by dave bohrer
My sons served in the U.S. armed forces in Afghanistan and Iraq.
My father-in-law was a career Army NCO, serving from World War II through Vietnam.
My brother volunteered to serve in the Air Force at the height of the Vietnam War.
My mother’s four brothers served during World War II, including expeditions from Belgium to Iwo Jima to the Philippines.
My great-great-grandfather was killed at Gettysburg while trying to preserve the Union.
My fourth-great-grandfather was a patriot for the duration of the Revolutionary War, including service at Valley Forge and through the decisive battle at Yorktown.
I’ve flown the stars and stripes and stood at attention for parades and memorials.
So it pains me to be ashamed of the United States because of the actions by the president and his designated advisers.
We threaten our neighbors with high tariffs, which will be paid by American consumers, and insult the sovereignty of Canada and Mexico.
We abandon defenders of freedom in Ukraine while cozying up to a dictator in Russia.
We shortsightedly shut off USAID, which administers help to the sick and needy, who now are more likely in the future to oppose America rather than look to it for hope.
We, the sons and daughters of immigrants, turn away new immigrants who tend to our fields, build our houses and toil at service work most Americans would never accept for themselves or their children.
We fire thousands of civil service employees who assure fairness in our budgeting, in the workplace and in our schools; who protect our health; who preserve our public lands; who work to assure our children and grandchildren will have a sustainable and safe environment.
I plead with our elected representatives and the judiciary to accept their responsibility to preserve the Constitution, stop this insanity and keep the executive branch in check rather than coddling an authoritarian who appeals to our worst instincts and rules through lies and fear.
We may feel helpless, but there are actions we can take.
I encourage our citizens, especially those with voter’s remorse, to write, to protest and be active in restoring America’s leadership as a caring, beacon of democracy that stands for decency.
We haven’t always lived up to our ideals, but we have tried.
I pray for our children and grandchildren that we’re not too late in saving our country.