An American Dictator

Every day there is growing evidence of this administration’s lack of regard for the rule of law, for any kind of accountability, and for any modicum of decency for human beings. Everything they do contradicts everything they say they are doing. They say things that sound good, but their actions show they are carrying out the mission outlined in Project 2025 and have no interest in following the structure of our government.

The president said whatever he needed to say to get elected, and people mistakenly took him at his word or didn't see his first administration as that bad. They did not realize that he is and has always been a very shady businessman with unscrupulous tendencies to protect himself and evade responsibility. As others saw his ability to charm made him a viable candidate, they willingly kissed his ass and helped him prepare.

The president has never been shy about admiring dictators, and he and his administration are using classics from the dictator's handbook. Divide and conquer is the name of the game. Ironically, his tactics are having the opposite effect, and with that comes a sliver of hope.

There is nothing conservative nor republican about anything he is doing. I don't think Republicans have any wish to see the government completely collapse or reshape the world economy with our country in an isolated, untrustworthy position. I don't think Republicans are happy seeing people disappeared to a hellhole devoid of constitutional rights or any shred of humanity. This is not the rule of law.

If the people being sent overseas are such horrible criminals, prove it to us. Because our judicial system is built on more than just ‘take my word for it.’ There is a reason both sides get an attorney in a criminal trial. There are too many cases of innocent people spending decades in prison or being mistakenly put to death to take anyone’s word for it.

This administration has no regard for the other two co-equal branches of the government: Congress and the judiciary. Apparently, Republicans in Congress and the Senate have all lost their spines. They don't seem to realize that government programs like Medicaid, SNAP, and Head Start help everyone regardless of party.

The courts are doing what they can to correct injustices, and that's great, but we can't put all our eggs in that basket. We can't wait for some charismatic leader on the left to ride in on his white horse and fix things. We are realizing that the collective might of the American people is the only remedy in this situation.

This is America, and I have grown up knowing that I live in a country that represents the best that humanity has to offer. We love an underdog story and cheer for the little guy who prevails because he is fighting for what's right. Every citizen has the opportunity to become president. We do what is right, so of course we want to bring the person who has been wrongly imprisoned back to America. In fact, we want to bring every person who was sent there back to America to go through due process and make sure they really are bad guys and not just people with tattoos.

I say all this as someone who is vulnerable, not for deportation or imprisonment, but as someone who is physically very disabled and completely dependent on Medicaid. I live in a long-term care facility with 24-hour nursing. If I were to be deemed ineligible for the Medicaid I have been getting for the last 3 1/2 years, or if Medicaid is underfunded to the point where me and the 100+ other patients in the facility where I live can't stay here, it will be impossible for me to afford to live.

So I need people to stand up and fight for the true America that I know still exists. And people have been, as demonstrated by the protests happening in every single state of the union every weekend. It's been demonstrated at the town halls where citizens plead with their representatives to do their job and not just be the president’s toady. This is just the beginning of a long fight that will not end until this administration is over and we can restore our honor and standing in the world.