A Violent End

A Violent End

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the bears were swiping at the river
getting nowhere Look I said
to the bears the salmon are all gone
because of
I pointed that factory upstream
What factory they said so I explained
it makes the parts that go
inside refrigerators specifically
the lights when you open the door
late at night with a craving
perhaps for something sweet
Let me show you I said but they refused
to follow me home they knew
I was sent from the state that’s why
I carried a gun and just then
a salmon jumped right into one
of their mouths See they said
There’s no factory There’s no factory
I must admit they made their case
I nearly felt myself swayed
toward a kind of belief
not in them or their world
but something that bordered
on love the lucky bear smiled
while holding his prize in his teeth
waiting to be mobbed
by his friends

We cannot back down

We now confront a second Trump presidency.

There’s not a moment to lose. We must harness our fears, our grief, and yes, our anger, to resist the dangerous policies Donald Trump will unleash on our country. We rededicate ourselves to our role as journalists and writers of principle and conscience.

Today, we also steel ourselves for the fight ahead. It will demand a fearless spirit, an informed mind, wise analysis, and humane resistance. We face the enactment of Project 2025, a far-right supreme court, political authoritarianism, increasing inequality and record homelessness, a looming climate crisis, and conflicts abroad. The Nation will expose and propose, nurture investigative reporting, and stand together as a community to keep hope and possibility alive. The Nation’s work will continue—as it has in good and not-so-good times—to develop alternative ideas and visions, to deepen our mission of truth-telling and deep reporting, and to further solidarity in a nation divided.

Armed with a remarkable 160 years of bold, independent journalism, our mandate today remains the same as when abolitionists first founded The Nation—to uphold the principles of democracy and freedom, serve as a beacon through the darkest days of resistance, and to envision and struggle for a brighter future.

The day is dark, the forces arrayed are tenacious, but as the late Nation editorial board member Toni Morrison wrote “No! This is precisely the time when artists go to work. There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal.”

I urge you to stand with The Nation and donate today.

Onwards,

Katrina vanden Heuvel
Editorial Director and Publisher, The Nation

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