An open letter to Mrs. Pelosi,
Mrs. Pelosi, I am speaking to you woman to woman. I don’t care about our political parties or our individual beliefs right now. I’m simply speaking to you as a woman in the year 2020.
You don’t know me, so to be fair I’ll give you a bit of background. I am my children’s teacher. I educate their young minds every single day. I do so willingly and with a sense of responsibility unlike any other. I have been sexually assaulted twice in my life. When I was 14, a man stalked my every move for months and then broke in through my bedroom window at 3:00 a.m. When I was in my early twenties, I was assaulted by a different man while I was working at an apartment community. I’ve been ruthlessly bullied by a girl in high school who I later learned has legitimate mental health issues. I’ve had multiple doctors strongly urge me to abort my baby because there was less than a 1% chance of her surviving the next 28 weeks of the pregnancy. She’s 15 years old and smart as a whip. I’m a woman who cares about other women. I care.
Last night, President Trump gave the State of the Union address. You fidgeted in your seat more than my kids did in church when they were toddlers. You made smug, condescending faces and you used hand motions and little head shakes to tell “your people” when and when not to clap, when to stand, basically how to act during during the entire speech.
I must tell you, Mrs. Pelosi, this is an amazing time in history for us because my girls and I are studying American government. The past semester has been rich with opportunities to watch history unfold live not just in a textbook.
You are part of a party that claims to promote diversity and individual freedoms, yet you “direct” those around you as to when to sit, stand, clap, or show emotion. Unfortunately, you seem to have a very difficult time when someone disagrees with your opinion. You are a woman in a role of leadership and you’ve looked less like a leader than the pint-sized bully at the local preschool. You, Mrs. Pelosi, are a mean girl. I’ve dealt with enough them to know. You want men/the world to respect us and treats us as equals, then don’t act like a deranged woman who’s in desperate need of some alone time in the bathroom to eat her hidden stash of chocolate in front of millions of people.
You didn’t use the time honored words to introduce the president. You allowed your personal feelings to override anything that looks like what you’re paid to do. You are paid to represent the American people and to do your best while you have the position. You’re not paid to have a temper tantrum upon your mini throne.
It’s OK, if you don’t feel love for the current president, but do you think that ripping up a speech that recognized and honored a baby born prematurely, a young lady receiving a big honor, a respected military man turning 100 years old, a soldier returning home, and more is the morally right thing to do? We wonder why there’s such a lack of respect for elders and authority in this country. You, ma’am, were a perfect example for the reason—you, you who are an elected “leader” of this great nation, acted like an enraged toddler whose Goldfish were taken away before you were ready. Sadly, you have repeatedly allowed the vitriol in your heart to overflow into your work.
You can rip up a copy of the president’s speech while trying to look cute and powerful to your cronies, but what worries me is that one day you’ll decide it’s time to rip up the Constitution. The 2020 election is coming up, and I pray that the people of this great land will recognize mental illness when they see it and allow you some much needed time off to get some help. Please, get some help.
Humbly,
Shannon Schick