One Man

I’ve never really been a political person, or at least I wasn’t until the November 2016 election. After Trump was elected president, I became involved in our local Democratic Town Committee. The following year I ran, and was elected to, our school board. It wasn’t a monumental win; it was going to either be me or the other Democrat running who made it to a seat on the board. It happened to be me by a few votes. It is my first foray into politics and so far, so good.

What isn’t so good so far is the state of our national politics. Pick your own reasons, but the level of petty and vindictive behavior, as opposed to actual governing, coming from the Oval Office on nearly a daily basis is astounding. I believe Trump has brought his own brand of arrogance and negligence to the highest office in the land and it is embarrassing, distressing and dangerous. I know there are others who agree with me...but when I see cars driving around town already emblazoned with “Trump 2020” stickers on them, I can’t even believe there are people watching the despicable reality show that is our current administration and think having Trump there for four more years, much less the remaining two, is a good idea.

The point was driven home for me when I heard a story on NPR about the My Lai massacre, which happened over 50 years ago. One man, helicopter pilot Hugh Thompson, on a mission near the My Lai village, saw what was happening and literally flew in the face of danger to set down his chopper, again and again, to save innocent Vietnamese women, children and babies. It was his report, first covered up by the Army, that eventually got out into the press and resulted in the court-martial conviction of Lt. William Calley and to the terrible awakening of the fact that our military was as capable of the horrors of war we used to believe were only at the hands of “others.”

This story now about one man who stood strong in the face of injustice struck me as a startling contrast to the actions of many Republican congressmen and Cabinet members who appear to be blind to the needs of the many rather than the needs of the few--needs which seem to be their own. Hugh Thompson stood up to his superiors, his own crew and confronted the soldiers of his own army in order to stop the murder of innocent people. He wasn’t elected by his constituents to do this, he wasn’t tasked by a superior to do this--he took it upon himself to act in the face of wrong and make it right. With guns pointing at him and dire consequences as a possibility, including being murdered on the spot by his own men.

The revolving door in this administration's staff should be a red flag to the vindictiveness of the president's dubious leadership skills. So many Republican representatives have turned their backs on the will of their constituents to pay some baffling loyalty to this president, who has yet to demonstrate that he is looking out for all of US. In fact, it seems that there are only a few people, mostly in his family, who he is looking out for--after himself--and everyone else risks being thrown under the bus at his whim. It is staggering and bizarre. It’s beyond snowflakes and Russian interference; this man demonstrates on a daily basis that he is only in it for himself and he has an endless supply of toadies to help him make it happen.

Hearing the story of Hugh Thompson first left me feeling hopeless and helpless. Where are the Hugh Thompsons when you need them? And then I remembered: they’re everywhere. They’re in the high school students marching for gun reform and school safety, they’re in the folks lending  support to immigrants and the women...so many women...getting involved in their towns and cities. Snowflakes my ass...you want strength? It’s strength that drives people in the face of injustice. It doesn’t take any strength at all to do what Sessions, Nunes, McConnell, Ryan or any number of so-called representatives do in their offices every day.

That’s what I think the truth of Hugh Thompson’s story is... to remind us--once again--that, in times of danger and uncertainty, it still matters to stand strong. Even if you’re only one person. Or as Margaret Mead said: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.”