Long Time Before the Dawn
I never saw them coming—the singularly profound events that literally burst into my life from time to time, some for better and some for worse, but always changing everything. The assassinations of JFK, RFK, MLK, and Malcom X were such events. The murders of three civil right workers in Mississippi, Selma and the police dogs, the marches for civil rights and the Vietnam War protests, each of them singularly profound events. The legislation of Medicare and the Voting Rights Act, the impeachment of Nixon, the Summer of Love, the popular music revolution inspired by the Beatles, the Apollo moon landing and Neil Armstrong stepping onto the surface of the moon, revelations all.
And I sure as hell never thought I’d live to see the death of the democratic republic of the United States of America, the singularly most profound event that I can think of happening, short of maybe the supposed Rapture. But that’s exactly what appears to be happening. If the republicans take control of the federal government—and that’s certainly not a long shot—the rule of law, free and fair elections, free speech, free press, reproductive freedom, freedom of and from religion—in short, our democratic way of life, is over.
If you think I exaggerate, you aren’t paying attention. Never forget this quote from the GOP candidate for governor of Wisconsin, Tim Michels, “Republicans will never lose another election in Wisconsin after I’m elected governor.”
What does that even mean? Obviously, in a democracy, no one is too good to lose. But for their own reasons, the far-right extremists who represent the republican party are selling The Big Lies: 1) We know the Democrats stole the election from Trump because Trump lost; 2) Lower taxes on the rich and money will trickle down to the people like rain from heaven; 3) The right to bear arms means unregulated access to all arms, including weapons of war, even though the Second Amendment specifically points to a “well regulated Militia;” 4) Christian nationalism is the official religion of the United States, never mind the protection afforded from just that by the First Amendment; 5) Freedom means freedom for “us” to intimidate, bully, and suppress the rights of others who feel or think differently. Obviously, only favored far-right extremists are protected under this Big Lie.
The national media seems to have sold out to the right wing. And why not? It’s owned by the ultra rich, who are drunk on money and power and so want only more money and power. And more money and power in the form of tax breaks and nonregulation is what the republicans promise them. But, at some point, we the people, having lost our comfortable lifestyles to greed and scarcity, will rise up, having nothing left to lose.
Unfortunately, it might be too late. But, at least, maybe the uprising will make the robber barons’ lives uncomfortable.
Thank you for making a fabulous list of my life too! Without the births, deaths, friends and their deaths, your list has gotten it all just right!!
I’ll be 80 this January, and it’s been a long,long life already. So far I didn’t get pregnant too soon, I didn’t end up in jail, and I didn’t kill any one( though I really, really wanted to)
Ann
Thanks for calling out the national news outlets. One by one I have stopped reading, listening to main stream media sources as they increasingly lean right. Friends however are terrified to cancel their subscriptions, asking how will I know what’s going on? I actually get mine through Substack and other sites hosting independent journalists.