Political Activist
Born with a rebellious streak, Betty has resisted traditions and practices that she felt were unfair. This was not always easy for her conservative parents! Her first visit to Washington, D.C. was to protest the Gag Rule in the Regan era. The most recent visit took place in 2017 at the Women’s March on Washington. It turned out to be her television debut on the national evening news.
As a resister, Betty currently sends an action email every workday, to a group of 300 resisters focusing on combating the Trump Administration’s destructive actions.
DONALD TRUMP IS CANCER
December 8, 2016
Written by Guest Contributor Elizabeth Reed
The day after the election of Donald J. Trump I relived the day I received my first cancer diagnosis, ten years ago. This is what happens. I gape at the results—a malignancy has invaded my life. I sob. Nausea overwhelms me. My head pounds with a pressure headache. I cannot pause my mind’s loop tape—yesterday’s future is suddenly, shockingly at risk. I troll the internet, hunting down facts. I call my sisters and we cry. I pull the threads of my house around me to create a cocoon. I acknowledge the insidious hate this monster has spawned and vow to expel the venomous anger coursing through my veins. I drink too much wine at dinner. Controlling the angst is a herculean task that requires music and chocolate. At my piano I play Bach, whose pieces are intricate statements of peace. I eat a gigantic brownie for lunch. Read more
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CONSEQUENCE
Volume 8: Spring 2016
POCKETS OF RESISTANCE
January 11, 2017
by ELIZABETH reed
A few weeks ago I grabbed my raincoat as I ran out the door to attend my son’s orchestra concert. It wasn’t cold enough for a hat, but it was cool enough for gloves. When I searched my coat pockets, I found a plastic spider I’d forgotten to hang up on our web-covered bushes at Halloween and a campaign pin—a picture of Hillary Clinton with smart, ready, tested written on it. Halloween and autumn canvassing in New Hampshire felt like a lifetime ago.
As the concert music started I let Beethoven’s symphony wrap around me like a mantle of the determination that embodied him. Beethoven always carried a notebook in his pockets to jot down musical ideas, and later when he was completely deaf, to communicate with others in writing. He resisted against his deafness; he fought it in the best way he could—by composing one masterpiece after another. Beethoven showed us that silence is not the answer. His determination made me realize we must take our hands out of our pockets and resist. Read more
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