Our Children’s Lives are at Stake in this Climate of Hate

It was just a matter of time until the raging climate of rabid hate speech against the President of the United States and anyone “in league” with him produced the logical consequences of unfettered violent verbal and visual attacks.

Kathy Griffin

It was just a matter of time until the hate images of an unforgiving comedienne and a vile taxpayer-paid play graphically portraying a bloody assassination of our President would drive the maniacal mind of a fanatical man over the cliff of hatred into the abyss of attempted homicide of his hated targets.

If you happen not to be a hate target now, then imagine tomorrow when anyone can be the target of relentless hate speeches and images, the presence of which on Earth pollute the world forevermore. In such a tainted toxic world, no one will escape the aftereffects of cataclysmic eruptions of violence wherever we work and live.

I implore every grandmother to join with me in protecting our children from the abuse of hate speech against the President that has infiltrated the souls of madmen living amongst us, who need sounds of wisdom to soothe their inner torments thrusting them to commit heinous crimes. Grandmothers, unite now. Raise your voices of reason in protection for the rights of children to navigate a tolerable world, which, at this moment in history, does not exist.

Elizabeth Marvel (center) and the company in The Public Theater’s Free Shakespeare in the Park production of Julius Caesar

I reiterate, grandmothers, unite now as never before for our children to have adult sanity restored for them to model. This is women’s work; now get to work.

May we bless all of our children by our deeds and words to serve them well for a lifetime.

EDITORS NOTE: Martin Niemöller (1892–1984) was a prominent Protestant pastor who emerged as an outspoken public foe of Adolf Hitler and spent the last seven years of Nazi rule in concentration camps. Niemöller is perhaps best remembered for the quotation:

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

Today you could write this quotation today as follows:

First they came for the Jews and Christians, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew or Christian.

Then they came for the TEA Party, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a in the TEA Party.

Then they came for the Republicans, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Republican.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

---