By Dan Krotz – Feelings of sadness and embarrassment dueled one another on Inauguration Day. While I could say much about those feelings, even a short string of despairing adjectives would fall into the category of masturbation; it feels good for the moment, but that’s as far as it goes, and it will never be like making love with someone you love.
Let’s cut to the chase: an implausible, amoral, character disordered nationalist is now President of the United States. But saying “he’s not my President” is like saying “that’s not my stop sign.” For now, at least, we’re still a democratic Republic, a nation of laws whose people are collectively responsible for how that Republic functions. Like it or not, we as a people are responsible for Donald Trump. And while he’s not allowed to stand on my front porch because it’s my porch, he has the right to stand on our White House’s front porch – at least for the next four years.
It’s time to hold not just others responsible, but ourselves too, for the future of our Republic. Although I’m a natural born American, I’m going to start by taking the U.S. Citizenship test to make sure I have at least baseline knowledge before spouting off. I challenge you to take it. And please challenge teachers, politicians, community leaders, and pastors to take it as well.
I’m also going to memorize the 1st Amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Join me in being as organized and successful in defense of the 1st Amendment as 2nd Amendment advocates have been in protecting gun ownership rights. And give as much money as you can to organizations that protect those rights.
Kurt Vonnegut wrote, “A saint is a person who behaves decently in a shockingly indecent society.” Be a saint. Act. Get involved. Don’t go off the grid, change the grid.
Behave decently, and do everything you can to make America decent again.