Trump didn’t do it on purpose. It’s not his “great again” calling card, and it’s not a belief that my country could be trampled by a nonexistent army of rogue immigrants.

Reason 1: Taking achievements for granted

It’s become clear that decade after decade and generation after generation, the United States of America traveled the right path. There were bumps in the road – the Civil War, McCarthyism, Pollack jokes – but the human rights spelled out in the U.S. Constitution continue to evolve, and when they do, they generally move in the right direction.

My generation supported the Civil Rights movement – enough of us, anyway. We celebrated for a few minutes but, since then, focused on the defeats. When Civil Rights became law, they did not wipe out the suffering blacks endured for 200-plus years; they still don’t.

When gays gained the right to marry, we high-fived for a day, and then focused on lost court battles, cake bakers who refused to bake gay cakes and marriage certificate issuers who refused to issue certificates – subtle discrimination that wasn’t subtle at all.

But that has changed. Sixty years ago we had white-only restrooms. Thirty years ago we had no gays – not that you could see easily, anyway, and certainly not legally married.

The shadow of fascism simultaneously shines a light on the past. I’m proud of what our nation accomplished so far. I’m fucking proud of it. (Sorry, Mom.) As a group, we’re slow to recognize injustices we’ve lived with forever, but once we see it – once our eyes open – we make it right, or at least righter. (Sorry, fifth grade English teachers.)

Change, after all, is hard work. Change means opening your eyes when you want to watch TV. Change means herding a bunch of cats (U.S. citizens) in the right direction. But things are better. And we’ll do it again.

Reason 2: Taking America for granted

There’s also a second reason for a new swell of patriotism: It’s threatened.

I’ve wondered for 40 years why the German people – I’m 90 percent German – allowed Hitler to slaughter Jews. I get how Hitler wanted power; I get how a slew of toadies said yes sir, yes sir. But why did the grassroots go along with it? What would I have believed? Did they really not know, or, more likely, did something seem so awry that they refused to believe it?

Now I know.

“Hitler” and “Nazi” get tossed around like swear words used inappropriately, and it’s doubtful that Trump has eyes on global domination, though he may plan to build a Trump Grand Hotel in every world city with a population over 200,000. However, Trump and Hitler’s tactics are the same – the propaganda, the trashing of mainstream newspapers, the blaming of all America’s troubles on a group of people that cannot defend themselves, and even the fake “America’s economy is in the trash heap” lie. It’s almost the textbook version of “How Hitler Rose to Power.”

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” (Edmund Burke, 1770)

Not everyone protesting today is right, not every march is peaceful. In many cases, perhaps most, anger is talking louder than reason, even if reason would do more good. Too many people want to trash the other side rather than convince the other side.

But at least protesting people with signs refuse “to do nothing.” And the people who don’t “do nothing” will get us over this speed bump.

God bless America.

© 2017 SmithTakes.com