I am writing in praise of the My Turn column by Dan DeWalt titled, “Fully engage to resist tyranny,” published in the Aug. 7 Recorder.
I do not know Mr. DeWalt personally, but his writing speaks to his knowledge and understanding of how tyrants succeed in gaining and retaining power, including our current president, and what we, the people, need to do to stop what is happening to hurt and control our lives. This is hard and scary to do, especially when the people in charge, the ones with the most power at their fingertips, are always so many steps ahead of us, and we are reacting to what they’re doing, and have already done. DeWalt wrote of Hitler and how his regime led and intimidated the German people into turning against Jews in order to, “hopefully,” protect themselves. And No, Donald Trump and his people aren’t doing the exact same thing, now, but how can we feel assured that, it can’t get any worse?!
DeWalt wrote about what each of us can, and need to do, in order to stop those that are in power now. He didn’t say it, but I am, that Superman, the Fantastic Four, or allied forces like in World War II aren’t coming to save us. You, me, we all have to do our part, whatever it is and whenever it is, to stop this menacing regime from destroying the democratic society that we’re living in, for their own greedy vision of what they want, and believe is theirs to have.
I was born in the 1950s, over 10 years after my father served to protect my future freedoms. And as DeWalt clearly stated in his excellent piece, now it’s time for me to do what I can to protect what my father already fought for, so many years ago. If you can, go back and read Dan DeWalt’s My Turn from Aug. 7, and feel encouraged, empowered, and inspired to do what you can to protect yourselves and what you care about. Because, it really is up to us to do it, now.
Russell Pirkot
Greenfield