The man who led us down the path to where we are now. Trillions lost. Thousands dead. Millions harmed. A world where up is down and white is black, and Big Corporations control our country, in no small part because of the actions of one man: his wars, his Supreme Court appointments, his refusal to accept climate change, his many corporate beneficiaries on Wall Street, in the defense industries, on the boards of Big Oil, Big Ag, Big Pharma and Big Health care, and the economy he left in ruins.
Now imagine how humble the next Republican president will be.
To paraphrase Smokey the Bear:
Only you can prevent the next American War(s).
Only you can prevent the hostile takeover of our country by the person known as Corporations.
Only you can change the narrative of lies and deceit, bigotry and hate.
Only you.
For if you don’t act, who will?
Is there an Occupy event scheduled near you? Attend it.
Is there a progressive candidate you want to see elected? Send him or her money or volunteer.
Are their rapacious, arrogant governors in your state trampling on your rights? Work to recall them or fight to see that the damage they do is limited to one term?
Are their organizations that are fighting for your rights (rhetorical question)? Then support them any way that you can. Here’s a short list: ACLU, National Lawyers Guild, Southern Poverty Law Center, [add your own favorite organization here].
Are there homeless people and people in need of services governments no longer provide where you live? Then volunteer or send money to local charities that are helping them.
Are there Foxbots in your neighborhood or your family? Engage them, respectfully and with dignity, but also with firmness and belief that if even one mind can be changed you have succeeded.
Are there bigots and haters who threaten vulnerable communities, whether because of their religion, race, ethnicity or sexual orientation? Than stand up for them. Attend a gay pride march. Go to rallies against racial discrimination. Write a letter to the editor of a paper or online news outlets letting people know that progressive voices are out there.
For hope without action is an exercise in futility, and change, real change can only come from the bottom up. From you, all of you.
Make not a New Year’s resolution to do one of these things, make a lifelong commitment to do something, anything to effect the change you want to see.
It’s easy to blame politicians, but they are what they are because we let them be that way. We, the people, have been slumbering. This year many of us woke up. If you haven’t awakened to the tragedy that has befallen this country, now is the time. Get educated, and then get active in whatever manner you can.
Two quotes for you:
“Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
“Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising which tempt you to believe that your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires courage.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
The abolitionists stood up, and by doing so started this country down the path that ended slavery.
Women (Suffragettes and Feminists) stood up and started the country down the path to gender equality.
African Americans stood up, and continue to stand up, and their bravery changed the laws in this country that had previously delegated them to second class citizenship, and though that was only a start, and we have far to go, they changed this country.
The LGBT Community stood up, and continues to stand up, against the tide of hate and bigotry, and now we are beginning to see the fruit of their labors, with laws in some states that protect their rights, and allow them to marry, and on the Federal level allow them to serve their country.
The Labor movement stood up, and after many years the laws were changed so that children didn’t have to work, work places were made safer, and unions could organize workers to collectively bargain with their employers. Those rights are under attack, and have been for some time, but the unions are still in the arena, fighting.
There are many more examples than I can list here, of Americans, like you, like me, who said enough is enough and asserted themselves to achieve goals no one thought possible.
These are dark times, times in which many have surrendered to despair. Times in which apathy and helplessness gnaw away at the body politic of this country. Times in which the rich and powerful have had their way and in their lust for power and their greed have ruined the lives of many, many Americans, young and old.<p
But dark times have assailed this nation before. Those who fought during those times for a better future, a better life, a better country, felt much as we do now. Yet, enough of them continued the struggle until the tide turned. They were not better men or women than you are today. They doubted, they despaired, they suffered losses, but they did not give up or give in. Neither should you.
The world is watching us.
Give them something to see.
Peace.