Florida man pens manifesto addressed to fellow Americans ahead of impeachment attempt

People want to live with a sense of purpose. Some how, Trump has managed to twist the words and actions of Democrats to infuse a sense of fear in his supporters, so strongly to foster a purpose to decry Democrats by association. To label us as the enemy, and that we are out to destroy the things “they” care about so deeply.

Areas Trump propaganda has focused on:

• Safety: We’re out to take your guns, we are anti-police, immigrants are coming
• Power / Freedom: We want to control your lives (masks, quarantines), we want to destroy capitalism, we want to unjustly raise taxes, we want to block freedom of speech
• Identity: Immigrants are taking over our culture and our jobs, Black Lives Matter is racist, affirmative action makes it harder for White people to succeed, kneeling to the flag is un-American
• Religion: Abortion is too accessible, LGBT rights are interfering with religious freedom

Let me say this, I do not blame Trump supporters. An evil person with the effective use of media can be extremely persuasive. This started before Trump. It was driven by the rise of Fox News to use fear to maintain viewers tuned in, leading to Trump’s election in 2016.

But it’s not too late to reset. We need to ask, really, what are the issues of utmost importance as Americans?

• Unity: Being respectful citizens that listen to one another
• Opportunity: Ensuring that each generation has the proper foundation to prosper, in all parts of our country (housing, food, education, health, jobs)
• Empathy: Caring for those who have been dealt misfortune. Including those who have fled hardship in their native land to seek a better life in our country.
• Health: That we advance the well-being of Americans
• Our land: Protecting and preserving our environment and natural resources for future generations
• Safety: That we maintain a lawful society, and that we are indeed protected from domestic and international terrorism
• Prosperity: That we as a society find the right balance of business ownership that drives innovation while ensuring that workers get a fair share in compensation for the work that they provide

It is amazing the power of semantics, and playing into the deep-seated fears many have about socialism. That people wish to see a better distribution of capital amongst its citizens could be construed as evil? If we can stop the partisan divide, perhaps we can find middle ground so that the wealth gap between workers and those that currently control capital can be narrowed. The trajectory we are are currently on is not sustainable.

In my eyes, the BLM movement is recognition that the scars of slavery and racism over centuries are strongly present and that we have not done enough work to address the educational, employment, and law enforcement gaps for the Black community. Let us remember that it was the ancestors of many African-Americans who provided the labor that made our nation so “wealthy”.

As a country that was founded by white male land owners, the labor movement has had to make progress over the years to advance the rights of everyone else. Please consider reading this timeline of the labor movement from the AFL-CIO for more context.

Concentrated / accumulated power over generations can become more and more dangerous.

The role of a democracy should be to make informed decisions that can benefit the greater good, not just those in power for the illusion of protecting “freedom”.

Again, I do not blame the voter. I blame the demagogue and his enablers.

We can change course.

Have I connected with any Trump supporters who are reading this? Or am I just writing in vain? I fear that your identity has become so embodied / fused with that of supporting Trump’s ideology, that nothing we can say or do could change your mind.

Is there anything that might make a difference? Please comment…