As Elie Wiesel so elegantly put, “We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” The recent victory of Donald Trump is alarming in and of itself. But with the coming of white supremacist Steve Bannon onto Trump’s staff and calls for an interment camp policy similar to that of WW2  by his advisors it is absolutely critical to take note of what Elie has said. Every citizen is obligated to take sides on this issue. By not taking sides they are taking the side of the oppressor. It is possible that Trump is not an ideologue and thus will pass through without much trouble, but all the signs point at the opposite of this. All citizens who value freedom and democracy in any sense of the word must stand with the muslims who will be affected by these barbarous laws. Every citizen who follows the law of conscience over the dogmatic written law must stand with the illegal immigrants and their families to fight against this oppressive, bigoted, and racist call for such mass deportations. Every citizen with a sense of empathy must stand with members of the LGBTQ community in defense of their rights, for even if it contradicts their own personal views no one can deny that said views are no business of the state. Citizens must accept that the law of conscience dominates over the written law. Laws that violate the law of common conscience are laws that ought not to be respected. It is up to every citizen to side with the oppressor or the oppressed. There is no in between, there is no neutrality for neutrality embodies silence against oppression and thus passive acceptance of such.

As Thomas Jefferson once said,”If a law is unjust, a man is not only right to disobey it, he is obligated to do so.” So if the time comes when such barbaric laws come to fruition, do not hesitate to fight for justice. For justice is not what is written in some law book! Justice is a virtue whose spirit goes far beyond what any written law can embody or enforce!