By Alan Hirsch
David Greenwald’s post today (1/5) noted there is a war on California being waged by Donald Trump’s administration. So far the war is only on the highest level, but with the corruption of the justice system, it could soon to trickle down to our personal lives. Local people who work for the federal Government have already felt the corruption of values in their work lives as traditional values like science, education opportunities for all, health care, open government, the failure to encourage people to vote. These American values are being turned on their head.
Given this, it is important to see where this is headed. And the Davis Acme Theater group gives us just this window–and how no one can avoid its consequences.
Acme is presenting the play The White Rose. While this non-fiction play is relatively unknown in the U.S., its main characters are famous in Germany. The play is about how regular citizens cope in a time of increasingly repressive government. What are ordinary citizens and low government officials willing to do? How do we find the limits of the actions we can take to resist an oppressive regime, and what is the price we are willing to pay for our actions?
Germans lived these challenges and don’t want to forget that even the common man, the bureaucrat, can’t not take a stand. Just carrying out orders and performing at your job to avoid scrutiny and keep your family safe has its moral and political consequences.
The play opened on Thursday January 4 and will play through January 21, 8pm Fridays and Saturday and 4pm Sunday matinees. . You can get your tickets at www.acmetheatre.net
The play offered great fodder for a discussion with my idealistic teenager about politics and how far I personally might be willing to extend myself to defend American values — given my commitment to family.
And it made me think of my dad’s decision to risk his life: he volunteered for the Army at 17 in 1941 after the Pearl Harbor Attack, halting his education and devoting 4 years of his life to defending his country. He was part of the “great generation” we are told.
I think we are now at a similar turning place in American History… As Senator Elizabeth Warren said just last year: “This is not the moment we wished for, but this is the moment we are called.”
I suggest we not turn away from the challenges we face, but be the next “great generation” in America.
If you want ideas on how to take back our country, defend its institution and defend its traditional values, come down to the Resistance Table at the farmers market, pick up a lawn sign, and link up with the many local groups taking action.
