Dear Fellow Americans,

I hope this letter reaches you in good health. I am writing to you because our United States Postal Service (USPS) may disappear for all we know because we really do not know what is happening. Some sources say there is attempt to defund it. Some say they are removing sorting machines and blue post boxes and closing down some post offices. We cannot allow anyone or anything to destroy a service that has been our most valued asset. We value our military because men and women put their lives in the line of fire to secure and protect our democracy. We value more than ever our essential workers like our fireman, ambulance workers, police officers, medical community, teachers, delivery services and food service workers. They all serve us. They all serve we the people. It is time for us to deliver. It is time for us to STAND UP AND DELIVER.

If you still believe in “WE THE PEOPLE” then that means you believe that the USPS cannot be destroyed, dismembered, unarmed, or somehow diminished. The people who work for the USPS are people from all walks of life. Many are women, African American, veterans and people who work hard to ensure that we get our medications, our social security checks, letters from our families and military members working overseas. Bottom line, they too are “WE THE PEOPLE”.

The COVID-19 pandemic has flipped everything upside down. A record number of people are out of work, more and more people are contracting the virus, and 170,000 people have died. We are going through a recession. Our collective psyche has been affected with too many uncertainties. The economy is suffering. The senate cannot decide on a stimulus package or do not want to come to compromise so that the our most vulnerable citizens can receive economic relief. They need to go back to work. Each one of them represent us the voters, we the people, and nothing should interfere with the flow of mail in ballots, be they absentee or otherwise. Nothing should slow down our postal service. We must come up with creative ways of making sure that people know what they have to do in order to vote if they feel it is unsafe to go vote in person. It is vital that we help the word get out. We must start to use our own oversight powers by making sure the congress and the senate do what they are obligated to do. They too have to STAND UP AND DELIVER! The Postal Service Crisis is not a Democratic or Republican issue, it is a civil rights issue. It is an American issue.

We must do whatever it takes to embrace the constitutional and civil rights of all people. STAND UP AND DELIVER! We must secure our precious liberties and democracy. It is up to us. STAND UP AND DELIVER! Do it for your children. STAND UP AND DELIVER! Do it for your elderly parent or the person in your family who has heart disease or diabetes or other compromising health problems. STAND UP AND DELIVER! We the people have the power. The United States of America is not an autocratic or authoritarian regime. The United States is a democracy. The world is watching us, people. The world is listening! STAND UP AND DELIVER!

One hundred years ago the Women’s Suffrage Movement made a difference in our country by demanding their right to vote. “The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution granted American women the right to vote, and was ratified on August 18, 1920, ending almost a century of protest. … Following the convention, the demand for the vote became a centerpiece of the women’s rights movement.” We cannot let them down. They sacrificed too much. It is our turn to make “good trouble” and STAND UP AND DELIVER like those strong and brave women did. Please do the right thing. God bless America!

Love, Peace and Good Health,

Melba Christie

Photos by Pixabay