Of War and Peace
It’s clearly stated in the introduction to the California National Party platform: “The CNP is committed to working – through peaceful and democratic means – toward a legally binding referendum on independence.”
The italics are mine, for emphasis. Five words that are more than an overarching description of our fundamental philosophy. I see them as our Rules of Engagement.
Because make no mistake about it: we are at war.
We’re at war, first and foremost, with a system that has marginalized our vote; looted our coffers; scorned, ridiculed and actively fought against our values. Ironically, it’s a system that also understands how vitally important we are to its prosperity, and will fight tooth and nail to oppose our long-term goal of independence.
But there are multiple fronts in this war.
We’re also at war with apathy, resignation, cynicism and loss of hope. The fatalism rampant in too many Californians today. “Hey, this is just the way it is, what can you do?”
To fight that war, our marching orders are to rekindle the fire in the bellies of our fellow Californians, stir their passions, make them believe—make them know—that this fight for a new party, a pragmatic and progressive party, isn’t a quixotic march towards a vanishing horizon. It’s attainable, it’s desirable, and it’s well worth the struggle.
We must also hold our own against angry, vitriolic naysayers. And in case you hadn’t already noticed, they’re everywhere. There is no shortage of people happy to crow that this movement is ridiculous, misguided, naïve, vindictive, even treasonous. A crackpot scheme pursued by starry-eyed leftist snowflake libtard nutjobs. They’ll spit venom and fury, they’ll snarl “Good riddance!” (Or as former Congressman and King of Whacktown Joe Walsh Tweeted, “I know California is a state & we have to count it, but if you remove CA, Trump won the popular vote by 1.4 million”). Like an abusive spouse, in the next breath they’ll spew the reasons we can’t go, they’ll never let us go, we’re stuck with them forever.
The battle against the naysayers won’t be won by emotional confrontation, or, unfortunately, by logical discourse. The sad, inevitable truth is that a certain people simply won’t be swayed. They’ll fight to the end, in the face of all evidence, in the face of incontrovertible facts, to shield against any threat to their worldview. That end will come as we simply crush them beneath the wheels of our relentless, plodding progress.
Finally, we’re at war with our own inertia. A body at rest tends to stay that way, and our bodies are no different. Initial enthusiasm wanes as the grind kicks in. Work, family and life intervenes, goals become foggy and distant, eventually vaporizing into a dream we once had.
This is a battle won by perseverance and discipline. In this, the nascent stages of our movement, “movement” is the operative word. We must take one step forward, today, tomorrow, every day. Fervor subsides, but determination must be unwavering.
So sure, we’ll fight the war on these and any other front through peaceful and democratic means. But we’ll fight with the spirit and strength of a warrior. Because this is war, our cause is just, and in the end, we will prevail.
