Make Good Trouble

The late member of Congress and civil rights activist John Lewis encouraged people to make good trouble. 

"Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and help redeem the soul of America" is his most famous, and most inspiring, quote.

I believe, as do so many others, that now is the time for us to get in good trouble. Our country is being turned into a fascist nation. Our rights are being stripped away. Our government institutions are being destroyed. The most vulnerable among us are having their health care and their sources of food taken from them, all to provide funding for a big tax cut for the countrys billionaires and large corporations. Immigrants, even those in this country legally and those who are citizens, are being rounded up simply because of the color of their skin. Once they are snatched off the streets, they are shipped off to a detention facility hundreds of miles from where they live, or even to another country with which they have no relationship. Our institutions of higher education are under attack. Women's rights are being rolled back. Our LGBTQ brothers and sisters are being marginalized.

Lewis believed in non-violent protests. As private citizzens we can join peaceful marches and protests. We can call and write to our elected members of Congress. We can stand up for those unfairly targeted by the government's nameless masked goons. We must understand that the attacks will eventually turn on us.

So yes, this is the time to make good trouble.