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“Well, I don’t think we’re going to necessarily ask for a declaration of war… We’re going to kill them. You know? They’re going to be, like, dead. OK?”
These words, spoken by the president of the United States, would have been met with outrage from Congress, the judiciary, and the citizens of this country at any other time in our recent history. Such remarks are now commonplace, and fade quickly in the 24 hour news cycle. There seem to be no guardrails as this regime commits illegal and unconstitutional actions day after day after day.
The Founders put in place our three branches of government to assure that there would be checks and balances when abuse of power arose. Now, though, the Supreme Court has largely abandoned the Constitution and the rule of law, the MAGA Republicans have abandoned the Constitution and the rule of law, and the executive branch has abandoned the Constitution and the rule of law. There appears to be no governmental protection for those who have believed through their lifetimes that democracy would forever be safe from this kind of assault.
“It Can’t Happen Here,” wrote Sinclair Lewis in his cautionary 1935 novel about the rise of fascism, and, yet, here we are. President Donald Trump and his ilk were elected and they have been delivering what they promised — an increasingly fascist, dictatorial government.
The future of democracy in the U.S. is now completely dependent on we, the people. This onslaught can only be deterred if the vast majority of us stand against it. And, we must if we are to preserve our Founders intentions. We must stand up, and we must do it now.
Dana Williams
Belfast
