Saturday, May 31, 2025

Reclaiming Patriotism

I came of age in the 1960’s, a time of turmoil in the United States (looking back at age 73, I wonder if we are always in turmoil). Civil Rights protests gave way to protests against the Vietnam War. No one questioned the righteousness of our role in WWII, when we helped rid the world of murderous fascist regimes in Germany, Italy, and Japan intent on using their militaries to dominate the rest of the world and enforce their authoritarian regimes on the rest of us. The Korean War had been fought to a standstill leaving an uneasy truce with a North Korea supported by a nuclear armed China. The Soviet Union, our ally in WWII with Russia at its heart, had ambitions to expand its authoritarian Communist principles into the rest of the world and was countered by NATO in a “Cold War” to protect young European democracies and encourage countries in the “third world” to align with democratic values and international rules to prevent another World War, one which might possibly end human domination through the use of nuclear weapons.

But South Vietnam seemed a small, inconsequential country with corrupt leadership and perhaps not worth defending with the full might of our military against a determined anti-colonialist guerrilla army fighting a war for independence, intent on expelling foreign control. President Johnson, who had finally been convinced to support voting rights and integrated schools throughout the South, lost his credibility over his escalations of bombing campaigns and an increasingly unpopular draft that excluded those who could afford to stay in college and maintain a deferral, leading to increasing numbers of deaths and loss of limbs to African American and poorer white recruits from places like West Virginia.

In this climate, many in the WWII generation saw the young protesters and “free love” generation experimenting with drugs and questioning war and inequality as “unpatriotic,” and proclaimed, “America: Love it or Leave It!” 

We did love America, but not what our government was doing to the most vulnerable of us at home and in the rest of the world. And this is one way the Republican Party eventually stole the mantle of patriotism from Democrats. 

Manipulating language is an authoritarian method of manipulating minds. Dictators and their enablers take control of media and try to convince the people that “War is Peace,” “Freedom is Slavery,” “Ignorance is Strength,” in the words of dystopian author George Orwell in the book, “1984.” Donald Trump grew up in this same world, but growing up in wealth and privilege he took the other side. And he has become a propagandist intent on making the language of equality, justice, and opportunity, in effect, democracy, the enemy.

He and the enablers he has installed following the plan in Project 2025 have made democratic ideals like diversity, equity, inclusion, due process, liberal democracy, environmentalism, worker safety, immigration and asylum, scientific and medical research, etc. into “dirty words.” 

It is time that we reclaimed our democratic ideals and our language. The courts are questioning the war against these words and insisting that the Trump administration produce facts and evidence to justify their actions, not hollow accusations. Authoritarian regimes attempt to make people fear standing up for what is good and right and true. It is time we did. I often wear a t-shirt saying “Woke and Proud” that explains that woke basically means to behave with empathy and respect to defend ALL people’s rights. Strangers come up to me to tell me they appreciate the sentiment. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are American values that describe ideals that make our country great. Our government was created to be of the people, by the people, and for the people, not ruled by billionaires for the benefit of billionaires, yet that is what we currently have.

Our government should be working for the greatest number of us, it should be working to make our lives better, to meet those needs that despite our hard work and our best efforts, we cannot secure on our own. We must demand these things in courts, in the media, in elections, and in the streets if necessary. It is time for us to take back our language and our government so that our government and our language work for us. This is patriotism and what makes America great: insisting that our country be the best it can be.


Paul Epstein is a retired teacher and musician living in Charleston


 

Tuesday, May 6, 2025

Now is the Time for Action!

 Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country. People who grew up, as I did, in an age of typewriters (google a video if you need to), will remember that phrase as the most common practice sentence for ‘touch typing.’ Of course, an updated version would replace ‘men’ with ‘people’.

There are many ways we can step up to make a difference between now and the next election, and I encourage you not to limit yourself to the easiest ones. I will mention a few that come to mind, most of which I have done in the past, recently, or will do my best to dedicate some time to. As I come out of a near depression following Trump’s election in November exacerbated by the sheer incompetence and overreach of his governing. which are resulting in quickly sinking public approval, I have remembered how good it can make me feel to take action. Here are some of the ways you can make a difference.

Talk to friends, neighbors, co-workers, fellow members of churches, clubs, or the guy sitting next to you at the bar. Ask them how they’re feeling about the first months of Trump’s second term. If they think everything is great, don’t argue. If they have doubts, draw them out, be sympathetic. You don’t have to try to persuade them—it can take several interactions before they are ready to acknowledge what you see as obvious truth and facts.

Contact our Republican representatives in Congress. It’s easy to think they won’t follow our pleas for them to oppose harmful legislation or hold the administration accountable, but if enough of us do this often enough, they will begin to understand that they may face difficulties in the next election if they ignore their constituents. There’s a great app available, “5 Calls,”  that makes it easy, and I try to call every day. It just takes a few minutes and the app provides suggested points to make on various issues. Make sure to identify yourself as a constituent. If you’re Republican and/or voted for Trump, mention that!

Do you have more money than time? There are many ways to donate to make a difference, and if you’re like me and have made some donations you are probably on every candidate and non-profit’s mailing list now. It can be a real turn off. For orgs that my wife and I know are doing great work, we budget an annual donation and then refuse all requests for additional. Currently, I think that the courts are the most effective arena for stopping the worst actions of the Trump administration, so I am donating to a few organizations that are bringing lawsuits to stop the harm like ACLU, Democracy Forward, and State Democracy Defenders Action.

There are many advocacy organizations in West Virginia working on issues that may be  important to you. Volunteering for them (and/or donating) can end up impacting elections in our state because these organizations notify supporters about which candidates are best on their issues, sometimes buying ads and knocking on doors. 

Many of the Republican supermajority in the legislature have  modeled themselves after Donald Trump. They are ignoring norms and attacking or revoking support for programs and government agencies that provide essential services while rewarding their rich donors including corporations with tax cuts and other favors. Consider donating or volunteering for WV Citizens Action (for 50 years fighting for rights, public policy, democracy and the environment in WV), WV Rivers Coalition (protecting our land and waters), West Virginians for Affordable Health Care, Together for Public Schools WV (project of WV Center for Budget and Policy), Moms Demand Action WV (gun safety), WV Free (reproductive health and more), Fairness WV (LGBTQ+ protection), WV Black Voter Impact Initiative to name a few.

Don’t wait until a month before the 2026 election to consider volunteering to make calls, send texts, knock on doors, or help out a candidate or county party effort. It takes time to establish trust with voters suspicious of government who think “they’re all corrupt.” In WV we are small enough to get to know the candidates personally, and if you do, you can tell people what you know about the ones you support. Of course, if you’re passionate enough, consider running!

Finally, while protesting may not be your thing, when large numbers of people make their dissatisfaction known in public, it can become a big news story that brings others out who may otherwise be fearful of making their opinions known. A feeling of being part of a peaceful movement is a powerful force for change.

We are not likely to change our deep red state significantly in one election cycle. But if we make some gains, we can start a change that builds over time. Now is the time for all of us to come to the aid of our country! 

Paul Epstein is a retired teacher and musician living in Charleston