This is an incredible editorial from @KarenLehrmanB, the publisher of @TheWhiteRoseMag. Her vision, to shine a light on the illiberal left while also urging those who don’t trust they can speak out that, not only is it right to and that they must do, but also that
they can and will find fellow voices once they do. It permeates from this piece. A theme, for me, of recent weeks has been a fear that I’m yelling into a void, and then voices telling me out right that, no that worry is not true. There are millions of us.
“There are bullies of action and there are bullies of inaction—those who enable and empower evil.” She is right. There are so many examples of such behavior I can think of both in my personal life, but also that has impacted and I’d say without apology, hurt us all.
The 20th anniversary of 9/11 will soon be here. This makes the excuses or silence or manipulation that some are doing, only because they are too shallow or too…who the hell knows, to speak up about what has happened in Afghanistan all the more frightening.
“Silence is not violence, but it does speak volumes about character. The fact that leftists were able to destroy the consciences of moderate Democrats is perhaps the most telling aspect of this horrific moment in U.S. history.” -@KarenLehrmanB
She’s right. Living in NYC now, at this time, having visited the WTC yesterday after finding myself being drawn back after several years and seeing…no…feeling the power of authenticity after what has felt like an unstoppable dehumanization and destruction of what we, all of us,
managed to do to find a way to…keep going. There is no other way to really say it, was something I didn’t know I could even hope to experience let alone want it.

What was it that choked us? Silence. I realize now after reading her editorial that silence isn’t empty.
Silence can be loud, stuffed with words and slogans and passion. What it lacks, is any expression of truth. It dares to tell you that there, in fact, is no truth. That there is nothing universal, especially our humanity.
Silencing - it grips with both hands, not only covering your mouth but your whole face. It shakes you to your bones. It tells you that we, Americans, have neighbors that can dare be compared to people who just days ago hung an interpreter by the neck -
by throwing him out of a black Hawk helicopter and flying his broken body high above the city of Kabul like a banner.

Remember this? This. Look. Yesterday someone asked me what I meant when I said the ribs of the oculus reminded me of this image.
They were not ignorant. They were young. They have no personal memory of that day. They were at the site while working for a gallery. They came from Florida with a coworker who is Cuban.
The Cuban said “I was 10, I remember we all watched as the towers fell.” The American had asked “which way did they fall?” Imagine. He had never seen it. I can’t imagine that. It felt strange to be able to show him while standing there with my phone.
Karen says many things in this article; things that need be said. The truth. “The Taliban has reminded us that there really isn’t that much difference between leftists and Islamists. Both are part of a cult. Both are taught from birth to hate and segregate.
Both follow an arbitrary set of rules that can’t be deviated from. Both don’t allow individual thought. Both use violence. Both see the U.S. military as evil white supremacists. Both want to annihilate Judeans.”
She also talks about the complexity of what she calls the #KabulSilence

She shows that there are those that silence, those who are silenced and those who silently watch.

There may be many who make up these three elements that fill our ears and eyes every day...
sometimes it feels like all day. But…two things are absolute. Now is not forever and, there are millions of *us.*

Some tough love, from @TheWhiteRoseMag

whiterosemagazine.com/toxic-tribalis…
@threadreaderapp unroll please

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with Ooana Trien 🐦 Eric Arthur Blair’s mistress

Ooana Trien 🐦 Eric Arthur Blair’s mistress Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @ooana

3 Sep
The Legacy of 9/11 Dogs – American Kennel Club

I got to meet a Golden Retriever yesterday. His name is Luke. He’s 8 years old and was rescued by his owner when he was 3 months old and together they now live blocks from the site. akc.org/expert-advice/…
Theres something about Luke. He’s cautious, protective, kind, and timid. He’s a little jumpy. He stands with his four paws on the ground at the WTC in a way that makes you wonder if his hips might be troubled. His owner told me later that they are just fine. She didn’t know
about the dogs of 9/11. Shes the about the same age I was when the buildings fell. When I told her she and I both couldn’t help but look at Luke. There’s something about him. It’s like he knows and somehow he’s where he should be - it was a remarkable thing to experience.
Read 7 tweets
3 Sep
There’s an outdoor bar at #wtc now. It plays music that fills up the nearby space around the site. The first I heard was The Piano Man as I kept walking from St. Paul’s Chapel down toward the water.
I found myself there and, despite initial reactions to the surreality, as I walked back into Manhattan I found that place is in fact…well, right. It felt right. It also allowed me the time to drink a glass of wine in memory of my friend and …of a lot.
I hit record when some songs came on both for my own keepsake and to share privately with some who were part of that time in this city when we were just starting our adult lives and horrified that so many just like us had theirs cut short- often the best amongst us.
Read 14 tweets
2 Sep
I’ve heard Naomi Wolfe is in NYC. If anyone out there could connect us I’d be grateful. It just occurred to me that the one woman who might have compassion for those of us not falling in line and possibly causing the ladies who lunch some angst was kicked off this platform…
…what was it for exactly again? Ladies…anyone remember? Ya think one day we may whisper again “everybody knew?” Yeah. #metoo.



Any help with any contacts here in NY would be incredible. We need to make sure this doesn’t happen to the next generation.
We don’t have to make their mistake. Agreed? Cool. #metoo.
Read 4 tweets
2 Sep
So this didn’t take long.

I’m a woman. I have a medical reason which means that if I get the vaccine I risk harm to my body. A lot. I risk pain more than natural childbirth.

But this fellow NYer’s bio says vaccinate don’t hesitate.

My body isn’t politically chic.
I can’t even get preventative care despite the rhetoric that vaccination somehow is somehow in my best interest.

I can’t go out to dinner, dating is…well…awkward. And therefore will I have the opportunity at 43 to have a family; the way I planned?
Where were these women when the fertility discussion wasn’t about abortion?

She says she’s a doctor and a mother therefore she’s sharing her thoughts.

Really.

Maybe you should talk with mine - mom to mom.
She says “we are all scared.”

Not as scared as I am, doc.
Read 10 tweets
1 Sep
I often say partisanship is poison. I deeply believe that.

I also deeply believe that it is dangerous to refer to our nation as a Democracy rather than a constitutional republic.
However…I also think we need to remember to trust our principles…not our government.

That means also that some people in government will say things that I will deeply disagree with.
That doesn’t mean they may not have had something to say meant only in good faith. Or that they never said anything worthy of our principles. Quite the contrary.
Read 29 tweets
31 Aug
There is no way a person with his qualifications and at his age could not know at some level how insane and deceitful the tweet im reacting to was.

Either he has become a victim of mass hypnosis or…we are looking at something so malicious i can’t even process it.
Some people claim to be masters at hypnosis/Persuasion etc. If they really are they’ll know who Dr. Herbert Spiegel is and why I mention him in relationship with this tweet.

Maybe one of them will see this and … I don’t even know.

Frankly right now I’m so struck by the
magnitude of what we are dealing with that I’m almost at this

Too huge for me to make even a dent in it.
Read 4 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Too expensive? Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal Become our Patreon

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us on Twitter!

:(