Something shocking happened to me the other day, I realized that I am now afraid of the government of my own country - the United States of America. Everything that I have ever believed and treasured about being an American is now under attack, and we are headed for dark days.

My father enlisted in the Navy when he was 19-years old, right after high school. It was World War II, and he did it because he saw it as his duty, and he owed it to his beloved country to go to war for her. He had never left his home, but he volunteered to go along with so many other proud men and women who gave themselves fully to fighting for our country and our way of life.

And they fought, at great cost, to save us from a madman, whose megalomania knew no boundaries, and whose murderous cruelty reached to unspeakable depths. They gave their lives to stop him, not just for our country, but for people of the whole world, so that they could live freely, safe from his terrorism.

I am afraid, because I see the same cruel and murderous acts being committed right here and right now by an administration which will use any means to obtain money and power. They stoop to any depths to impose their will on innocent people and exact their revenge on anyone who happens to disagree with them. I have heard more than one person say, “It’s getting so I’m afraid to express my opinions out loud.”

And this is happening right now, in the USA. People are becoming afraid.

We recently heard about an 82-yr-old man, who had lived here legally for many years, had committed no crime, and who was in the act of renewing his green card. He was seized by ICE with no explanation, no trial, and no opportunity to defend himself.  He was shipped off to Michigan for detainment, and by the time his terrified family finally got word of him, he had been deported and lay in a hospital bed in Guatemala. Why did ICE do this? Because under our new way of governing, they can, and they will, take anyone they want, without explanation or repercussion.

Black-masked ICE officers serve as the President’s Gestapo. Rotten prisons, like Alligator Alcatraz, are his concentration camps.  The people he targets for removal are immigrants, but can Jews be far behind? He is an equal opportunity bigot, and his terrorism and punishment of innocent people go unchecked.

These are the hallmarks of an authoritarian government. It is our government now. This is the work of a disgusting, deranged, despot, who is overturning our most cherished beliefs and standards. He demands loyalty, not to the Constitution, but to himself. He has said publicly that he is not sure he swore an oath to the Constitution.  And when a lie is more powerful than truth, lies become the oil that lubricates our rapid slide into authoritarian rule.

They have only begun. The horrible actions that we are witnessing right now are just the preliminaries, designed to test the boundaries, and see how far they can push them or break them. They have already convinced half of the country that a free and fair election was “stolen”. In the next election, if there is one, they will declare that they have won, regardless of the outcome, and there will be no more free and fair elections.

We the people of the United States of America must wake up. This is not just about the cost of groceries. Things are not status quo. The President and his gang of thugs, are not on our side.

My father lived a good life, but died from a disease related to substances he was exposed to while serving during the war. Ultimately, he gave his life for his country, so that Hitler could be stopped. My father could not have imagined that a home-grown Hitler was waiting to take his place. His crimes and ambitions are no less monstrous, and he is incapable of caring about the suffering he causes to ordinary people who have done no wrong. He is the greatest threat our nation has ever known. He is the President.

I am told that our representatives in Congress are afraid of losing their offices if they stand up to Trump. They are cowards. People like my father willingly marched off to places they had never heard of, at a very real risk of their lives. Many lost their lives. For fear of losing an election, members of Congress and state legislators will not stand up against an existential threat to our democracy, and willingly hand it over to the likes of Donald J. Trump? How unbelievably and bitterly sad.