Nothing but silence

Arkansas appears completely devoid of leaders, whether we turn to the governor’s office, our U.S. senators or House members; they all cower behind a wall of silence.

These elected Arkansans have easy access to state and national platforms, but they choose silence in hopes that no one will notice or call upon them even as Trump seeks to steal from the American voters our right to determine who will represent us.

These elected men, and they are men, every one of them, swore an oath to protect our U.S. Constitution, so help them God, but when we are under assault by lies and a power grab, they have chosen silence as a means to preserve their own political futures within the emerging Republican rabble, which has devolved into a dangerous ideology of rumors and lies, empty of reason and facts.

There may be moments when hiding out of fear of losing future political viability might be acceptable with a shrug of cynicism regarding politicians as creatures who pander to big donors and the powerful rather than serve. It is no wonder that when children are asked what they want to be when they grow up, seldom if ever do we hear one mention being a governor, a senator or congressperson, especially during these sorry days.

Hearing nothing but crickets from our highest elected representatives reminds one of a speech we learned in high school (I hope Shakespeare forgives easily): “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears. I came not to praise” or protect or defend our democracy but to bury her.

It’s no wonder Shakespeare continued, “The evil that men do lives after them,” and silence when confronted with depravity suggests that malfeasance has found its marrow, its nourishment within self-censored public voices that hide within the darkest shadows of our time.

BOB REYNOLDS

Conway