My dad, lung cancer, and his last vote.

JustAnotherGen

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Tue May-24-11 07:49 AM
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My dad, lung cancer, and his last vote.

I rarely start new threads at DU - but my father has inspired me! I hope those of you that feel detached or angry at the way things are goin will be inspired by him too.

My dad is a child of the Jim Crow horror. Born in 1941, he was raised in Talladega Alabama . . . And everything that implies for a black child in the 1940's and 1950's. He will tell you that a pivotal moment in his life was Emmet Till's murder. After attending Tuskeegee - in spite of his country - he joined the Army. He rose to the rank of Captain and served as one of the first Green Berets. Along the way he met, fell in live, and married my mom. She's white. They are both brave to have married the person they did - when they did.

Along their life path my brother and I were born. My dad left the Army while I was stll very young and my family settled in a small town outside of Rochester NY. When they moved here in the 1970's this area was a boom town. They prospered but lived a simple life. Instead of throwing false self-esteem and things at my brother and me, they threw knowledge, books, music, experiences, and instlled in us a strong sense of service to others, and political activism,

When our local school district was in distress, my dad ran for and won a seat on the school board. Be it Boy Scouts, little league, running me to ballet classes, makin sure we had the tools to succeed academically, they showed us the value of hard work and standing in the midst of a storm and spitting at the wind even when the odds are against you. My dad has always said - you can't win if you don't at least try. He also once told me " when I was in Vietnam and Korea I quickly learned that the other guy is just as afraid of me as I was of him

Two weeks ago today we learned my dad has lung cancer. Last Thursday we learned it was stage 4. I've been back up here in Rochester the past few days just talking with him. I gotta tell you guys - he's not 100 percent happy withe the things that have gone on since January 2009. But he's so Hopeful - for us. His time is not long on this earth. He can't force much air behind his lungs and has a tumor on his vocal chord that I sat with him yesterday to get chemotherapy to try and reduce. He's walking around with oxygen but he's walking.

This morning he got up early to go vote for the last time. In case you haven't been paying attention, there is one heck of an election going on in Western NY right now. There's a Democratic running (Hochul), a Repug, a Teap, and a Green. Since the Civil War era, this district has always gone Republican. We got a shot. As my dad said, This President looking for the lost apostrophe in his name ;-) needs all the help he can get. So sick or not, I'm not giving up on single payer health care, world peace, and a clean earth for my descendents - so I'm going up to vote for this young woman.

He's been very vocal these past few years about his anger. You would think that Green Beret is a man of war . . . He's not. He's a pacifist. He told us - no.ingrained in us that our country does things that the powers that be WANT us to believe only other countries do. But if we could turn that aggression to Positive things -we can be great.

He's now sitting here doing hist to yell at morning Joe. :rofl: because you know what? He hasn't given up on hope, peace, prosperity for ALL Americans, a country whet poverty does not exist, and everyone has abed, three hot meals, and the medical care they need. When he walked in the door he had a smile on his face. Because he's just one vote but he is happy he COULD cast it. Folks a few years ago that litlle boy whose peer Emmett was murdered saw a Miracle. He had given up on his country after Busg got re-elected. But he had hope in 08. And he has hope now. And if this broken old man can have it so can we.

If you are in Western NY today please please please go vote for Hochul. Our President needs our help. Every liitle vote, every moment o act ism, every moment of personal sacrifice can create miracles that only human beings can create!