Where We Stand
There are many people making a fortune in the Trump Administration, not the least being the Trump family itself. It was always my expectation that they would. In the end, the Trump Brand has always been about one thing – profits. Frankly, I had hoped that just accruing ill-gotten wealth would be enough for them.
But there’s so much more. We see what our Government is doing to both our fellow Americans and those who followed Emma Lazarus’s promise: “…Send these, the homeless, tempest tossed to me. I lift my lamp beside the Golden Door”. They are treated without rights. They are arrested without warrant, held without bail, removed without hearings. Some have been killed, shot down by fearful bullies hiding behind masks and a badge. And we, the United States, are continuing to jail children.
We are watching our Nation, the country Reagan called “The Shining City on a Hill”, become lawless marauders. The United States blows up ships at sea, kidnaps or murders foreign leaders “we” don’t like, and wages war for profit and treasure. There is a whole lot wrong with our country right now.
Speak Out
Many of us found ways to voice our disapproval. Some demonstrate; in fact, many will march this Saturday in the No Kings demonstrations. Others turn to local politics, trying to change the country literally from the bottom up. Some find support groups, to help them grieve, process, and discover ways to make a difference. And some speak out, publicly.
Though I’ve done “all of the above”, my main way of contributing towards change is to write. I take my thoughts, and I put them “out here” on social media. I hit a lot of platforms: Facebook, BlueSky, X, Substack. And I’ve gathered a following, several thousand, who can chose to read what I write directly.
My Reasons
I write for three reasons. First, I am an old teacher, and I want to continue to educate. Those who don’t agree with my positions are welcome to debate, but the mere fact they are reading what I write, even in opposition, gives me hope.
Second, I want folks who are afraid to speak out, to know they are not alone. I live in a “red bubble” of America, but I’m not the only “blue speck” here. I know how isolating that “speck-hood” can be. Fellow specks, you are not alone! And for my friends in the “blue bubbles”, who paint us all solid red: we are not.
And third, it forces me to sort out the conflagration of disastrous news coming at us all. Iran, Epstein, ICE, TSA, National Debt, Graft and Corruption, Fair Elections, private schools, re-whitening history: only Billy Joel could sort out this fire. It’s easy to be consumed by the issues. Putting it to “paper” (or on this computer screen) gives me an opportunity to organize my thoughts. That’s both for myself, and for “the world” that might read about it.
Debate
I don’t mind opposition. In fact, I’ve had some great “online discussions”. We may not agree in the end, but, with most, we maintained respect. There’s nothing wrong with disagreeing, and there’s nothing inappropriate about dissent. It’s as “American” as, well; apple pie or the US flag shirt I’m wearing today, or neighbors helping neighbors in a crisis, or Thomas Paine. The only thing I ask is that you don’t question my right to dissent. I’ve been called a traitor, an “indoctrinator”, a bed-wetter and a pearl clutch-er (though I don’t wear pearls, or wet the bed). I was even called a “liberal” once. That’s a badge I still wear proudly. I’ve had folks so angry that I worried that their vitriol might become more than just strokes on a keyboard.
But I will not tolerate those who deny the right to speak.
In the past few months, some opposed to our “alternative message” have tried to shut us down. Part of it is by screaming, or in social media terms, overwhelming numbers of memes and “fake news”. They use insults about age, employment, and the MAGA attack phrase: “Trump Derangement Syndrome” questioning mental fitness. And, of course, the ultimate avoidance, “what-about” (Biden, Obama, Pelosi). It’s all about discounting arguments they cannot win.
One individual on “our side” in this Red Bubble is waging a “war” by going into Facebook “MAGA Safe” zones and speaking truth. If I remember my Bible studies, he is Daniel in the lions’ den. It’s not my area, but, like Daniel, he’s on the side of the angels.
Friends
And another individual is pointing out how the actions of the Trump Presidency are so far out of the “norms”, so criminal, that everyone should be on notice. Some of that author’s so-called friends aren’t arguing the point. Instead, they are attacking using social “threats”. “You have a great family and life, concentrate on them,” one said. “You are going to lose close friends if you keep this up. We don’t want to hear what you’re saying”.
This is all in social media. There is an ultimate answer for those folks who are disinterested: scroll by. Don’t read my stuff, “Daniel’s stuff”, the “family man’s” stuff. That’s fine, an obvious answer rooted in the First Amendment freedom of speech. But don’t disrespect us by saying we “have no right”, or “we don’t want to hear you”, or, essentially, “…get a life and get in line, or lose your social standing”.
Friends can argue across political lines. But real friends understand: if it’s important enough for “us” to express our facts and feelings, it’s important enough for you to respect our right to do so. Agree or argue or scroll by if you must. But don’t dare try to shut us down, denying our right to say what we think, and feel. That’s Unamerican from any side.
And, among friends, it’s the ultimate sign of disrespect.
