02 Nov Every Who in Who-ville
My childhood memories are laced with the sing-song rhymes of Dr. Zeuss books, many of which I read so many times I memorized them. As the election nears, the words of Horton Hears a Who echo in my brain.
For those who might not remember this 1953 classic, it was all about a tiny speck of dust on a clover. One day an elephant (Horton) hears a tiny little voice from the speck and discovers, much to his surprise, that it’s a whole planet, called Who-ville, inhabited by people called “Whos.” The elephant vows to protect the planet, but unfortunately, only he can hear the voices, so everyone mocks him.
Among the mockers, there are those who want to cook the speck of dust in a “Beezle-Nut stew,” refusing to believe there is any life there worth saving. The only way to avoid such disaster is for the Mayor of Who-ville to get every single person to make as much noise as possible and produce a collective cry loud enough to save their planet.
“So call a big meeting.
Get everyone out.
Make every Who holler!
Make every Who shout!
Make every Who scream!
If you don’t, every Who
is going to end up in a Beezle-Nut stew!”
Our planet’s future is at stake. Beezle-Nut stew is brewing and will be a hot mess of climate disaster, social unrest, and political turmoil if the people do not join together with a rallying cry that is so loud, so relentless, and so purposeful, that it cannot be ignored.
The narcissist in charge of our country is incapable of hearing the voices of the people. They are simply too small, too insignificant to bother with. Their deaths matter not at all.
But Horton the elephant says:
“I can’t put it down, and I won’t after all,
A person’s a person no matter how small.”
As the mayor of Who-ville gets more and more people to make noise, it still isn’t quite enough. There surely must be somebody shirking. The mayor looks high and low and finally finds one small voice that is sitting on the sidelines playing with a yo-yo.
“This,” cried the Mayor, “is your town’s darkest hour!
The time for all Whos who have blood that is red
To come to the aid of their country!” he said.
“We’ve GOT to make noises in greater amounts!
So, open your mouth, lad! For every voice counts!”
Once the cry of this last lad is added, there is finally enough noise for the “big” people to finally hear it. They acknowledge that there’s a world of Whos on Who-ville and vow to save the planet.
“Their voices were heard! They rang out clear and clean.
And the elephant smiled, “Do you see what I mean?”
They’ve proved they ARE persons, no matter how small.
And their whole world was saved by the Smallest of All!”
This election is requiring every Who in Who-ville to make a sound. With all the election tampering, voter intimidation, disinformation, and invalidation of the whole election process, we must create a landslide that leaves no doubt about what the majority of people in our nation want, believe, and will fight for: an era of decency, truth, and integrity in our leaders and our future.
What’s at stake is beyond personalities and beyond parties. We are voting to prevent unnecessary deaths from Covid. We are voting for clean air and water. We are voting for health care. We are voting against systemic racism. We are voting for women’s rights. We are voting for America’s reputation in the eyes of the world. We are voting for the preservation of Democracy. And yes, we are voting for our freedom, coupled with mature responsibility and respect for science.
In a sane world, anyone who threatens to resist the transfer of power and fosters violence and voter suppression should be disqualified from running. It shows how far down we have come, and far up we must rise again.
Those who are not part of the solution are part of the problem. Go out and vote. Do all you can to support a fair election. Make your voice heard. Our future hangs in the balance. It is time for Trump the impostor to go.
(PS: The elephant in this story is purely coincidental and has nothing to do with the GOP.)
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