“The events of Kristallnacht teach a valuable lesson. They show that a modern society can become numbed to the fate of its minorities … Ethnic cleansing and genocide can happen when a community of mutual acceptance has been destroyed. It requires only a systematic program of detachment and distantiation, a process that sociologist Zygmunt Bauman has defined as the ‘social production of indifference.’”
—Alejandro Baer, Minneapolis StarTribune
“We need to hold accountable the people that brought us to this unforgivable point. And we need to look past ourselves, our parties and disagreements, and put our democracy first.”
—Arnold Schwarzenegger
The events of last week have been devastating.
The elephant in the room now has zebra stripes, a wig and is wearing a tutu. And it can no longer be ignored.
The evil connected to the unruly and divisive legacy of America is now laid bare for all the world to see. What we do, or in many cases, don’t do now will define us in the years and decades to come.
Our allies are worried and our enemies actively seek ways to cause greater harm to a nation that is obviously fragile and weak.
Still, there are many that are not or those who haven’t really engaged in politics – specifically within the last 5 years – that still fail to see. The damage on January 6 has caused great harm and we’re left with what it truly means for all of us moving forward.
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s “Day of Broken Glass” video is worth the watch. It’s important.
If you have family/friends who are still following 45, please show this to them. Maybe it will help:
My message to my fellow Americans and friends around the world following this week’s attack on the Capitol. pic.twitter.com/blOy35LWJ5
— Arnold (@Schwarzenegger) January 10, 2021
Anyone who is still supporting Trump or the many reps/members of Congress who are still fanning the flames are not good people. Period. Their hearts have been misled and they are the equivalent to poison to democracy and the democratic process.
Yes, that means grandma who goes to church and makes pies to give to the congregation every Sunday. Or Bob who owns the bait & tackle shop in town. They carry an evil in their hearts, a brutal disconnect despite the pleasantries and smiles that they are known for.
A large part of what plagues our nation is that our Republic is young and naive. People have put politics and the desire for power above people. We are lacking wisdom and with the mechanisms like social media at play this has made this unfathomably worse.
Each of us must take this moment in history seriously as one that is asking us all to participate. Will we choose life, freedom, equity, justice and goodness for all or not?
As I have said before, it has become clear that none of this is going to go away by itself. This is now a full scale, national security issue.
And we have reached a point where it is officially too enormous to hide under the rug.
—jasper james
Flommist Jasper James is a multifaceted diversity-trained entrepreneur, multi-instrumentalist/ writer, event producer, and former Billboard Recording Artist. They are also the co-founder of Activism Articulated, and Women’s March Blac, an all-Black branch of Women’s March National Leadership. Jasper is on the ACLU Sacramento Chapter Board and the Sacramento Stonewall Democratic Club (PAC) and is an active member of the ACLU Speakers Bureau. They were also one of only five Black sitting female Presidents in the nation for the Women’s March Sacramento Chapter. Copyright © 2021 Jasper James. Image source. Post updated to include stats reported this morning by The Guardian. Photo source.
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