Kudos to all the concerned citizens who turned out Friday June 13 to show their support for the growing "No Kings" movement in America. It was an important event that articulated the increasing opposition to the usurpation of our constitutional system of government by the clearly undemocratic forces currently in power. While the rally was indeed heartening, we need more, much more, participation by those who see the damage being done to the fabric of our society and the world by the lawlessness of the Trump administration.
The acceleration of their transgressions is indeed dizzying (which is tactical), making our response in real time all the more critical.
Now is not the time to warm the bench, to expect those on the court to win this for the rest of us. Now is the time for each of us to clock into the contest and make our presence felt.
That is true if you are a liberal, a moderate or (most certainly) a conservative, whose ideas have been kidnapped by the Trump movement and used as cover for their blatant attacks on the Constitution. Genuine conservatism is not about the destruction of traditional norms or the abandonment of our cherished institutions for the sake of authoritarianism. The very fact that we have wide and disparate views on civic conduct and governance is a direct result of the fact that we do not live in an authoritarian state — we live in a democracy, and that democracy is now in great peril.
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Please join us at the next Indivisible Cayuga rally on July 17, in Auburn. Indivisible Cayuga is a non-partisan, community focused organization defending democracy for all of us. In the interim, speak with your neighbors, colleagues, and friends about the seriousness of our situation and the dire consequences of inaction.
The essence of democracy is to recognize our commonality and collectively act upon it — for the common good. The goal of authoritarianism is obedience. We have to ask ourselves, which do we prefer? I think I know the answer to that and I think you do too.
Larry Dean lives in Auburn.
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