It's hard to remember four or five weeks back at this point, but some of you may remember that the winner of the popular vote in the past presidential election got there because she kept saying, over and over again, that we are stronger together.
She didn't win the election, of course, thanks to the Electoral College, and who knows what shenanigans went on in battleground states. If you don't believe me regarding the latter point, just ask former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who bragged before the election that "we have some tricks up our sleeve." Too bad for him (but good for the rest of us) that those tricks aren't going to let him become Secretary of State.
But there are others who are happy to prove her point for her. This past week, a large number of them celebrated a victory that is likely to be fleeting, but nevertheless proves Hillary Clinton's point: the willingness of the Army Corps of Engineers to consider an alternative route for the Dakota Access pipeline, one that would protect the drinking water of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe.
It would take a few words from Donald Trump later next month to reverse this victory. But this still illustrates the key to stopping Trump from getting away with hijacking our democracy. It takes more than just standing up. It takes standing shoulder-to-shoulder. And it takes total indifference to how tough it gets. There are no easy victories in the history of this country. But that's part of the reason why every one of those victories was and is worthwhile.
Who knows? Perhaps something like this is the next step. Perhaps it may take even stronger steps. But, when a world-class narcissist who can be baited with a tweet can start a nuclear war, all of us have to ask ourselves to find our inner warriors. All of us have to be prepared to stand as strong and as long as the Standing Rock protests. All of us have a country to save, before it's too late.
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