A Time of Reckoning

If people were always kind and obedient to those who are cruel and unjust, the wicked people would have it all their own way: they would never feel afraid, and so they would never alter, but would grow worse and worse. When we are struck at without a reason, we should strike back again very hard; I am sure we should—so hard as to teach the person who struck us never to do it again.

This is Jane Eyre, through Charlotte Bronte,in 1847. These words from a young, undernourished girl were shocking to readers. That the resistance was shocking, but not the cruelty Bronte writes of in this passage (the sadistic abuse and starvation of children in boarding schools), shouldn’t seem surprising.

It’s happening right now.

I share Bronte’s call to action because the time for respectability is gone. Civility, which brought us to this moment, is a now a luxury. Trying to work things out through the traditional avenues of redresss is wasted time; those avenues have been closed to us due to coup.

Yes, this is a coup.

If you’re wondering whether it is or not, you can stop wondering. It is. And it’s halfway along.

Because it’s a coup, it is now a time for you to engage in some reflection and reckoning. If you ever read a history book and wondered what you’d have done under authoritarian regimes, you’re doing it now. If you’re uncomfortable about the prospect of having to fight, you’re normal. We haven’t had to fight. But we have to fight now.

So ask yourself what you’re willing to do. How far you’re willing to go to challenge this coup and protect this country that our grandparents and ancestors fought to preserve. Are you willing to allow Elon Musk to destroy what they died to defend? If you’re not willing to allow this unelected parasite—for that is exactly what he is, growing fat on a host to which he contributes nothing—to ruin something he doesn’t even understand, ask yourself what are you are willing to do to stop him.

Moving forward, this blog will be offering concrete actions and steps you can take to fight. Some of these actions will be easy and relatively comfortable. Some will make you very uncomfortable even to read about. We do what we can, what we are able to do given physical restrictions. But we cannot remain comfortable and expect to save this country for our children.

I will return to the conversation about climate change and capitalism in due course, but for right now we are in an emergency situation that we’ve been understandably slow to believe is actually unfolding. It’s time for some rigorous self-examination to determine where you stand and what you’re willing and able to do to stop this.

In the days ahead, I will be posting a list of steps to aid in this reckoning process. I will be publishing a piece, based on ideas in Strauss and Howe’s seminal and prescient book The Fourth Turning, that we are, in fact in a Fourth Turning and that a specific generation of Americans has been called upon to be the active defenders of the country in this Crisis.

I will also share, as far as I can while remaining safe, the steps I’m taking and will offer what I’ve learned from that experience. Please know that you do not need to agree with everything I state or suggest.

You will not be comfortable with all of my suggestions. You will not be able, physically or economically, to do some of them. You will have good arguments for why a certain course of action should not be pursued. You will be able to pursue some actions, but not others because you have young children. Know that I understand and respect all perspectives on this moment, save for one: that we do nothing for fear of retribution.

I have children myself. They are older now. I am in a privileged position to be able to say that given their age, I am willing and able to risk my safety to fight. A number of us in my generation (more on this soon) are in this position, which is why it’s our job to step to the front lines.

I’ll end these posts with a quote from one of our Revolutionary War ancestors, a song, or a piece of art that speaks to the righteousness and justice of our resistance.