The Hero's Blade

I have received several emails asking about what can be done in response to my posting of "A Fire Bell in the Night." My short answer is that we need a hero's blade.

The path to that answer comes by way of Beth Quinn's excellent article "Stunned by Lack of Outrage, Not Outrageous Acts" which appeared in the 26 November 2007 edition of The Times Herald-Record (New York) and was reprinted on Common Dreams. Click here to read it. It was followed by over 148 comments in two days by readers of Quinn's article. I quote in full the one from White Rose that struck me as particularly apt:

White Rose November 26th, 2007 12:15 pm

I am not stunned.

"We're number one, We're number one, nyah nyah, nyah nyah." Yeah right, "we were number one".

Most of my fellow Canadians seem to be walking the same path as so many stunned Americans.

Is it for the same reason that so many Germans were stunned in the 1930's and 1940's?

It the same stunned appearance that your average Brit displays.

Does it have anything to do with base triumphalism, which is peaking even as the societies of these countries sink into bleak totalitarianism?

As my parents and their generation defeated the Nazi menace in Germany the Bush family and it's minions spirited that same malevolent meme and transplanted it to USA soil where it has thrived and grown strong roots. It's ugly head now rises once again, a target for the blade of a hero."

Following this was Helix's comment:

Helix November 27th, 2007 11:26 am

"Organize. Organize. Organize.

Take the lead yourself, or find a like-minded leader and give him/her your support.

Organize. The fundamental tenet of a democratic system is that the majority rules. A single person is never a majority.

Organize."

Then we have the call, again and again for impeachment. Here is the comment by puck twain:

puck twain November 27th, 2007 10:06 am

"Impeach…
impeachment…
impeach.

John Conyers just subjected himself to another round of thunderous applause and shout outs for impeachment as he introduced and listened to Cindy Sheehan accept this years Cranbrook Peace Foundation Peace Award.

The word: impeach - grows in resonance everyday.

Be the one in your neighborhood to stand strong in the face of all this fear and help carry the Call To Impeach over the tipping point.

Don't give up on the Union's Founders, or Frederick Douglas and Harriet Tubman, stand strong for the children of tomorrow, and most of all stand strong with the beating of a free and clear heart on this and all days. For then it will be a good day to die…and even a greater day to live as a true American.

impeach…
impeachment…
impeach."

So what can you do? Add your voice to the call to impeach. Put your comment to Quinn's article on Common Dreams. Join an organization. Get active. Write to your representative. Then read the article on Monday's Common Dreams by Chris Hedges called "America in the Time of Empire" and the 54 plus comments that follow. There is a lot that we can do.

Take up the hero's blade.

... Bob