According to lore, or perhaps this is actually true, if you put a frog in a pot of cold water and then slowly heat the water, the frog will allow itself to be boiled alive, never aware of the rising temperature until it is too late to survive. Looking at my beloved country, I wonder if we have become that frog.
For quite a while now I have watched as we have been asked to accept biological men as women, to have no concern at all about drag queen story hours at public libraries, to allow children to decide what sex they are, to condemn those who express different opinions rather than engaging in discussion. The list is far longer than these examples. While disagreeing with these societal changes, I had, by and large, accepted that these were changes that had happened, and there was nothing I could do about it.
But recently, two disparate yet related events have caused me to write this essay.
First are the surreptitious actions taken by the Daughters of the American Revolution to allow biological men to become members of a women’s organization. I am a member of the DAR, yet I had no idea until just a few days ago that the national leadership had changed the By-Laws of this organization to allow trans women to become members. No membership wide vote was taken for this change, which was made a few years ago, nor was the change transmitted to the membership at large until it was a fait accompli.
It should be noted that the DAR does not allow women who have been adopted to become members based on their adoptive parents’ lineage, yet a man who thinks he is a woman can gain admittance to the organization. The DAR leadership has taken the position that if the trans woman’s state of birth has changed “her” birth certificate from male to female, then “he” is now “she” and eligible for membership.
No piece of paper can change biology. Contrary to what Mr. Talarico in Texas proclaims, there are only 2 genders, not 6. And wishing or thinking you are one gender when biologically you are the other doesn’t make it so.
The second event which promoted me to write this essay is what just happened in the political races in New York. Three Democratic Socialists were elected, and two of them defeated incumbents. The winners espouse abolishing the police and prisons, proclaim that our military veterans are criminals, and make no attempt to hide their antisemitism.
The rise of Democratic Socialism in this country is terrifying. Anyone who bothers to study history knows that socialism has never been successful, that instead of raising the lower classes, it brings everyone down. This is what the Democratic Socialist want: Take control of Congress and in 2028, the presidency, then
- Pass a national wealth tax
- Pass laws to censor the crap out of everything they don’t like and some that they do
- Reopen the border and end deportations
- Pack the Supreme Court and start undoing the rulings they don’t like
- End the Electoral College and make presidential elections a national referendum
- Eliminate the Senate (or at least deep six the filibuster if they take control)
- Add DC and Puerto Rico as states
Today’s Democratic Socialist makes Bernie Sanders look like a piker. And the agenda of the Democratic Socialists, especially as regards its antisemitism, reminds me of Germany in the 1930’s and Stalinist Russia.
So, to return to the frog in the pot. Americans, as a whole, are tolerant people. Over the generations, while we have certainly made mistakes, in general we have maintained a “live and let live” philosophy. However, I also fear that acceptance and tolerance of our fellow citizens have allowed something dangerous and destructive to take root.
I am not a prude. I am not particularly religious. I have a Black grandson, a Jewish grandson, and two gay cousins. Politically I am most comfortable as an Independent, fiscally a little to the right, socially a little to the left. I recognize that change is inevitable in life. But I also recognize that not all change is healthy, good, moral or beneficial.
Staying silent as our country drinks the Kool-aid because we are afraid of being labeled a racist, or a bigot, or a homophobe, or any other kind of “whatever” is the wrong decision.
Are you the frog in the pot?