I’m sure many of you have heard about the coup and its aftermath in Turkey. After reading Turkey: Erdogan Takes Charge Of Military and many similar articles about the disregard of human rights, I’ve realized how serious the situation is there. Not only were 200 people tragically killed in the coup, but more than 70,000 people have been suspended from jobs in media, education, and law. The military is being placed under Erdogan’s control, citizens are being arrested for disagreeing with their president, and tens of thousands of people have been banned from leaving the country. Turkey has quickly gone from a democracy to a dictatorship.
In the 1930s, Germany experienced a similar fate. The rise of Hitler was enabled by the people. They allowed the government to establish mandatory associations for law enforcement, education, lawyers and judges, and even children. Hitler used these associations to promote Nazi ideology and segregate themselves from non-Aryans. He rose to power by using the fear of Germany’s economic collapse after World War I to fuel his propaganda.
Erdogan is using the same tactics. He is using the coup as a catalyst to give himself absolute power over the country. Without the judges that have resigned, he can make any law he needs. Without the educators that have been suspended, he can shape the minds of the people. Without the journalists who have been removed, he can manipulate the news.
Writing this, it almost seems as if it can’t be true. That a country as developed as Turkey could fall into such a downward spiral. This proves how unstable governments can be and how important checks and balances are. Though, what saddens me the most is that the people are the cause of it all. They just let it happen.
As U.S. citizens we are blessed to have a government that was created with these events in mind. While the constitution prevents any one branch of government from gaining absolute power, that isn’t what protects us. It is the people of the United States. We have been given the right and the duty to protect our own country from tyranny. We can vote, we can rally and protest, we have freedom of expression and speech and religion.
The people of the United States have so much power, and yet the vast majority of us don’t use it. Instead of going out and protesting laws we despise, we complain on Facebook. Instead of voting for our senators and representatives, we complain on Facebook. Maybe you’ve signed a petition. Maybe that petition was addressed. The fact is, most of the complaining we do has no effect on the laws of our country.
If you want to see our country change for the better, then go out and participate. Don’t only vote for the president. The president isn’t in charge of creating new laws, even though he certainly influences the flow of politics. It is our senators, governors, mayors, judges, and other representatives who shape the laws and policies of this country. One person cannot change a nation. Attend conventions and town meetings. Do what is necessary to educate yourself on politics. Ask questions and propose solutions.
Participate. Because if we don’t, we are not protecting ourselves from the government and we are certainly not creating a better future for our children. While I don’t believe the U.S. will become as corrupt as Turkey, it is imperative that we have political participation if we want to live in a country where our voices are heard.
