He’s been elected, and he was ready.
Project 2025 seemed like it was propaganda to upset the “libs” like me. Everything in it was anathema to my philosophy, to my moral compass. I’m not religious, but I believe in helping the less fortunate; understanding where others come from, both physically and emotionally. As a teacher, I’ve been stabbed in the heart by some of my students’ stories. But Trump never had that experience.
“Day 1” was a promise during the election. So many promises were going to be instituted on Day 1. That was something I dismissed. No one could do everything a politician promised to do in one day. But I was wrong.
After his inauguration, he sat down at a large table on a stage in the midst of thousands of MAGA supporters, and he signed one executive order after the other, each in a lovely formal leather binder. In that hour, he attempted to put into law all his mean-spirited campaign promises.
There was such a flurry of them that it was nearly impossible to list them, much less examine each one for constitutionality, and to weigh its meaning and ponder its consequences.
I was taught that our Constitution, the basis of our form of government, balanced three branches as co-equal, in order make sure we never had a king again. But with enough research, there are ways to circumvent the concept. The judicial branch is already heavily slanted in a particular direction. Legislators have been pummeled into submission. And now the executive branch thinks it is royal.
What can I, a senior citizen, taking care of my elderly husband, do? A little more than I was.
Call my Republican congressman every day with a different issue to complain about or support. Add your voice to all the other voices who are surely calling! One day it was Medicare; the next school lunches, then tax the billionaires…
Pick one issue to go further on. For me it seems to be immigration. Most people come because their situation was intolerable for them. And like so many others, freedom and opportunity were a lure they followed.
I taught immigrants in California, Florida and New Jersey. They came to work hard and provide for their families’ futures. And they did. In California, they worked the fields. In Florida, a former college professor was a bellman in a hotel. In New Jersey, the children of the busboys and the janitors were left in a school that was losing funding.
The red card initiative is something to support. I bought red card stock, and printed up 500 copies. I had some when I heard some of the administrative staff speaking in Spanish. Out came some cards. “Maybe you know someone who could use these?” I said, and handed over some cards.
What is a red card? It is about 2 x 3 1/2 inches, with Spanish on one side and English on the other. The Spanish side tells the Spanish-speaker that they have the right to
1. Not open the door.
2. Not answer questions.
3. Not sign anything.
4. If you are not in your house, ask the agent if you are free to go, and if he says
yes, go calmly.
5. From inside your house, show the card through the window or pass it under
the door.
The English side quotes constitutional rights based on the Fifth Amendment and the Fourth Amendment, and requests a warrant. Check the National Immigration Law Center: https://www.nilc.org/resources/everyone-has-certain-basic-rights.
I want to help. I cannot remain silent.
