"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."

Martin Luther King, Jr.

It was very predicable on Wednesday that the Republicans resumed their
power in the U.S. House of Representatives with talk about how they
would roll back even the meager health care reform enacted during the
last Congressional session ... as well as any thought of cutting from the
slithering snake that is the military and "security" budgets. Any suffering
on their watch will be borne by the usual scapegoats: the poor and the
marginalized groups.

What is less predicable and can end up being more hurtful is the silence
or the inactivity of those we consider our comrades, or to use the cliche,
those who we know "give a damn about their fellow man." With all of the
blowhard rhetoric we expect to hear from self-centered shallow wealthy
politicians between now and the next presidential election in less than two
years, it is the solidarity of kindred spirits that we need more than ever. 
We must not let the high ground be taken from us with our silence, our
timidity, or an attitude of defeatism.  We can and do make a difference
every day that we encourage and support our friends, those with our
common goals, in words and in deeds, and let them know that they may
sometimes feel lonely but they are never alone.