Pat Taub
For two hours on January 1st, watching the inauguration of New York’s new governor, Zoran Mamdani, I felt hopeful for the first in a long time.
Mamdani delivering his inaugural address at NYC City Hall, January 1, 2026 (The New York Times)
I was inspired by the populist speech of the new Public Advocate, Jumaane Williams. Moved by Mandy Patinkin singing “Over the Rainbow,” accompanied by fifth graders from Staten Island’s PS 22, who could barely keep their excitement at bay. Cornelius Eady’s stirring poem, “Proof,” will stay with me. Mandami’s bold address promised struggling New Yorkers affordable housing, free childcare and free buses. The crowd braved bitter cold to cheer, laugh, cry and hold hands. This was community at its finest.
New Yorkers waiting in the bitter cold for the inauguration to start (The New York Times)
My hope bubble was deflated Sunday morning when I woke to the news that Trump had kidnapped Venezuelan President Maduro and his wife, handcuffed them and placed on a plane to New York, where they remain in jail, as Maduro awaits trial under the bogus charge of being a drug kingpin. The real reason for this brazen illegal act is to take over Venezuela’s rich oil reserve.
Maduro, after his arrest, being escorted onto a US plane
In a world punctuated by government-sanctioned cruelty, marked by the genocide in Gaza, ICE raids in our city streets, and the cancelling of health insurance for millions of Americans, hope can feel elusive. I have friends, who have checked out after being beaten down by Trump’s non-stop acts of cruelty. I, too, periodically check out, leaving me feeling guilty that I’m not protesting more. I find balancing self-care and resistance challenging.
A friend, taking in the Maduro kidnapping, painfully commented, “I’m embarrassed to be an American.” He referenced Trump’s litany of cruelty, recalling his 2016 run when he boasted, “I can stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I won’t lose any voters.”
Has Trump, along with Netanyahu, made the rule of law irrelevant? Are we entering a new era where mad rulers will attack other countries at will? Where there is no regard for dissenting public opinion? No regard for how their acts impoverish the affected countries.
Cartoon by Morten Morland
Are we facing a new era of “shock and awe” following Trump’s pronouncement that Venezuela is only the beginning. Next in his crosshairs are Columbia, Cuba and Honduras. Oh, and don’t forget, Greenland. Then there’s Trump’s pledge to Netanyahu to bomb Iran . . .
Where does this leave the average person, like you and me? Are we too defeated to do much of anything except to push down our despair as we go about our lives? Or do we resist in whatever ways we can, holding onto threads of hope and joining with others to build hope towards a peaceful world?
The anti-war community has been quick to organize protests against war with Venezuela in cities throughout our country and globally If you can’t join them, write your Congresspeople demanding Congress take a stand against Trump’s criminal actions.
Protesters rally outside the White House, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026
We are at a pivotal moment. It’s no exaggeration to say if Trump’s warmongering goes unchecked, we could face a nuclear show down.
Mamdani beat the odds and won his election because thousands of New York went door-to-door campaigning for a candidate who pledged to make life better for the common person, no longer prioritizing the uber rich. Let’s embrace a similar grass roots model going forward.
Action is the antidote to despair. As Ralph Nader repeatedly echoes, “There are more of us than there are of them.” Let’s join together to forge an army of hope.
Keep close to your heart these lines from Cornelius Eady’s inaugural poem, “Proof:”
You have to imagine an army that wins without firing a bullet.
A joy that wears down the rock of no.
A peaceful army marching for income equality
