“Nothing is irreversible!” Lately, I am frequently reminded of these words remarked by a veteran diplomat at a dinner party years ago when I enthusiastically voiced that the founding of the European Union had ended once and for all the times of wars and turmoil in Europe. “Nothing is irreversible” indeed, not for the better and not for the worse.
Would anyone have predicted in which light speed the United States of America, once the beacon of democracy in the Western world, would embark on the slippery slope towards autocracy? Didn’t it seem unfathomable that the transition of power after fair elections could ever be contested – haven’t we witnessed this before though only in obscure countries “somewhere” in the politically incorrectly called “third world”?
When we moved to this country for the first time 20 something years ago, I vividly remember how proudly Americans then declared: “You can call our president (who was Bill Clinton by the way) an idiot – and nothing will happen to you. This is it what freedom of speech means!” How far have we come since. Now a whole bureaucracy, the judiciary, the cabinet, are put to work to “go after”, to “punish” legitimate opponents of the current head of state. Freedom of press, academic freedom? Frivolous lawsuits, financial pressure, intimidation are convenient instruments to bring diverging opinions back “in line”.
A corner stone of a functioning democracy, the very essence of the rule of law is the principle of “Habeas Corpus”, the constitutional right of every human being – no matter if a citizen, no matter if innocent or criminal – to “due process”, the right to be heard before court. What is happening in the streets of this country today is in striking violation of this right – the arbitrary detention of individuals who “look” suspicious without any warrant, by “agents” who provide no proof of their legitimization, whose faces are masked, making it impossible to identify them. The Gestapo in Germany “only” wore hats when they went on their manhunt. Not to mention the manner in which these people are detained, the images are hard to bear. Decency would demand that even people found in violation of the law to be treated like human beings. The intention is pretty obvious: It is not about weeding out “criminals” – why is then a convicted drug dealer like the former president of Honduras pardoned, why are family members of the drug lord El Chapo allowed to move to the USA? It is about intimidation, about forcing observers into silence, about spreading terror. And it works: People start whispering, glancing over their shoulders before uttering a critical word about the current situation. I experienced it myself, several times, not in dark corners, not at strongholds of hardcore Maga acolytes – it happened and happens at elegant, at “high class” receptions and other prominent social events.
How often do I hear “don’t be a bystander” when students visit Holocaust Museum Houston. Why only in reference to the past? Isn’t now the time to raise our voices when other human beings are being treated inhumanely. The silence is deafening.
Checks and balances – the guarantor against tyranny – seem to be out of order. Apathy of the legislative, submission of some of the judiciary, compliance of institutions of higher learning, silence of parts of the media – they all don’t live up to their mission. Instead lack of resistance, of independence, the greed of corporations and law firms which rather comply than risk the loss of one dollar – and the understandable “angst” of ordinary people to lose their job, to jeopardize their very existence and that of their families if they speak up. The “system” seems to work.
But there are people who speak up, who take to the streets to defend the democratic values of this country. The “No Kings” demonstrations a couple of weeks ago gathered an impressive array of people from all walks of life. As expected, I saw many youngsters – but surprisingly even more representatives of the older generation. “Grannies against ICE” was the motto. In general, the atmosphere was peace-, almost cheerful. But some dissonance struck me. A few – not many – of the speakers used the very same pattern as the ones they oppose: The “they” versus “us” divide: “the” capitalists, “the” billionaires”, vilifying a whole group of people, irrespective of how they gathered their wealth. And why was Silicon Valley’s money welcome as long as it supported the other side? Instead, a more substantial debate about the influence of big donors on politics, the role of PACs in general should be started. Simple “F*ck Trump” posters also don’t necessarily contribute to a civic and civilized discourse, a discourse where one listens and speaks to the other side based on arguments and facts.
How would I define “Paradise”? We only recognize that we have lived in a paradise the moment we are expelled from it. I hope this is not the lesson this country will have to learn the hard way.
I hope so too. But since human nature doesn't change, history repeats itself in many, if always slightly altered, iterations. All we can do is be wary and do our best to resist as best we can.
-Larry Abrams