Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, āIn the end, we will remember not the words ofĀ ourĀ enemies, but theĀ silence of our friendsā.
Nothing is more enraging to Americans than the feeling that their government does not care about them. Americans hate feeling powerless. They see entitled elites openly ignoring their pain and acting with total arrogance. It is an arrogance that is utterly unconcerned about consequences.
They go to beauty salons, but you canāt. Then they use their power to put that salon out of business. The same with restaurants that are forced to close down. They tell you not to travel, and then two hours later, they are on a jet to visit their relatives.
I say this because politicians live in a bubble and do not know what you and I think. Mainly because they donāt care. And they donāt care because Washington D.C. is a seductive, soul-sucking atmosphere where ideals go to die and compromise can even look heroic.
Here is why there is so much pressure on Trumpās friends to abandon him. They are being threatened that theyāll lose elections in the future. They are being yelled at for ātearing the nation apart and starting a civil war.ā
Look at Mitch McConnellās flip. It almost sounds sociopathic. He went from praising Trumpās āendless achievements,ā to calling him a criminal. They believe their betrayal of Trump will have no lasting repercussions.
But they could not be more wrong. The silence will be remembered by all real Americans.
Again, the greatest frustration of most Americans today is that they feel powerless when they realize that their government officials do not care a lick about them. That is why Trump attracted vast crowds in out-of-the-way rural enclaves.
But even in the bluest states, they are enraged. They see these arrogant elites callously get their hair done, even as they shut down barbershops and salons. They go to restaurants where they dine, wearing no masks, but we are told never do so, and so, restaurants die. āOnly,ā they say, āplease wait to die until after you have fed usā¦
I know that silence is tempting. I know you believe that if you stand with Trump there will be pandemonium. That is the pull of the expedient. But in the long run, it is a mistake. A big mistake.
We will remember the silence of our friends long after we have forgotten the words of our enemies. It isnāt just Trump who will remember. Nearly 80 million Trump voters are going to remember your silence.
Just because we donāt burn down buildings and riot, that does not mean there isnāt wrath among those of us who voted for Trump. Just because we wonāt threaten to kill you, like the Left, does not mean we canāt do earthshaking things.
Right now, it seems that speaking out will bring nothing but misery. That is because the consequence of silence will come laterāand when it does, it will be breathtaking.
At the risk of being very corny, let me quote some dialog from Casablanca. Words from the closing scene, when Rick tells Ilsa why they canāt be together. Ā āIf that plane leaves the ground and youāre not with him, youāll regret it. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow, but soon and for the rest of your life. But Iāve got a job to do, too. Where Iām going, you canāt follow. What Iāve got to do, you canāt be any part of. Ilsa, Iām no good at being noble, but it doesnāt take much to see that the problems of three little people donāt amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world. Someday youāll understand that.ā
You might feel safe in betraying a good friend. You may not regret it then. But, in the end, we will remember the silence of those who claimed to be the friend of one of the greatest Presidents in historyā¦and you will regret it for the rest of your life.
The last and most compelling reason for you to speak up is embodied in a warning from the Book of Esther. āFor if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your fatherās house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom forĀ suchĀ a time as this?ā Esther 4: 14
Trump has a destiny in America. You can speak up for him and face the immediate backlash that gives way to a lasting blessing. But if you remain silent Trumpās destiny will be fulfilled anyway but you will pay the price of an ended career. You will never be worthy of trust again.
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Mario Murillo
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