The Soul of America

After the 2016 election I was worried. Oh, certainly about the election of Donald Trump, yes. But it was more than that. I was worried that there was no one out there that could see through the sham of his rhetoric, that no one wanted to. I was worried that young voters had turned off to being a catalyst for change in our country, that they just didn't care. Apathy is what concerned me. Because it is apathy that allows dictators to grow, it is what allows countries to fail.

Yesterday was a day of marches across America. What was important wasn't just the marches themselves, because we have seen numerous marches since Trump took office. No, it was who organized, spoke and who came out. These were young people, some who cannot vote yet and others who will be voting for the first time come this fall. They were carrying on a tradition that hits to the very soul of what makes America, America. It is the idea that we can effect change, that we are the masters of our own destiny, not some lone person sitting in a gilded cage pulling strings to remain in power. Someone once said that in America we have a revolution every four years. Well, maybe yes, maybe no. Sometimes we tend to slide along without really watching too closely what is happening and we end up with something that is not so pleasant.

The marches yesterday were about saving lives, the lives of our children, the lives of innocent people at concerts, movie theaters, or anywhere else someone picks up an assault weapon and starts shooting. This is a problem that both political parties should be concerned about, and should have taken action on long ago, because it affects everyone.

Here is a clip of Emma Gonzalez speaking yesterday. She was one of the survivors of the Parkland, Fl shooting. Someone once asked her why she thought so many people listened to her. She smiled and said she thought it was because of her hair. There aren't too many bald girls out there, so she stood out. I can say with quite a bit of certainty that that isn't the reason.

This is a righteous cause. This is the America I know and love. I stand with Ms. Gonzalez and her friends.

It's old, I know, but sometimes those oldies just seem analogous. :)

A Fateful Choice

Last week right about now I was watching the Academy Awards. This year I came away with quite a few interesting movies that I would like to see. Last night I watched my first selection, Darkest Hour. This is the story of Winston Churchill's first days in office and the momentous decisions that he was forced to make. No one can know how they will react to the circumstances they find themselves faced with. Winston Churchill turned out to be a man who was the right choice for the time, despite some people's misgivings.

While I knew of the plight of the men at Dunkirk I was not aware of the sacrifice made to save so many lives.  The decision that Churchill made that day had to have been the most haunting of his career.  

If you haven't seen this movie, I highly recommend it.