Letter to the Editor: Speak Out Now While You Can!

Dear Fellow Americans:

We’ve had a rough ride on the new Trump roller coaster this January (with no sign of help for the people who voted for this change). The roughest part, however, has been the ban on entry into the U.S. for people from seven Muslim countries, but not from the five that have actually sent us successful terrorists! It seems significant that those five are the ones with whom Trump’s companies does business.

We know now that the ban was issued (without warning to workers who would have to carry it out) to distract attention from congressional approval of some of the least well-qualified candidates for high government office in our history—as if executive orders and legislative approvals were simply part of a gigantic reality show to entertain us.

Supporters have excused the ban as “just Trump being Trump.” Exactly. The past week has shown us precisely what he will do to have his way, including his signature phrase, “You’re fired” when an employee (the Attorney General in this case) refuses to obey a flawed order – one that had not been vetted by the Department of Justice, in a time-honored process, for its legality.

This is the way it will go, then, for the next four years (and beyond?) if our legislators let it happen as the show is scripted. Anyone who objects to Trump’s wishes will be fired. Peaceful protesters (as the ones who demonstrated at the Inauguration) will be arrested, and journalists who are present to inform us will be charged with felonies that carry lengthy jail terms.

It will not stop there, if European and South American history repeats itself, as now seems all too likely. Soon the legislators who object to executive rrders or policies or laws will find themselves in jeopardy – not from voters but from the “government.”

We have a narrow window of opportunity to act, as a nation of Americans who believe in freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion and freedom to protest when our government does something that is unconstitutional. Our Representatives and Senators still have the power to exercise control over the President on behalf of the people. This may not be true for long.

Those of you who voted for Trump and for the Republicans that control both houses of Congress have a limited window of opportunity to avert the likely ending of this new reality show. It will not be entertaining to anyone except its executives.

Write, call, email, tweet – communicate with your legislators however you can! We know that it takes generations to work out the problems foreshadowed in Trump’s first week in office. History will discover the truth.

Estella Lauter

Fish Creek, Wis.