On the 80 th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day, I want to tell you about my longtime friend’s mother. She seemed like any other Jewish mother I knew until the day she had on a sleeveless blouse. That’s when I saw the number tattooed on her arm! She, as a Jewish German teenager, had been in a concentration camp. During a march from one camp to another, she mouthed off to a guard. “Why don’t you just shoot us now?” she screamed. The Nazi guard backhanded her & she tumbled down a steep embankment. It was her luck that they presumed she was dead and didn’t go after her. She found an abandoned farm house and survived on whatever was in the root cellar. She lived because she had been courageous enough to speak up.

It is our turn to be courageous and speak up against the dismantling of our Democracy. As imperfect as the USA is, it has been the hope of the world for a better life. The overwhelming majority of our families are immigrants. From colonial times through today, they have fought and died for our rights and freedoms. As you watch the news, please take a moment to consider your life when your freedoms and rights disappear. The Constitution and Bill of Rights are under attack. You have a voice!

Be courageous! Speak up, Stand up and Stay Strong in defense of our democracy!

Nancy McHale