On Nov. 9-10, 1938 "Kristallnacht" (in German "Night of broken glass") occurred throughout Germany, with Nazi Brown Shirts and their swastika symbols, destroying homes, hospitals, schools, places of worship, and businesses of those not loyal to their Leader (in German "Fuehrer"), burning and looting buildings, and beating or killing any who resisted. This event solidified their Leader's takeover of government, leading to World War 2. Those of us who grew up in the 1930s and 1940s, and anyone with a knowledge of history, knows the impact of the German Leader in those years. Anyone who dared oppose the Leader was simply "eliminated." Sound familiar? Echoes of Kristallnacht may be seen and heard in America today, with a new Leader. Though not an overnight event like Kristallnacht, the effect closely parallels what happened in 1938.
In the past month we have seen government buildings being defaced and closed by a billionaire financed army, entering and removing computers and other equipment, and forcing both probationary and long term dedicated American employees from their offices, fired. Whole agencies have been shut down our Leader, including USAID, leaving millions of refugees in war torn countries without food, water, and other necessities of life. Our Leader has further threatened to also eliminate or diminish social programs for our neediest fellow Americans. Long time American allies have been insulted, and enemies embraced. Treaties and alliances are being ignored or broken. Thousands of American employees have lost their jobs, facing economic disaster and emotional trauma. Books are being banned, schools are being told what they can and cannot teach, religious and secular agencies offering aid to migrants are threatened with invasion by the Leader and those loyal to him. We are all descendants of immigrants, but the statement on our Statue of Liberty no longer has relevance to our Leader and his followers. "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest tossed to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden door." We all are benefactors of this invitation.
While a few courageous judicial and legislative individuals are speaking out, most remain silent in this attack on the American Constitution by our Leader, who was elected by a "landslide" 49% of voters, with the help of the Electoral process. Some clergy, such as the esteemed bishop of the National Cathedral, are asking for compassion and mercy for those in need, only to be angrily castigated by our Leader. Resistance Rallies are being held throughout the country, such as in our city recently. As history professor Heather Cox Richardson relates in her factual account of American history in her book Democracy Awakening, this great country has survived the threat of authoritarianism in the past and therein lies the hope of our doing so again.
Let's stand up for America, returning to a Constitutional balance of power, for the safety and security of both present and future generations in America and the world!