Hi ,"I know that this email is different than all of the other ones that you’ve received. If you will pardon the intrusion, I just need to write something from my heart. I’m a volunteer for the Hawkins/Walker campaign. My name isn’t important. I just want to be heard. Growing up, I was raised with a strong sense of stoicism. The idea was that a man shouldn’t cry or show weakness and I should grow to be a man who can be strong and use that strength to help others. Less than a week ago, my dad was diagnosed with COVID-19. I don’t think that there’s been a day that I haven’t cried since. It’s almost funny how there’s also a certain sense of shame added to the emotional mix. When I see people on the news or on social media protesting having to wear masks or calling COVID-19 a hoax, it just hits even harder now. Previously I’d get upset at their ignorance and I would possibly grumble to my roommate about the jerk on my screen. But now it’s like I just grow cold. How can these people not see what’s going on around them? When I see their behavior, egged on by a President who spews nothing but lies and hatred, I’m speechless. My dad is a good man and is the hardest working person that I know. The family business went under several years ago and I watched him do any odd jobs that he could to keep himself and my mom afloat. At his age (late 40s at the time), nobody would hire him for any job despite an excellent track record. He eventually got on with a community center in a nearby rural town. The pay was far less than anything he had made in nearly 20 years, but being able to be on the front lines of helping the most vulnerable people in an already poor area seemed to stir something in him. We would meet for lunch every week and he would tell me all about the senior citizens who would come up to the community center just to see him. He would organize all sorts of events for them. Bingo nights, karaoke parties, bake sales… He was making a difference in these peoples’ lives and improving the community. While I was happy about that, I was mostly blown away at seeing how this affected him. For the first time in my entire life, it was like my dad was truly and honestly happy. As the COVID pandemic began sweeping the country, my dad and a few other workers at the community center volunteered to get a van loaded with food and supplies to deliver to the seniors who were now under quarantine. He was working nearly 70 hours a week to make sure that every single person had what they needed and was still in good health. This kept on until the morning that he couldn’t get out of bed. He’s having difficulty breathing and his thoughts are scrambled. Mom wants nothing more than to be by his side, but she knows that that’s not an option. As the hospitals in my city fill up and find it necessary to add external refrigeration units to accommodate the sheer volume of the deceased, I can’t help but be overcome with fear at the thought of my dad’s name being among those in the next 40+ page long obituary section of the newspaper. You think you can imagine the pain of families that are going through this until you find yourself in that situation. With no health insurance and virtually no savings available to speak of, I’m trying not to be bitter at how this system has completely failed my family. I’m trying not to be bitter that while my dad struggles for every small breath that he can get, we have a president who refuses to handle the pandemic responsibly and openly mocks experts. I’m trying not to be bitter, but I don’t know how well I’m succeeding. It’s not a pretty confession, but it’s just where I’m at. As I’m doing what I can to help Howie, Angela, and everyone else in this campaign, my mind just can’t help but wonder, “what if we had an Ecosocialist Green New Deal in place?” I can talk data and speculate statistics all day, but, right now, I mostly just care about my dad. I know that he wouldn’t be fighting for his life against this virus right now. He wouldn’t also be stressed because he doesn’t know where the money for rent is going to come from. He wouldn’t be worried about the treatment costs (which range around 40k-70k). He’d know that the seniors from the community center are taken care of. He would be able to know that everything is okay. In my opinion, this campaign is the only one that is clearly taking this seriously. I can only speak for myself, but I’m not sure whether to be more upset at the Republicans or Democrats. As far as I’m concerned, they both contributed to this mess. I genuinely feel that this may be our last chance to get it right in our election. This campaign is talking about the issues that have affected my family my entire life. Better yet, this campaign is taking action. No Republican ever did that in my life. No Democrat ever did that in my life. So here I am at my lowest point of vulnerability. I don’t want my dad to die. I don’t want anyone to die or lose their home or go hungry. Thank you for letting me tell my story. Please donate to this campaign and reach out to get involved in any way that you can. It’s going to take all of us. In solidarity, Without having the Green Party in the presidential race to appropriately represent the interests of the working-class and the environment, we will not see real solutions raised from either of the two major parties.
We are at a unique point of time where it is more possible than ever before to pave the way for real change that will actively improve peoples’ lives. The only way to attack real life-or-death issues such as COVID-19, climate calamity, the new nuclear arms race, and the racial and economic inequality that has led to a decline in the life expectancy of the American working class is by approaching these issues with real solutions. Donating to our ballot access drive is the best and most direct way to combat these crises. Without Greens on the ballot, no one will fight for COVID-19 relief or a Medicare 4 All platform that will protect people like Nameless in Texas' dad. The clock is ticking on, and we still need to get on the ballot in several states:
We need to hire petition gatherers NOW to make this happen, and we need your help to raise the money TODAY. With your contribution, we will be able to get on every ballot in every state to show voters that there is no need to settle with their vote. The iron is as hot as it gets. You need to strike right now. Real change is possible and the fight for an Ecosocialist revolution is more critical now than ever. Every dollar donated helps push us closer to our goal of creating true and lasting positive change! Click the link below and let us know that you’re standing with us! Thank you for keeping the revolution alive! In solidarity, Team Howie
|