It is time we get serious about what is happening in America.
We are no longer on the verge of a Constitutional crisis; we are in the midst of one. We no longer need worry President Donald Trump will become a dictator; Congress and the Supreme Court have already allowed him to become a king without a crown.
President Trump has ignored repeated court orders to afford due process of law to those he arrests and deports. He has ignored the right of Congress to fund or to end federal programs.
The President and his Project 2025 friends believe in a “unitary executive,” which means that the Executive Branch of our federal government is superior to, and does not need to obey, any laws passed by the Legislative Branch (Congress) or any judgments made by the court system, including the Supreme Court, which in 2023 declared the President immune from prosecution for any “official” actions.
And what actions, pray tell, would Donald Trump not claim were official?
Trump has also used his “co-president,” Elon Musk, to destroy or sabotage through mass firings almost all federal agencies established by Congress. He has said he wants to save taxpayers money by eliminating waste and corruption in federal agencies, but he is willing to use any taxpayer money used by this bureaucratic “saving” to give tax breaks to his rich friends.
He has caused suffering for ordinary Americans with deep employee cuts in programs such as Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, and those doing medical research in the National Institutes of Health.
It is time for all of us, regardless of party affiliation, to remember the famous words of German pastor Martin Niemöller after World War II:
First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.
Niemöller was initially a supporter of Adolf Hitler. As the Nazi attacks began on the church, though, he moved into opposition, and was eventually arrested and sent to the Dachau concentration camp. After the war, he expressed his deep regret for not having done enough earlier to help the victims of the Nazis.
Can we see such a situation today in the vindictive actions of our increasingly authoritarian President? Trump’s attacks on enemies are not as neatly sequential as those in Nazi Germany. With Elon Musk’s help, today’s attacks occur rapidly and simultaneously, creating chaos and preventing effective responses to his actions one at a time. They do, however, constitute an enemies list and must be taken very seriously.
Trump has long attacked the “radical left-wing Democrats,” calling them evil people who will destroy America. He has also attacked immigrants of color, suggesting they are criminals and rapists, and has now begun widespread arrests and deportations. He goes after foreign students, revoking their visas and sending them home, for using First Amendment guarantees of free speech to publicly opposing groups he likes.
Then there is the broader attack on the educational system, from universities to pre-schools, accusing teachers of “wokeness” for not subscribing to Trump’s hatred of diversity and honest American history. He punishes teachers and students by eliminating the Department of Education and withholding federal funds for research.
If you are affected by any of these actions, you are already aware of the danger Trump poses to American life and values. If you are not, beware: your turn is coming to be in Martin Niemoeller’s position in 1945.
Do you or your family rely on Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid? Do your children enjoy listening to Sesame Street on Public Radio or benefit from the educational program museums, libraries, or other offerings of the National Endowments for the Humanities and the Arts? These are being defunded.
Have you enjoyed the benefits of medical research to find treatments for diseases? Do you think we should address climate change, and enjoy clean air, soil, and water? Do you believe in free speech and the right to protest? Do you think voting should be open and easily accessible to all?
All of these things have already been or will soon be attacked by the Trump regime. Come to think of it, aren’t we all in the position of Martin Niemöller?
It is time to do what he failed to do!
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