protest – PurpleSage41

Before you begin, recite this mantra, alone or among allies. The mantra is this.

I am not alone. I am not powerless.

You are not alone. You are not powerless.

Together, let us find and use our power.

The first step is to find your people. The ones who care about democracy, and freedom, and equality, and compassion, and justice. They may be family, friends, colleagues, members of a church or civic organization. They may be people you have known a log tie or people who just met.

What kind of power do we have against a fascist government and thugs in the street? We have the power of witness to testify, in person and among others and with videotapes, to what is happening, and to insist on following the law, of all of it. The first amendment. The second amendment. The Fourth Amendment. The tenth amendment. Freedom of speech and assembly. The right to carry a legal, registered gun in accordance with the laws of the state. The right to be safe in your homes and cars from being attacked by thugs masquerading as law enforcement. The right of states to try crimes committed in their jurisdiction.

So you didn’t go to Minneapolis Neither did I. What power do we have? We can protest where we are, loudly and visibly and in numbers too big to ignore (Thanks, “I am woman.”. ) We can send money to good candidates and volunteer to help in campaigns, which are coming at us already in special elections and primaries. We can annoy our representatives in Washington by demanding that the executive branch stop ignoring the law and the courts, and demand that the legislative branch resume its neglected duties of oversight. with our concerns about honesty, transparency, and accountability.

Some of these political actors can be swayed by moral and legal arguments, or threats of retribution in elections and in court, Those approaches are good things to do, especially as part of a group. Support organizations like the ACLU. Join Indivisible. Read Heather Cox Richardson. Listen to Rachel Maddow. And talk to your friends, neighbors, family, anyone who will listen.

But as an economist, I also like to use the weapons of the marketplace to communicate with the worst corporate offenders that are enabling this destructive behavior. If you own their stock, sell it, or participate in shareholder complaints. You have the right to show up at corporate meetings or author resolutions and get other stockholders to join. If you are part of a religious community ask if your faith tradition is a member of the Interfaith Center for Corporate Social Responsibility. Invest in good companies that don’t kiss the ring but instead try to be responsive to all their stakeholders—customers, suppliers, employees, communities and yes, shareholders. Invest in socially responsibly companies or in mutual funds that have criteria that expect their stocks reflect good corporate citizenship.

If you buy their products, stop! And tell them why and tell your friends. And write a letter to the CEO of the company to tell him what you are doing. My letter is addressed to Andrew R. Jassey, CEO, Amazon, 550 Terry Avenue N, Seattle, WA 98019.

My economic power is small, as is yours, but together, we can change the world. As economist Eugene Steuerle reminds us, we get the government we deserve. Let’s earn ourselves a better government. However long it takes, the time to start is now.

Sandwiched between the Greatest Generation (born 1902-1927) that saw us through the Depression and World War II and the Baby Boomers/Me Generation (born 1946-1964) is my generation, (1928-1045) known as the Silent Generation. Silent, perhaps, because there were fewer of us and we lived in fairly pleasant times. Life was pretty good for most of us.

We weren’t entirely silent. We cheered the election of John Kennedy and supported Lyndon Johnson’s commitment to civil rights and the war on poverty while opposing Vietnam. In college and after, I remember protesting everything from letting women wear Bermuda shorts on campus and making them observe curfew in dorms to Vietnam We had lots of babies (I contributed three) and women explored new careers after ignoring their mothers’ recommendation of teacher, nurse, secretary. We had TV and Rock/n’ Roll, the pill and polio vaccine. It was an era of, as they say in New Orleans, to “laissez les bons temps router.” (Let the good times roll.) It was the best of times, just as the millennials —our grandchildren–are coming of age in the worst of times.

As we did in the 1960s of fond memory, it is time for our small but powerful generation to stand up and speak out. Now in our 70s to 90s, many of us are financially secure and not vulnerable to threats from the emerging police state. I recently listened to a retired general on TV who would like to continue working part time as a consultant but can’t be hired because he spoke out against the Trump administration and lost his security clearance. But he has another kind of security, financial security, and as a retired military person a strong sense of patriotic duty, he is using his time to fight Trump instead.

We have resources that can be put to work to retrieve our democracy. We have money. We have time. We have experience and skills. We can shelter immigrants, boycott businesses (Washington Post, CBS, Fox News)) that kowtow to Trump. WE can volunteer for community groups to provide mutual support while also engaging those who live in the other world of Trump and Fox News. We can vocalize our opinions, contribute to ACLU and PBS and private foreign aid, attend protests, annoy our representatives in state legislatures and Congress, support candidates or run for office, and file lawsuits (I am a party to one against our Trump-like City Council). What we cannot do is sit at home and say “Woe is me” Withdrawal is not an option, it is amoral obligation for those of us for whom the danger is smallest.

Martin Niemoller, a Lutheran minister in Nazi Germany, left us these immortal words: \

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.

When your great0grandchildren want to know what you did in the face of this challenge to our democracy, what will you tell them?

Tag: protest

Creative Resistance

Speak Up, My Silent Generation!