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Nina K Gordon's avatar

Being a cockeyed optimist, I really thought this would turn out differently, so I went to the Democrats' watch party in Nassau County. I was happy to see Suozzi and Gillen win, and Prop 1 pass, but that does not diminish the enormous loss and grief and fear that is enveloping those of us who supported Harris.

I had 2 gigs this week, on Wednesday and Thursday, and I was happy to have the distraction and the opportunity to sing and play music for an hour and bring joy to people. But when I got to my closing song, This Land is Your Land, I had to fight back the tears in my eyes and could do nothing to stop my voice breaking. I always add the verse Arlo wrote, and I pushed through the tears and sang it loud and proud:

Nobody living can ever stop me, as I go walking that freedom highway

Nobody living can ever make me turn back, This land was made for you and me.

When I was leaving, the director of the Alzheimer's program where I played on Wednesday said to me, "I can't believe you didn't cancel today, you must be devastated... and I just have to say, you sang the shit out of This Land is Your Land!" I guess it was meant as a compliment. But I was singing with all of my heart and all of my pain and rage. So yeah, I guess I sang the shit out of that song...

We must keep on singing.

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Jessica de Koninck's avatar

Absolutely!

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Danny Bobrow's avatar

Your children say it well, a blessing for you since the apple -well you know- ah the younger ones have time on their side, we elders have less of time, maybe we will yet see the wish for woman to be pres, i have been saying for some 50 years, the first 30 i was busy trying to grow up😂, that this country needs a woman leader. Sorry for all the pain another extreme righty has brought us

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Susan Spivack's avatar

Yes! to everything you say. And thank you.

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judith sokoloff's avatar

Thank you!

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Dan Epstein's avatar

Thank for your post, Jessica, and for the Wendel Berry poem.

Sometimes, I forget the amazing power of even a short poem.

At my age, I continually remind myself of something I read on facebook a couple of days ago, about life: It goes on.

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Jessica de Koninck's avatar

Aw, thanks.

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Tony Gruenewald's avatar

My sister-in-law, a school nurse in the district of NC that's given us Madison Cawthorn and Mark Meadows, is having a knock down drag out fight on social media with members of her family over the election. As a school nurse in NC, she works for the county health department, and has to tend to people suffering the horrible consequences of policies handed down from the legislature in Raleigh. She has also become a leader in the National Association of School Nurses and says that as bad as policy is for them in NC, it has become far worse in states like Florida. We had dinner with her in NYC in September and says the NC legislature is creating policy with language that cannot have be seen by anyone with a background in health. (Eye exams are now considered a "treatment".)

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Jessica de Koninck's avatar

Simply awful

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