Leadership.

[usonian]

I previously posted about courage.
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100220136713

Leaders. Where are they?
Destruction is easy. Damn fools do it for the lulz. Defending, building, and restoring are hard. Lately, we're waiting for capable leaders to stand up.

Here's an article on
Salting the Earth and the Vandalism of America

If you find it grim, I've skipped to the end for you. We need to be Lion-Hearted, not quivering, quaking Quislings.

https://3quarksdaily.com/3quarksdaily/2025/03/salting-the-earth-and-the-vandalism-of-america.html

Most hopeful of all, perhaps, are the European nations, along with Canada, demonstrating a united front in support of some of the principles many of us still value: the sovereignty of free nations, trust in good science, a free press, and protection of the environment.

Watching those still sane nations meet in plenary forums can give an American conflicting emotions: the hope that they are strong enough to lead the world out of this dystopia; and a melancholy feeling that we are no longer a member of that group. It seems like a long time ago, but we were once the nation that beat the Nazis, helped rebuild Europe, eradicated polio, and wrote the Magna Carta of environmental law, the National Environmental Policy Act.

In a recent speech observing the third anniversary of the Ukraine-Russia War, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen demonstrated a quality of leadership so badly needed in this country. She expressed Denmark’s admiration for Volodymyr Zelensky’s courage in defending Ukraine and its repulsion for Putin’s aggression. The contrast of her moral clarity to our craven president abandoning seventy years of supporting the Western Alliance couldn’t be starker.

In her speech she said something that we have to believe if we’re to get through this dreadful time. She said, “The best thing about heroes is that they always win at the end. And if they aren’t winning, then it’s not the end.” We’re not winning yet, and if we are to win, it will take the same sort of determination and courage shown by the prime minister of Denmark and the leader of Ukraine. If we’re to stop the complete vandalism of our nation by the reckless men and women who don’t care a wit about anyone besides themselves, we’ll need to be lion-hearted in our dissent, heroes in fighting for our land.