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If you have no moral compass, there is no wrong direction! Mara Severin

The inscription on the Statue of Liberty was replaced by our own 3rd Congressional District representative, Steve Womack, last week. It no longer says, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” Womack says we need to “appeal to people from other European countries” who can “actually fit into the society as we know it.”

Bless Steve’s heart. He seems to have forgotten the millions of people who lived on this continent before white Europeans committed genocide to steal the land for themselves. He seems to have forgotten the millions of people from Africa, ripped from their homes and lives, forced to come here. He seems to have forgotten the millions of people we have displaced from their countries because of our wars, leaving them no other place to go.

Steve Womack is a deplorable liar. When he swore his oath of office, he promised to uphold the Constitution and to represent all people in his district; not just rich, white, male republicons like himself.

Steve Womack is a deplorable racist. He has demeaned one third of his constituents, calling their home countries “depraved” because they have skin colors other than his own. Representatives don’t get to choose their constituents, we choose our representative. I hope after November, it won’t be Steve Womack.

This 2018 mid-term election we will have a choice. Josh Mahoney is challenging Steve. It will be hard to defeat Womack because the Koch brothers don’t want to lose their easy (and often, very cheap) vote on whatever the Kochs want. The Kochs will spend a fortune, but political power is always on the people’s side when we get off our couches and work for our beliefs and convictions.

But it does take work. It takes registering voters, canvassing neighborhoods, making phone calls, holding meetings; getting out of our comfort zones of social media chatting and getting our shoes dirty with soles worn through as we work for our goal of equality and representation for all.

Todos somos gente. We are all people.