The following letter is what I sent to my US Senate representatives - Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla - this morning. I encourage you to do the same.
I'm writing to you today in regards to, I'm assuming, the same thing everyone else is writing to you about right now - the rise of authoritarianism in America.
There's no shying away from this reality, and it can not be exaggerated: The Trump administration and their supporters are actively overthrowing whatever little democracy we had left in this country. They are absolutely using tactics such as we've seen by Germany's National Socialist party in the 1930s - The Proud Boys were the brown shirts who then joined ICE and Border Patrol to become the SS, which is now repeatedly committing kristalnacht throughout immigrant communities across the nation, with plans to increase activity while threatening military action against our neighbors and former allies.
If you fail to see the parallels, you are clearly a poor student of history - and a worse representative of the people.
Chuck Schumer fails to see the parallels.
His three point demand for passing the bill to fund the government is wildly inadequate in the face of an overtly and violently authoritarian regime. We are beyond simple politics here - are you going to allow this country to completely fall into authoritarian chaos, or will you actually stand up for the liberty and freedom this country claims to represent?
The people now in positions of power in government, business, religious institutions, and academia all seem to be using those positions to cling to power rather than giving any consideration to the people from whom they draw that power. We now have a two market economy - the stock market is strong, but consumer confidence is in the toilet; the wealthy are driving the economy while the people who actually do the work -the ones who actually plan, design, build, deploy, maintain, market and sell every single thing in this economy - constantly struggle, spending most of the proceeds of their work on the rising costs of healthcare, housing, and food. There is no getting ahead in this economy, even for those of who bought into the lie that good grades and a college degree will set you up for life.
I am asking you to stand up for the people who voted for you, not just the perverts who contributed mass amounts of money to your campaign.
Because those people are perverts. They pervert basic humanity and decency in order to gain power for themselves so they can exert power over others.
Because they are cowards.
Are you a coward?
Do not fund this government.
We need you to stand up for the people who put you where you are. We need you and every one of your colleagues to be a roadblock against this administration and its authoritarian goals. There is no single bill, no procedure or policy that you can adopt that will change anything, except one:
Obstinance.
I am a UC Berkeley graduate. While there, we celebrated the 30th anniversary of the 1964 Free Speech Movement and the words of one of its leaders, Mario Savio. I think now of the most often quoted line during his address at the sit in at Sproul Hall:
"There's a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious, makes you so sick at heart that you can't take part! You can't even passively take part! And you've got to put your bodies upon the gears and upon the wheels, upon the levers, upon all the apparatus -- and you've got to make it stop! And you've got to indicate to the people who run it, to the people who own it -- that unless you're free the machine will be prevented from working at all!!"
The operation of the machine has long since become too odious. If what you're seeing right now does not make you sick to your heart, I question whether you have one. If you are unwilling to be a force of obstinance against the push for authoritarianism, I also question whether you have a spine.
Shut down this government.
Block every action of this administration with whatever you have - your very body, if you must.
Use every tool in your disposal to fight against the rising tide of authoritarianism in this country.
You represent us.
And we're understandably pissed off.
We need to see you more pissed off than you are. We need you to be the leaders in the movement that blocks this violent administration from further expanding their thuggery and violence.
What are you waiting for?
Sincerely,
Rob Zazueta