Omaha Beach in Normandy displays a sculpture named Les Braves which commemorates the American soldiers who in 1944 found their rest and final peace there.
Those soldiers were the face of bravery and courage. Resigned to keeping America safe and resisting the corruption in Europe, they awaited their fate, ducked their heads, and ran towards the beach where many lost their lives in that instant.
They were young people who had full lives ahead of them but, instead, they held their heads up high and marched in to enlist and join the fight for freedom, democracy, and peace. They knew what was at stake and that this was the battle for freedom versus oppression. At Normandy and beyond, supported by those back home, these American and European liberators took on this task and won. They carried this war on their shoulders so that we could have a life in a democratic society.
Today, we are despondent when we see again that our democracy is clearly at stake. As we live our day to day lives, it is hard to grasp the concept of the enormity of the damage that is being done to the structure of our country and to the free world. As Trump and his band of thieves turn their backs on foreign leaders with words and handshakes that mean nothing, we are quickly losing our civility and our esteem as a country and as individual Americans. We find our country being taken down by politicians who, for the sole purpose of greed, will not display any sort of bravery. They are unlike the greatest generation of brave soldiers whose cause was that of freedom, not their own personal gain.
Today, we have a President who serves only himself, refuses to learn from others, and holds the belief that there is no one smarter or more competent than himself. We must be wary of this sort of self-interested thinking, because in our opinion, these are the qualities of a dictator.
Our current President remains a man of lies and intentional falsehoods which he uses to deceive others for his own gain. He is an imposter who lacks the courage and the daring to do what is right for those whom he serves. He creates and launches wars for others to fight which inflict grief and pain. He seems to enjoy imposing such cruelty as he cowardly governs. He cannot accept being wrong or willingly change for this would expose his own inadequacies. To be courageous is a choice as it is to be a coward. He has made his choice and so must we.
We are not saying anything that others have not said. Yes, there is bad news out there but there is good news as well. We have known these types of leaders before and have fought to defeat them. So, we ask, what can we do?
Although this may seem like a daunting task, with heroic action we can take this on. Let your actions define you, be brave. Don’t be afraid to speak with someone about your beliefs, about freedom, and about those who have fought to preserve our democracy. Don’t forget about the Constitution for it is the best tool we have for these discussions and the basis for our rules and governance. If someone holds up a gun, show them your copy of the Constitution. If we fall back on our Constitution, we can work to win the battle over corruption and self-indulgence. We must find the courage to face something this difficult for this will help define us as humans who believe and support our democracy. And we must be brave and continue the search for peace.
On your journey:
Speak up, tell the truth
Have character and join others in this effort
Do not fight alone for there are many of us
Be brave, be proud and become a hero
When we win – we will Celebrate!!
“Build Voting Booths – not Walls”
