Here at the BCDP, we’ve managed to conduct our meetings for the last two months using Zoom. I encourage you to join us for the next one on August 13th at 7 p.m. Zoom isn’t perfect, but it’s better than the first Zoom meeting I attended. Here is the sign-up link.
At our July meeting, Eugene Marsh, an old family friend, spoke to us about Moral Injury to Veterans. You can see it yourself on our Facebook pages, because thanks to Joanne Levitan, Belville 1 Chair, it was streamed live. It’s not the entire meeting, we stopped streaming after his address. Feel free to watch and share the event.
Moral injury is the suffering people experience when we’re in high-stakes situations, when things go wrong and the harm that results challenges our deepest moral codes and ability to trust in others or ourselves. The harm may be something we did, something we witnessed, or something that was done to us. It results in moral emotions such as shame, guilt, self-condemnation, outrage, and sorrow.
Many of our veterans have experienced Moral Injuries, and I believe we should know more about them. Our leaders, and ourselves, have asked our veterans to make sacrifices that go well beyond what should have been asked. Yet, they still get the short end when they come home to our shores.
Support our vets, not by just flying a flag, but by funding, reforming, and actively supporting our VA.
Behind the curtain, here at BCDP, many of us are working hard to keep issues before the voters of Brunswick County. For those who may not know, Mike Forte, Brunswick County Commissioner, put out a rant on social media that in my view was racist. I wrote a letter to the editor and then discovered Jeff Zalles had sent one also. Meanwhile, Third Vice Chair Paula Clarity started a petition seeking Forte’s resignation. It has well over 3000 signatures now.
No local Republican elected official has spoken out and condemned his hateful, racist diatribe. He is paid by the county and if he were an actual employee, he would have been fired for violations of the county’s code of conduct. Here is the link to add your name:
We need volunteers! If you would like to volunteer to help us make changes that will allow us to keep our Democracy, we have a new Facebook page just for volunteers. Brunswick County Democratic Volunteers is the name and it is managed by Bill McHugh, our volunteer coordinator. Of course, our website also has links that allow you to volunteer.
Right now, we’re conducting a contest for most calls in a week and then for the month. A Lowe’s Home Improvement gift card of $20 bucks will go to the weekly leader, and $50 for the monthly. A Virtual Phone Bank is easy, and you do it from home.
Opportunities are also coming up for some serious envelope stuffing. Don’t miss out. Contact Bill McHugh at billmchugh2@yahoo.com or 910.880.2688.
A lot to do, a few months left to succeed. We cannot fail. Your vote, your neighbor’s vote, family members’ votes, or folks you have yet to call will all make a difference.
I almost forgot. You can request an absentee ballot today from the Board of Elections. Don’t wait. Do it today. Call them at 910.253.2620 and they will mail you one to your home.
Our website has voting information at the top of the page. Or you can call me, 704.904.6253, and I will get you what you need to vote safely at your home.
Stay safe and wear a mask.
--Tom
“To a brave man, good and bad luck are like his right and left hands. He uses both.”
Sister Catherin
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