United We Stand

Me and my pussyhat.  #TakeaStand

As we all know, a lot of bad, bad things have been happening in Washington as of late.  Our President has already signed 14 new Executive Orders in one week, most of which have been directed at the removal of rights or not-so-subliminal discrimination.  Most recently he has signed an order blocking entry into the U.S. to individuals coming from 7 Middle Eastern countries.  This ban includes any non-US citizens traveling on valid, government issued visas.  There are three things I'd like to point out:
     1. The president decided to block 7 specific Muslim-majority countries- the list happens to
     exclude countries that he has done business with during his civilian life.  He isn't so much
     concerned for our safety as he is for his profit line.
     2. No terrorist act has been carried out against America by individuals haling from any of the 7
     countries being blocked.  The 911 attackers were from Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Afghanistan,
     and Lebanon to which the ban doesn't apply.
     3. An exception has been granted to all Christians traveling from one of the blocked nations,
     which is a blatant sign of the very religious discrimination that our Bill of Rights protects against.

But I'm not here to remind people of all the terrible things occurring in our country.  We're all very, very aware.  Ashamed, dismayed, frightened, and aware.  But in spite of all that, I'm here to remind you that there is still something to hold on to.  A story comes to mind that is attributed to Fred Rogers, better known to you and I as Mr. Rogers.  He said when he was a boy and would see scary things in the news, his mother would tell him to look for the helpers.  She said you will always find people who are helping.

So I look for the helpers.  I look at the millions of women and men who marched in cities across the globe last week in defense of human rights.  I see the masses of protesters gathering at airports fighting selective, discriminatory bans.  Everyday I run into individuals still proudly wearing safety pins showing solidarity and support for all those being attacked and disenfranchised.  One thing you can count on in America is a firm belief in civil rights and determination to fight injustice.  Our president may have an evil agenda, but he does not speak for all of us.  We will not, to steal from Dylan Thomas, "go gently into that goodnight."

I'm not encouraging anyone to break any laws.  Riots and pillaging do nothing but hurt the cause and reinforce the opposition.  I do, however, encourage civil disobedience.  As St. Augustine said, an unjust law is no law at all.  We have a right to peaceful assembly and we must exercise it to make our voices heard.  But we can also call our Congresspersons.  We can write letters to prominent publications to shine a spotlight on issues that violate ethics and human decency.  Even something as simple as showing kindness to each other shows who we are as a people.  There's a line towards the end of the film Schindler's List that says "He who saves one life saves the world entire."  The actual text from the Talmut is much longer, but you get the gist.  We must be the helpers.  If we cannot rely on our leaders to save us, we must save each other.  The only way we can truly "Make America Great Again" is by showing strength, solidarity, and an unwavering commitment to equality.  I believe in this country and its people.  I believe in it's strength.  And I believe we can fight this and find better days.