On a mournful night

[The Blue Flower]

I am reminding myself tonight of the good things I know to be true. I became a DUer six years ago. We've had that long to become a community, creating a common mind about the common good. We have found each other here. We've discovered our love of country and remembered all those civics classes that once seemed too boring to live through. We've made commitments we didn't know were in us to stand for truth, democracy, civil rights, civil liberties, and our Constitution. Now, in the face of a freshly minted dictatorship, we will find out the depth and breadth of our courage. We know that truth is more powerful than lies, love is more powerful than hate, and freedom is the most beautiful state of being there is. What was created today is a lie. And lies never stand for long in the face of unrelenting truth-telling. No criminal dictatorship has withstood the currents of history. I expect this one will crumble sooner than most that have preceded it. Some of us may live our finest hours in the weeks, months, and years to come. But as we head into the deep shadows, I know we'll make it back to the light. The architects of today's atrocity are on the wrong side of history, karma, law, and everything worth fighting for.