Now that the President's ban on immigration is starting to take hold, people are being blocked and detained at airports around the country. Protests have sprung up against the implementation of the new immigration policy at JFK and I presume soon at other points of entry will follow.
It might be easy to be heartened by the spontaneous resistance to the inhumane new rules. It's great to see people moved to protest obvious injustice. It might even bring a tear to one's eye, thinking that maybe, just maybe, that good old American justice can be won by the intrepid protestors.
But this isn't a third world country protesting the latest dictator to come down the pike. No one here can hope for sympathy from rogue generals to step in to oust a megalomaniacal leader whose cult of personality insulates him from the will of an oppressed population.
No, this is the U.S.A., where we just two months ago duly elected a man who is carrying out his promised campaign pledges. The will of the people is clear, and it is NOT with the protestors. The choice was put on display for the voters last November, and the voters made their will plain to see.
If there is any anger in this country, we have the remedy for it. It is called the voting booth, and while the next Presidential election is four years away, there will be mid-term elections in two years. Despite the overwhelming re-election of incumbents that we see time and time again, the elections are where the population can express its will.
There is no excuse for less than 100% voter registration and participation, yet in every election, only a small subset of eligible people cast their vote. I suppose in their own way, the non-participants are expressing their will after all. They are fine with the status quo.
So, maybe the wonderful mega protests from last week, and the airport protests of today, make for nice visuals on a slow news day. Sadly, they are as nothing, without the follow through of voting.
Get back to me in November, 2018.
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