I have been deeply distressed by the sham impeachment trial being acted out in Washington and wanted to comment on it. I had started gathering my thoughts when a seemingly insignificant tweet made its way into the news. Donald Trump’s son tweeted that Mitt Romney was a member of the resistance and should be banned from the GOP for disagreeing with his father.

We have seen over and over that the Trump administration does not tolerate free thought. Anyone who does not march hand in glove with the leader is a member of some kind of resistance and must be attacked and destroyed. This may be how the Republican Party works now, but it is not how a democracy works. Fear and bullying have not yet become an amendment to the Constitution. We are not a one party government, and no citizen is required to agree with all that Trump or the Republican Party decrees.

Our democracy is in deep peril right now, but I don’t recall that we have abandoned it in favor of an autocracy. Did I go shopping one day and miss an important tweet? For the love of God and country, people, pay attention. Your rights and freedoms are on the verge of elimination. Do you value living in a democracy or do you just not care?

There is no honor left in Washington, but where is your honor? Why aren’t you outraged? When will you stand up and be counted? When Trump refused to act in the interest of the country, I expected the Congress would step in. They did not. I thought our government was stronger than a corrupt president. It is not. Now it is our turn to stand up individually and protest this desecration of our once-great country.

Will I be disappointed again or are we stronger than this corruption? And I have to believe that I am not just one woman but one woman among many men and women who care and desire the best for our country. Please, speak up and help protect us and our future. Your children and grandchildren will honor you.

Linda Maguire

Jim Thorpe