Brave Expectations: Call our Reps to Courageous Action

“Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are often stiffened.” (1)

How can we inspire courage in our elected officials? How can we call them to courageous action?

Many of us are shocked and dismayed at the cruel actions and blatant takeover of our government by a would-be authoritarian. Our elected representatives may be our last hope to reverse course. They took an oath to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States,” and we must both expect and encourage them to step up to the plate and honor that oath. (2) Now is the time for our leaders to be brave!

With your help, we will send How We Learn to be Brave by Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde to every senator and representative—and a few Cabinet members—along with a message urging them to defend the USA’s constitutional system of checks and balances on behalf of their constituents. This book is both instructive, for those who care to read it, and symbolic. In the post-inauguration worship service, Bishop Budde bravely implored President Trump to have mercy on immigrants and others.

We need only shift a few hearts and minds to effect the change we want to see. We need only a few to step up to the plate. How can we not try? Time is of the essence!

Notes:

(1) Reverend Billy Graham

(2) You may think asking our elected representatives to finally step up is a fruitless exercise, and it might be. We were encouraged, though, by Jim Acosta’s recent comments in a conversation with Jonathan V Last of The Bulwark. Mr. Acosta makes the case that we need to keep telling them that “we are counting on (them), and we know they have it in them.” He believes if enough of us do this, at least some of them will do the right thing. (Listen here, 12:36 - 13:50.)