He and his family fled communist China long ago, so that they would never again need to know a moment like this one.
Now, here he stood, in his one-time dream land of California, facing off with a sheriff’s deputy in the lobby of a rundown, government hospital, speaking boldly to the officer that he demanded to see his father.
Each officer in that lobby outweighed him by a great deal. They were armed and towered over him. That hospital, a fantastically named “long term care home,” was the place where they took old people to die. It was the place where they took people who were no longer of use to society. The only problem is that “society” didn’t ask this brave man if his father was any use to him anymore. And certainly no one asked his father’s opinion about it all.
Instead, they kept his dad in an environment in which a painful, lonely death was almost certainly the outcome. It was not a place for long term care. That was a lie they told to unsuspecting people to distract from the detail that the patient had been slated for death. It was a place to isolate the stubborn who were slow to get the message that it was time to die already. Those who have liberated parents and family members from such a facility these past several years have repeatedly been astounded at what a death trap such a place is, and how nurturing home can be.
And every action of the officers and staff, let this man speaking know, that his life meant as little to them as his dad’s life. The same was true of his preferences, his rights, and his values.
Yes, as you can imagine, as he spoke, his lip quivered.
You can run from the tyranny, but the stand will eventually face you if you are to live a free man.
It was clear that he was far outside of his comfort zone, but that did not stop him.
Quivering lip or not, this man was holding his ground.
And before long, his lip stiffened.
It was in San Francisco. It was this past Saturday afternoon, the day before September 11, the day twenty-one years ago that it became clear that American freedom had so many enemies, both foreign and domestic — for whatever you believe took place that day, it is undeniable that the two decades of fallout since that day have laid bare that there are many enemies to your freedom. In fact, there are many enemies to your very existence. I was invited along to lend a hand in getting this man into the hospital. Several of us were there.
His father was 92, on his deathbed, and had not seen this son of his in more than a year.
Why had he not seen his son?
Because his son would not vax, would not test, and would not get one of the abundantly-present fake vaccine cards that are available in black markets around the lawless city.
Yup, he wouldn’t even get a fake vaccine card. That’s how dedicated he was to never again tell this lie.
As the standoff entered its second hour, to my momentary dismay, a relative of his quietly passed by wearing a mask, showing his papers. Not everyone in a family is cut from the same cloth. Even when they are cut from the same cloth, not everyone in a family is moved to stand at the same moment.
But of those men and women walking the earth who arose and chose to stand up since the Ides of March 2020, so many have grown into indomitable lions. And that will be the undoing of the tyrant — the number of lions who have woken up in the face of this filthy regime of deceit.
Flanking the scene of this standoff were “cadets.” The term cadet is so unpleasant a concept in California parlance. Contrary to what you might imagine, cadets are not indicative of being police academy attendees.
Instead, cadet is the California term for unsworn, civilian, uniformed employees of the sheriff. The average civilian cannot tell the difference between a cadet and a sheriff, for the uniform and demeanor are nearly identical. A cadet can throw his weight around and abuse his power, just like a sworn officer. But a cadet is not required to take an oath to uphold the California Constitution or US Constitution. Can you imagine the ugliness of what such a thing can turn into — putting a uniform on a person who does not even taken an oath? Can you imagine where a program like that leads?
It is already bad enough that a number of the oath takers treat the oath as meaningless.
But as I have said so many times, it is the lions who determine the trajectory of history. It is not those upholding the evil.
Accordingly, it is the lions who deserve your attention, not the hyena nor the sheep.
It is the brave man, standing there, quivering lip and all. He spoke words that afternoon that will stir the hearts of men for generations — including my own. Behind their masks, behind their stone faces, officers in that lobby were moved. The accounts of that standoff will not stop in that lobby.
It was spoken of in hushed tones in locker rooms with trusted colleagues, around kitchen tables with families, and among friends. That is what inevitably happens when you stand bravely — others talk about it. Even those who hate you talk about it. That courage becomes a contagion more powerful than any disease, more threatening to the powers that be than any illness.
You must always remember, that it is in your moral, physical, and spiritual health that you are such a threat. Accordingly, you must, then, not be shocked when your moral, physical, and spiritual well-being are undermined by those who need you unwell in order for their grasp on power to survive.
They do not care about you. They hate you. And they want you to die. The longer it takes you to realize that, the more you will allow yourself to be treated like someone worthy of hatred and death. And that, you most certainly are not, my friend, so it is vital that you recognize this moment for what it is and to recognize that as quickly as can be.
In this standoff, the man stood bravely against what seemed like an immovable machine. You cannot see such a sight and last forever in your devotion to tyranny, no matter how dedicated a storm trooper you are.
Slowly, as the standoff progressed, the cadets were replaced with sworn officers. Ten to twelve were finally in the lobby of the hospital.
Did he win, you will want to know? Did he get to see his father?
Not yet.
The standoff ended with our hero and his wife going home.
That wife of his stood by his side.
He would not see his dying father that day.
She would not see her beloved father-in-law.
It was but the first day.
And that is so important to keep in mind — it is but the first day.
Do not comply with the evil, but also do not be discouraged when the whole world does not bend to your will within moments of you stating it.
This was only the first day.
In the summer of 2021, it took me eight days to get in to see my godmother on her deathbed. But it worked. I got to spend those final, amazing hours with her.
The next morning was her last.
When you feel your lip quiver. When you feel your leg quake. When you feel your hand shake, know this — it is no time to back down. It is no time to give in.
Like our hero, it is time to double down.
No matter how much you are shaking, in doubling down, you tell yourself this, “Yes, my hand is shaking, but if I just press in, if I just stay focussed on my values, this quivering body, this imperfectly lived life, this regular man, will be the flawed instrument that will shatter the massive, seemingly invincible structure of evil that seems so omnipotent as it comes down upon me.”
Omnipotent it is not. That perceived omnipotence is also part of the lie.
Yes, like our hero, the moment you see your quaking leg is the moment to push further.
Do not give into evil, but proceed ever more boldly against it.
Stop the lie.
If you don’t know how to stop the lie, tap here to read Face Masks in One Lesson.
If you don’t know why to stop the lie, tap here to read Face Masks Hurt Kids.
I didn’t write them for myself. I wrote them as tools developed in standoff after standoff. We will win this standoff that we face, dear warrior — and I’m not just talking about the standoff in the hospital. I’m talking about the many standoffs in your own life in which you will never again comply with evil. It is time to press in. It is time to give even more of what we have. We will win this.
The victory is ours to take.
The question then is: “Will you take it?”
His lip was quivering
We need to JUST. SAY. NO. Short, but relevant story: September 2019, my mom was on her deathbed in a hospice in Worcester, MA. She had been there unconscious for 5 days, we knew it was a matter of only hours before she passed. During that 5 days, I just felt that this particular place was not the right place for her to take her last breath, in my heart I knew she wanted to die in Milford, MA where I had just moved and where she was planning to move before she got sick (why I felt that I don't know, but it was VERY strong, it was a demand). So, Friday morning I marched into the hospice administrator's office and said, "we don't want my mom to die here, please arrange for an ambulance to transport her to XXXX in Milford today". Well, you would have thought I had asked for my mother to be shot to the moon in a buggy - this woman was outraged: For 5 minutes she harangued me: "do you know your mother is DYING at any moment? Do you know she could DIE in that ambulance? Why would you want her to suffer during transport? Do you know that this is just not DONE? Do you know that if I had the legal power to keep her here against your wishes, I would?" (that was her look, not her words). When she finished, she almost had me - I was doubting myself. But then, something came over me ( I know it was my mother's spirit even though she was alive), I stood up and said, "my mother does not care WHERE she dies, even if it's in an ambulance, as long as her children are with her and we are doing what SHE wishes. Please arrange an ambulance NOW." And that bureaucrat did. As we gathered my mother on the stretcher to be transported I whispered in her ear (even though she was unconscious), "Ma, please do NOT die in that ambulance and prove that lady right".
And that taught me such a valuable lesson: Right is might. And when it comes to doing right by your parents on their deathbed, you can move the world. (Postscript: my mom arrived at her new hospice at 7 pm, and passed at 3 am that night. She was where she needed to be to pass peacefully.)
So upsetting, I felt violent for a few moments, in which case I hand it over to God to recalibrate. Same story with my 93 yr old Dad at the Veterans Administration West LA. I have not seen him in 2 1/2 yrs except by Skype. His deterioration is stomach churning- he lies in bed alone day after day with no company, no involvement. They could care less that I am the one person left on earth who not only realizes his worth, but longs to commune with him. He is not a worthless old shell. He is scintillating: at once a boy, man, husband, father , tennis player, dreamer, in essence a complex limitless soul.
Dad,I may never see you again but know this, our Spirits are intertwined, we will meet far far away from these pitiful dead beings to whom love is wavering & conditional. I love you forever for who you are and what you have given me, after all, Love is Eternal.