YOU MUST PARTICIPATE IN THE RESISTANCE.

MAGA types stand by or even encourage people being deported without due process. The rest of us cannot allow that.

The MAGA movement has been captured by fears and beliefs that are contrary to everything America has stood for and for which our brave patriots have given their lives to defend for over 250 years, even prior to our war for independence. All those now-dead hero’s can’t be betrayed by mollycoddling some criminally misguided politician (Trump) or by tolerating his friends’ and followers’ violations of the lawful standards of our nation.

I have been one who has in the past advocated that Democrats and Independents engage with Trump supporters and try to understand what is driving them into the MAGA camp. I was thinking that maybe there was something to learn from their perspectives. I was thinking that maybe by understanding them better we could find ways to reduce the widening gap between parties and between people. I am now changing my policy on this.

We have to admit to ourselves that there is nothing left to learn from a Trumper in the face of Trump’s second term behavior. Impeached twice, convicted by a jury of 34 felonies in running his businesses, now flaunting the law and abusing the powers of his office, what is there about Trump that is supportable? Only someone who is too dumb, too racist, too extremely religious, or too against the rule of law can find scope to support Trump. My current opinion is that there are two main cohorts among Trump supporters, first a group that are actually too dumb or ignorant to connect the dots between what happens to others in this country and their own fortunes. Second, those who actually share Trump’s values and are wrecking our American institutions on purpose.

Calm discussion or even listening sympathetically to members of either cohort risks reinforcing that person’s perspectives. Psychologists have known for many decades that people are not usually rational. Instead, most people in their thinking fall victim to something called confirmation bias; this is a condition that leads someone to double down and adamantly defend a point, even an obviously wrong point, once they have said something about it. Of course Democrats and Independents are just as likely to have confirmation bias. That’s why we need to follow Davy Crockett’s advice - first be sure you are right!

Those who defend longstanding American institutions and values are right. They are right in terms of following our laws. They are right in the eyes of history. They are right by the blood of patriots gone before. They are right in the same way that the Union was right in putting down the Confederacy. They are right because they are the majority of citizens in our country and we believe in majority rule.

The MAGA movement has fallen victim to and dabbled in fears and beliefs contrary to everything America has stood for as the world leader of democracy. MAGA followers agitate against the very same values and beliefs for which our brave patriots have given their lives to defend for over 250 years, even prior to our war for independence. In contrast to all former presidents of the United States, Trump and his administration are actively working to dismantle the institutions that give our values life and effect. Trump, not usually a good student, has learned something from the Project 2025 authors. But what he learned is a a carefully crafted lie. He has learned from Project 2025 that the period from 1870 to 1913 was the greatest and most affluent time in our history. This is patently and provably wrong when you consider the greater good for the average person.

The period 1870 to 1913 was the era of the robber barons. A few very greedy, very influential, very privileged men stripped off most of the value produced in our country and sequestered those riches for themselves. Meantime, there was a very small middle class and a vast horde of common people not doing much better than peasants.

But people forget history. Too many people these days seem confused, half-way persuaded, or radically uninvolved in what Trump is doing to our country. Even highly educated and highly moral professors find ways to stay quiet. “Government institutions arguably need to be restructured.” But what Trump and his administration are doing is taking a wrecking ball to our hard won, blood-bought and precious institutions. Anything other than strident opposition to Trump-ism borders on, and risks being, treason. All those American hero’s who fought and died to defend American values can’t be betrayed by allowing elected leaders and allowing a minority of voters to mollycoddle some criminally misguided populist and would-be dictator like Trump is showing himself to be.

A lot of Americans are afraid of going against Trump in any visible way. Are they cowards? Will they sit by while masked government agents pick you up off the street for deportation. If you think any one of them will defend you, you are making an egregious error. If you see someone being accosted, maybe you think, “that person deserved that treatment” or you think “that kind of person doesn’t belong in our country” or at least you think “thank goodness that wasn’t me or my family”. If you think this way, or are simply complacent, you are approving and supporting the crimes against due process and the rule of law by the current administration. Probably they are coming for you next.