An Assault on Social Justice, Dignity and Truth

I have decided to post a message I sent to my family at about 2 AM this morning. Dear Family, I woke up a bit after midnight still trying to stomach and fathom President Trump‘s inaugural address. I dictated this quickly at 1:10 and I had ChatGPT clean it up. Let me just say this. As I ponder the uncertain future and what I can have confidence in and take great heart in it comes back to you and your children. I’m not sure what they’ll do, but I do know this. They are good people. They believe in social justice, dignity, and the pursuit of truth. And no matter what happens, no matter how long mom and I live, I know they like their parents will do their level best to do what they believe is right and make a positive contribution to the people whose lives they touch. I’m not sure you can imagine how good that makes me feel. Love, dad An assault on social justice, decency, and truth. Moments after President Trump finished his dystopian inaugural address, I wrote to my son: “So sad, so depressing, so dangerous.” Where are the leaders to respond? At the age of 86, statistics suggest I will not live to see another president inaugurated to office. It would be easy for me to dissect all the cruel and dangerous parts of Trump’s address. Perhaps none are more significant than the license he has given to land-seizing, land-coveting autocrats to take territory based on their perceived natural right, rather than adhering to the rule of law. Equally alarming are his steps to eradicate reasonable actions aimed at achieving social equity and dignity for all people. As his first repeated assault on truth. There are already numerous commentators analyzing and exposing the horrific and divisive elements of his speech. My question remains: where are the leaders to respond to this? Who will step up, reach the American public, and present a unifying vision for our future—one that supports the rule of law and human dignity? Where is the person who will acknowledge the mistakes we’ve made in failing to recognize the fears people face—fear of too many immigrants, fear of an overheating economy that leads to inflation, and concerns about value-based programs aimed at equity that have gone too far in implementation? Former and current Democratic leaders sat in the Rotunda yesterday, no doubt filled with a combination of disgust and dismay. President Biden, I’m sure, was biting his lip. I cannot imagine the feelings Vice President Kamala Harris must have had. My own reaction was summed up in the message I sent to my son. I am confident that eventually, a leader will emerge—someone who will express a unifying, humane, constructive, and forward-looking agenda with a set of values that we can all rally behind. Please, God, let it happen sooner rather than later.