I hope Robby’s right about the possibilities for success, though I don’t think he is. I still agree with him that we must stand up and bear witness. For one thing, genealogy isn’t destiny. Even if the trajectory was set when it was fired, a missile can change course, or have its course changed. The believer in an active God can hope even when things seem darkest.

For another, we must play the game until the clock expires. As an American, this is the game you’re given to play. It’s our giving to Caesar what belongs to him. It’s also giving to others, especially those most likely to be harmed by social disorder, what belongs to them.

For a third, even if you think there’s no possibility of winning, we can at least lose less badly than we would if we all gave up. Political and legal struggles are not winner take all battles, but wars in which the losing side can keep some territory it would have lost if it had surrendered and negotiate better terms than it would have gotten.

And for a fourth, we can prepare the retreat at the same time we play for the win. Preparing the retreat is mainly doing what we ought to be doing already, but doing it better, pushed into action by the threat that we might not be able to do it at all. Each of us praying more, giving more, moving deeper into the Tradition, strengthening our parishes, making our families and our parishes into communities that draw the wounded, marginalized, and lost — this we can do while writing letters to congressmen, supporting the good guys running for office, marching in protests, posting Facebook messages, and speaking in public and with our friends for the unborn child and for marriage, and for all in need.