Answering the burning question of what to do now

Do not give in to political correctness. It is a kind of terrorism.

… Consider that there are three levels of fighting back…The three steps are “quiet and privately,” “flying the flag,” and “charging the sniper’s nest.”

First, act quietly and privately. … Give your time or treasure. This can be quiet and private. Here’s how.

Find a local group lobbying the school board, trying to get pornographic sex ed out of the school. Send them a check. Show up at a meeting and wish them well. Even something so small means a lot. That means a great deal to them because those who are charging the sniper’s nest often feel alone. Above all, when they have a tough vote, show up and just sit there! They will know you’re there. This does not mean you have to raise your head above the fox hole, make a speech, and maybe harm your career. Make these thanks private, quiet. That is fine.

... Second, fly the flag. Flying the flag can be quite straightforward. Speak up. How many times have we simply swallowed our views for unity and comity, when all the while our left-wing friends let their flags fly?

Let your friends and family know your views. During campaign season, put a sign in your yard. Put a bumper sticker on your car. Refuse to use the Left’s linguistic tricks. Let people know that it is acceptable to disagree with those who have put us under siege. They want us to think we are alone. Flying the flag means others will know they are not alone. … Without a doubt, this could make things uneasy for some, but it will not threaten your job and your career.… When you raise the flag, others will rally to it. They are waiting to know that others are like them.

Third, charge the sniper’s nest. This is not for the faint of heart and not for those who fear for their livelihood. This means making a public speech at the school board meeting. It means getting on the board of directors of a group fighting the LGBT agenda or for the unborn child. It means coming out in the open and understanding that the sniper will be firing at you. And you might get hit.

…Go to Mass every day if you can. Say the rosary every day … Read Sacred Scripture every day. Find some spiritual reading. Find a spiritual director. Learn the Faith. Teach it … especially [to] your children and your grandchildren. This is foundational.

… And remember, there has never been a finer time to be a faithful Catholic. Your descendants will say, “Weren’t they amazing? How I wish I could have been there.”

Excerpt from Under Seige: No Finer Time to Be a Faithful Catholic, by Austin Ruse (Crisis Publications, 2021), pp. 185-190. www.CrisisMagazine.com

AUSTIN RUSE is the president of C-Fam, a New York and Washington, D.C.–based research institute accredited to the U.N. Economic and Social Council and the Organization of American States. He wrote three previous books, and more than a thousand columns, essays, and articles.