this is what i know

people are scared, they are worried.  and if you’re like me, a senior citizen with children and grandchildren, who in all her years has seen nothing like we’re seeing now, then your big concern isn’t so much for yourself, but for these loved ones and their future.

i grew up during the years of the civil rights movement and the vietnam war, so i remember the upheaval of the era.  i was a bit too young to be involved at the time, but i recall the demonstrations and protests, the kent state shootings, the rioting, the draft card burning, the flag burning and the bra burning.  i also remember the hope instilled in us by JFK, RFK and MLK, but i also remember their untimely murders.  they were silenced then, but their words have lived on and give us much needed inspiration and courage still to this day.   

if you have kept up with recent news, then something should be quite evident to you; nationalism is upon us.  if you haven’t kept up, it’s time to wake up.   what happened in the sixes and seventies was big.  and the people united and change came for many who had been denied their basic human rights.  but there was risk involved.  for many the risk resulted in great personal loss.  we must remember that change and progress cannot come into being without challenging the status quo, without risk and without a certain amount of sacrifice.  

i feel the situation we find ourselves in today is looming even larger than those in the past.  so much of the freedom and progress americans have fought for and accomplished is about to crumble.  without action, instead of progressing in the realm of human rights, decency and democracy, we will have taken two step backwards, losing what we have fought for and stood for.  we the people MUST speak out, unite, protest, dissent and use whatever power we have to change what's happening.  yes, it is risky and scary business and we have a choice to make.  i strongly feel we have no real choice, because whether we remain silent or stand up against tyranny, our lives will never be the same. so my friends, we must ask ourselves these questions, “what do i stand for?  what is worth fighting for?  do i want to create a better world, a better life or will i allow others  who have no real interest in doing what is right to decide the future for me and for future generations?”  

it’s now or never my friends.  

~s~

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. - Martin Niemöller