Americanism

by Toddy Perryman, Hamilton

President Trump declared that violence from the left is “designed to silence opposing speech,” then issued a directive to do just that.

Trump’s DOJ removed a National Institute of Justice study on domestic terrorism from its website. The removed study showed that right wing extremists are responsible for far more politically motivated violence than far-left extremists. Having removed accurate crime statistics from public view, Trump then issued a national security directive based on false ones.

National security directive NSPM-7 stipulates that anyone who insults Trump, calls him or his enablers ‘fascist,’ or opposes Christian Nationalism is anti-American. Anyone deemed ‘anti-American’ is a proper target of persecution.

I have been American all my life, but feel somehow less safe. How can it be safe or ok to allow only one viewpoint? It leaves us all in dangerous territory because less than sane ideas may get amplified and applied because nobody feels they can object to the insanity.  

Is it 1984 yet? This administration (through the agency of the DOGE workers) has gathered data such as social security numbers and health insurance profiles and tax returns together amid a surveillance state to make sure we are all speaking adoringly of our Dear Leader.

If you think you are not going to be in trouble if you are comfortably conservative, please note the number of times that Republican politicians who dared speak out against Trump were thrown under the bus. When this administration has cleared out opposition from anyone to the left of Sen. Joe McCarthy (of the House UnAmerican Activities Committee of the 1950s), they will come after anyone not sufficiently sycophantic to the leader. Get ready. 

I still feel safe to submit this letter only because I am retired and don’t have to be worried about losing my job because of my public commentary.  Many of the people who posted less than adoring commentary about the Charlie Kirk murder lost their jobs due to this. This is the real UnAmerican activity.  

The administration has not yet removed the First Amendment from the Constitution on their websites. They may just not be willing to acknowledge that we should be free to speak our minds even if we disagree with the president. This is still the United States of America but it is getting harder to recognize.

If you are also concerned about the direction of this government, please try to get to the NO KINGS march on Oct. 18 at 10.30 at the corner of Main and Hwy 93. in Hamilton.