Our Country Tis of Thee

To the editor,

Yesterday I was horrified as I watched Trump AND Vance attack Zelensky. As bad as it is, if you haven't seen it, you need to. You need to know what we are living under at this time. I am certain that if the Courts do not uphold the Constitution in the next few weeks, the United States of America will no longer exist as a democracy. We are barely one right now.

About 70 people stood on the corners last night, holding flags and protest signs for the 2nd week in a row. There was an overwhelming amount of support from the cars passing by. Some people pulled over, got out and joined us.

At one point two men walked through the protesters and thanked us for being there. Talking to them, off to the side, they quietly said that one was a Federal worker who is scared to death that he will go to work one of these mornings and find he has lost his job, which is sustaining his family.

It broke my heart.

This is happening everywhere in our country as people are bullied and yanked from jobs with no cause. You think your job is safe? You think your Medicaid and Medicare are safe? Who is going to be there to write that check for you? Right now, the Republican party is destroying these agencies from within. Yes, I said the Republican Party because they are the only ones who can vote against what is happening and they have chosen not to.

It feels very close to being over. If the Courts don't hold up, you will no longer see people on the streets or hear even a whisper of opposition because people will be jailed for saying anything against our fascist government. I feel it coming closer.

So, while you have the chance... the choice... call Congress, write a letter to the editor, join us on the street corner to yell into the wind. While you have the chance....while you have the choice.

-Widge Johnson, The Dalles