I have often wondered if I would recognize historical moments as they occurred or if they would be cloaked by the routine of life only to be appreciated later in hindsight. I need wonder no longer. I’ve witnessed history before my very eyes and in this case, we are not the victims of infamy but the perpetrators. I felt some hesitancy about using the term infamy to describe the historical moment we all just experienced, so I looked it up:

infamy: strong condemnation as the result of a shameful act.

That seems about right. A beleaguered leader whose country has been under assault, whose people have been indiscriminately killed by the thousands, whose soldiers have died by the tens of thousands in defense of their homeland, and who is in the midst of a desperate struggle for survival, has come to us in a plea for support. Our country has called him friend and his struggle heroic. Yet, he was met with distain and humiliated by the new leaders of our country. Indeed, infamy is the right word.

This action does not represent the will of the people, but the shame of it will be carried by all of us. Where are those who represent us in this moment? Silence is acceptance and inaction complicity. If our representatives in government don’t act to correct this wrong, they will have earned their role in the infamy that history will forever note.

*****

Kevin Deeny