Too much terrible news, People.
This is no longer a right wing/left wing issue. It's not about Republicans or Democrats. It's not about conservatives and liberals. It’s about being an American.
I want to remind everyone who has the privilege to live in this country that we have a moral duty to protect oppressed people and to allow asylum to those who seek it.
If anyone who calls himself the President of the United States of America wants to prevent us from executing that moral duty, he is being a shitty American and it is our responsibility as citizens to override that moral transgression.
You should not be afforded the freedoms of this country if you can’t protect and uphold them for others.
If your anger or ideology or mangled religious beliefs have disabled you from being capable of compassion, mercy, empathy, charity and decency—I guess I’m not speaking to you.
If you are an autocratic loyalist or a totalitarian apologist—I guess I’m not speaking to you.
If your comfort and/or partisan hopes have insulated you or enable you to rationalize what is happening—I’m speaking to you. Step up. Be a good American.
If you are debilitated by your fear and turning inward or distracting yourself—give your fear voice through anger. I’m speaking to you. Step up. Be a good American.
If you're detached or despondent or feel hopeless or were never ‘political’ it's not too late to engage in some civic responsibility. Step up. Be a good American.
If you are angry and engaged in fighting the good fight in an active way. Thank you—Godspeed.
Thanks to everyone who protested at airports across the country. Thanks to lawyers from the ACLU who showed up and did their civic duty. We are obviously up against something new and terrifying and fundamentally un-American.
Also, if you are a celebrity and are planning to attend the Oscars next month - particularly if you are nominated - you need to think long and hard about that. One of your fellow nominees, Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi, is not attending due to this presidential decree.
If you are in the military and you served in the Middle East, many of the foreign nationals who were indispensable to U.S. military efforts are now barred from entering the country due to this presidential decree. Some of them have put their lives in permanent jeopardy by working with the
United States military and are now forbidden from seeking refuge.
Look, there is zero point in having a podcast, or going to award shows, or entertaining ourselves in any way if we’re not going to fight like hell to protect the foundational structures of this country that allow us to do these things in the first place.
I mean, are you telling me we Americans can't create jobs, rebuild infrastructure, have reasonable immigration and trade policies and health care without compromising the foundations of our democracy or disregarding the constitution. Come on!
I woke up on Saturday and called my Congressional representatives and made some donations to organization working to support war-displace refugees around the world and the ACLU.
Here’s a list of those organizations:
The International Rescue Committee
UNICEF
Mercy Corps
Doctors Without Borders
No one is helpless. If you’re angry, you can do things.
Are you angry? Good. Stay angry, but be focused. Focus. Focus. Focus.
This isn’t a partisan agenda. It is an American agenda.
Today I talk to Robbie Robertson about The Band, Bob Dylan and growing up on a reservation in Canada among other things. On Thursday I talk to the comedian Joe DeRosa and I have a short talk with John Hodgman and Jesse Thorn. Good talks!
Enjoy!
Boomer lives!
Love,
Maron
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