We must raise our voices, opposing the irrational dangers threatening our democracy. If we fail in this, we risk losing our democratic values and systems. The bones of our nation are being rattled. Its systems – judiciary, academia, and political executives are being challenged. Institutions of knowledge and justice are being slandered and coerced.
Openly conflicting with court mandates, oversight of learning institutions is dictated with iron hands. There is a blatant disregard for human rights, as evidenced by the deportation of a four-year-old cancer patient, who was rightfully an American citizen. Elected representatives are being met with aggression and denied entry into Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centers that they are lawfully permitted to inspect unannounced.
This situation calls for collective resistance against the growing oppression. If we yearn for liberty and democracy, then we must be willing to fiercely protect them. Our rights, fundamental to our existence, are under siege this very moment. Our nation is transitioning, subtly yet surely, towards a state akin to Russia or China.
The core structure of our government comprising of three balanced divisions has been upset by the continuous attempts of the Executive branch to overrule others. Under the then-president Donald Trump’s administration, there was a shift towards such bullying tactics. Unfortunately, it seems we are traversing the same path that history has regretfully trodden before.
Recalling the horrifying actions of Nazi Germany, we remember how Jews were forced into vehicles and taken away. A similar fate was meted out to dissenters during the reign of Chile’s dictator, Augusto Pinochet in the 1970s. Present-day America under Donald Trump’s leadership deprives immigrants, without criminal records, of their freedom, rounding them up and taking them away. Though the countries vary, the oppressive acts bear a striking resemblance.
Trump seems to have taken a page out of autocratic playbook. Consolidation of power seems his primary objective after gaining it. Large scale job cuts and termination of agencies are part of his strategy to tighten his grip on the government. In an attempt to project hardness, he engaged the National Guard in Los Angeles. Yet, during the significant event of the January 6 attack on America by Trump’s own supporters, the Guard’s presence was noticeably missing.
Trump tried to intimidate the public into submission, but he failed to consider the resolve of many to resist such oppression. The No Kings Rally’s attendance by five million denizens was a visible testament to this resistance. They stood to defy any autocracy.
Parading military might is a common practice among autocrats, Trump as well is guilty of. However, his military parade was a dismal spectacle, short-lived and thinly attended. Even nature interfered with a downpour. Mimicking the behavior of an envious child, Trump demanded a parade because others had one too – a spectacle heavy with sarcasm.
He feigned adulation for America’s military on one hand and disrespected our veterans by dubbing them as ‘losers’ and ‘suckers’ on the other. He severely undercut Medicaid that numerous veterans depend upon. His intentions were starkly clear – to leverage their office for personal gain. In essence, he has twisted the White House into a kind of crime organization.
Trump blatantly abused his power for financial gain, which is in direct violation of the Constitution’s Emoluments Clause. His investments in Meme coins, a volatile type of cryptocurrency with no intrinsic value or backing, accumulate millions. The constant trade-off of his influence have people wondering whether he should be issued a bar code.
Pardons seemed to become tradable commodities under Trump’s reign. The Godfather-style administration faced accusations of offering pardons to people convicted of severe crimes. Positions founded on trade are now predicated on coercion, faced with ultimatums of accepting Trump’s way or tariffs. He desires to levy taxes on them, metaphorically ‘tariffizing’ them.
In his pursuit of favoring millionaires, job losses and agency cutbacks aren’t far behind. It seems to fall into the cookie-cutter conservative paradigm – economic deprivation of the downtrodden to cater to the extravagant indulgences of the wealthy. Therefore, one must ask – have your circumstances improved in the past six months? Unless you are part of the millionaire club, the answer is likely a resounding ‘no’.
Our ability to celebrate Independence Day freely next year hangs in the balance as we approach the 250th anniversary of our nation. Will it be a day of free celebration or a day of bowing to the oppressive tyranny? America hangs on your decision, eagerly anticipating the answer.
The post Irrational Dangers Jeopardizing American Democracy appeared first on Real News Now.
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