I never meant to become a political activist...

...but here I am, killing it.

Here's some background:

When I was a young'un, I stayed far, far away from politics. They made me mad. And I felt strongly that, if you are going to vote, then you have a civil responsibility to educate yourself about for whom and what you are voting. I wasn't willing to do that, so I didn't vote. I also didn't complain--I felt I had no business complaining unless I had participated in the process. I still believe all of that. So, what's changed?

Well, in the 2004 election, I kind of couldn't believe that people had re-elected George W. Bush. It seemed to me that he had been making some decisions with pretty negative impact, and it had seemed in the months leading up to the election like no one liked him, and yet--there he was, President again. But still, I didn't vote, so I kept my mouth shut. I did, however, start paying a little bit of attention.

Then, in 2008, the tipping point came: John McCain chose Sarah Palin as his running mate. I saw an interview with her, and my head nearly exploded. I went and registered to vote, and then I started to read. And read. And read. I even wrote a political blog post on my very personal and non-political blog. I drank the Obama Kool-Aid. I voted for the first time for our first African-American President, and the man I believe has been the greatest President of my lifetime. Note: that doesn't in any way mean that I think he was perfect, or that I agree with every single decision he made, but I do believe that he acted 100% of the time in what he truly believed to be the best interests of this country and its people. I absolutely respect him.

Meanwhile, I watched the local politics in North Carolina unfolding around me when we went from a Democratic to a Republican governor, who tried with all his might and the backing of the Republican supermajority in our House and Senate to drag our somewhat progressive Southern state back to the Stone Age with his ridiculous and misguided policies. I have voted in every local and federal election since I registered to vote, and I will continue to do so.

This past election circus--because that's really what it was: a complete circus--has left me feeling the need to be involved at a level I have never experienced before. It was easy to become complacent under President Obama, but no more. Our peace is gone, and it looks like things are going to get worse before they get better. Things under Trump are already crumbling. His administration is devoid of ethics, or even decency, and it has become clear in the past month that the ONLY thing any person in his cabinet or in his house cares about is money. Money at the cost of peace, the environment, the well-being of the American people, and really anything that stands in its way.

I can't be silent. I won't. I am a mouthy woman under the best of circumstances, and that is now where we stand today. This is my forum, and I can make a couple of promises, out of the gate:

• I will share no news that is not confirmed by at least 3 reputable sources.
• I will document my sources of information.
• I will not hold back on my opinion, so if you do not want it, I suggest you move along.
• I will do my level best to stay open-minded to dissenting opinion, but if you come at me, you better have your facts with you.
• I will not back down from what I believe is right.

It's on, y'all. Mama's entered the political arena, and she ain't going back anytime soon.