Honestly, we don’t know for sure how these anti-Trump rallies are going to turn out; if they will be vital to the demise of the current administration at the end of this term, or not. I don’t trust polls.
What’s happening in our country has happened only twice – just prior to the American Revolutionary War and just prior to the Civil War. For a while, the outcomes could have gone either way. Today, we hear pro-Trump voices telling us we’re wasting our time. Attending the rallies (Gettysburg has been my protest town of choice), you can see, hear, and feel excitement, togetherness, and awesome energy, even for only one hour each week. I wish it could last longer.
Everyone comes together with a sense of anticipation and leaves feeling a sense of accomplishment. I even spent half an hour at a recent rally chatting with a Trump supporter. Among other things we talked about was his dislike verging on hatred of illegal immigrants. Oh, he cared for all human beings, except them. Soon, he admitted to not disliking all of them, just many of them, and then a few minutes later, he quietly said a good number of them were probably people just like us who worked, cared for their kids, and just wanted decent lives. I agreed with him, shook his hand, and said goodbye. I consider this encounter as a victory. I wonder how he remembers it.
Vincent Van Gogh once said, “Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together.” I’m not sure I could ever think of Van Gogh as anything but hyper, but he apparently learned the wisdom of patience somewhere along the way. A lot of things take time and cannot be rushed, such as gardening. Patience is a form of wisdom in action. It demonstrates that we understand and accept the fact that sometimes things unfold in their own time. Activism is a bill we have to pay for living in this country.
The power of the people is stronger than the power of the people in power. Keep making signs and shirts and showing up. I do hope our desires for America come about soon. I prefer not to keep standing through all kinds of weather over the next three years. Actually, we can change things in less than 16 months if we gain control of both Houses during the midterms. In the meantime, if those in power began to write and declare constitutionality-appropriate articles of impeachment, these would help distract and derail Mr. Trump and his agenda. Now is the time to start these proceedings.
