Written by Rosemarie Jackowski   

That Would Be Really Hard

I like Ann Romney. Actually, I like her as much as I like Michelle. They are both nice ladies. They are just doing what Democrats/Republicans do all the time. To expect anything different would be illogical. Most D/Rs seem to have their own way of looking at the world. Of course they do. They are in- the- box- thinkers. That explains why they are Democrats/Republicans.

When Ann gave her speech at the Republican Convention, I was not surprised to see that she could not really understand how so many of the 'other people' live. She talked about being home and raising her boys. Many of the 'other' mothers thought about how lucky she was to have had that privilege. She never had to go to work outside the home, and leave her boys when they were sick. She had the privilege of staying home with them.

Now Mrs. Romney makes the "Stop it. This is hard." statement. "This is hard". Really? Actually it looks like fun to many of us - jetting around the countryside.

No, Mrs. Romney, hard is not having enough money to feed your kids.
Hard is working 80 hours per week and still not making it.
Hard is watching your wife suffer with cancer, and not having access to good medical care.
Hard is going to bed every night wondering if you will be killed by a US drone.
Hard is being an 18 year-old boy with no front teeth - no dental care - and trying to get hired for a job.
Hard is missing your father's funeral because your boss won't give you the time off.
Hard is being a little kid working in a toxic farm field.
Hard is being in prison - tortured because you were in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Hard is being Bradley Manning, Julian Assange, or Lynne Stewart.
Hard is living in a country that has no nuclear capability. Those are the ones on the list for US military intervention.
Hard is being stared at because you are homeless.
Hard is living in a country that is being occupied by US Military Forces.
Hard is being an unarmed man assassinated in his own bedroom.
Hard is being the mother of the little boy who died from a tooth abscess because his Mom did not have money for a dentist.
Hard is knowing that no one in power is on your side.
Hard is always being on the wrong side of the desk.
Hard is knowing that things will never get better.

So to Ann and Michelle, I say: "Please, understand that you just don't get it. You never will. Maybe it's not entirely your fault. You can't help it. Your world is so different from the world that most people live in, and besides that, your views are reinforced by your Party and the media every day. I don't care if you donate a lot of money to charity, or not. I don't even care if you pay your taxes. I don't care about your religious beliefs. I don't care if you cheat on your husband - none of my business. I don't care if you feed your kids Twinkies for breakfast. I care only about the domestic and foreign policy that you support. People die every day because of those policies. I might believe that you care about us, if you ever resign from the Republican/Democratic Party, but I know that that would be really hard. "

Rosemarie Jackowski
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Rosemarie Jackowski is an Advocacy Journalist and author of BANNED IN VERMONT.