It is time to stand.

It is past time to be polite.

It is past time to offer gentle opposition.

It is past time to meekly object.

It is time to cause merry havoc in everyday life.

It is time to make sure that no=one can ignore the injustices around us.

It is time to start truly responding to the questions of social lubricant.

It is time to be impolite, because so many are suffering so much worse.

Things are not “fine”. We are not “okay”. Because the status is not quo.

I am going to respond to every “How are you doing today?” with “Badly, because we’re on the path to fascism.”

Or “Badly, because our country is okay with hurting children, as long as they’re not white.”

And so on.

It will shock. It will surprise. These are the questions that get meaningless answers. These are the questions that are not intended to matter.

But they will.

We will not be silent.

We are your bad conscience.

Often, we wondered how we would behave during the Civil Rights era. We wondered if we would stand up to Nazis and racists and bigots.

It’s time.

Stand.

I’m sorry, but I don’t want to be an emperor. That’s not my business. I don’t want to rule or conquer anyone. I should like to help everyone – if possible – Jew, Gentile – black man – white. We all want to help one another. Human beings are like that. We want to live by each other’s happiness – not by each other’s misery. We don’t want to hate and despise one another. In this world there is room for everyone. And the good earth is rich and can provide for everyone. The way of life can be free and beautiful, but we have lost the way.

Greed has poisoned men’s souls, has barricaded the world with hate, has goose-stepped us into misery and bloodshed. We have developed speed, but we have shut ourselves in. Machinery that gives abundance has left us in want. Our knowledge has made us cynical. Our cleverness, hard and unkind. We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery we need humanity. More than cleverness we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost….

The aeroplane and the radio have brought us closer together. The very nature of these inventions cries out for the goodness in men – cries out for universal brotherhood – for the unity of us all. Even now my voice is reaching millions throughout the world – millions of despairing men, women, and little children – victims of a system that makes men torture and imprison innocent people.

To those who can hear me, I say – do not despair. The misery that is now upon us is but the passing of greed – the bitterness of men who fear the way of human progress. The hate of men will pass, and dictators die, and the power they took from the people will return to the people. And so long as men die, liberty will never perish. …..

Soldiers! don’t give yourselves to brutes – men who despise you – enslave you – who regiment your lives – tell you what to do – what to think and what to feel! Who drill you – diet you – treat you like cattle, use you as cannon fodder. Don’t give yourselves to these unnatural men – machine men with machine minds and machine hearts! You are not machines! You are not cattle! You are men! You have the love of humanity in your hearts! You don’t hate! Only the unloved hate – the unloved and the unnatural! Soldiers! Don’t fight for slavery! Fight for liberty!

In the 17th Chapter of St Luke it is written: “the Kingdom of God is within man” – not one man nor a group of men, but in all men! In you! You, the people have the power – the power to create machines. The power to create happiness! You, the people, have the power to make this life free and beautiful, to make this life a wonderful adventure.

Then – in the name of democracy – let us use that power – let us all unite. Let us fight for a new world – a decent world that will give men a chance to work – that will give youth a future and old age a security. By the promise of these things, brutes have risen to power. But they lie! They do not fulfill that promise. They never will!

Dictators free themselves but they enslave the people! Now let us fight to fulfill that promise! Let us fight to free the world – to do away with national barriers – to do away with greed, with hate and intolerance. Let us fight for a world of reason, a world where science and progress will lead to all men’s happiness. Soldiers! in the name of democracy, let us all unite!

2 thoughts on “It is time to stand.

  1. It is past time to be polite. It is past time to offer gentle opposition.It is past time to meekly object.
    It is time to cause merry havoc in everyday life.
    It is time to make sure that no=one can ignore the injustices around us.
    It is time to start truly responding to the questions of social lubricant.
    It is time to be impolite, because so many are suffering so much worse.
    Things are not “fine”. We are not “okay”. Because the status is not quo.
    I am going to respond to every “How are you doing today?” with “Badly, because we’re on the path to fascism.”
    Or “Badly, because our country is okay with hurting children, as long as they’re not white.”
    And so on.
    It will shock. It will surprise. These are the questions that get meaningless answers. These are the questions that are not intended to matter.
    But they will.
    We will not be silent.
    We are your bad conscience.
    Often, we wondered how we would behave during the Civil Rights era. We wondered if we would stand up to Nazis and racists and bigots.
    It’s time.
    Stand.

    I’m sorry, but I don’t want to be an emperor. That’s not my business. I don’t want to rule or conquer anyone. I should like to help everyone – if possible – Jew, Gentile – black man – white. We all want to help one another. Human beings are like that. We want to live by each other’s happiness – not by each other’s misery. We don’t want to hate and despise one another. In this world there is room for everyone. And the good earth is rich and can provide for everyone. The way of life can be free and beautiful, but we have lost the way.
    Greed has poisoned men’s souls, has barricaded the world with hate, has goose-stepped us into misery and bloodshed. We have developed speed, but we have shut ourselves in. Machinery that gives abundance has left us in want. Our knowledge has made us cynical. Our cleverness, hard and unkind. We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery we need humanity. More than cleverness we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost….
    The aeroplane and the radio have brought us closer together. The very nature of these inventions cries out for the goodness in men – cries out for universal brotherhood – for the unity of us all. Even now my voice is reaching millions throughout the world – millions of despairing men, women, and little children – victims of a system that makes men torture and imprison innocent people.
    To those who can hear me, I say – do not despair. The misery that is now upon us is but the passing of greed – the bitterness of men who fear the way of human progress. The hate of men will pass, and dictators die, and the power they took from the people will return to the people. And so long as men die, liberty will never perish. …..
    Soldiers! don’t give yourselves to brutes – men who despise you – enslave you – who regiment your lives – tell you what to do – what to think and what to feel! Who drill you – diet you – treat you like cattle, use you as cannon fodder. Don’t give yourselves to these unnatural men – machine men with machine minds and machine hearts! You are not machines! You are not cattle! You are men! You have the love of humanity in your hearts! You don’t hate! Only the unloved hate – the unloved and the unnatural! Soldiers! Don’t fight for slavery! Fight for liberty!
    In the 17th Chapter of St Luke it is written: “the Kingdom of God is within man” – not one man nor a group of men, but in all men! In you! You, the people have the power – the power to create machines. The power to create happiness! You, the people, have the power to make this life free and beautiful, to make this life a wonderful adventure.
    Then – in the name of democracy – let us use that power – let us all unite. Let us fight for a new world – a decent world that will give men a chance to work – that will give youth a future and old age a security. By the promise of these things, brutes have risen to power. But they lie! They do not fulfill that promise. They never will!
    Dictators free themselves but they enslave the people! Now let us fight to fulfill that promise! Let us fight to free the world – to do away with national barriers – to do away with greed, with hate and intolerance. Let us fight for a world of reason, a world where science and progress will lead to all men’s happiness. Soldiers! in the name of democracy, let us all unite!

  2. About every other post or tweet/toot thread I see about the way the US is treating families of immigrants has some variation of this: “But what can we do?” Here’s four ways.
    The obvious first answer is to refuse to be silent. Keep talking about this, online and off.
    Keep making the phone calls to your representatives in government. If you don’t know where to start, 5calls.org is a good entry point.
    Help those who do know what to do. The International Refugee Assistance Project, for example, organizes lawyers and students to protect refugees and asylum seekers. Donate whatever you can today; it leverages every $1 donated into $10 of legal assistance. They also have action alerts (which I just found out about and signed up for), and if you’re part of a legal firm or school you may already have a chapter – and if not, you can start one. Charity Navigator lists several other highly-rated organizations that help refugees and immigrants, making it easy to ensure you’re helping those who help others.
    And finally, there are demonstrations being held across the country on 30 June. Find one at https://web.archive.org/web/20181209050226/https://familiesbelong.org/, and make our voices public and heard (that’s rule #3, btw).

    It is time to stand.

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