An Open Letter to This Week

Dear This Week,

In the past, I've written letters about 'this week' in history, and all of the various things that happened in our past. Usually, when I am doing research for these letters, I am always so surprised by the array of important events that occurred in just one week. Though they are typically separated by time, it's still pretty amazing to think about how every day culminated into today.

So instead of diving into history this week, I want to talk about the present. Because, years from now, if someone like me is writing a similar blog, he/she is going to look back on November 4th-9th and think 'wow.'

That's because there is a lot going on right now. This week, we witnessed the long-awaited 2018 midterms (and with that, voter fraud), another massive shooting, and the release of a doctored video by the White House. And this is without any international news. By historical standards, all of these events are monumental. Let's break them down.

The 2018 Midterms

I voted, did you? These midterm elections were momentous. Voter turnout on Tuesday was the highest that it's been (for a midterm) since 1966. It's estimated that 114 million Americans voted, which is nearly half of the eligible population. That might not seem like that much, but compare that to the 2014 when only 83 million came out to vote.

Even though some of us may not have been happy with the way that the midterms ended, this is a BIG deal. Typically, we see a larger turnout for presidential elections than midterm elections, but that could soon be changing. By 2020, who knows how large the voter turnout could be - and what that means for President Trump if he seeks re-election.

Great. A lot of people voted. So what?

Bad news first. The Democrats lost a lot of key elections. One of the most heart-breaking was Beto O'Rourke's loss in Texas to Ted Cruz in Texas. On Tuesday, it was also announced that Democrat Stacey Abrams allegedly lost to Republican Brian Kemp in the Georgia gubernatorial race (but more on that later). It was an especially difficult night for Florida Democrats, where Bill Nelson lost to Rick Scott in the Senate race, and Andrew Gillum lost to Ron DeSantis (we'll come back to this too). Democrats also didn't gain control of the Senate.

And despite all of this, the night wasn't a total loss.

That's because Democrats snagged control of the House of Representatives, which is going to be key in taking down Trump. Now, the Democrats can actually investigate into Trump's corruption, including (but by no means limited to) meddling with Russia, ethical violations, and his tax returns.

Even though there were losses, this is a major victory that should not be ignored.

Now, back to Georgia and Florida. These elections are not over yet. The senatorial and gubernatorial races in Florida were so tight that recounts are being issued for both. Some have argued that this isn't a recount...it's just a count. Why? Because there are supposedly many uncounted ballots that could change who wins.

For Nelson and Scott, the margin was so tight that a recount was automatically triggered.

No one knows where this is going to end, but Florida is no stranger to recounts and complicated elections. For a lot of voters, the 2018 midterms are bringing back memories of the 2000 election between Bush and Gore.

In Georgia, the story looks similar (and even more fraudulent, if possible). Stacey Abrams has not conceded yet, and that's because she believes that Kemp along with her other antagonists meddled with votes.

Right now, Kemp is only about 25,000 votes away from a run-off, and he's admitted that there are at least that many outstanding votes that have not been counted.

I don't know how this is going to end, but I'm sincerely hoping for the best. Kemp's allies have proven time and time again that they attempted to prevent minority groups from voting in this election. But, Stacey isn't going to go down easy.

It's also worth mentioning that the 2018 midterms saw the election of some of the most diverse candidates we have ever seen. Sharice Davids became Kansas's first openly gay and first Native American elected to Congress. Jared Polis was elected as America's first openly gay male Governor. Ilhan Omar was elected in Minnesota as the first Muslim congresswoman. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez just became the youngest woman ever elected to Congress at age 29.

Things are happening.

Thousand Oaks, California

This week also witnessed the 307th massive shooting in the United States at a bar in Thousand Oaks, California. Yet another mentally unstable person was able to obtain access to a violent weapon with the intention of killing and injuring. The tragedy in Thousand Oaks comes barely a week after the shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh.

I've said everything that can be said about gun violence on this blog. If I am being honest, I feel nothing but numbness whenever I find out that there has been another shooting.

Does that mean this is our new normal?

I certainly hope not.

Jim Acosta

On Wednesday, CNN White House correspondent, Jim Acosta, had a particularly tense altercation with Trump which resulted in the revocation of his White House pass. This, allegedly, was because Acosta "[placed] his hands on a young woman just trying to do her job as a White House intern." The video that Sarah Sanders released later that day was clearly doctored, to make it appear as if Acosta "karate chopped" this woman's arm, when (if you watch the REAL video), he was simply moving his arm.

I have several problems with this, but I'm just going to focus on two.

1) The fact that the White House shared a doctored video to the public is extremely concerning. When I saw this doctored video circulating online, it was often associated with a quote from George Orwell's 1984: "And if all others accepted the lie which the Party imposed - if all records told the same tale - then the lie passed into history and became truth."

Don't let this become truth. Call this Administration out on their BS.

2) When has this Administration EVER cared about assaults on women? The President is recorded saying that he grabbed a woman by her genitals. His Supreme Court justice nominee was accused of sexual assault, and the victim was ridiculed as a result. This Administration has made it very clear that they do not care one bit about women, women's rights, or women's health. For them to claim that revoking Acosta's pass on the grounds of "assault" is absolutely absurd.

That's all I have for you this week. Hang in there. Things are getting better - slowly, but surely. We cannot let the losses of this week define us.

Let the victories inspire us to keep fighting the injustice, because the war is just beginning.

Yours truly,

P.S. Praying for you, RBG.