I had decided to be mostly quiet this election cycle. I am weary of all the divisiveness that has infected our electorate. I believed in the American people and in our system of government to uphold the tenets of our democracy. I was unwilling to listen to those who issued hyperbolic warnings about the health of our democracy. I didn’t want to engage in arguments with friends or family members whom I love. I wanted to just quietly cast my vote in November and wait for the results, hoping for the outcome that I long to see. With the latest decision of the Supreme Court I am not able to be silent. I truly believe that our democratic republic, and with it our freedoms, are in jeopardy and I would be derelict if I said nothing.
I will begin by admitting that it is unlikely that I will influence anyone with this essay. I don’t expect to change the outcome that will eventually happen. What I do want is to go on record publicly so that one day my children and grandchildren will have proof that I tried to speak up for the preservation of our democracy. It is a right that I still have and I want to use it until which time I may lose the freedom of speech that I so cherish. While I would never in my wildest imaginings have considered that I might one day be held to account for exercising a freedom that I have admittedly taken for granted for seventy-five years, I now worry that recent events are leading to a possible situation in which I will be punished for speaking in a way contrary to those who have brought us to this moment in our history.
I am of course speaking about the Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision regarding immunity for Donald Trump with regard to his part in attempting to change the results of the election of 2020 which he lost. The conservative court has essentially said that for the most part Donald Trump was acting in an official capacity when he asked Mike Pence to throw out electors and substitute them with people willing to hand the election to Trump. As such his actions before and during January 6, are immune to any kind of prosecution. The same is true of his commands that the Justice Department find ways to change the votes in his favor. With this outrageous decision a legal can of worms has created a situation in which it will forevermore be all but impossible to prosecute a President for actions that are deemed to be part of his or her official duties of the office.
Not even the testimony of those who spoke with Trump and might be witnesses to his traitorous efforts can be used as evidence if those comments were made in an official capacity. It feels as though our very democracy has been made vulnerable to anyone with evil intent. It is a stunning development that worries me immensely. It appears to be open ended permission for Trump and any future Presidents to use the office for personal gain or vindictive and criminal behavior with immunity. It is a sham case which brings about the fruition of the worst nightmares of those who created our nation’s Constitution. It makes the President of the United States a weapon welding kinglike figure who can claim official reasons for persecuting anyone who disagrees with his or her decisions.
Forevermore we the people will have to be very careful who we put into the White House. Of course this has always been the case, but now finding men and women of sterling character is of the utmost importance. We can only send those who will not game the system to increase or retain their power. We will need to consider the morality of an individual with serious care and sadly Donald Trump has already boasted that he will be a dictator for a day and that he plans to get retribution from those whom he believes were disloyal to him. He is posting wanted posters of Liz Cheney on X. These are not good signs, especially in light of the reality that he will now feel free to claim presidential immunity simply by indicating that his actions are part of his official duties as the chief executive of the country.
This is a moment that history will remember. Children will learn the date January 1, 2024 and hopefully it will not be to indicate the end of our republic as we have known it, but as the moment when we realized the danger of this decision and joined together to be certain that Donald J, Trump would never again be allowed to lead our country. He represents a clear and present danger to our democratic republic and we would be foolhardy to test his honor when he has so blatantly shown us the true nature of his intentions.
I know peril when I see it. My single mom taught me to always be aware of my surroundings. My radar his going off loudly in this moment. My children and my grandchildren are concerned about what the future of our country will be. The rest of the world is holding its breath wondering if we will be the dependable allies that we have so often been. At this point only those of us who vote have the ability to insure that the man who attempted to overthrow the government on January 6, 2020 will never again have presidential power.
This is a watershed moment. We have an opportunity to stop the danger if we have the will to do so. If we do not join together to save our country I fear that a time may come when we look back on this moment as the day when all the we hold sacred fell into the hands of a bad man who has brought division, shame and uncertainty to us all. We have to use our rights while they still exist. Vote against Donald Trump. I will vote for Joe Biden as I urge every American who loves this country to do. He is a good and honest man. Give him the time and the people to set things right.
For the sake of my children I dissent! For the sake of my friends, neighbors and extended family I dissent! For the sake of every student I have ever taught I dissent! For the sake of my fellow Americans I dissent! “With fear for our democracy I dissent!”
Vote out this danger in November.
All It Takes Is A Little Love 