WE ARE THEM
WE ARE THEMWith the recent pen stroke prohibiting officials at the nation’s top public health agency from using a list of seven words or phrases — including “fetus” and “transgender” — in official documents being prepared for next year’s budget, this may be the very thing that will get people to stop talking about “ain’t it a shame” and actually getting involved.
Every day we are watching actions that, in and of themselves, may seem small, but you add them up and it’s turning into an avalanche of changes that may be irreversible.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/…/f503837a-e1cf-11e7-89e8-ed…
What Can Be Done?
The question I have is, “What can we do?” I mean this sincerely. We can’t just watch, day by day, things stripped away with a stroke of his pen.
The challenge in all of this is to step back and sincerely ask, “How does this impact me? Not just today, but tomorrow and beyond?”
Yet, many people are digging their heels in without looking beyond their religion or political party.
They Came for Me
It reminds me of the poem by Martin Niemöller (1892–1984). Niemöller was a prominent Protestant pastor who emerged as an outspoken public foe of Adolf Hitler and spent the last seven years of Nazi rule in concentration camps.
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 for me.
It Doesn’t Matter to Me
Recently, I’ve read comments on Twitter and Facebook such as, “I don’t care about the outcome in Alabama, I don’t live there.” or “I don’t care about Net Neutrality because I can give up the internet.” or “I don’t care about the shootings in the malls because I don’t go to malls.”
Just because we think something doesn’t directly impact us, some day it may.
And, this is not about attacking anyone. There are those who want people to attack each other without considering what this actually does. When we attack through words or actions, we are not being rational.
When we are not rational, it’s difficult to move forward. It’s like being stuck in time.
It’s time to be very rational and determine what the best steps moving forward are.
It’s not Them vs Us
It’s gotten to the point this is not a republican or democrat issue. It’s not about what religion we identify with.
It’s about all of us. You may think it’s about “them” but the fact is, we are all them.
What other changes will happen with the stroke of a pen and when will we say, “Enough is enough?”