By Christopher Young,
Contributing Writer,
America is strapping in on a carnival ride – less like a Rollercoaster, more like a Tilt-A-Whirl ride that won’t come to a stop anytime soon. As Trump exerts his crushing will over this nation and far beyond, everyday citizens can’t help but be stunned.
In just three weeks since the inauguration as our 47th President he has turned so many things upside down, smashing so many values and norms that have helped distinguish America from many other countries, and rolling back the hard-fought progress we have made on decency, civil rights and social justice.
For all our warts, and God knows we have many, America is sought out by people in other nations across the globe. People immigrate to the United States because our democracy offers a better life for them. The belief is so strong that many risk their lives to get here. The foundational document declaring our independence from the King of England asserts “all men are created equal…certain unalienable rights…life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” We can see why we are so attractive to so many across the globe. Now, with the return to the Oval Office of the twice impeached, convicted felon (34 counts of fraud), and want-to-be-king, America as we have known it is under grave threat from within.
He has laid down the marker to ensure an end to racial fairness and equality by terminating diversity, equity and inclusion programs. He is using the richest man in the world – Elon Musk – as his proxy to take control of our government agencies. He is sidestepping the legislative branch to neuter any institution that can hold him accountable. He is appointing people to lead our most sensitive agencies who are grossly unqualified but are fiercely loyal to him. He is dictating terms and conditions to other countries as if they have no sovereignty whatsoever. He has gutted the congressionally chartered John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts bipartisan board of directors, and in his post on X (formerly Twitter) added, “We will soon announce a new board with an amazing chairman, DONALD J. TRUMP.”
Pathetic. Kings and queens have no restraint on power. They punish or eliminate anyone who objects to their unfettered power. They batter norms and values that don’t serve their best interests. They remove anything that can impinge on their supremacy.
Sound familiar? We’ve all seen him or photos of him at various events, you know the ones where he tilts his head back slightly, chin up a bit, sometimes eyes closed for a moment or two. Those are the times in public when he is basking in his perceived adoration by the people – his belief that people are in awe of his greatness.
Dear God, please help us.
Not surprisingly, ‘We the People’ are speaking out. A movement has been born – 50501 – with the goal of 50 protests in 50 states on 1 day. The protests are against the self-proclaimed king, against Project 2025 – which is now unfolding despite his claims on the campaign trail of knowing nothing about it, and against his blizzard of executive orders. Boston, Philly, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Austin, Charlotte are among initial protest locations, per Newsweek.
Change is gonna come! It reminds me of Red’s (played by our very own Morgan Freeman) quote in The Shawshank Redemption movie: “Geology is the study of pressure and time. That’s all it takes really…pressure and time.” Our Declaration of Independence reminds us too, that our government will protect our rights – “That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government…”
Sooner or later, a critical mass will realize this is not really what many Trump supporters wanted – consent of the governed will be removed – and this Monster’s Ball will come to a stop.
Not much has changed of course in Mississippi, except that Trump’s vengeance and retribution tirade provides cover for our majority Confederate-minded legislators and governor. In the poorest state in the nation Republican legislators are trying to whisk through bills to eliminate the state income tax (which generates 32% of overall revenues), push for the taxpayers to pay the tab for white folks that don’t want their kids to have to sit next to minorities in public schools, and ban D.E.I. statewide, like they did with Critical Race Theory.
In his State of the State address on January 29, 2025, the governor touted his own perceived greatness in securing billions in economic development. He claimed that “the real goal is families…we want Mississippi to be the best place in America to raise a family…since 2020 we have created an economy that works better for every Mississippian.” He pushed for the elimination of the state income tax, but failed to mention the state would be bankrupt were it not for the $7 billion received from Washington each year. “We must continue our focus on expanding our workforce, not on expanding welfare. We need more people working and less people dependent on government programs…with all the good things happening in Mississippi in workforce development, in economic development, in job creation – now is not the time to expand welfare in our state. It’s actually the worst possible time to do it. Why would we change course and sprint left when so many good things are happening here as a result of our conservative policies.”
So many good things, eh Mistah Govnah? Mississippi has the highest population of African Americans in the nation, and they die at a rate 3.5 times higher than white women around the time of pregnancy. As you vehemently oppose expanding Medicaid (calling it Obamacare as a racist dog whistle) and do nothing to improve healthcare access in rural areas, Mississippians die – yet you claim to be serving ALL Mississippians?
Per the Kaiser Family Foundation, 12.6% of our population ages birth through 64 are uninsured, higher than the national average – but we know that you have never lived a day of your life without health insurance. The only surprise, considering your gross lack of equitable leadership, is that Trump hasn’t scarfed you up for a cabinet position.
Be the first to comment