YES. OUR RIGHTS ARE SLIPPING AWAY.
Yes, I Feel Helpless Too
How many of us, at the beginning of this second tRump administration, went about our daily lives, calm, distracted by errands, cautiously hoping for the best?
I’ll admit it: his win shocked me. Based on everything I remembered from his first administration, I had convinced myself Harris was a shoo-in. Instead, when the results came in, I felt that same numbness from 2016 creeping back, this time accompanied by dread. My husband had been warning me for months that if tRump won, democracy itself might be doomed. And there it was: he won. Worse still, his presidency began with a Republican House and Senate. A devastating combination.
I entered this cycle shocked and wary. Within months, wariness gave way to outrage. His cabinet picks proved the fears justified, because none were qualified for their posts. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has already shown himself to be reckless and unfit, a danger not just to himself but to the country. Kristi Noem, appointed Secretary of Homeland Security, seems more invested in vanity and theatrics than in the hard work of protecting Americans. She, too, is unfit to serve.
Pete Hegseth, now Secretary of Defense, comes with a history marred by alcoholism and allegations of abuse. Once a television personality, he brings no coherent worldview of his own; instead, he parrots the imbecilic musings of his president.
I won’t drone on about this cabinet; my readers deserve better for their time.
As the weeks dragged on, my emotions shifted again. I became not only repelled by the sight of tRump, but unable to bear the sound of his voice. When he speaks, I mute the television, waiting for analysts to summarize the lowlights.
Now, I find myself horrified by the condition of my country. The endless lies. The intent to dumb down the educational system of every state. The purging of professionals from every administrative, justice, military, and civil service department. The economy-crushing tariffs. America’s complete loss of respect abroad. And now, the militarization of ICE and the National Guard. I see them deployed on the streets of America, especially in blue cities, standing in intimidating rows, as though the citizens they swore to protect, you and I, are the enemy.
The Supreme Court just decided that anyone in the U.S. can be stopped and questioned about their citizenship based on the color of their skin or the language they speak.
The tRump administration is considering labelling the American trans community medically insane. Why? Because then they can be banned from purchasing guns.
I feel helpless. Sometimes I catch myself thinking, “What if…” but I can’t even finish the thought. The dread is too vague, so enormous.
For the first time in my life, I am genuinely afraid, afraid for my own safety, and for that of my family, my friends, my neighbors.
Most of our Supreme Court justices, it seems to me, have lost their minds, determined not only to shred the Constitution but to set it on fire. Nearly every ruling strips away another right once guaranteed to our citizens.
I write letters. I stand on street corners. I don’t know what more I can do. I feel helpless. And I know many of my readers feel that same helplessness, too.
I think we’re united in our fear. My hope now is that Democrats can take back the House in 2026. At the very least, we may be able to stop the boulder threatening to crush us. I don’t know if we’ll be able to start patching the Constitution back together at that point, but at least we can try. Right?
