Carrying RBG's torch

COEUR d’ALENE — Shawn Keenan has had a lot of sleepless nights lately.

He’s worried about where the country is today, and where it’s headed tomorrow.

“There is so much at stake right now in our democracy,” the Coeur d’Alene man said Friday. “What’s happening now is unprecedented in our time.”

Keenan was one of about 25 people at a memorial for Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died Sept. 18 at the age of 87. She served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court from 1993.

On a cold, rainy morning, the group of mostly women met outside the local offices of Sen. Jim Risch and Sen. Mike Crapo. They placed flowers, cards, notes, dolls and pictures as a way to send a message to the senators to honor RBG's request that the next elected president nominate someone for the open Supreme Court justice seat. 

Some expressed fears that President Donald Trump will nominate a conservative, which they don’t want.

“They need to wait to vote for the next Supreme Court justice,” said one woman, a comment that was followed by applause and cries of “bravo."

Della Munnich came to the Ginsburg memorial because she said she is a strong supporter of women’s rights.

She recalled times when women could not buy homes or insurance without their husband’s signature.

Munnich, too, is uneasy with the state of today’s politics and the country’s direction under the president. She fears rights of women and minorities are being oppressed.

“I never in my life have seen anything like this, ever,” she said.

JoAnn Harvey, a retired Coeur d’Alene educator, hopes Trump honors Ginsburg’s wish that the winner of the November presidential election select the next Supreme Court justice.

She held a sign that said, “Honor her wish,” and “Don’t fill RBG’s position until after the election."

Harvey also stands strong for women’s rights.

“I’ve seen the oppression to women ever since I was born and being a minority,” she said.

Harvey twice ran for public office in Idaho, once for the House and once for the Senate, and lost both times.

However, it wasn’t losing that bothered her, but an encounter on the final night before the election when she was going door-to-door seeking support in Hayden Lake.

She said one man told her, “I don’t know why you’re out knocking on doors. You’re not going to win. You‘ll never win.”

Harvey asked why.

The man cited three reasons: She was a woman, she was a Democrat, and she was the “wrong color.”

That answer didn't sit well with Harvey.

She doesn’t want Trump to select the next Supreme Court nominee because that person will be a conservative.

“I’m concerned they will go ahead and appoint somebody and of course, what are we going to do? They will be so overloaded to one direction.”

She said she does believe there is time for change, mentioning the addition of more justices and ending the electoral college system.

“If we don’t, this country as we used to know it is not going to ever be there again,” she said. “It’s really sad.”

Keenan gave an emotional speech.

“Unfortunately, we have a leader who doesn’t know what leadership is," he said. "We have a party that has chosen to roll over and let it all happen."

He said he wasn’t sure if everyone there was a Democrat, but continued anyway, saying, “The Democratic Party is sadly not in a position nor are they expressing any sort of leadership themselves right now.

"It’s extremely distressing to say the least,” he said.

Keenan issued a call to action and said he has spent nights trying to reach political leaders.

“We need to create a new narrative and people’s narrative. At the end of the day, it’s us, it’s us that’s going to make the change. We can’t depend on any of our senators. We can’t depend on any of our leaders. It’s us. We have to be the ones that step up right now,” he said, raising his voice, shouting, “Not tomorrow. Right now.”

Shari Williams, who is running for state Senate, District 4, said, “We need to step up like Shawn said, every single one of us, and every single person in every single town that believes in justice and democracy,” Williams said. “If we don’t do it, we can’t wait around for most of the men to do it.”

“I said most,” she added with a smile as she looked at Keenan.