What Can One Person Do?

If you’re waiting to see what happens to a democracy when Congress gives up its power to an autocrat, a man who wants all power in his own hands, now is the time to snap to attention.

Just in recent weeks, the president has ordered the seizure of securely held ballots in Georgia, used legal open carry as a reason to kill a man, arrested a journalist who was interviewing protesters, and threatened war against Iran.

Oh, and he’s suing the IRS for $10 billion because one rogue agent leaked information about him. One wonders what he had to hide? And why should taxpayers be on the hook for the leaker’s misdeeds?

This is the same guy who lied about the Biden economy to get elected, and who promised to fix what wasn’t broken. Well, it’s really broken now.

It’s a scary time to be a citizen, but it’s even scarier if you’re an asylum seeker going through the naturalization process.

Have we lost track of the number of people who have been picked up at their scheduled judicial appointments? How many citizens have been caught up in the ICE dragnet? How many Native Americans have been picked up? Have any of the those picked up by the president’s Gestapo been granted their constitutionally mandated due process?

In the face of all this, what can one person do?

We can’t look the other way. We must refuse to be silenced and to let fear deter us. We must bear witness, keep watch, and ask questions.

Why is the president intent on starting a war somewhere? Is it so he has a reason to cancel elections? Maybe it’s just to deflect attention from his latest unlawful deed. And there are those darned Epstein Files that took a brief backseat in this week’s news cycle. Again, what does he have to hide?

We understood when he pardoned the Jan. 6 rioters that he was building his own personal revenge army. His ICE agents have been told that they have immunity. He has filled his Justice Department with people who obey his orders and ignore the Constitution.

We must be a bigger army. We have to stand up, speak up, and say, “Enough!” We can use our voices, our feet, our cameras, and our empathy. We need to stay informed, which is going to be harder as journalists are arrested for doing their jobs.

One person alone is weak, but if there are enough of us, we become strong. We don’t have time to waste. Now is the time to accept our assignment, to stare fascism in the face and say, “We can’t let this happen here. What can I do?”