This is Personal

I tried to start a local women’s magazine 15 years ago to encourage local women to share their art and poems, allowed them to buy and sell within their small community and supported local women entrepreneurs. It was an entirely positive mission devoted to helping women come to know and trust one another.?

The website was hacked into constantly by Russians.?I could not understand why they were so intent on taking down this little local effort…but eventually I gave up because I could not fight off the intensity of the attacks.

Now I get it.

If we do not have community, if we do not trust each other, if we divide rather than unite, if we refuse to know and care for our neighbors…they win.

Who are “they?”

There is no "us" vs. "them"….except for those who seek power vs. the powerless.?The masses are in power when they are united.?They become the powerless when they are divided.?That is why those who hunger for the “riches of this world” are intent on dividing us! The magic wand they use to make this happen is to divide us into as many “us vs. them” scenarios as possible.?The smaller our divisions, the easier we are to conquer and control.

The point is to divide us…do you understand that?

This morning I was brought to tears when I heard the disparaging remarks made about Puerto Ricans at trump’s Madison Sq. Garden event last night that brought roars of laughter from the audience.?I am so ashamed of my fellow Americans.?Puerto Ricans ARE US CITIZENS since 1917.?Is this what we have come to…citizens turning on citizens??How embarrassing!?Is this what you are intending to vote for and bring to pass in our country??Hate??What is wrong with your soul??What has happened to your values??What kind of person turns on a fellow citizen??Laughs at fellow citizens??Disparages fellow citizens?

Let me tell you why this is personal. I grew up in Millville, NJ. Many of the farms around Millville were operated by Puerto Rican farmworkers who were recruited to come to our local farming communities to do this hard farming work!

The children of these agricultural workers attended the same schools I went to and many became dear friends of mine.?I always found them to be thoughtful, polite, introspective, charming, fun interesting and very hardworking.?I was introduced to a new culture - new types of food, new music, new ways to dance, and their homes were always immaculate.

My best girlfriend since first grade and I had lunch with some Puerto Rican friends at lunch every day.

• One of these Puerto Rican boys retired as a master sergeant in the Air Force.
• One Puerto Rican boy grew up to become our city's mayor.??
• Another Puerto Rican boy who I had lunch with everyday became a brain surgeon!

They all were fellow US citizens when we were in High school…and continue to be my fellow US citizens now.

I stand against those who seek power who are trying to divide us! Do not let Bezos, Musk, trump and others divide and conquer us.

United we stand, divided we fall.