An open letter to my extended family on the eve of an election
Dear Family:
I’ve been told that I’m too blunt. And honestly, while I’d love to have better skills in diplomacy, I can think of far worse things than being upfront and honest about important matters. So I’ll start in the same spirit that I’m known for: I’m writing to ask you to vote for Joe Biden for President.
I’m being blunt about this, and I’m doing something I’ve never done before with extended family because this is, in the most profound sense, an election that will either break our nation or save it.
I realize that simply being related by blood doesn’t have much to do with shared lifestyles. However, we all have one thing in common — our family history. And I like to think that we share a deep respect for the service and sacrifices that our family has made over three generations.
When my grandfather, Warren, devoted his decades-long career to working for the Veteran’s Administration at the Wadsworth, KS facility, he served and comforted men who’d fought against authoritarianism in two World Wars. They had given their all to fighting the abuse of power that denied common people in places like Germany and Italy basic rights — free and fair elections, transparent government, safety from discrimination.
