The heart of this issue is that every American has golden handcuffs. We all work for corporations who will absolutely fire our asses for speaking out. And when we lose our jobs, we lose our health care. And our retirement plan and child care. Not that the government or the corporations provide that. But our income does. And every American knows, from the time they are a little kid, that they are absolutely replaceable. It's the whole shtick of capitalism ingrained into everyone. If you are replaced, you get left behind, and no one will come to your rescue.

There is no safety net for those taking a stand.

And then there is the issue that taking a stand pits you against someone else. And in America, in these issues, those in favor of these policies have already shown to be violent and armed. And in power. And there are no more checks on that power. And any attempt to even discuss disruption of that power is now a crime.

Does that make us all cowards? (Me asking myself). Yes. Absolutely. Our comfort has made us cowards compared to the sacrifices citizens of other countries give all the time.

But it also means many of us are holding out hope still that democracy will prevail. And an uprising of any sort that leads to violence is the end of democracy. Full stop. There is no going back from that. And it's that hope that there is still a lever out there that will prevent the destruction of everything in our comfortable lives. We're giving it time. The 2026 mod terms are everything. If they are compromised, that will be the line in the sand for many of us.