Day: February 7, 2025

“I will not give in to the lies. I will not give in to the fear” —-Jim Acosta

Last week Jim Acosta resigned from CNN. He did so after he was demoted to the midnight hour of programing because of his insistence on telling what he believed to be the truth about Donald Trump. He is but one of many journalists who have left publications and broadcasting in protest over attempts to muzzle their honest assessments of what is presently happening in the United States. Rather than being silenced they have chosen to publicly protest. 

It is always difficult to speak up when everyone else seems to be bowing to pressure. There is a video circulating on social media that shows a professor asking a student to leave his class for no apparent reason. As the stunned individual walks out the expressions on the faces of her classmates indicate shock and yet none of them find the courage to defend her. Once she is gone the professor admits that what he had done was unjust. He wonders why nobody spoke up in protest. He then explains that this is how freedoms die. 

I have always wondered why the German people did not mount a nationwide protest when it became apparent that Hitler was chipping away at their democracy. With little or no resistance at he managed to be a bonafide dictator of the nation in only fifty three days. I think of how different history might have been if enough citizens had joined in a united effort to unseat him before his power over them was ironclad. 

I suspect that most people don’t know how to react in such situations. Their instinct is to preserve themselves so that they will not become victims. They go silent, keeping their personal beliefs inside. They want to keep their jobs, insure that their children are safe, just go along no matter how difficult life becomes. 

Of course there will always be those who buy into the injustice. They rationalize reasons why some people deserve to be ousted from their midst. They see wholesale punishments of certain groups of people as a kind of necessary fairness. They agree with the demonization of people who are unlike they are. They make excuses for hate.

I have always wanted to believe that when faced with injustice I would take action rather than simply looking the other way. I worried that my personality might fail me in such circumstances because I am by nature a quiet and unassuming person. I have never felt comfortable raising my hand in classrooms. The tenor of my voice is soft and easy to ignore. There have been instances when I have melted so well into a crowd that I felt invisible and I liked being that way. 

I reached a watershed moment long ago in a college Spanish class. I was in my second year and the professor had awarded me with a prize for my fluency when I was his student in the first year classes. I looked forward to an enjoyable year of completing the language requirements of my chosen major. I assumed that my opinion of the professor and his of me would be congenial but then something happened that changed all of that. 

The professor was calling on students to answer questions in Spanish. It was an exercise that forced us to use the language conversationally. When it was my turn he smiled at my fluency and then turned to the young man sitting next to me. I had earlier overheard the my fellow student talking with his friend in Spanish so I assumed that he too would receive a smile of encouragement. Sadly that is not what happened, 

The professor chided the student for incorrect pronunciation and for use of words that sounded crude and uneducated. The young man sat stony faced as his friend taking in the painful harangue. His friend then became the next victim. After the student nervously responded to the question the professor furiously announced to all of us that he had no idea what language the two young men were speaking but that is certainly was not Spanish. When one of his victims finally had the temerity to insist that he had spoken Spanish with his parents for his entire life the professor snarled that it was high time for him and his friend to grow up and learn how to speak properly. 

The embarrassing moment ended with the two students hurriedly gathering their belongings and rushing out of the classroom with a pledge to drop the class rather than to accept being insulted. From somewhere deep inside of me a little voice told me that I also needed to protest. I too gathered my things and walked out to the stunned surprise of the professor. I immediately dropped the class even though I would not be eligible for a reimbursement of my tuition. Then I sent a letter to the professor outlining my concerns about how he had treated the two students. 

I have no idea whether or not my protest made any difference at all, but it told me that I did have the courage to stand up for what I believed to be right. I have boldly step up to protect those being unfairly persecuted ever since. Being a voice for those unable to defend themselves was at the heart of my career as a teacher and Dean of Faculty. I was never again afraid. 

Now I know that I have to join with courageous individuals like General Mark Milley, John McCain, Liz Cheney, Adam Kinzinger, Jennifer Rubin, Steve Schmidt, and Jim Acosta in standing up for truth even if it alters our lives. It is clear to me that Donald Trump is seeking vengeance on innocent people and doing his best to change our democracy forever with or without the Constitution. Being silent now would be dangerous for everyone so I will call things out as I witness them. I have little to lose as I do my best to be a person of honor.