Letter #162... Dear Mr. President... It's time to support the 1%

Dear Mr. President,

You may be surprised to learn that I support the 1%, even though I am part of the 99%. The 1% that I support are the 78,000 men and women still serving in Afghanistan, and their families still praying for their safety. I support bringing them home much sooner than the end of 2014. Move that timeline up by one year.

Soldiers in Afghanistan... Bring Them Home Now!

When you first announced that all troops would be out of Afghanistan by 2014, I thought, well, that's not too bad, one more year to wrap things up seemed reasonable. Upon reflection, my thoughts are that it is not reasonable. It's not reasonable because nothing further can be gained by keeping our men and women there. It is counter productive to keep forces there that are being attacked by the very people they are training to take over their own security. The Afghans.

What is the gain verses the cost of remaining where we are clearly not welcome? The gains are negligible compared to the losses. The loss of additional American lives, the loss of billions of dollars, thousands more injured requiring extensive medical rehabilitation, and mental rehabilitation, more marriages destroyed by long and multiple deployments, including the Generals. And hundreds of children living with single parents, some of them permanently due to the death of one parent. This is no longer acceptable, it time to end  the charade of this terrible war.

What are the gains, war profiteers will continue to make billions while our young men and women who put their lives on the line, make pennies on the dollar compared to the war profiteers. The Afghans who profit by what we bring to their country, including millions of dollars given to corrupt Afghan politicians.

The election is over and the war in Afghanistan was hardly even mentioned during the campaign, let alone actually talked about. Why are we still committing our men and women to a war no one wants to talk about? It's not right and we need to end this travesty sooner rather than later.

I'm sorry Mr. President, the costs are too great, the loss of American lives is too great, and the sacrifices of the 1% are too numerous to justify continuing this war for another TWO years, because that's what you're really talking about.

Yes Mr. President, it's time for you to support the 1% now, it's time to bring our 78,000 men and women home from the longest war in our history, they have sacrificed enough, and so have their families. It’s time to move that timeline up by one year and it’s time to bring the 1% back to the country they fought for… America.

Most Respectfully,

Marcia Reimers,

Your Gadfly Granny

Letter #161... Dear Mr. President...It wasn't even close... it was a Landslide!

Dear Mr. President,

This morning while I was in the shower I couldn’t help but feel it was one of the best showers I’ve ever felt… it felt like I was washing off four years of racism, bigotry, homophobia, birtherism, and hate… washing away the divisiveness, ugliness, and anger that has raged through our country for the last two years.

The People have spoken... again.

As we head into this season of Thanksgiving, I’m extremely grateful to the over 60 million people that voted to re-elect you as our 44^th President. I’m grateful that the big money of Citizens United, the Koch Bros., the Adelson’s, the Trump’s and many like them, learned that the American people cannot be bought and the White House is not for sale. I’m grateful that the haters like Trump, Rove, Limbaugh, and Fox viewers learned that over 60 million people are not buying their relentless messages of lies, cynicism and divisiveness. I’m grateful that the 30 states that tried to impose voter ID laws and that they too were rebuffed by the voters. I’m particularly grateful to all those people who stood in long lines just to vote and send a clear message that those un-American tactics will not be tolerated, and are not acceptable in this country.

People say that this election isn’t a mandate, but it is… it’s a mandate for women’s rights, it’s a mandate against Citizens United, it’s a mandate for everyone paying their fair share in taxes, and that the very rich should pay a little more. It’s a mandate that discrimination will no longer be tolerated, and that includes a persons right to love and marry whom they choose. The State of Wisconsin proved this with Tammy Baldwin being the first female Senator and the first openly gay candidate ever elected.

I’m grateful that you opened the door and emboldened so many women by setting an example and appointing two women to the Supreme Court, one of them being the first Latino ever appointed. I’m grateful that you will make the next two or three appointments to the Supreme Court, ensuring the protection of women’s rights and the ACA. I’m grateful that you are using drones to help fight al qaeda, saving the lives of our men and women. I know it is not a popular position, and that innocent lives are lost, many of them women and children, and I know you do not make these decisions lightly, but that is what a great leader and the Commander and Chief is supposed to do... make the tough decisions that protect American lives.

My granddaughter came home from school yesterday visibly upset, upset because only 11 people in her 4^th grade class voted for you, and she thought that you’d lose the election. Her mom assured her that they lived in a neighborhood that was mostly Republican and that the kids would vote like their parents, but that because we live in California, she had nothing to worry about… you would win. I wish I could have gone to school with her today, I wish I could see the pride on her face and the faces of the other kids that voted for you, even though the majority of their friends didn’t. I hope the teacher explained what a meaningful election this truly is.

In closing, I want to thank you for always taking the high road, never stooping to the level of those detractors that have tried so hard to delegitimize your presidency. You have truly been an inspiration to many of us who have not always been on the same high road with you, myself included. To push back and respond to the ugliness and rancor was easy enough to do, but not necessarily the right thing to do, because it just added fuel to the fire… you never did that. This country is so fortunate to have you remain as our President, you lift us all, you lift the poor, the sick, the weak, the disenfranchised… you in fact, lift the whole world by your example.

Congratulations Mr. President, we’re fired up and ready to go… ready to go forward and raise this country back to its former greatness… we can, and will, do it together.

Most Respectfully,

Marcia Reimers

Your Gadfly Granny