A Sign of These Times

Sometimes I have to pinch myself and be reminded it is January 2018.  How is it that America seems to find a way to go backwards instead of advance?  The recent battle over protecting DACA recipients, a crisis of President Trump's own making became weighted down with ugly language in recent weeks. 

With time running out to give protected status these young people, Trump recently backtracked on earlier support for dealing with the issue as Congress worked to do it alongside a continuing resolution to keep the government budgeted.  What he had been referring to as dreamers suddenly became illegals.  Couple that with his hateful remarks about persons coming from Haiti and a host of African nations became people from shithole countries and persons from say, Norway would be preferable to let into this nation. 

Words have consequences. We are a witness to some terrible times. We are shaped by the times we live in and it is clear that these are not normal times. They are not times of reason. They are not times of love and compassion. As much as I would love to forget about the ugliness that is so prolific right now, I can't, or should't. Nor should you. It is at times like these writers of all types, are called to witness what is happening all around us. We must no allow such times as these come to define us. Come to be normalized. We need to call out the ugliness and hate. We need to be a better nation, and we each have a responsibility to speak up.