When I was a boy, I read John Kennedy’s best-selling book Profiles in Courage. It inspired my young idealism and helped prepare me for the 1960s. It seems like a good thing to help young people have their ideals shaped by noble thoughts and good examples. President Kennedy’s book used stories of courageous leadership as possible role models for all Americans. People today only have pettiness, anger, and cruelty coming from the incoherent tweets of our current President. No aspirational role models here for the young. Just dispiriting blasts of retribution and ugly, bombastic expressions of his raw power. But many Americans already know that Trump is a coward.
There have been many examples of courageous Americans throughout our history. One of the most prominent in my lifetime was Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. We all owe a debt to his heroism in the face of overwhelming odds. What he was able to achieve before his life was tragically cut short, changed the course of our country for the better. President Barrack Obama was another leader who inspired millions with his moral courage and personal decency.
Today, we are beginning to see other courageous leaders emerge from the travesty of Trump’s recent military occupation in parts of Los Angeles. Governor Gavin Newsom, Mayor Karen Bass, and most recently, California Senator Alex Padilla have all claimed the moral high ground compared to our wannabe dictator/President. Each of them has been threatened with arrest by our cowardly boy-King for simply doing their jobs. In their own way, each exhibits a moral clarity and courage that would have made President Kennedy proud. Each of them, along with many other contemporary heroes, should be included in a revised edition of Profiles of Courage for courageously standing up to President Trump. I look forward to reading that new book when these dark times have passed.
In speaking truth to power, we witnessed a remarkable moment two days ago. The depressing spectacle of watching Trump use the US Army to provide cover for his obscenely expensive birthday party for himself was contrasted with millions of ordinary citizens in over 2000 American cities standing up peacefully, joyfully and forcefully saying “NO KINGS!”
We were fortunate to be able to participate in this inspiring historic event here in San Francisco. Here are a few images from a day that helped me feel that there is still hope for Democracy here in the USA.
Library Road Trip 