By Pam Bloom

Dear Neighbor,

October is the one-year anniversary of Dear Neighbor articles. This collaborative column came about because three women were tired of being called Demon-crats and baby killers and worse by some of our voting neighbors because we supported blue candidates instead of red. We felt a need to try and turn down the vitriol that was simmering. Sixteen different writers have shared personal values and opinions in an attempt to be heard as individuals, as your neighbors. We also hoped to encourage folks to search for factual information rather than depend only on the disinformation and misinformation that too often parades as facts and spreads like wildfire.

Oct. 14, 2024 found me discouraged. While Hurricane Helene pulled together both red and blue officials and residents across N.C. in the face of the tragedy faced by our western N.C. neighbors, the former president, now candidate, made statements that harmed rather than helped. He lied. And he has never recanted those lies even as local and elected Republicans spoke the truth about FEMA efforts and as an armed individual who was part of a militia was arrested for threatening FEMA workers.

And the lies spread. Who have we become? And who led the way?

This isn’t a partisan rant; it’s one based upon my moral values. I can’t play southern “nice” when these lies are harmful and have a direct impact on N.C. residents. I can’t pretend that a convicted felon running for POTUS is normal. Where are the responsible adults in the room? Why are you looking away? Why have you stopped reading? Are you afraid?

I recently attended a community event that was open to the public and hosted by the local Republican Party. Having attended a truly bipartisan event at Catawba College called the N.C. Trusted Elections Tour, I was curious to see what someone from Colorado touting hand-counted ballots as the only solution to fair elections and advertised as a cybersecurity expert had to offer. My expectations didn’t even begin to imagine his definition of a shadow government in control or the disinformation he offered that could be quickly checked as false from reliable sources. It was definitely an Alice in Wonderland night with everything turned upside down rather than providing actual truths. (For example, a week later, the Colorado woman he touted as the nicest lady you could ever meet was sentenced to nine years in prison, convicted of illegally tampering with voting machines while still repeating Trump’s false claims of voter fraud at her court hearing.)

At the end of the evening, being true southerners, we turned to say goodbye to our adjoining neighbors. The lady behind me thanked me for joining them and asked what I thought of the speaker. I politely said that I found him to be an alarmist and how it was difficult to sit and listen to someone describe me as evil because I had different political views. Taken aback, she assured me that what I heard was not what he really meant.

Sadly, her reassurance was not a fact. Discussion was not an option.

And yet, here we are in October 2024 with a candidate for POTUS who lies with no remorse. And with too many followers and elected officials assuring us that what he says is not what he really means. End of discussion.

Last week, I met an undecided voter who will not vote for Trump, yet hesitates over voting for Harris. We spoke for over an hour as I answered his questions about candidates up and down the ballot. I am a registered Unaffiliated. I am that fence sitter my daddy used to describe, looking at all the candidates and deciding which one best defines my values and belief in our constitution. As we finished our discussion, I asked how it feels to be one of the people who may decide this election? “I don’t like it,” he replies.

If you are still undecided, what do you need to hear or read in order to join your many red leaning neighbors who are putting country before party, a coalition of Republicans,

Democrats, and Unaffiliated joining together to vote for democracy over authoritarianism. Might it be Trump’s White House chief of staff, General Kelly’s words, describing the former president as a man who embodies the true definition of fascist?

Fascism is a far step beyond the chaos and name calling that is accepted and then dismissed as Trump’s personal brand. We fought WWII to defeat fascism.

Dear Neighbor, we are at a serious crossroad for our cherished United States and our constitution. As Ben Franklin reminded us, we have “a republic if you can keep it.”