Why do the president’s misrepresentations, accusations and lies cause ordinary citizens to march in protest? Is it because he has the power to risk our children’s lives in war and our financial lives in tax and health care shenanigans? Is it because two presidents, one a liberal Democrat, the other a conservative Republican, lied us into the Vietnam and Iraq wars, costing us 56,000 lives and ballooning the national debt by not funding the war or subsequent care of wounded warriors? Is it because we want to go about our busy lives without the added burden of paying close attention to politics?
Yes to all that and more as consistently: 1) including all facts, 2) saying what we mean, 3) meaning what we say, 4) readily admitting mistakes, and 5) explaining why we’ve changed our minds or aren’t able to fulfill promises is what makes us trustworthy as individuals and as a nation. That trust allows us to cooperate interpersonally and internationally rather than compete like frenzied animals.
Immediate protest against President Trump’s lies seems especially necessary given his efforts to limit news media and build up our war machine. That is, we naively trusted a president and a limited news media during the Vietnam War. It proved disastrous and was only stopped by citizen protests.
So, we are marching now rather than risking the need to do so later.
Paul Heckel
Snohomish
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