Laurie Rhoades: To Every Good Person

This letter is addressed specifically to my fellow citizens who are wondering what’s happening outside the insulation of “business as usual.” It’s addressed to those among us who might have trouble believing something as enduring and trustworthy as democracy could actually be in danger of collapse, and that our own children may not enjoy the freedoms that we’ve imagined for them.

Something is happening here that we need to pay attention to. We don’t want to — I know I don’t, anyway — but what’s the alternative? In his recent State of the State speech, Gov. J.B. Pritzker of Illinois asks, “Once we’ve ostracized our neighbors and betrayed our friends, when the problems we started with are still there, staring us in the face, what comes next? All the atrocities of human history lurk in the answer to that question. And if we don’t want to repeat history, then for God’s sake, in this moment, we’d better be strong enough to learn from it.”

Are we strong enough? Gov. Pritzker continues, “If you think I’m overreacting and sounding the alarm too soon, consider this: It took the Nazis one month, three weeks, two days, eight hours and 40minutes to dismantle a constitutional republic. All I’m saying is that when the five-alarm fire starts to burn, every good person better be ready to man a post with a bucket of water if you want to stop it from raging out of control.”

This letter is addressed to every good person. Grab a bucket.

Laurie Rhoades

Montague