Editor: I recently had a hard time explaining to a reporter why I was attending a local protest. There were so many things that bothered me about the Trump Administration that I simply did not know where to begin. I would like to clarify.
We are now living in a country where power and control have become more important than human life. This situation did not begin with the Minneapolis shootings. It has been developing for some time. It began with a simple message - that we do not have to respect each other. We got that message when our president never missed an opportunity to take a verbal "shot" at his political opponents, mocking and demeaning them. He then tried to convince us that certain groups of people were inferior and did not deserve to have any rights. He sent people to foreign prisons without due process and kept immigrants detained in deplorable conditions. His boat strikes killed 126. He repeatedly violated the constitution and sought retribution against those who spoke out against him. What kind of message did his example send? That our strength comes from our ability to push people around? That winning is more important than playing fairly? That we need not even be humane? It was those messages that influenced the ICE agents to behave as they did.
So what can we do about it? We must resist the temptation to give the hateful and aggressive a taste of their own medicine. Responding to violence with more violence would not refute the messages that caused the problem. We must deliver a new message - that true strength comes not from controlling others but from controlling ourselves. It comes from living a life that reflects the values of fairness, compassion and respect. We must become a nation that protects the lives and well-being of its people, which includes making healthcare affordable for everyone.
Why did I attend the protest? Because many people are being hurt by this administration in many different ways. We all have a responsibility to stand up for the rights of the more vulnerable members of society and of our world. In the words of Martin Niemoller, "First they came for the socialists and I did not speak out because I was not a socialist, then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist, then they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew....then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me."
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