs”, but I don’t think it will get that far. Too bad.

The important thing is my vote mattered. Your vote mattered. All votes mattered. And all votes counted. The will of the people has been heard. You love to see it.

But we’ve still got a lot of work to do. Millions of our fellow citizens voted for the other guy and now we have the unenviable task of trying to work with them to move our country forward. As our new President-Elect, Joe Biden, said, he wants to be the President for all of us, not just the ones who voted for him.

That seems like an almost impossible task. I sincerely wish him luck. Still, he needs to govern and he needs to move the country forward and eradicate COVID and get us back on the right track. No matter what.

If detractors from his own side, and those who didn’t vote for him, want to come along in the spirit of unity and improving the country, great. Glad to have you aboard.

If Democrats don’t want to help, or those who didn’t vote for him want cling to their old ideas of hate, divisiveness, bigotry, baseless accusation and fear mongering, then fuck ’em. We don’t need ’em. Some people are too afraid, too stubborn or, dare I say it, too ignorant to change. I feel bad for them but some people just don’t want help and don’t want to change. You can’t please everyone.

Whatever happens going forward, I’m happy to live in a county that elected Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Great job, guys. We did it. Optimism is back in style and the future looks a little brighter.

And to my new President and Vice President I say good luck. We’re with you.

Don’t fuck it up.

Photo Credit: OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images