A local meeting was supposed to be a community discussion about gun violence. It turned into a “patriots” circle jerk. They took over the meeting.

The patriots are very much about freedom for me, not freedom for you. They are all about small government when it’s about them and their gun rights.

When it isn’t, they have zero problem tasking the same “small government” to intrude in the lives, bodies and families of people who aren’t like them. The patriots call everyone they disagree with “groomers,” when the people who actually groom and harm children are mostly white, straight males the victims know.

The above-mentioned events and behaviors have become normalized because our nation was involved in a four-year-plus abusive relationship with a petulant man-child.

Many people who used to feel confident in speaking the truth have been shouted down by ignorant people for so long, they’ve forgotten that their voice, their rights and the truth still matter.

Another problem that we have is a lot of citizens don’t see the point of voting.

If you or someone you love has a uterus is LGBTQIA+ or BIPOC, we cannot continue to remain apathetic.

You know who isn’t apathetic? Extremists and religious zealots. They show up and vote consistently.

We need to start showing up, supporting and voting for the people – both locally and nationally – who want everyone to have equal rights. We need to vote like our rights depend on it because they do

Janet Hough

Cortez