Playing Your Role in History

I wanted to commend Alex Padilla for putting it on the line yesterday against Kristi Noem, just as I’d like to commend the politicians in New Jersey standing up to ICE. Similarly, if something happens at the No Kings protests tomorrow, well, it happens. Fear is Trump’s best friend.

I am by no mean handwaving away the threats of Trump and his ICE shock troops and everything else. It is a sucky time. But what is fear going to accomplish? What is hiding going to accomplish? It just makes Trump’s job easier. Keeping your head down makes one acquiescence to Trump. You really have to stand up, in your own way. If that means getting beaten by a cop, well, that’s what it means I guess. It puts you in the pantheon of Americans people will revere in the future. Maybe people won’t know you like they know John Lewis, but they will know you like one of the people who stood up for labor rights and got tear gassed in the 1930s or were part of the Mississippi movement in the early 60s or were at Stonewall–one of the masses we are supposed to take inspiration from and use them to guide our own actions.

So whatever happens tomorrow, don”t be afraid. It is extremely likely that the answer will be that nothing happens. No one is likely to beat you or tear gas you or shoot you or anything else. But it’s obviously not impossible. And if it does, well, then you have played your role, one of the people shouting NO to fascists.

As Paul has said here a few times lately, whatever you are doing right now is what you would have done against the Nazis in 1933. So basically, now is your chance to prove that to yourself. Might as well do what you think is best to push forward resistance to evil. The outcome might not be good, but we know that if we don’t stand up, the outcome will be very, very, very bad.