Learning experience

When New Richland resident Dorothy Gonitzke, 83, thinks of patriotism, a number of images come to mind for her.

 

Her father was born in Germany and moved to the United States at the age of 2. His parents raised him and his siblings in North Dakota. “He was so happy to be an American citizen,” she remembers. The car her family owned during her childhood had a strange feature–six brackets mounted along the top edge, three to a side.

 

“On the Fourth of July, my dad would put flags in those and drive the car around. He just overflowed with pride.”

 

She also thinks of the Young Citizens League she took part in as a child. “Every Friday we would meet and talk about being a good citizen,” she remembers. The group would go on outings, including one Gonitzke remembers vividly to the state capitol building in Bismarck.

 

“When I was growing up, we took real pride in our nation,” she remembers.

 

“Now I feel as if I see that crumbling.”

 

If she had magic powers of some type, she says she would reduce bipartisanship in our country. “The Bible tells us to love one another,” she mentions. “But that’s not what’s happening. It seems like something is working to create division.”

 

She would make it so the legislature would be more responsive to the needs and interests of “us common people.” 

 

If she had magic powers, she would help people see the value and importance of voting. She remembers her parents would always sit down together prior to every election and look over the names on the ballot. “They would talk about what those people stood for,” she says. “And they would vote based on whether that aligned with their beliefs. 

 

“It didn’t matter what political party they belonged to.”

 

But Gonitzke has no magic powers, so on Saturday, Oct. 18, she did what the U.S. Constitution guarantees the right to do: She made her position known at two different protests, one held from 10 to 11 a.m. in Albert Lea, and a second one from noon to 1 p.m. in Owatonna. She made the trip with her like-minded friend, New Richland area resident Cindy Coy.

 

Gonitzke describes a mood of friendly cooperation at both events.

 

“I can’t believe the media is reporting that the protests were violent or threatening,” she points out. “Everyone got along, cooperated, and did nothing to threaten or harm anyone.”

 

In fact, Gonitzke remembers a distinct feeling of pride when she noticed two teenage boys nearby. “I told them I was really impressed they were taking an interest and expressing themselves,” she notes.

 

Knowing that she would need help with mobility, Gonitzke, who walks with a cane, took along a specially made walker. “That way I could be steadier on my feet,” she points out. “And I would have a place to sit down.” Gonitzke points out she did not feel out of place. The atmosphere was welcoming and numerous other people with limited mobility were there.

 

She says at each rally she chose a spot where she could watch the goings-on, then seated herself and held up her sign which said “Leave our medical insurance alone.” 

 

As a widow who depends financially on Social Security income and Medicare health insurance, she said some of the activity at the federal level makes her genuinely nervous about her livelihood. “These are benefits my husband and I contributed to our whole lives,” she observes. “It’s just not right to frighten and intimidate us this way.”

 

She says she also worries for others who are affected by new administrative policies. She remembers growing up on her parents’ farm, standing next to her mother who was looking out the window at a violent hailstorm, knowing the crops were being destroyed as they watched.

 

“She was crying,” says Gonitzke. “All I could do was hold her hand and try to comfort her in my childish way.

 

“I remember what it was like that our livelihood depended on selling our crop, and what it was like when we had nothing we could sell.”

 

As for what she saw at the rallies, she says it was a learning experience for her. She read people’s signs or listened to their conversations. “And I kept thinking to myself, ‘I never thought of that.’”

 

Among the signs she saw were, “This veteran opposes fascists and oligarchs,” and “Liberty and justice FOR ALL!”

 

“At the rallies, people were cooperating and treating each other kindly. There was energy and positivity,” she summarizes. “When it was over, I went home feeling better about being an American citizen than I had felt in a long time.”