January 24, 2006

The Silencing of America

McCarthy Hotel, © Janelle Meraz Hooper


1-24-06-You may have noticed that I have a lot of Alaskan photos. I was there for too short a period of time before and after the millennium. I expected to see gorgeous scenery, moose, bear, and other creatures. I was totally unprepared for how much of it I'd see. After the first few days, I gave up counting moose, it seemed that they would be in my kitchen if we weren't on the fourth floor. Talk about life on the big screen! Another surprise was the people. I've never seen a brighter, more engaging group of people in all of my travels. When we had to leave, it was like trying to catch a king crab with a bit of bacon on a short string. In an urgent voice, my husband finally explained to me that he'd had a good offer "outside" with more pay. Someday, when we retired, he reasoned, we'd be glad to have the extra money. So, here I am, "outside." It's not as if I'm in hell here in Washington State--it's pretty darn good. But somedays...

The Silencing of America-
As a writer, for the first time in my career, I am afraid. I have a long history of protesting peacefully. During the Vietnam War, Nixon said that “Silent America” agreed with him. I wrote to the White House and told him, "America isn’t silent because we agree with you. We are silent because we are busy praying."

I signed the letter.

I was not afraid.

It was a good instinct. I got back a form letter that didn’t even come close to responding to the contents of my message. Obviously, it was never read.
Things have changed. Now, whenever I protest, I wonder if the government--my government--will say I'm a terrorist. I never dreamed thatwe would someday have a president who makes Nixon look good. What have things come to?

(Please don’t make any copies of this posting—I am afraid.)

Quote du jour:
“It’s all good!” Canadian Olympic Committee (and others)

1 comment:

Janelle Meraz Hooper said...

test for query