How?

If you want to know how we got here, it can be traced back to the blind nationalistic chauvinism following 9/11. Laws were passed circumventing freedoms and giving the government emergency powers that it never relinquished.
Socially, soldiers and police were all “heroes,” regardless of anything they might have done wrong. The fear of terrorism led to militarization of police forces. Anyone who pointed out the problems was labeled unpatriotic.

I remember before 9/11. I never rose for the pledge of allegiance. And very rarely did anyone ever say anything about it. My problem wasn’t the country’s people, but the inclusion of the phrase “under god” and the fact that I take oaths and promises seriously, and before I swear an oath to anything, I have to be sure it won’t become a monster.

But it was ok with most people. Very few really even noticed. Some prick teachers thought I was required to, but I could inform them that the foundational law of the country they pledge allegiance to granted me the right to refuse to swear an oath to it.

That changed. My refusal to issue blanket praise to all of our troops when some were committing war crimes, my criticisms of the Bush administration, and the fact that I stood up for the religious freedoms of pagan students who were told they couldn’t wear their religious symbols got me put on a threat watch list one of my friends found when they were left alone in the assistant principle’s office.

I was in school. I wasn’t even an adult. At that age, I was a Buddhist, and I’m a bigger danger to myself than anyone else, despite being forced into defending myself on a few occasions. In school I’d prevented more fights than I’d ever been in.

When people are frightened, they scapegoat anyone who seems different. And frightened people are willing to give up freedoms for the illusion of safety. Even when the loss of those freedoms causes more harm in the long run than any terrorist attack could.

We gave the government emergency powers and the ability to define what an emergency is. We gave the police weapons of war and responsibilities beyond the scope of law enforcement duties. Then we assumed they’d be responsible with it.

Set all this in a country built by genocide and slavery, where a few rich people have all the money and the majority of everyone else can’t afford to lose a paycheck or two. Add severely mismanaged global pandemic, a rapidly changing climate, and a greedy con man with the reins of power. The rest falls into place.

I hope very much that we can make it out of this a better people and a better union than we have been. I sincerely doubt it, but we have to try.

Your friend
-Ed.