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by Douglas john Imbrogno | september10.2024 | Colleen Anderson is one of the cultural treasures of West Virginia, and a Renaissance Woman in several creative fields, from design to poetry, performance to origami artwork. She is also an accomplished, popular op-ed limerick writer in the Trump era, a field of expertise that surely cannot count too many world-class practitioners. In Episode 3 (above) of the 2024 election series NotesBeforeYouVote.com by Amp Media Collective we feature two of them.
The limericks go out to those folks who haven’t yet decided for whom to vote; or who are thinking of voting Third Party (and thus likely assisting a Trump Victory); or for those of you locked into Trump-supporting families or communities, but who cannot stomach his views and persona. These limericks speak to that most un-presidential, cruel, and mean-spirited quality to Trump’s character: how he simply does not know how to be kind. Or to care about anyone other than himself.
As I ponder ways to frame why a second Trump takeoever of the most powerful nation in the world would be a full-on, global catastrophe, I often think of wise, old grandmas. Or, really, any significant person — an uncle, aunt, priest, rabbi, teacher, family friend, counselor or coach, say — who was key to what formed our characters growing up. Invariably, that Grandma or Significant Person in Our Life counseled us to be kind to others. To look out for someone other than just caring about our own narrow, selfish aims and interest. To care about others, whether friend, acquaintance or passing stranger, and to concern ourselves with something bigger than just ourselves.
That’s what on the ballot when you enter the voting booth, when you vote in advance or mail off your ballot. What kind of person do you want running your country? Our country? Donald Trump is now openly stating that instead of attending to such existential threats to America and the world as the climate crisis, housing and food costs, war and terrorism, that he’ll be turning a vast amount of energy starting on day one to one thing: retribution.
For more on these and other tweets from both these folks:
RUTH BEN-GHIAT: x.com/ruthbenghiat
MEDHI HASAN: x.com/mehdirhasan
Vote against retribution, self-centered cruelty, and the meanest aspects of our worst natures. Abraham Lincoln’s eternal quote comes to mind from his first inaugural address March 4, 1862:
Free subscribe to NotesBeforeYouVote.com and pass it on. A couple times weekly, we post videos under 60 seconds-long, which make one important point as we approach an epic election Nov. 5, to determine the fate of America. This is one small, collective effort, intended not just to preach to the choir of Harris-Walz voters, but to reach:
1) Undecided voters; 2) People thinking of sitting out the election or protesting by NOT voting; 3) Folks thinking of voting third party; 4) People in Trump-supporting households and communities whose conscience steers them away from voting for Donald Trump and who can follow their hearts and minds in the privacy of the voting booth.
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OP-ED LIMERICKS