Charlene Shaver

Liberals say, “Feed the hungry.” MAGA says, “They should’ve worked harder.” Liberals say, “Protect the right to vote.” MAGA says, “Purge the voter rolls.” Liberals say, “No one should go bankrupt because they got sick.” MAGA says, “If you can’t afford healthcare, that’s your problem.” Liberals say, “Let people love who they love and live as they are.” MAGA says, “God hates the same people we do.” So don’t come at me with a Bible in one hand and an American flag in the other, pretending that makes you righteous. Because if your version of Christianity requires cruelty, demands conformity, justifies suffering, and teaches children that some people are less deserving of love, you can keep your heaven. I was raised to believe that decency matters. That you feed people when they’re hungry. That you help people when they’re struggling. That you stand up for those who cannot defend themselves. That you speak up even when your voice shakes. That you leave this world a little better than you found it. THAT is what liberalism means to me. Not weakness. Not entitlement. Not some radical ideology. MORAL COURAGE. The courage to look at a country drowning in division, greed, and manufactured hatred and say: We can do better. We MUST do better. And we have a responsibility to do better. Because patriotism isn’t measured by how loudly you wave a flag or how often you quote scripture. It’s measured by how you treat your fellow human beings. And if compassion makes me a liberal, I’ll wear that label proudly. So enough with the cruelty. Enough with the hypocrisy. Enough with the endless chaos. We are better than this. And it’s damn well time we started acting like it. VOTE.