Which risk is greater? by Barry Rosenbaum

We have a madman at the helm. He is sailing us all into disaster as mindless lackeys and power mongers keep him hermetically sealed in the bubble of his narcissism and ignorance. They know that absolute loyalty is demanded. Whoever does not profess total obedience is immediately thrown overboard.  They continue to choose to pamper the man-child rather than suffer exile by insisting, for example, that Trump understand the grave repercussions that an Iranian blockade of the Strait of Hormuz would pose, a critical geopolitical risk known for decades.

Most of us are not close to any governmental lever of power, but we still have agency. We had assumed that the foundational principles of this country would stand in perpetuity without our vigilance. We were wrong. We are now living in a world that has long been experienced by the disenfranchised and marginalized.

The White House has become vacuous, and the Republican Congress long ago AWOL. The highest levels of the military also appear to have been hollowed out so that those who would have had the fortitude and wisdom to reject insane orders have been subjected to forced retirement. The current chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a previously little-known retired Air Force three-star general, was appointed after Trump fired the prior chairman to ensure 100 percent loyalty (and because Trump was taken with the idea of having a general named ‘Razin’ Caine in charge).  The experienced and qualified have left the arena. 

To end the nightmare that is now enveloping the entire world, all of us need to stand up and demand that this insanity be stopped. Much as I have yearned for a Lech Walesa, Martin Luther King, or Abraham Lincoln to step forward to guide us through this quagmire, it is becoming clearer by the day that it is up to We the People to steer our own ship, so that the country can begin the lengthy process of restoring our dignity, freedoms, and rightful place among nations.

The clear and immediate task before us is to make No Kings Day 3, on Saturday, March 28, the largest single-day demonstration in U.S. history (as of this writing, over 3,000 protests are planned). In his newsletter on March 16, Trump in Retreat, Robert Hubbell pointed out that “(Trump) is weak, desperate, and cornered. Now is the time to ratchet up the pressure through political protests larger than any ever seen in American history.”

You will want to be able to tell your children, your grandchildren, or even your great-grandchildren that you played a role in this turning point. Even if you are unable to go, you can be part of it: reach out to others who can attend through whatever social media you use, email them, or do it the old-fashioned way and pick up the phone!

The United States has simultaneously become both a pariah and a laughingstock. We must take back our country from authoritarians, fascists, billionaires, and fools. If we want to save our democracy, we each must assist in reclaiming it and work to restore our founding dream.

None of us is obligated to complete this restoration process on our own, but neither can we ignore our responsibility to participate in our country’s renewal.

“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud
was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” — Anais Nin