Dear Donald,
I am an American citizen.
I am a taxpayer.
I am a person of faith.
I am a father and husband.
And I am a dissenter.
I wanted to state that clearly for the record, so that there can be no mistaking where my allegiances lie.
They are to the Constitution, and to the Rule of Law, and to the teachings of Jesus, and to my conscience, and these things place me in direct opposition to you and the inhumanity and illegality you traffic in.
I dissent from your weaponization of ICE against the Latino and immigrant communities, which is throwing this nation into unnecessary chaos.I dissent from your sabotage of the Affordable Care Act, which will make it impossible for tens of millions of Americans to sustain health and life.I dissent from your intentional starvation of the poor and hungry here, who slowly die while you coat your walls with garish, gold “let them eat cake” opulence.I dissent from your lawless attacks on humanity here at home, and on foreign soil and sea.I dissent from your attempts to silence politicians, members of the media, and American citizens from documenting your misdeeds.
Like all desperate wannabe despots, you’ve demanded complete sycophantic allegiance, and in doing so, have drawn a stark dividing line in America, forcing the people of this nation to choose—and you’ve made it really easy for me and people like me:
We want to be on the side of equality. We want to be on the side of justice.We want to be on the side of compassion.We want to be on the side of decency.We want to be on the side of love for our neighbors.
We want to be on the side that stands between men with masks and body armor and the beautiful human beings whose human and civil rights they violently violate.
We want to be on the side that refuses to give predators and pedophiles cover from accountability for the brutality they visit upon the vulnerable.
We want to be on the side that stands opposite those consumed with blind hatred for people because of the pronouns they choose or the faith they profess or the person they love.
We want to be on the side that confronts white preachers perverting religion and dispensing damnation upon those who are working to make this nation as diverse as Heaven is.
We want to be on the side that pushes back against those who believe their bloodline or pigmentation or their place of birth makes them superior to anyone.
We want to be on the side that stands opposite racists, Nazis, and radicalized Christian zealots.
And we want to be on the side opposite you, Donald, because you’ve made it clear where you stand.
You are not worthy of representing this country, you aren’t worthy of leading our people, you aren’t worthy of wielding power over the beautiful lives you endanger with every second of your hateful, illegal, toxic tenure.
And most of all, you aren’t worthy of the obedience and reverence you’d believe you can demand of us.
As I finish this and head into another day of unwavering and unbowed opposition to you, I’d like to express my gratitude.
Thank you for aligning people of every race and religion, every age and orientation, every native tongue and place of birth; the vast majority of this nation that does not stand by you or with you, but steadfastly against you.
Thank you for showing me where I want to be in all this.
Thank you for choosing the sides for me.
If those opposing fascism, bigotry, discrimination, and dehumanization are dissenters, then I proudly embrace the title.
And I’m in good, loud, determined company.
You can’t silence, de-platform, and arrest all of us.
Our voices will be heard and our votes will be counted.
We will outlast you. We will course-correct this nation. We will gradually erase your legacy of filth that has stained this nation.
The dissenters will win.
Believe it.
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