A few days ago, I sat at a table in my neighborhood Patisserie. It had started snowing during the night and by 7a.m. about 3” coated the world. Looking out the large windows, I could the see powdery flakes falling, a snowy fog. What was I going to write today? I’ve got numerous drafts to pick from. As I sipped my steaming coffee, a friend approached and said, “I’m not going to vote. The parties are screwed up. Trump’s acquittal show’s there’s no point. I’m going to concentrate on my work and projects.”
This was someone who tirelessly works with the Red Cross to assist the homeless and distressed. This was the last person I’d guess to say that. Later, another friend said almost the same thing. I could see that they were exhausted and depressed, the political equivalent of battle fatigue.
The night before, Rachel Maddow and Senator Chuck Schumer discussed the disaster called the Senate Impeachment Trial. Republican Senator Mitt Romney was the only Republican in the Senate who voted for Trump’s removal. In a powerful speech, he said he had taken an oath before God to be impartial and open-minded. Even though the evidence was clear that Trump had committed High Crimes and Misdemeanors, all other Republicans voted to acquit Trump. These senators helped Trump illegally ignore subpoenas for evidence issued by House Investigators. Similarly, they blocked evidence and witnesses at the Senate Trial. The Senate’s show trial was a foregone conclusion. Acquittal which gave Trump carte blanche to do anything to help with his re-elected and make money for himself and his cronies. The hogs are ready to gorge at the public trough.
After three years of FBI and House investigations, Republican Senators chose to ignore the crystal-clear truth, and acquitted the most dangerous man in America.
My friends and millions of other Americans are exhausted and disheartened. Schumer acknowledged that people were weary and worn down. But he said that now is not the time to withdraw from battle. The exact result that Trump and his sycophants have worked for; overwhelm us with lies, criminal behavior, and injustice. They want to break us and our resistance to their march towards absolute power.
Why Go On?
American history provides answers. The over-riding message; Don’t Give Up. We have suffered a painful defeat, off balance and confused. What is the point?
Our history is about people of goodwill who; believe in Rule of Law and the right of “we the people” to determine our own futures. The advance of human rights and prosperity has always been under attack by selfish, short-sighted, proto Dictators who want to manipulate us and control our lives. We have pushed back and made slow progress. We have fought to affirm the dreams of our Founders. We have taken their words to heart and expanded them to include all people. Our efforts have been imperfect and there is much left to be done but, today, we are much closer to a world of Equality, Rule of Law, and the Inalienable Rights to Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness. It has been a painful journey, many have fallen on the path towards what Lincoln called a, “More Perfect Union.”
We must remember our vision of a fair and prosperous land, where we and our environment exist in an healthy balance. It will not be Utopia. We are Humans and nothing we do is perfect. We will always need to improve. But our vision is a goal we can reach. If we don’t surrender to our fears and worst passions.
What to Do?
We begin by acknowledging that we are hurting. Many of us will have the inclination to withdraw and block out the struggle unfolding around us. I know this through firsthand experience and yet, I’m back. If we withdraw from our vision and purpose, we will lose our power becoming more helpless and hopeless.
If we look, we can see many examples of people taking control of their lives. When an earthquake, flood, or fire destroys an American community, what happens? Americans take action to help those in distress. Besides governmental agencies that represent all of us there are others. There are emergency relief organizations such as the Red Cross, and public organizations like Civic clubs and groups, Fraternal organizations, Churches, Synagogues, Mosques and Temples jump into action. We send money, food, clothes, house goods and volunteers.
Important to note, when we donate, we have no idea who will receive our aid. We give freely knowing that it will go to people in need, regardless of their culture, faith, political beliefs or race. We give because others need help. We do this to aid other nations too.
It is in that spirit that we reach out to each other. Like an Army that has lost a battle, we will regroup and prepare for the next battle as we lick our wounds and refocus our energies. An excellent example is the American Revolutionary War. Our army lost more battles than they won but they persisted. In the end they wore out the Red Coats and British Monarchy and convinced the British public they had to stop. We persisted and succeeded.
When the Constitution was signed, someone asked Benjamin Franklin, “What have we got?” His reply was, “A Republic, if you can keep it.” At that time, our Founders couldn’t foresee what America would be like in 250 years. Instead, they created a government that was flexible enough to adjust to the times. Overtime, our Republic has been transformed into a democratic Republic. Following our Founders core beliefs, we have expanded the right to participate to all men, women, including people of color. WE expanded the power of the state so to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to live in a society with many permanent rights, such as, freedom of speech, freedom to gather, equality under the law, be safe from undo actions of the state or religions, and the opportunities to succeed and be happy. Nonetheless, Franklin’s words hold true. “A Republic, If we can keep it.”
Don’t allow ourselves to be misled by self-serving liars, domestic and foreign, in their efforts to divide us by using our differences, real or contrived. We have more in common. Again, Benjamin Franklin had something to say about unity. During the creation of the Declaration of Independence, the Founders stressed the need to work together and not fragment into individual states or regions. This was critical because the Crown considered them traitors and if the revolution was lost, all of them would pay with their lives. Franklin reminded the Founders of a simple truth, ‘We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.”
What now? History tells us to; regroup, support each other and unite, replenish our spirits and organizations, remember, that we fight for our children and a just, healthy world, that there will be defeats and victories, and that if we persevere, we will overcome.
As Dr. Martin Luther King said, quoting a 19th century Unitarian minister, “The arc of the moral universe is long and bends towards justice.” The arc bends only if we have the courage bend it.
We have work to do. Let’s get to it.