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How could they have let it happen?

85 years after the rise of Nazism in Germany, it's tempting to look back and wonder, "How could so many ordinary Germans -- good people -- look at what was happening and not be alarmed? How could they just shrug and do nothing?" The fact is that, like the proverbial frog in a steadily warming pot of water, people can accommodate to nearly any worsening situation and come to think of it as "normal." Look at the United States today: "Oh, another mass shooting? What can you do? There are just too many mentally ill people. Besides, it's just the price we pay for freedom." The fact that the rates of mental illness are the same in other countries that are just as free as we are, yet mass shootings are exceedingly rare in those places, never gets discussed by those in power.
Or what about our attitudes towards the current administration? "Yeah, I know Trump mocked the disabled and made lewd comments about women, but that's because he's not a polished politician; he's his own man, rough around the edges. Oh, he owns holdings in foreign countries that could cause conflicts of interest? So what, aren't all politicians corrupt? At least his issues are out in the open."
But we don't HAVE to live with mass shootings on a daily basis, or with a president who seems determined to violate every guideline of ethical behavior, unless we continue to acquiesce and do nothing. #Resist doesn't just mean waving signs at protest rallies, or wearing funny hats. It means calling and writing to your elected officials, and meeting with them if possible. It means voting in EVERY election, not just the ones that get the most media attention. It means learning about the candidates, what they stand for, and what their voting records are before going to the polls. If you support gun control, and your incumbent Congressperson opposes gun control, DON'T VOTE FOR HIM/HER. If you want Congress to stand up to Trump, and not just roll over any time he snaps his stubby orange fingers, then don't vote for incumbent Republicans running interference for him against the forces of justice.
Otherwise, someday people will look back on us and wonder, "How could ordinary Americans -- good people -- have let this happen?"

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