So, it's gonna be a long fight. Did you really expect otherwise?
This is not the first time the Supreme Court has gleefully torched the Constitution. There have been other Courts, other Chief Justices that have done their damnedest to burn down democracy. (see, among others: Taney, Roger)
This is not the first time Congress has been controlled by a majority wholly owned by and subservient to a cabal of greedy, racist, xenophobic oligarchs willing to sell their own grandchildren for a tax break.
This is not the first time a President has betrayed the most basic principles of human decency.
And YES, it's not the first time all three branches of government have looked as though they're the oncoming train of Total Destruction.
And we survived.
And the pendulum swung.
It cost lives, it cost pain, it cost hard, hard losses for generations.
I did not want to see another such fight in my lifetime.
But we have it.
And we can win it.
It will not be a quick turnaround.
In this case, previous generations had the advantage of us because they were accustomed to longer time horizons for change. They didn't have the life experience of breathtakingly fast cultural, technological and economic change that we have seen.
But politics is rooted in human nature, and human nature doesn't turn on a dime. There is no one event, no one factor that will read the same to everyone and make everyone say "Woah! This changes everything!" That doesn't happen. People are invested in this or that aspect of a status quo they find comforting, even if some other aspect displeases them. Loss aversion is powerful. Fear of the unknown is powerful.
This is not a simple battle, it's a complex WAR.
The long game is not won by defeatism, nor is it advanced by unrealistic expectations.
The long game depends on steady effort, on opportunistic flexibility serving a clear and overarching strategy. On the slow building of solidarity. On determination to ensure the survival, not of our generation, but of our children's grandchildren. On willingness to sacrifice.
Those are the qualities we need now.
Yes, we can give ourselves a short interval to run in circles, scream and shout, express our horror and dismay.
The shorter the better.
There's work to be done, lots of it.
How many people have you registered to vote this week?
How many town/city/county council meetings have you attended?
How many volunteer hours have you put in at a candidate or party event?
How many letters to the editor have you written?
How many postcards have you sent to your elected representatives?
How many hours have you been in the streets, carrying a sign?
You're not alone.
If you're feeling alone, do some of those things just listed above-- they'll connect you with the fight.
Connect, and stay connected.
...to be continued...
patiently,
Bright
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