We have made a decision

[AverageOldGuy]

We are in our 80's.

I'm in decent shape, work out 3-5 days a week, do all the driving and errands, though I have spinal stenosis, walk with a cane. and my hips hurt if I walk more than a block.

My wife of almost 60 years (60 years at the end of July) is not as fortunate -- Type II insulin-dependent diabetic, spinal stenosis, knee replacement, balance problems (two falls in past three years requiring surgery to correct), digestive problems, heart problems, walks with a walker.

We both understand that one or both of us could die in the next 15 minutes or we may make it another 15 years.

As college students in Alabama in the 1960's, we both marched in Selma, Montgomery, and Birmingham. We were knocked down by Bull Connor's firehoses and bitten by his dogs. We have marched and marched and demonstrated and volunteered for Habitat, in food banks, in homeless shelters, and you name it.

We recently moved from our custom-designed and custom-built home in rural Virginia into a small Northern Virginia apartment and are in a new United Methodist Church. During the morning prayer, the minister starts the prayer then members of the congregation can call out the name of a person for whom they want prayers and the congregation responds "Hear our prayers." Today I called out as loudly as I could "The People of Minnesota" and our congregation roared "Hear our prayers!!!" -- and after the service, damn near 3/4 of the congregation came up to me -- some with tears in their eyes -- thanking me.

Our decision is simple: We will NOT COMPLY -- we will not comply and we will let the world know it -- vocally, publicly, at every chance we get .

Our message to ICE is simple: Shoot if you must these old grey heads.

WE ARE NOT HEROES -- NOT AT ALL. But we have to ask ourselves: WTF WOULD JESUS DO?????

[spooky3]

1. Great post. Sending good vibes to you and your wife

To keep on keepin’ on.

[marble falls]

2. Certainly reflects my attiude. I didn't get this far in fear, I'm not fearful now. It's time to stand in any capacity we

[flamingdem]

3. Thank you for sharing this!

Brought a tear to my eye. I wish there were more ways to show that most of us still care.

[highplainsdem]

4. You're honorable, caring people, willing to stand up and speak out for what's right. And whether

or not you think the label "hero" fits, in a time like this - when our oppressors have made it clear that they're willing to shoot - that label fits.

[Deuxcents]

5. Your post really touched me and I send my best wishes to you and your wife for a healthy new year.

I’m knocking on 79 and our generation has been thru a lot of rocky times but we dealt with it and moved on, hopefully to make things better. We’ve worked hard and at this point in life, gray hair, walkers or whatever we’re dealing with, we have not forgotten our lessons..question authority. Verify and double check. Take care of our neighbors and we donate to causes dear to our hearts and convictions. Your prayer request said it all for this current situation and your decision for non compliance seals the whole point of what you’ve experienced and how you will live. I’m proudly in lock step with you. Thanks for your post 🙏

[godsentme]

6. I love this

Thanks for sharing. My heart needed it

[ShazzieB]

7. I got chills down my spine reading this!

When I got to the part about the congregation roaring out their support for the people of Minnesota - SHIVERS!

Thanks for sharing this beautiful story!

[3Hotdogs]

8. Every day I send my prayers. LOUD 'N CrLEAR.

Jesus, please take the motherfucker home today, into your sweet, loving arms.

[Joinfortmill]

9. I love this

[AncientOfDays]

10. Check for PAD

I had pain like you describe - walk with cane, can't walk more than a block, spinal stenosis, etc. But my doctors did CAT/MRI scans and found blockages leading to the femoral arteries. I just had vascular surgery with stents installed and 80+% of the pain is gone.

Might not be your problem, but worth checking

BTW, I'm 84

[3catwoman3]

11. Your post is bringing tears...

…to my eyes. What a moving moment that must have been.

[young_at_heart]

12. Fellow 80+'ers here....thank you for this wonderful post!

You speak for us....after all these years, we can't handle what is happening to our country, especially to those of us who just happen to be Democrats! I loved your post and applaud you and your wife for all you do. Those of us born in the 1930's may be struggling with a lot of health problems but WE WILL NOT COMPLY!

[BurnDoubt]

13. Thank You For This.

I need to hear more how People of Faith are finding their conscience and I fear so much of Christianity has been co-opted by the Prosperity Hoax.
It’s hard to hear the things I was taught as a child are mocked for being “Woke”. The only Anger I remember hearing of Jesus was vented on the Money-changers. And in our day they have perverted the whole message to take control of people’s lives and rob them of their Free Will in their desire to impose their Dominance Delirium on our Society.
So thank you for adhering to the Spirit of Christianity. I wish I knew more people like you.

[lucca18]

14. Thank You❤️ So meaningful.......So true.

Stay strong.
Stay well.
❤️

[Randomthought]

15. Thank you from an old woman

Who lives in Minneapolis

[Cha]

16. I had Tears just reading you OP, AOG

Mahalo for you and your Wife's Dedication to Our Democracy.. ☮️🌺🌻🌸🕯️🕊️💜

[dflprincess]

17. Thank you for thinking of us!

[Uncle Joe]

18. Thanks for sharing AverageOldGuy

[CTyankee]

19. Thanks! Now I know what to say to the "religiously insane" repukes I know. They figure that they have cornered the

market on anything to do with their Lord and Savior.

[hoosierspud]

20. Today, I will be walking in the MLK rally

With fellow members of my UMC church.

[utherpendragon]

21. Our Daily Dread

…and give us this day our daily dread,
and may we find the composure
to bear witness without becoming brittle.

For thine is the kingdom—
even now,
especially now.

[malaise]

22. Love you both

Rec

[Loryn]

23. .

[Timeflyer]

24. Very cool, AOG.

[Wounded Bear]

25. Sounds like you are definitely above Average...

[bleedingulcers]

26. "Who touches a hair of yon grey head....

dies like a dog! March on!" he said.

You touched an almost dead part of my brain (and my heart) with your post...

From the poem Barbara Frietchie by John Greenleaf Whittier. If you went to school in Maryland in the 60s and 70s, you very well may have memorized this!

[Irish_Dem]

27. Same decision I made. Live free or die.

Everyone has to do what is right for them

[riversedge]

28. So great to see your post and know that people outside of adopted state for a long while support us......

I lived and worked in Mpls for decades. Loved the city and still have a few friends there.
One was out last week with the protestors.

[fantase56]

29. Thanks AverageOldGuy....

I really needed that this morning. You lifted my spirits

[PatrickforB]

30. Shoot if you must this old grey head, but leave your country's flag, she said. Good poem. n/t

[hamsterjill]

31. Thank you for this.

I'm so happy to hear that a congregation understands compassion, and the need for it. I am a believer, and it has been horrid the last decade watching what I consider to be the basic tenets of Christianity twisted and contorted into something that has nothing to do with what I believe it truly is. So many of the MAGA that I live around in Texas became that way BECAUSE OF their mega churches, etc.

I am happy to know that some are coming back and embracing the love, the compassion, the grace, the forgiveness and the actual teachings.

And I will not comply. I couldn't live with myself.

[Kid Berwyn]

32. Love ya, AverageOldGuy!

You are a good man.

And thank you for putting the situation into words of action.

[c-rational]

33. Thank you for this post AverageOldGuy. Right behind you.

[VTderry]

34. Good for you! And glad to hear it was so well received.

And there is true heroism in speaking up and refusing to bow down.

[Americanme]

35. You and your wife are good Americans.

We are blessed to have you. Thank you.

[ret5hd]

36. We...also...will NOT COMPLY

I learned several things over my years:

1) the fear of getting kicked/punched is generally worse than the actuality
2) jail (short stints anyway) isn't as bad as you think
3) however, tear gas is pretty f'n bad...but survivable

[Evolve Dammit]

37. Tears here too. Well done AOG.

[OldBaldy1701E]

39. "WTF WOULD JESUS DO?????"

As I recall, he went into the temple and destroyed the moneylenders.

Can we expect that from everyone? Because that surely needs to happen around here. The corruption I speak of is a direct cause of where we are now. Greed and Envy. Seems I have heard of those things mentioned in Christian doctrine.

And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money changers, and the seats of them that sold doves, And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.
— Matthew 21:12–13, King James Version

This is what has happened to our country. It is overrun with moneylenders and merchants. They have turned our once amazing society into a den of thieves. And, their thievery and corruption has created our current regime.

So, who is going to toss the first table?

[Fla Dem]

40. Wonderful recounting of your life and a great spontaneous shout out for the folks of Minnesota.

[llmart]

41. Very touching post.

I'm with you. I WILL NOT COMPLY! Don't know if I'll ever find myself in that position with regards to ICE but there are other ways I will not comply.

Thank you and your wife for standing strong. I'm closing in on 80 myself and my attitude is that I've done everything I wanted to do in this life, and I'd rather leave it fighting for what I know to be right, just, compassionate and kind than sit back and let everyone else fight to save our democracy.

[Quanto Magnus]

42. According to MAGA, Jesus

would put on armor, pull out his AK and go 'hunting'....

[samplegirl]

43. God bless you

both we are in our sixties and never thought retirement would be with such fraught.
I would like to wake up one morning without outrageous news and go to bed without such heaviness.
❤️

[La Coliniere]

44. That's the true fighting spirit we all need to be exemplifying.

Thank you for the emotional uplift your post is providing. You and your wife are extraordinary Americans and I hope you live to see this tide turn back to sanity. Bless you!