A few Republican Senators might do themselves and the nation a service if they viewed a re-run of “The Wizard of Oz.”

The Tin Man, seeking a heart, found he already was filled with compassion. While Elon Musk chainsaws the federal workforce, with no concern for lives or communities affected, powerful senators sit mute, abrogating their congressional authority over the budget.

The Scarecrow, wanting a brain, discovered he was already quite thoughtful. These senators, some former military or schooled in matters of national security, hide as we abandon 75 years of world leadership, embrace the war criminal Putin, desert courageous Ukrainians defending their homeland as well as the rest of Europe. Long ago we learned that even vast oceans could not isolate us from world conflict. War in Europe eventually comes to us. Appeasement of a tyrant is timorous.

And that brings us to the Cowardly Lion who desperately craved courage. Fearful even of his own shadow, he nevertheless accompanies Dorothy on her perilous pilgrimage. Reaching the Emerald City they discover the Wizard is but a fraud, a charlatan.

Attempts to set aside constitutional guarantees of the Fourteenth Amendment by executive fiat (which if taken to its logical conclusion would permit future presidents to set aside any rights they chose, even those guaranteed by the First or Second Amendment), unlawful impoundment of funds for programs already approved by congress, destruction of agencies created by laws passed by congress are all actions that demand that representatives fulfill their oaths of office. That requires heart, thoughtfulness, and above all, courage. Dorothy and her companions taught us that as children. 

Should just a few Republican senators find their courage, they too will find that they can stand up, perform their sworn duty, and actually represent their constituents.

Mark Roye 

Port Townsend