"LO SI"

  Not in English, this is the title of a nominated song for an Oscar. Listening to it even in Spanish for a non speaker of that language, it is quite clear that this plaintive song has an important message for the listener. The singer is reassuring her beloved that even if no one sees or hears or pays attention to him, she does. She sees. She hears. And in this world where so many of us feel invisible, this is an important promise.

In this  crowded world of ours, speeding by us at a crazy pace, it is easy to feel abandoned, not important to the scheme of things and no one will miss you should you simply disappear. You are of no import. But along comes the singer to reassure you. You do count. You are seen. You are heard. You are of value.

This is the exact opposite of the message that we are getting from the GOP as they endeavor to continue to pass restrictive voting rights bills throughout the country. Or rather non voting rights. Evidently, unless one is a Republican, one is not to be seen or heard, but rather to be deprived of a vital right. But these disenfranchised people are indeed heard and seen and valued. There are people out there who care and who are waging the good fight for them.

But how do we overcome a world where important bills, where the basis of democracy, is tampered with daily? Three months after the insurrection at the Capitol we are still partisan based fighting over what to do, over the causes, the whys and the hows, the answers to vital questions of responsibility and even more importance, of prevention and deterrence of future attacks. We have rabid GOP Senators who are far more concerned with shooting off their dangerous mouths than with the safety of this nation, with the understanding of the horrid meaning of January 6. So much so do they do this, that one is no longer shocked by the outrageous behavior and statements of Hawley, a troublemaker of the first order, or Jim Jordan whose rudeness and misbehavior were so blatant and long lasting that he had to be told by the Chair to shut his mouth!

Schumer talks of "gotcha" amendments that are attached to the Voting Rights Bill. Imagine it! Ever closer to two centuries after the end of the Civil War, we are still fighting it. Who is eligible to vote? Is it to be restricted due to color, place of habitation, hours of work, ease of access to ballots, or should it be made simpler for all? Do we allow the inclusion of "gotcha" amendments that are tacked on, really a version of extortion, as they are forced yes votes in non sequitur attachments to an important bill, too important to be lost due to these other amendments attached to it. The sane know the answer. The others do not. They do not want their "others" to be seen or heard and certainly wish to mute their input and influence in the body politic.

What does this restricted vision and hearing do? It allows for yet more gun violence, as there is  another mass shooting, this time in Indianapolis. It allows for crude and obvious wrongdoing among politicians and big business. It allows for creeps to stage an insurrection against the government, to riot, to threaten to hang those whom they oppose, just like any two bit country. It encourages the growth and strength of prejudice and hatred, the maintenance of misogyny, the corruption of society in so many ways.

We must all embrace the message of this song. We must reassure, in words and actions, that all are seen and heard. All are cared for. We mean to make our society stay on the right path, to check itself, to reassure that errors made were just that -  errors, not on purpose attacks on civilized society. We must be better than we are right now. We must stop our backsliding that is so prevalent today. We must hear and see the truth, the victims and the perpetrators and we must act.

                     "Lo si"