Turning the tide
Say something, do something
Fascism thrives on silence. Democracy survives through participation. — via No Kings
“This is so sad and disgusting,” my brother texted me on Saturday. And it — the latest murder by ICE, this time of Alex Pretti, the ICU nurse — is sad and disgusting and enraging.
Is there more to say past Enough! This has got to stop! Abolish ICE!?
Last week, my hope got some mileage from both Mark Carney and Jack Smith. It delighted me (and didn’t surprise me) that Jack Smith is a triathlete: a man in his body, who understands you can move aggression out in other ways, and clearly had. How else does one show up with such presence and clarity? Sober, unflappable testimony— how refreshing. Likewise, Canadian PM Mark Carney’s equally straightforward realism at Davos, felt like a treatise on delusion period. These two, and seeing all the footage out of Minnesota showing how residents are showing up for each other, for truth and for justice, makes me believe the tide can turn, is turning.
And slowly, slowly, like rain on stone, all the showing up, signing petitions, calling reps are adding up to change. As the patron saint of democracy Heather Cox Richardson wrote in her latest missive: “The anger has been so overwhelming that it has changed the course of national politics.”
Good.
Here at home, the peace sign remains on the porch. I’ve been studying the 50501 site’s tool kits and upcoming event schedule and attempting a semblance normalcy. It was Kwame’s birthday last weekend and as part of the celebrating, we had a living-room song circle with a dozen friends. It was heartening to trade songs, both old and new — one friend played a powerful tune related to Minnesota that I hope she’ll release soon — and light candles and make wishes and eat cupcakes. Connecting, expressing, being peaceful, protesting peacefully, staying human, that’s the job right now.
I’m gonna tell you fascists
You may be surprised
The people in this world
Are getting organized
You’re bound to lose
You fascists bound to lose
