My thoughts

Many of you, over the past week have asked for my opinion and perspective of recent events. These are my personal opinions. 

The Gun Violence Archive reports 715 teen (ages 12–17) deaths from gun violence as of mid-September 2025, bringing the total number of youth fatalities to 883. Reports from early 2025 indicate a continuation of the trend of gun violence being the leading cause of death for U.S. children and teens. It’s the guns. 

The death of Charlie Kirk is tragic. He wasn’t just some “conservative commentator;” he was a pipeline of weaponized ignorance and hate. He was racist, misogynistic, xenophobic, transphobic,and homophobic and he used rage as a business. RAGE AS A BUSINESS. 

To those writing about his role as a husband and father, it is again tragic that his children will grow up without a father. Pol Pot, Idi Amin, Putin, hell, even the First Felon were/are husbands and fathers. The role or title doesn’t magically diminish or eliminate the vile words and horrific acts attributed to them. 

And the Hortmans. Assassinated in their own home for simply being Democrats. Where was the outpouring for them? For those of you writing now, where were you then? 

I don’t glorify violence; the number of children dying is unacceptable. The fact that I personally may be a victim of this kind of assault because I am a Democrat is unacceptable. The fact that the Hortmans were killed is unacceptable. But I will not whitewash Kirk’s words nor will I pay tribute to his legacy of hate.  

I will not stop writing or talking about this. No one can fire me or take away my birthday.  

We must do better. Everyone, starting at the top.

Do something

 From Tom Hartman: 

Democrats — who campaigned on the allegation that Trump was a fascist — must now behave like their claim was true and fight back, before Trump and Musk finalize Orbán’s and Putin’s neofascist governance model, making such a response impossible.

— Shut down the House and the Senate.
— Challenge Johnson’s speakership.
— Fight every unanimous consent vote.
— Use quorum calls to bring floor business to a standstill.
— Put holds on every Trump nominee, even for things like naming Post Offices or noncontroversial positions.
— Hold a major press conference every day and coordinate with Democrats across the nation to amplify that day’s message across local and national media.
— Organize political guerrilla theater and mass protest events.

Average people can reach out to their elected officials — the phone number for Congress is 202-224-3121 — and raise absolute holy hell. Blow up social media with protest and outrage posts. Share your concerns with friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors.

Why I said yes

We never know where one conversation will take us. 

A few years ago, it would never have occured to me that I would be invited to be on the slate of a strong, committed leader Curtis Hertel for Michigan Democratic Party Chair.  I got the call last week and I said Yes!  

Why? Because Curtis Hertel listens and understands the concerns of rural Michigan and is committed to making sure we have a voice. It would be a privilege to be part of the team that is committed to restoring faith in government and making government work for the people. I am grateful and privileged to support him and work with an amazing team from around Michigan. I commit to representing rural voices, constituents, and concerns. And I will drive anywhere in this state and talk to anyone about community needs.  

How did we get here?   After I stopped working full-time, I wanted to get involved in Democratic politics.  I called the Kent County Democratic Party and asked about getting involved. I received an email thanking me, telling me they didn't need volunteers, instead asked for a donation.  I never heard from them again.  

Later, while at our cottage in Iosco County-before it became our home- we were walking down the street in Tawas and, while looking at a sign in a store front, elbowed my husband and said, “Oh my gosh, there are Democrats here!” I walked through the door of the Iosco County Democratic Party on Newman Street, and I never looked back. I worked on membership, strategic planning and building an amazing team to benchmark successful practices around the state in urban, suburban, and rural communities. We used the data collected to inform our strategic, communications, membership, and fundraising plans and shared the information with anyone who asked. I am now Chair of the Iosco County Democratic Party and love the way we show up and serve in our community.

Around that time I joined ICDP, I also joined the MDP Rural Caucus. I had the opportunity to serve on first Rural Caucus Summit planning committee, working with a team to bring together speakers, legislators, county parties, and unions to talk about rural issues. This work led to a colleague nominating me for an award; I was honored as Congressional District 1 Democratic Honoree for 2024. I am not normally a fan of awards as they are rarely a solitary event, but the opportunity to represent Iosco County at the state level was well worth the discomfort.  

During the last election, I supported our local candidates, state representatives, and federal candidates who were running for office.  I knocked on doors, made phone calls, handed out literature, and delivered signs. What I heard at the doors was deeply concerning.  The lack of connection to the Democratic party and the level of dis- and intentional misinformation spread by the Republican Party was and still is deeply concerning.

Across Michigan, we are facing real challenges. The policies and proposed cuts with this administration will have very real and devastating impacts. In Iosco County, there are an estimated 25,075 people for whom poverty is determined; of those, an estimated 4,166 people are below the Federal poverty line (approximately 16.6%) and an estimated 947 are children (younger than 18 years of age) in poverty.  Nearly 27% of Michigan’s total population are enrolled in Medicaid and 22% are enrolled in Medicare. As of 2023, Michigan had a population of 10.04 million with 2.808 million relying on Medicaid and 2.288 million relying on Medicare.  

We need to start right now to take our country back and I am confident that Curtis Hertel is the leader who can lead for all of us.  He is committed to bringing people together to make sure our voices are heard.  I said YES to being part of the solution to the challenges we face.  We need to start now to hold Republicans accountable for the real harm to people and our communities and to build confidence that Democrats will make government work for all of us. 

This is why I said yes. 

Really folks, we are better together