Discrimination: a short essay

 

John P Epstein

Novue0tS30mber a4,4 s20o1r1i8  · 

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Discrimination: a short essay

I was born into a Jewish home.

Currently there are thousands upon thousands of people in this country who hate me for what I am. They do not know me. They have never met me. But that is inconsequential to their hatred. I've experienced this hatred numerous times throughout my 62 years. And I have become accustomed to it.

I am not alone.

We live in a country today where the president regularly fans the flames of bigotry and hatred. He tells us to be afraid. That "they" are the enemy. That "they" are coming to get us. His followers believe him, harboring animosity towards people whose names they don’t know and whom they’ve never met. They identify those they hate solely by their surnames; by where they pray; by the color of their skin; by who they’re with; by where they're from; and by their politics.

The news of this past week should have been a wake-up call to all those who tried to convince us that this behavior would pass. That it was just a strategy or tactic he used to get himself elected. But the campaign never stopped. The fear-mongering, targeting and blaming never ceased. We are all living with the result.

And it's not going away any time soon. He has the unwavering support of powerful right-wing media that regularly distorts facts and misrepresents truths in order to instill fear and stoke resentment 24/7.

Real news doesn't harm. It informs.

We, the citizens of The United States of America, have an opportunity on Tuesday to shout loudly and clearly that this hatred does not define us. It is not who we are. We will not acquiesce to it. It is not who we will become. On Tuesday, voters in this country will express their acceptance or rejection of those who use hatred to advance their own agenda. His name may not be on the ballot. But the names of his supporters and enablers are.

I am too often reminded these days of the poem entitled “First They Came” written by Martin Niemöller, a German pastor who was disgusted that the German citizenry would not speak in opposition as their neighbors were being carted off by the Nazi regime. It ends with the words: "Then they came for me — and there was no one left to speak for me."

On Tuesday, please speak for those who cannot, or dare not, speak up for themselves.

Please vote.

This is your chance to speak for everyone.

7 Days in January That America Won't Soon Forget

What a week.

Your great-grandchildren and their children will read about this week in their American history books for many years to come: 

1)  The number of COVID deaths in the U.S. top 4,000 a day for the first time. The total number of U.S. deaths is now in excess of 365,000, approaching the total number of Americans killed in all of World War II.  As he has been for the past several months, President Trump remains silent on the tragic milestone.

2)  The President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, was captured on an hour-long audio recording trying to strong-arm Georgia officials to "find 11,780 votes" and reverse the outcome of his election loss to Joe Biden in November.  It is likely he made similar attempts with officials of other states as Georgia, alone, would not have given him enough electoral votes to turn the outcome in his favor. 

3)  Two Democrats win seats in the U.S. Senate in Georgia -- one black and the other Jewish.  This outcome is unheard of in the deep south.  This follows Joe Biden's defeat of Donald Trump in the Presidential election in November -- a clean sweep for Democrats in a historically red state. 

4)  With the urging of the President of the United States and that of his personal attorney, right-wing protesters storm the Capitol Building forcing members of Congress to rapidly evacuate the House and Senate chambers and flee to safety as hundreds of Trump-loyalist rioters take over the building by force.  At least 5 people die in the ensuing conflicts with police and security forces. 

5)  Despite the above events, 147 Republican legislators refuse to recognize and vote to overturn Joe Biden's defeat of Donald Trump when the House and Senate are able to reconvene hours later. This, despite the fact that Biden won the electoral college by 74 electoral votes and the popular vote by more than 7,000,000 votes, garnering the most votes for any presidential candidate in American history. 

6)  Numerous Cabinet members and members of the White House staff resign in protest of the role the President played in inciting the Capitol Building riot. 

7)  Numerous prominent Republicans, including a number of Senate and House Republicans, publicly call for the immediate removal or resignation of the leader of their own political party -- even though less than 2 weeks remain in his Presidency. 

8)  The House of Representatives states that it is preparing an Impeachment order for the removal of President Trump as a direct result of his incitement of the rioters.  Several Republicans have threatened to sign on to the order if Trump does not resign beforehand.  If it passes, it will be the 2nd Impeachment of Trump, and the only time in history that a sitting President will have been Impeached twice. 

9)  President Donald Trump‘s ability to post on his social media accounts is severely hampered as Facebook, Instagram and others restrict his account due to his incitement of violence in his attempt to overturn the election.  Late Friday, Twitter announces that he is permanently suspended from their platform.