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This country was founded on violent, bloody revolution. The Declaration of Independence says, “That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government.” America as a nation, and an idea, goes against thousands of years of human conditioning. Being subjects to a king or subordinates to a ruling class is normal as far as history is concerned. We are the great human experiment, a country of the people for the people. That is a sacred fact not to be taken for granted. So sacred, the founders tell us it is our duty to protect it from those who seek to monopolize power for their own interests.
Corporate interests, greed, and lobbyists have infiltrated our political system to the point where their interests come ahead of ours as citizens. Our personal freedoms are being attacked under the banner of safety. In the new militarized American society, civil rights of women, gays, and minorities have been pushed back decades as a result of the new administration; just take a look at some of President Trump’s recent executive actions.
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I am a white, heterosexual male, from an upper-middle class family. I grew up in an all-republican family, in a mostly red suburb of New York City. On paper, all of these attributes should have me in support of the current administration.
During times like these, the worst thing we can do is become complacent.
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I am supposed to buy into the narrative that this administration has my best interests in mind. But as Trump would say, that’s an alternative fact narrative. My identity as an American comes before all of those things. I have a deep affection for the Constitution, a document I have studied extensively, and am appalled at how far we have strayed from the ideas contained in it.
It would be easy to become apathetic due to my privileged place in society; turn a blind eye and tune out for the next four years. That’s exactly how democracy, liberty, and equality die, and right now they are having severe chest pains.
It is not an overstatement to say that our government no longer represents the interests of the people; that our government no longer secures us the rights we are guaranteed.
As the Declaration of Independence states, it’s our right to alter or abolish the government. But just by what means?
There is, of course, the type of violent revolution that created the inception of America in the first place. Grab the pitchforks and torches and drive them all into the sea. However, this is highly unlikely to work. The militarization of police forces across America, a 21st century phenomena, has them looking more like soldiers than police officers, and does not bode well for the violent revolution route.
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The second and more likely path we are facing is the non-violent revolution. The current political climate has invited us to follow the paths that Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King previously carved out for us. The messages of John Lennon and the peace movement of the 1960’s echo even louder now.
I personally believe the government stopped representing the interests of the people a long time ago. Our government has been bought and sold by corporations and foreign governments. The middle class is evaporating, and after witnessing the president’s first 10 days of governing, I am convinced we are past the point of no return. The America we were promised, and guaranteed, is gone and not coming back.
The non-violent, civil disobedience approach yields little immediate results.
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But a glimmer of hope came to me as I watched coverage of the women’s marches that took place all over the country. In cities from coast to coast, men and women came out by the millions to protest; and they did so peacefully. In Los Angeles we didn’t have a single arrest as a result of the protests. Other police departments reported the marches taking place in their city were peaceful as well.
Organizers claim that the women’s march was the largest single day protest in American history. It’s inspiring to see millions of people standing up and protesting. During times like these, the worst thing we can do is become complacent.
What we need now is to sustain that revolutionary energy and keep a watchful, vigilant eye on the current administration. If they refuse to listen to our voices and represent our needs adequately, we need to hit them where it hurts – the voting booth. The midterm elections in 2018 will be one of the most important elections in our lifetime. It could sway control of the House and Senate, which Republicans have a majority in. Instead of Congress signing off on many of the insane policies that are coming, they will keep President Trump accountable and make him compromise.
The non-violent, civil disobedience approach yields little immediate results. But in the short week since the president has taken office, the protests have had their impact in raising awareness – and one hopes that will affect our leaders.
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Last week there was a social media campaign that asked people to call their state representatives telling them to vote against President Trump’s cabinet picks. Representatives phone lines and voicemails were tied up for days, forcing many representatives to address these issues publicly.
Mass protests and an ACLU lawsuit followed the executive order signed by Trump to block Muslim refugees fleeing to the United States. As a direct result of this a federal judge in Brooklyn issued a partial block of this executive order. It’s not a perfect result, but had protestors decided to stay home that day there would be no response at all.
America is still in its infancy stage – not even 300 years old. It is easy to take for granted the liberty and democracy we have been given. This sort of apathy will assure the premature end of the American experiment. We were warned of this type of demagoguery by our forefathers, and now shoulder the responsibility of keeping our government accountable, or “alter or abolish” it by whatever means necessary to protect our liberty and way of life.
Photo credit: Getty Images
I thoroughly enjoyed reading your articles. Regardless of your political views, I happen to agree with yours, your articles are well written with facts to support your views. Great job.
Thanks so much for reading!