In spite of whatever flaws this country has demonstrated in its pursuit of a more perfect union, I have always believed that America is basically good, and capable of becoming better.
I'm not sure I believe that anymore. In the authoritarian miasma of present-day America? No, that truth does not appear to be self-evident.
But I have not yet given up hope. There are still good people here, people of moral conviction, people with a sense of right and wrong, people with a determination that justice and fairness--you know, diversity, equity, and inclusion--are not just worthy goals in the abstract; they represent the right thing to do, the only right thing to do.
At this dismal moment in history, it feels like the good guys are outnumbered and outflanked by the bad guys. I retain a glimmer of hope that America can reject the jackboot of oppression, and shine a torch of liberty and opportunity for all.
ALL. Your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. ALL.
Today is not that day. Not yet. Maybe someday, though not soon enough. For now, the flag belongs to the bad guys, the goddamned forces of darkness.
We will take it back. Legally, peacefully, but definitively. We will celebrate that triumph when its time arrives.
We will not celebrate today.
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