To some extent, we’re all chameleons. We usually try to blend in with the background, reluctant to attract embarrassing attention. We go with the flow and don’t rock the boat.

But sometimes events rule out that option.

Sometimes we have to announce our presence and stand up for the things that matter to us.

This is one of those times.

If we believe in fairness and decency,  we cannot ignore the abuses that have become flagrant in America since the election last fall of members of a fanatical cult, who are wreaking havoc in Congress and in state legislatures across America.

We cannot just shrug our shoulders when the underlying principles of American society – of every decent society – are under vicious attack. As former Obama administration executive Van Jones reminds us in yesterday’s Huffington Post:

After all, it is the American Dream that the GOP’s “slash and burn” agenda is killing off. We need a movement dedicated to renewing the idea that hard work pays in our country; that you can make it if you try; that America remains a land committed to dignity, justice and opportunity for all. Right now, this very idea is on the GOP chopping block. And we must rescue it now — or risk losing it forever.

America will not make it through this crisis healthy and whole if – at the first sign of trouble – we are willing to throw away millions of our everyday heroes. Our teachers, police officers, firefighters, nurses and others make our communities and country strong. Their daily work is essential to the smooth functioning and long-term success of our nation. An attack on them is an attack on the backbone of America.

Read the article here.

Jones is one of thousands – hundreds of thousands –  who have had enough. Protests are spreading across America in response to the savage attacks on America’s workers launched by right-wing activists and funded by voracious corporations (photo above shows protesters in Wisconsin).

The “Move On” organization is mobilizing resistance to the Republican assault. In an appeal for signatures to support their crusade, Move On explains:

In Wisconsin and around our country, the American Dream is under fierce attack. Instead of creating jobs, Republicans are giving tax breaks to corporations and the very rich, and then cutting funding for education, police, emergency response and vital human services. The right to organize is on the chopping block. The American Dream is slipping out of reach for more and more Americans, and we have to fight back.

We call for emergency rallies in front of every statehouse this Saturday at noon to stand in solidarity with the people of Wisconsin. Demand an end to the attacks on workers’ rights and public services across the country. Demand investment, to create decent jobs for the millions of people who desperately want to work. And demand that the rich and powerful pay their fair share.

Help prevent the American Dream from becoming a nightmare. Join the wake-up call here.