Some of Us Still Remember
Why truth, law, and democracy still matter - and why we’re not ready to give them up.
We all grew up learning certain things - not from politicians or TV, but from people we trusted. We were taught that rules mattered. That promises mattered.
That telling the truth, even when it was hard, mattered.
We believed laws were supposed to protect ordinary people, not just the rich or powerful. We believed history was meant to be remembered, not rewritten whenever it became inconvenient.
We remember why we passed environmental laws - because polluted rivers caught fire, because children got sick, because the cost of ignoring reality was written in broken communities.
We remember that climate change isn’t an abstract debate - it’s something farmers, firefighters, and coastal towns already live with every day.
We remember why the Civil War was fought - not over “states’ rights,” but over whether this country would finally live up to the promise that all people are created equal.
We remember when America’s leadership wasn’t measured by how loud we shouted, but by how closely we lived up to our values - fairness, decency, courage.
It’s easier now, it seems, to tear things down than to build them up. Easier to deny hard truths than to face them. Easier to rewrite history to excuse failure than to honor the sacrifices that built the foundation we stand on.
But no flood of slogans or finger-pointing changes the reality we all see:
January 6th was real.
Project 2025 is real - a written plan to dismantle checks and balances and put loyalty to one man over loyalty to law.
The endless attempts to weaken voting rights, attack civil servants, and silence dissent - all real.
The gutting of public protections for workers, veterans, and families - all real.
Calling every loss “fraud,” calling every fact “fake news,” calling every limit on power “tyranny”- that’s not patriotism. It’s the oldest excuse in the book for why the rules shouldn’t apply to everyone.
Most Americans still know better.
Most Americans still believe the Constitution matters, even when it’s inconvenient.
Most Americans still believe government should serve everyone - not just the loudest, wealthiest, or angriest.
Most Americans still believe that telling the truth is not an act of war - it’s an act of loyalty to something bigger than ourselves.
This isn’t about hating billionaires.
Or trusting every politician.
Or pretending any side has all the answers.
It’s about refusing to let lies become normal.
It’s about remembering who we are - and deciding what kind of country we leave behind.
History is watching.
So are our kids.
And some of us still remember the lessons we were taught:
That the truth matters.
That the law matters.
That the sacrifices of those who came before us matter.
And that democracy - messy, imperfect, and hard - is still worth fighting for.
Sorry to those who voted for something different.
But many of us are not ready to give that up.