We must be in the “dark days” that I’ve heard about my whole life. You know
what I mean. People will no longer be nice to each other. People will not respect
each other. People will not respect our laws. People will not tolerate each other’s
differences. People will cease to listen to one another. People will not…you can
fill in the blank.
I was raised in a time of hope, reasoning, tolerance, and kindness. When I was
growing up, I had a good sense of right and wrong early in life. My grandmother
kept the “good book” by her bed and read it every day. We all wanted to be like
her but when we weren’t, there was always a close-by switch to help us remember.
I grew up in the country on 40 glorious acres with my four siblings. My Granny
lovingly referred to us as “The Wild Bunch”. We were good kids though, and all
of us grew up just fine as my dad would say. We were all hard workers. The
country kids that grew up farming, hoeing, slopping pigs, milking cows, feeding
the chickens, and lots of other cool stuff, learned a lot from this experience.
I tell you these things in the hope of finding that you and I might have some things
in common. On Sunday afternoon, at the 2A meeting, I saw our local Democratic
party in a whole new light. I hope those in attendance left with a greater sense of
pride in our candidates this year. They all were amazing! I walked away having
learned far more about 2A and our local leadership.
Susan Stancill began the event with a few statements about herself. She made it
clear to us what it meant to be a “from here” versus a “come here” resident. From
Raleigh NC, she moved to the coal fields of Buchanan County, then here to
Washington County. That makes her a “come here”. From there, she introduced
the 2A film debut featuring four Democratic candidates, all “from here”.
After viewing the video, attendees were encouraged to group talk about what they
saw. During this interaction, many things began to happen. People were engaging
each other on the Second Amendment. People communicated openly and politely
with one another. People were respectful of each other and their opinions. People
asked questions about gun laws for home ownership and open carry versus
concealed carry.
Next, we had sound, intelligent questions asked of our four candidates. The room
was attentive. People were happy to have their questions answered thoughtfully
and respectfully. People related to Christina Clark Rehfuss’ analogy of inheriting
her grandfather’s gun to that of a mother passing down her wedding dress. People
responded when Julianne Johnson Miles discussed regulation of the AR-15 style
weapons. When asked about people that open carry a firearm and how it might
scare someone, she helped us understand that rather them intending to be
threatening, these are the same people that will be your hero should something go
wrong. People asked Josh Cumbow about the prosecution of the Washington
County deputy who murdered a family in California. People listened when Gary
Andis provided expert information on rifle types, sniper rifles, and gun
classifications. He answered questions until the attendees were satisfied.
So many positive things can be said about this event. I am certain the dark days
can be held at bay if we just listen to each other. In my opinion, Democrats should
be proud of what we are accomplishing in our communities. We have stronger
voices together. We have a very impressive slate of candidates this year. We have
wonderful leadership. I encourage you to come out and support us any way you
can.
I constantly ask myself how I could make this an even better opportunity for
Democrats the next time around. I heard many comments about getting the 2A
video on TV so it could be seen by more people and ideas of trying to bring back
the town halls. That’s the excitement I saw in our party on Sunday. More ideas
from you, our stalwart and supportive friends, will help us become a stronger team
together. We have other Democratic issues deserving of our focus and your voice.
I for one, see bright days ahead and for now, that’ll keep the dark days at bay.
Thank you all!--Lynn Bennett
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