Letter: As much as I love my country, I am not OK with what I see happening

I have never had much interest in politics. For most of my life, I have taken our democracy for granted. I never had to fight for the freedoms I enjoy, and I never worried about losing those freedoms.

I was taught that our democracy was secure because we had a system of checks and balances. I was naive. I have come to realize that our democracy is only secure when the people we put in office have integrity.

Unfortunately, too many people currently in office have shown a complete lack of integrity. Their actions are causing significant harm in this country and around the world.

As much as I love my country, I am not OK with what I see happening.

I am not OK with the disrespect and threats this administration has made to individuals and to other countries.

I am not OK with treating immigrants like criminals, abducting them and sending them to foreign prisons without due process or proof of criminal activity.

I am not OK with the random cuts to programs that are crucial to the education, health and wellbeing of our citizens, our climate, and people around the globe.

I am not OK with denying anyone basic human rights. I believe in equality and that includes minorities ,immigrants, women, and LGTBQ individuals, etc. Our nation’s strength is in our diversity, and in our ability to support each other.

I am not OK with this administration making rash decisions without consideration or compassion for the impact on human lives and the environment.

I am not OK with the lack of qualifications  and integrity of many individuals in the Trump administration.

I am not OK with the total disregard for the constitution, the dismantling of checks and balances, and efforts to restrict and punish truthful reporting by the media.

I am not OK with the blatant lies and divisive hate speech.

I hesitate to even make my thoughts public because I have no desire to further contribute to divisive politics but silently watching the decline of our democracy no longer seems acceptable.

I recently decided it was time to speak out and to take a stand. As a result, I chose to participate in the last two anti-Trump protests, and I will continue to do so whenever I can.

I have seen political memes, that demean protesters and attempt to make the protests seem pointless. I am tired of the hateful political rhetoric that divides us.

For me the protests are not about being a Republican, a Democrat, a conservative, or a liberal. They are about saving our democracy. Many times, I have considered giving up social media because of the hateful rhetoric, but I think being oblivious to what is happening doesn’t help change things for the better.

The protests are not pointless. They are a statement that we need to do better. They give me hope that we can save our democracy and work towards becoming a kinder/more compassionate country with liberty and justice for all.

The protests have also increased my awareness. I previously thought my community was somewhat spared from the full blunt force of Trump’s destructive actions. I was wrong. The heartbreaking stories of the many local speakers helped me realize that the negative impact of Trump’s actions in our community was much more devastating and widespread than I ever imagined.

Perhaps if enough people speak out against the injustices, we can change things for the better. However, even if the protests don’t change anything, at least I will know that I have taken a stand against injustice.

Letter from Bruce Hill