UPDATE 1/02/17: Original diary title was Unknown Author: I Will NOT Be Tolerant. I have changed the title to reflect the now known author, Jeremy Mitchell. I would have done this much sooner, but unfortunately I did not see the comment made by AR2 posted 6 days after the diary date, since they replied to another user.
h/t to amber71 who messaged me yesterday and gave me links to follow-through on regarding the author. I finally located his original comment on Rachel Maddow's Facebook post on November 10, 2016. His was the first comment made.
I contacted him and asked about the difference between the version I had diaried and what he had posted. This was his reply:
Here is the original version. It has been altered in many ways by many people. I consider alterations just a way people attribute their personal truth to it. Thank you for taking the time to track me down.
So, although I know no one will see my edits at this late date, I wanted to change the title to acknowledge Jeremy and to use a quote of his in the title. I also wanted to edit in case anyone in the future happens to come across this diary. While the main bulk of the words are his, many of them can be attributed to one or more unknown persons. I won't strike out many of the additional words or phrases out (except where they have changed a sentence partially), and I have placed asterisks** next to them. To the words other(s) have left out of his original, I’ve added them back in and bolded them. I didn’t want to make the edits too messy and ruin the original.
On my Facebook feed was a shared comment, written by an unknown author and I wanted to diary it in order to share it, and to be able to easily find it in the future. The words speak for me, as I’m sure they do for you as well.
It requires no commentary from me, other than to say the title and bolding are my own. Oh, and if anyone happens to know the author of this, please post in the comments and I’ll edit. BTW, if this has been posted already I hope you’ll let me know and I’ll delete.
I Will NOT Be Tolerant… (my phrasing)
By Jeremy Mitchell
“I listened as they called my President a Muslim (as if it were a bad thing).
I listened as they called him and his family a pack of monkeys a monkey. I listened as they said he wasn't born here.
I watched as they blocked every single path to progress that they could.
I saw the pictures of him as Hitler.
**I watched them shut down the government and hurt the entire nation, twice.
**I watched them turn their backs on every opportunity to open worthwhile dialog's.
**I watched them say that they would not even listen to any choice for Supreme Court no matter who the nominee was.
I listened as they openly said that they will oppose him at every turn. I watched as they did just that.
I listened and I watched and I paid attention.
Now, I'm being called on to be tolerant.
To move forward.
To denounce protesters.
To "Get over it."
To accept this...
I will not. (Jeremy’s words and my bold anyway)
I will do my part to make sure this great American mistake becomes the embarrassing footnote of our history that it deserves to be, I will do this as quickly as possible every chance I get.
I will do my part to limit the damage that this man can do to my country. I will vote.
I will watch his every move and point out every single mistake and misdeed in a loud and proud voice.
**I will let you know in a loud voice every time this man backs away from a promise he made to them.
**Them. The people who voted for him.
**The ones who sold their souls and prayed for him to win.
**I will do this so that they never forget.
**And they will hear me.
**They will see it in my eyes when I look at them.
**They will hear it in my voice when I talk to them.
**They will know that I know who they are.
**They will know that I know what they are.
Do not call for my tolerance. I've tolerated all I can. (These are Jeremy’s words, and were not left out originally)
Now it's their turn to tolerate ridicule.
Be aware, make no mistake about it, every single thing that goes wrong in our country from this day forward is now Trump's fault just as much as they thought it was Obama's.
I find it unreasonable for them to expect from me what they were entirely unwilling to give.
They will find no shelter here.”
Author unknown Jeremy Mitchell
Edited 11/16/16 1:47pm — Just now realized original post didn’t format properly.
Edited 1/02/17: Unaltered comment as originally posted on Facebook:
I listened as they called my President a Muslim (as if it were a bad thing). I listened as they called him a monkey. I listened as they said he wasn't born here. I watched as they blocked every single path to progress that they could. I saw the pictures of him as Hitler. I listened as they openly said that they will oppose him at every turn. I watched as they did just that. I listened and I watched and I paid attention. Now, I'm being called on to be tolerant. To move forward. To "Get over it." To accept this...
I will not. I will do my part to make sure this great American mistake becomes the embarrassing footnote of our history that it deserves to be, as quickly as possible. I will do my part to limit the damage that this man can do to my country. I will vote. I will watch his every move and point out every single mistake and misdeed in a loud and proud voice. Do not call for my tolerance. I've tolerated all I can. Now it's their turn to tolerate ridicule. Be aware, make no mistake about it, every single thing that goes wrong in our country from this day forward is now Trump's fault just as much as they thought it was Obama's. I find it unreasonable for them to expect from me what they were entirely unwilling to give. They will find no shelter here.
Yes. If it helps anyone, anywhere, please share.