Why do good people remain silent? The answer seems ridiculously clear: Safety.
When all is said and done, and our country’s institutions are heaped on the refuse pile of history, will we all look at each other in shame, understanding that we failed. Down deep in our hearts, we will face the unpleasant realization that the selfish and protective “me” trumped the fine ideals that could have turned the tide for a country—a country that has been the hope of the world since its founding.
As we sit in the comfort of our homes, we consciously—or unconsciously—avoid the crisis that surrounds us. The world economy is in turmoil; the world markets—good indicators of general confidence in the security of our world—are floundering; tens of thousands of people are set adrift in mass firings, their families wondering where the house payment and food will come from; Americans are forced to see their country as an aggressor-state, one that would return to the colonial greed of earlier times; the fundamental inalienable freedoms of our citizens are being trashed; innocent people are being “disappeared” in diabolical renditions that are contrary to the rule of law; and we face the prospect of runaway inflation worse than any of us can remember.
Amid it all, there seems to be no moral leadership that has found its voice to stop the obscene attacks.
It is a puzzling dichotomy. So many people, during our short history, have courageously fought—first, to establish our country, and then to save it. But it seems that those heroes are gone and there’s nobody strong enough to replace them.
Where are Patrick Henry, Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman, Jane Fonda and the Kent State student demonstrators of yesteryear? They would not be silenced, and our country is here because good people took substantial personal risks for the good of America. Where would we be today if each of them had shrunk in fear?
Who will challenge the madman when Americans are obsessed with the concern, “What’s in it for me”? The flip side is, what kind of evil will this administration mete out to those who dare dissent? The perception is that Trump is fully committed to persecuting those who resist. In essence, the Trump/Musk team isn’t the real ruler; fear is.
Just look at what the madman is doing, and you’ll immediately identify why you—and the majority of Americans—are not speaking out about the institutional and personal carnage of the Trump reign of terror. It is true that one must protect number one, but you know the wise saying, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."
Sadly, it isn’t just the terrified individual citizens who are failing. At times like this, when the moral and ethical foundations of government have toppled—we should be able to look to those organizations that were created to ensure our rights. And so, we turn our eyes, pleadingly, toward the courts, where the rule of law is being eviscerated by the Trump machete-wielders.
Sorry folks, but there’s a “closed” sign on the judge’s front door. While some of our most important jurors are ruling on the basis of law—and, in fact, many of Trump’s executive orders have been halted by judicial rulings—many others are running scared, just like the rest of us.
Well, don’t despair. We have our elected legislators, don’t we? Just make that call and let your representatives and senators know that you’re extremely unhappy—that the rule of law seems to have escaped the President and his cabinet of nitwits, thugs and co-conspirators. I’ve done it, and you’re likely to find out that, just like the judges—who are being fired for disloyalty to the King—there’s an “Out to Lunch” sign hanging from a suction cup hook on your legislator’s door. Don’t ever even think that their patriotism is possible; they’re only interested in their own survival and well-being.
OK, so the courts and the legislators are cowering under the threats of the King. Have faith, folks. Our great country’s religious leadership will save the day. After all, that’s the function of religion, isn’t it—to provide moral leadership when government fails to do so?
Listen carefully, and you won’t hear more than a passing criticism from the Pope about Donald Trump’s policies; the Mormons’ Russell Nelson isn’t about to show any concern for the deplorable treatment of immigrants; the great Baptist conferences aren’t about to rock the boat with a moral pronouncement on the outrages being supported by America’s hawkish abandonment of the world’s most oppressed people; and leaders of Judaism, though there are dissenters, largely acquiesce to the Trump-supported Palestinian genocide.
It seems that, under the threat of losing tax exempt status, even God will cower under Trump’s vicious attacks on human decency.
It really doesn’t matter what religion you’ve chosen, and it doesn’t matter, either, that you’re not a believer. What does matter is that any legitimate belief system must cultivate a general sense of compassion and brotherhood for all people, and that is where the Catholics, the Jews, the Mormons, the Christian Evangelicals and the popcorn, rah-rah-rah variety of TV ministry spectaculars all seem to have failed.
What the hell are churches for if they can’t foster benevolence among the people of our planet? All the synagogues, temples, cathedrals, and religious shrines are merely symbols of the various beliefs. But, the more accurate measuring stick of today’s religions is really about what they are doing to ease the suffering of mankind. And God, apparently, isn’t willing to make waves in a country where anyone can become a target of the madman.
Of course, the Orange Clown has injected a little God into the mix. He’s announced a new White House “Faith Office” led by the ultimate religious TV disgrace, Paula White, who promises—in exchange for a $1,000 donation—to bring you untold financial success and your own personal angel to guard your well-being. Let’s face it: That’s pure Trump. Birds of a feather flock together. While Rev. White isn’t tripping over chunks of fallen mascara, like the legendary Tammy Faye Bakker, she’s only a bad joke for any serious “believer.”
Well folks, it seems that with the courts, legislators and God failing to bail America out of this mess, we can only rely on the strength of American patriotism. That means us, and we must be willing to find the courage to stand up to the power that would destroy our democracy.
As Franklin D. Roosevelt once proclaimed, "We have nothing to fear but fear itself." And, Winston Churchill had something to add: "Fear is a reaction. Courage is a decision."
