One has to wonder; will ours be known as "The Sorriest Generation" of Americans to ever live as compared to say, "The Greatest Generation" of Americans?
This past November, America voted to elect a convicted felon as president. Thus, we now have a criminal serving in the highest office of federal government. This position is possibly one of the most important around the globe because of the power it holds. The current occupant knows that and is abusing it. In a period of just six short months, he has already shown strong authoritarian actions/tendencies and he knows exactly what he's doing. I'm guessing that even he is surprised at how easy it has been so far. He and fellow co-conspirators like the Federalist Society and the author of Project 2025 had four years to devise a plan. They helped place compromised/sympathetic judges in the judiciary and supreme court, placed incompetent "yes" men and women in charge of every agency, and have appeared now to weaponize the U.S. Attorney General's office. He appears to have no respect for our constitution or the rule of law because the two are impediments to an up and coming authoritarian. One has to wonder how long it will be before he uses military force on our own citizens.
In case you don't know, (and some people don't), our government has three CO-EQUAL branches of government: executive, judicial, and legislative. The felon has full control of the executive branch. Congress is the legislative branch but it's cowardly Republican members have been castrated by the felon and capitulated their power to him, resulting in even more concentrated power. So, what's left is the judiciary branch and he is attacking judges on a daily basis to try and destroy it's power.
So, why would the felon be doing this? Because that's what authoritarians do ... concentrate power in themselves. Remember he has always had a strange but obvious admiration for Putin, Orban, and Kim Jong Un, all authoritarians.
Adolf Hitler was an authoritarian leader who established a totalitarian regime in Germany, eliminating democratic institutions and enforcing strict control over all aspects of life through the Nazi Party. His rule was characterized by extreme nationalism, suppression of dissent, and widespread human rights abuses. Does that sound eerily familiar to you right now? It should. I'm not saying our authoritarian is Hitler but if you look at how Hitler came into power, the patterns are eerily similar. The Greatest Generation would say "the signs are there" because they knew exactly what it looked like. But they rose to the occasion and helped defeat Hitler, an evil authoritarian. GOD BLESS THEM.
So, the time has now come for every American of THIS GENERATION to look deep into their own soul and ask themselves; what kind of country and government do they want to live under? One that is authoritarian rule or the democracy we have known all of our lives that is "for the people, by the people." A democracy that has been gifted to us from every previous generation of Americans for the past 250 years. And I say again, this is NOT political.
I, a fellow citizen, humbly and sincerely ask anyone that reads this, to study the traits, behavior, and actions of authoritarians and how they come into power. And then compare what you've learned to what is currently happening in our nation. After doing so, you can no longer plead ignorance and an honest soul will have to admit that democracy and authoritarianism cannot coexist and at that point, you will have to make a decision.... to support and defend our democracy or allow an authoritarian rule. THIS IS NOT ABOUT POLITICS. Have the emotional maturity and courage to get outside your own personal echo chamber. Wisdom is defined as, "the ability to discern what is true, right, or lasting; insight, common sense, judgement, the sum of learning through the ages." Maybe that's what the GREATEST GENERATION had that this generation is lacking, wisdom and emotional maturity.
So, I ask you again, will we be the generation that throws away our precious democracy (one that 1.2 million Americans gave their lives for over the course of our nation's 250 year history)? What kind of country and government will you leave behind for future generations? Will they curse us or will they thank us? The time has come for every American to choose, before the choice is made for U.S.The time to engage and protect our democracy is NOW.
Members of the Greatest Generation gave their very lives to defeat the evil of a foreign authoritarian. They would surely be disgusted and angered that 82 years later, their own country is now falling into the same trap.
*I submit this in honor of my father, a member of the GREATEST GENERATION, who fought in WWII and served in the navy in the South Pacific.
Camille Wright lives in Brandon.
