By Jim Wylie, Membership Chair, Sierra Club Pennsylvania Chapter
Did you attend a Hands Off! Rally in April? I did. Did I know what it was about? Not really. I guess I expected a good bit of Trump and Musk bashing from passionate people that don’t agree with the policies, methods and direction of the current administration. But that’s not what I saw and heard. At least not all that I saw and heard and learned.
I saw concern and fear and bewilderment from: veterans who can’t get through to the Veterans Administration (VA); senior citizens and soon-to-be-seniors concerned about their retirement money that they paid into their whole lives; anyone that speaks with an accent or dresses in their ethnic tradition afraid someone will flash a badge and say “show me your papers”; teachers, librarians, social workers, park rangers and any non-profit worker whose salary was funded in part by some federal program approved by Congress that they thought was committed for years to come.
I heard determination from elected officials who, even though they are in the minority right now, vow to resist challenge and demand transparency from the federal government. Our government. And not give silent approval to officials in other branches of government, including state and local governments, that feel empowered by the actions of a few in Washington that are clearly testing us - trying to find the limits of what they can get away with.
Watch the Hands Off 2025 site for rallies being organized in your area. Make a sign that expresses your concern, fear, or anger. And be ready to shout HANDS OFF!
This blog was included as part of the May 2025 Sylvanian newsletter. Please click here to check out more articles from this edition!
