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 \u2013 profits. Frankly, I had hoped that just accruing ill-gotten wealth would be enough for them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But there\u2019s so much more. We see what our Government is doing to both our fellow Americans and those who followed Emma Lazarus\u2019s promise: \u201c\u2026Send these, the homeless, tempest tossed to me. I lift my lamp beside the Golden Door<\/em>\u201d. 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We are watching our Nation, the country Reagan called \u201cThe Shining City on a Hill\u201d, become lawless marauders. The United States blows up ships at sea, kidnaps or murders foreign leaders \u201cwe\u201d don\u2019t like, and wages war for profit and treasure. There is a whole lot wrong with our country right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many of us found ways to voice our disapproval. Some demonstrate; in fact, many will march this Saturday in the No Kings<\/em> 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Though I\u2019ve done \u201call of the above\u201d, my main way of contributing towards change is to write. I take my thoughts, and I put them \u201cout here\u201d on social media. I hit a lot of platforms: Facebook, BlueSky, X, Substack. And I\u2019ve gathered a following, several thousand, who can chose to read what I write directly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I write for three reasons. First, I am an old teacher, and I want to continue to educate. Those who don\u2019t agree with my positions are welcome to debate, but the mere fact they are reading what I write, even in opposition, gives me hope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Second, I want folks who are afraid to speak out, to know they are not alone. I live in a \u201cred bubble\u201d of America, but I\u2019m not the only \u201cblue speck\u201d here. I know how isolating that \u201cspeck-hood\u201d can be. Fellow specks, you are not alone! And for my friends in the \u201cblue bubbles\u201d, who paint us all solid red: we are not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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\u2019s easy to be consumed by the issues. Putting it to \u201cpaper\u201d (or on this computer screen) gives me an opportunity to organize my thoughts. That\u2019s both for myself, and for \u201cthe world\u201d that might read about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I don\u2019t mind opposition. In fact, I\u2019ve had some great \u201conline discussions\u201d. We may not agree in the end, but, with most, we maintained respect. There\u2019s nothing wrong with disagreeing, and there\u2019s nothing inappropriate about dissent. It\u2019s as \u201cAmerican\u201d as, well; apple pie or the US flag shirt I\u2019m wearing today, or neighbors helping neighbors in a crisis, or Thomas Paine. The only thing I ask is that you don\u2019t question my right to dissent. I\u2019ve been called a traitor, an \u201cindoctrinator\u201d, a bed-wetter and a pearl clutch-er (though I don\u2019t wear pearls, or wet the bed). I was even called a \u201cliberal\u201d once. That\u2019s a badge I still wear proudly. I\u2019ve had folks so angry that I worried that their vitriol might become more than just strokes on a keyboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But I will not tolerate those who deny the right to speak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the past few months, some opposed to our \u201calternative message\u201d have tried to shut us down.\u00a0\u00a0Part of it is by screaming, or in social media terms, overwhelming numbers of\u00a0\u00a0memes and \u201cfake news\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0They use insults about age, employment, and the MAGA attack phrase:\u00a0\u00a0\u201cTrump Derangement Syndrome\u201d questioning mental fitness.\u00a0 And, of course, the ultimate avoidance, “what-about” (Biden, Obama, Pelosi). \u00a0It\u2019s all about discounting arguments they cannot win.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n One individual on \u201cour side\u201d in this Red Bubble is waging a \u201cwar\u201d by going into Facebook \u201cMAGA Safe\u201d zones and speaking truth. If I remember my Bible studies, he is Daniel in the lions\u2019 den. It\u2019s not my area, but, like Daniel, he\u2019s on the side of the angels. <\/p>\n\n\n\n And another individual is pointing out how the actions of the Trump Presidency are so far out of the \u201cnorms\u201d, so criminal, that everyone should be on notice. Some of that author\u2019s so-called friends aren\u2019t arguing the point. Instead, they are attacking using social \u201cthreats\u201d. \u201cYou have a great family and life, concentrate on them,\u201d one said. \u201cYou are going to lose close friends if you keep this up. We don\u2019t want to hear what you\u2019re saying\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is all in social media. There is an ultimate answer for those folks who are disinterested: scroll by. Don\u2019t read my stuff, \u201cDaniel\u2019s stuff\u201d, the “family man\u2019s” stuff. That\u2019s fine, an obvious answer rooted in the First Amendment freedom of speech. But don\u2019t disrespect us by saying we \u201chave no right\u201d, or \u201cwe don\u2019t want to hear you\u201d, or, essentially, \u201c…get a life and get in line, or lose your social standing\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Friends can argue across political lines. But real friends understand: if it\u2019s important enough for \u201cus\u201d to express our facts and feelings, it\u2019s important enough for you to respect our right to do so. Agree or argue or scroll by if you must. But don\u2019t dare try to shut us down, denying our right to say what we think, and feel. That\u2019s Unamerican from any side. <\/p>\n\n\n\n And, among friends, it\u2019s the ultimate sign of disrespect.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Speak Out<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
My Reasons<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Debate<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Friends <\/h2>\n\n\n\n