Steven LaChance Blog

I waited until Christmas was over to say this, because some things need room and the right moment to be said.

As a son, a father, and a grandfather, I have been sitting with what has unfolded over these past weeks. The continued revelations surrounding the Epstein case, and the effort to minimize or obscure what they reveal, are deeply unsettling. Not because of politics, but because of what they say about power, accountability, and the people who are protected when the truth becomes inconvenient.

At the same time, on Christmas Day, the United States carried out airstrikes in Nigeria. I understand the arguments that were offered. I understand the language of security and deterrence. But I also know this: bombing on a holy day carries a weight that cannot be explained away. Holidays exist as moments of pause, reflection, and shared humanity. When violence enters those moments, it does more than take lives. It leaves a mark on our collective conscience. You do not carry out an act of war on a day like Christmas unless it is an imminent threat to the country.

The people caught in these events are not symbols or talking points. They are families, parents, children, and elders. They are Christians, Muslims, and those of traditional faiths living side by side, often just trying to survive in conditions shaped by poverty, corruption, and long-standing instability. This is not a story of good versus evil. It is a human tragedy made worse when it is reduced to slogans.

What troubles me most is how easily suffering becomes abstract. How quickly we justify what would horrify us if it happened closer to home. When violence is framed as necessary or unavoidable, something essential erodes. We begin to lose our sense of restraint, and with it, our sense of who we are.

As a son, a father, and a grandfather, I believe there comes a moment when silence becomes its own form of harm. This is one of those moments. Not because we have all the answers, but because conscience demands we ask better questions.

This is not about choosing sides or scoring points. It is about choosing responsibility over comfort, truth over convenience, and humanity over indifference. If we are to leave anything worthy behind for those who come after us, it must begin with the courage to look honestly at what we are doing and the humility to change course when we are wrong.

We need to begin to do whatever is needed to correct the mistakes of these past ten years. We need to do it for ourselves and for our children and grandchildren. There is never an appropriate moment for words like pedophilia and negligence to enter our national conversation, yet lately they appear far too often, and that alone should give us pause and cause us worry. Now is the time for action and it’s going to take all of us to fix this together.