Last week’s post about the burying of my mother and father’s ashes made me think of when they got married. World War II began on September 1, 1939, when Germany invaded Poland. The US was divided by those who saw Germany as a threat and those who wanted to stay out of the war. By June 1940, the Germans had defeated the French, and all of Western Europe except Spain, which was allied with Germany, was in the hands of Germany. Hitler looked as if he could never be defeated. Democracy in Europe was dead. On the day of their wedding, The Smith Act became law here in the United States. It did two things. It made advocating the overthrow of the US a crime and required all non-citizens to register. My parents knew that war was coming, and it was not clear what the outcome would be. It seemed that Hitler could conquer the world.
Yet, my parents chose to get married. It had to be an act of faith. They also decided to start a family in that horrendous time. The America First Committee with spokesman Charles Lindbergh was accusing the British, the Jews, and Roosevelt’s administration of trying to get us into the ongoing war in Europe. On my birthday, September 14, 1941, a strange thing happened – Vermont declares war on Germany! It was a turbulent time, and strange things like individual states declaring war on Germany happened.
The picture is of Pete, my cousin, and me looking through a box of photos my mother had kept. The pictures show a happy couple getting married. Even the very early baby picture of me. My parents thought the war was inevitable but continued to live as everyday life as possible.
Today we also live in a turbulent time. On January 6 of this year, groups of people gathered in Washington DC to stop the results of the November election from finalizing, thus keeping President Trump in office. It was as dangerous a time as 1940 was. It seemed Hitler would be getting control of all of Europe. That would’ve made it nearly impossible for the world to stop him. January 6 was an assault on our democracy. It continues with the “big lie.” It seems impossible to restore the truth and erase the “big lie.” If you lose an election, just run in the next one. You have the history of the first one to see your mistakes and correct them, but don’t try to overthrow our democracy. Remember the Smith Act, which made it even legal to advocate overthrowing our government. If January 6 that succeeded, that’s what would’ve happened. We must continue to lead our lives as normally as possible while remembering the solution is not overthrowing the government when you lose an election. But plan how you will win the next election!
