February 19, 1961. I was born in Washington D.C. My father was about to don the Army uniform to fulfill his ROTC obligations. We were heading to Fort Bragg, NC, and the Viet Nam War would soon tear a rift in this country. I was too young to serve. Many were not so lucky.
The Democratic National Headquarters was burglarized by operatives of President Richard Nixon’s re-election campaign in June of 1972. The President resigned. The impact on the soul of America was felt for decades. I was too young to have strong opinions about Watergate, but many citizens, including Republicans, were outraged and insisted on protecting the Constitutional consciousness of our country.
By the time I finished school and entered the workforce, it was easy to take for granted the amalgamation of the “blood, sweat, and tears” that had earned the United States its prestigious position of greatest country on earth. Democracy. Liberty. Freedom. Compassion. Service. It was at this point that I entered the fray with the naiveté of one who had not experienced personally the struggles of world wars, recessions, Jim Crow laws, Viet Nam, or Watergate.
My first steps into the world of political and social change were motivated by a love of country and our democratic principles. I ran for local and state offices. I worked for and with Republicans and Democrats. I crisscrossed the State on behalf of a Democratic candidate for governor and traversed the Midwest for a Republican presidential candidate. I volunteered with organizations and charities focused on ensuring the “American Dream” was available to all.
In hindsight, viewed from where we stand now, the changes and improvements I supported through my efforts were merely tinkering with the details of a framework and system, built by millions before me, that was accepted and even taken for granted by essentially all Americans. It was a comfortable time. All we had to do was mind the manor. Although there were disagreements, we had a confidence in our collective desire to remain a country guided by principles instituted in the founding documents cherished and respected for generations – the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights.
Those relatively innocent times are over. It is apparent that for millions like me, the cost of freedom is now our obligation. The almost daily acts of injustice should be the breaking point for those who have indolently imbibed on the elixir of liberty without comprehending its chemical compound. President John F. Kennedy often spoke of the personal obligations owed to this great nation: “The cost of freedom is always high, but Americans have always paid it.” According to Kennedy, Americans “would never choose … the path of surrender, or submission.”
We must now choose.
The footing of this nation was poured by the founding fathers when they proclaimed, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of happiness.” It was hardened by the sacrifices of farmers and shopkeepers who took up muskets in the Revolutionary War. It was sealed with the guarantees of the Constitution.
Freedom and liberty have been protected by the sword in battle after battle. They were strengthened by the will of those marching for the right of women to vote. Each was solidified in the civil rights demonstrations. These patriots paid the cost of freedom.
But America is not immune to the sickness of fascism, which has dispatched democracies throughout history. The symptoms are unmistakable. And like any progressive and chronic disease, the longer it goes unaddressed, the more likely it is to become incurable, fatal. In the face of such sickness, we are called to be healers to our country.
The Trump administration has exhibited an utter disregard for the sacrifices of generations. Federal forces have been turned against our citizens. Corruption and graft have become the coin of the realm, with the value of people being dictated not by their unalienable rights but by their willingness and ability to reward the leader. Like Germany in the 1930’s, the administration refuses to recognize the sovereignty of nations, relegating their legitimate claims of independence to a nuisance that will be overcome by force if necessary. Freedom of the press is under relentless attack. Equality is mocked outright. This is how democracies fail.
The parallel to prior conflicts is undeniable. The outcome will be determined by whether we comprehend the gravity of the threat and respond as did those before us who defended our nation. From the brave soldiers who died at Lexington, Gettysburg, and Normandy, to the millions who marched on Washington for freedom, we must now be the catalyst for change.
The Reverand Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., whose leadership and sacrifice were invaluable to the fight for freedom, liberty, and equality, gave us this prescient warning: “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”
It is our time now. We must pay the cost of freedom. We cannot follow the path of surrender or submission. We must be heard, be seen, be brave, be proud, and be steadfast in our belief that the cost of freedom is worth the fight. Otherwise, it will be lost.