Reading Time: 4 minutes The Plague of Silence How Our Silence Drowns Democracy Immediately after the Destroyer in the White House took office, a blanket of silence spread through my social media. It was like strolling through a desert. What was going on? I wrote the observation that follows around early March of 2025. “Many are afraid to talk. Afraid to post in social media. Afraid to stand up for what they believe. Afraid even to talk with friends about what is going on. I sent an email letter to about 5 cultural leaders that I’ve known for years; some for decades. I requested an interview for them to help me feel out the pulse of the people. Just one has responded and she asked me to call her so we could talk~ even though I invited her for a local or Zoom conversation and explained the purpose. It felt that she needed to scan the situation off the record before she could even agree to talk with me. Today another responded. As to her perspective on what is going on, she shared that [Read more.]