Thread by @RonHall46

(THREAD)
Everyday since November 9, 2016, I ask myself this same question:
nytimes.com/2018/04/06/opi…

2) I am re-reading The Dark Valley: A Panorama of the 1930s by Piers Brendon regarding the run-up to World War II and I remember the first time I read it , thinking (more or less) "it can't happen here"... and now
It.
Has.
Happened.
Here!

3) Also, I've spent many hours over the years thinking abt the "Greatest Generation" & how when their time to be tested came, they stepped forward & w/ great sacrifice met the challenge & conquered FASCISM - & now U have these stupid, stupid young men pretending to be Neo-Nazis?

4) There's nothing NEW about HATE! Their "new" philosophy adds nothing to the debate. You either solve the world's problems w/ fairness and justice or you take a "me-first" "America-first", "Germany-first"... nationalist, libertarian approach.

5) But back 2 the"Greatest Generation,"I've come 2 realize that each generation is tested. God didn't give the G.G. special skills, extra courage, infinite wisdom 2 meet their challenge. Neither will God give R generation a super-powers/survival kit 2 get thru the Plague of Trump

6) We will just have to "gut it out" & conquer Trump's Forces of Evil, with our own wisdom, our own persistence, a free press, & R sacrifices. My Old Pop, a member in good standing of the "Greatest Generation" often told me that there wasn't anything special about his generation.

7) Quoting now, My Old Pop, "We just did what we had to do. We just looked and saw what had to be done, and then went & got it done!" "Some of us were too lazy, and some of us were too scared, but overall my generation just got busy and got the job done." "Nobodies perfect" and

8) (Quoting still, My Old Pop, Greatest Generation) "Nobody's perfect and our generation wasn't any greater than any other generation, the problems were just BIGGER and we stepped forward and did what we HAD TO DO, to get the JOB done!"

9) Now, I don't for one minute believe that there wasn't something special about the Greatest Generation, they were hardened by the Great Depression, and still had that Jimmy Stewart Mr. Smith Goes to Washington/It's a Wonderful Life "naivety" <== ?? (probably not correct word)

10) But the point is, if the Greatest Generation was brave enough to give up everything (often including their own lives) to fight Hitler and the Fascists - aren't we strong enough, bright enough, TOUGH enough to take on freakin Trump and his pinche Russian supporters?

11) Madeleine Albright says:
I’m 80 years old, but I can still be inspired when I see young people coming together to demand the right to study without having to wear a flak jacket.

God Bless Her!
Me too!
I love those kids!
And they are going to change the world!

12) But we're not off the hook yet! We need to help those kids change the world! Our generation's biggest test is named Donald J. Trump & we are still in the middle of that damn test! We're sweating bullets & we've never seen questions like these on any of the previous quizzes!

13) And People? This is the FINAL EXAM! No do-overs! No 2nd Chances! We've already fucked up the class pretty bad! Trump is appointing nutjobs as judges and destroying well-thought out policy from previous administrations at an alarming rate.
We.
Have.
To.
Pass.
This.
TEST!

14) In the referenced piece by Albright (1st tweet in thread) She names 3 things we need to do for this test:
1. Defend the TRUTH! Truth is Trump's kryptonite!
2. Defend the principle: No one (especially not Trump) is above the law!
3. Defend (energize) the democratic process!

15) OK kids, that's what's on my mind today. Read the piece by Albright and get ready to pass our generation's test. I don't want to steal the mantle of Greatest Generation from my Pop's generation. But I would like to pass this test and put in an acceptable showing (cont.)

16) An acceptable showing, because My Old Pop is gonna be sorely... sorely disappointed if we fail to put a stop to Trump's evil. Pop did his bit in World War II and he felt like the least we could do was keep USA democracy going strong and never elect an ASSHOLE Nazi like Trump!

17) I leave you w/ Madeleine Albright's version of the American Dream:
"To me, greatness goes a little deeper than how much marble we put in our hotel lobbies and whether we have a Soviet-style military parade."

18) "America at its best is a place where people from a multitude of backgrounds work together to safeguard the rights and enrich the lives of all."

19) "That’s the example we have always aspired to set and the model people around the world hunger to see. And no politician, not even one in the Oval Office, should be allowed to tarnish that dream."

// end of THREAD //