TYRANNY IS A REAL THING

It's coming at us. We must not bend.

Given that the federal workforce comes to 4 per cent of our national budget, the continued DOGE-inspired slashing of its ranks does next to nothing to save taxpayer money. It’s causing great harm to people’s lives, however, as well as threatening the health and safety of our country. For all their talk about efficiency, it hardly makes government more efficient if you kneecap its ability to function.

Make no mistake about it, that was their intention all along.

The Trump administration is an authoritarian regime, trampling over the rights of whomever doesn’t align with their view of how America should operate. Americans have not even begun to feel the full force of the damage that Trump and Musk’s policies will create - from lack of access to healthcare; to withdrawal of health and safety regulations in food, workplaces and environment; to the end of scientific and medical research that has taken years to foster and has been a prized jewel of our country; to lack of support for the poor and hungry even here in the United States; to empty shelves at grocery stores combined with increased inflation; to the nullification of the powers of both Congress and the judiciary; to the undermining of Social Security; to proposed budget cuts to Medicaid; to removing Constitutionally established civil rights protections for everyone in this country. Already considered a flawed democracy, we’re now mimicking established autocracies in a way that will cause untold damage to ourselves, our freedom, and the world itself for years to come.

Those of us who insist we have an existential threat to American democracy on our hands, are often referred to by Trump supporters as having TDS, or Trump Derangement Syndrome. But during Trump’s first administration, while I spent a lot of time gritting my teeth, I wasn’t seriously worried that our democracy might not survive. The proverbial “guardrails” held: enough sane and responsible people were in power to protect Trump, and us, from his worst instincts. Today, however, such guardrails are for the most part gone. This time, the ones I think might be deranged are those who refuse to recognize what’s happening.

None of this means, however, that we should lose hope. Quite the opposite. Americans are often slow to awaken to a problem, but once we do, we can be a mighty force. And a mighty force is aroused right now, as the Trump administration’s attacks on our government, our Constitutional principles, and even innocent people is coming up against a strong wall of resistance.

Legacy journalists, independent media, and citizen content creators are covering this disaster daily. Everything from courageous judges to legislators to Governors to Attorney Generals to lawyers to non-profit organizations to universities to cultural institutions - and most importantly, average citizens attending Town Halls, protests, and more - are forming a powerful movement of Constitution Protectors. What Trump and Musk are doing now represents the greatest threat to our democracy since WW2. But now, as then, the threat will not stand.

This isn’t a matter of Left versus Right. There are voices on both sides of the political spectrum decrying the threat of dictatorship coming from the White House - note the umbrage of conservatives David Brooks, George Conway and Stuart Stevens, for instance. This is not a moment to deny what’s happening, remain in our political silos, or reject the contribution of those who don’t agree with us about every little thing. This is moment to summon our courage and our righteous fury. Sometimes we don’t know exactly what to do, but the path becomes clearer as we become available to do something.

Tyranny is a real thing, and it’s coming at us. We must not bend.