What I Believe
The driving force behind my political philosophy is a simple belief: people should be allowed to do whatever they want as long as they aren’t hurting anyone. Conventionally speaking, I am a registered Democrat who identifies as a Progressive and my expectation for government is that it should do whatever it can to improve the present and support the future. In essence, I believe that America (and every country on the planet) should be a place where every resident’s needs are met and everybody has a fair shot at pursuing happiness.
To put it as charitably as I possibly can, I do not believe that Donald Trump shares any of these values.
The Politics of Trump
At every opportunity, Mr. Trump has shown that he is interested primarily in his own self-aggrandizement and nothing else. His presidential platform is a mishmash of impractical arch-conservative fantasy, civil rights violations, and reckless demagoguery. It seems reasonable to believe that Trump will not do much direct governance himself, being a Washington outsider with literally no experience running a country, so we must look to his cabinet to see what might await us very soon. So far we have an assortment of people who are similarly unqualified including an outspoken white supremacist, a couple of anti-muslim bigots and some vulture capitalist wall street executives. Not comforting.
No doubt you will be tempted to believe that I and other progressives are over-reacting, much like the conservative over-reaction to President Obama’s election in 2008. However, there’s a big difference between assuming that a president who has promised universal health care is ACTUALLY preparing to march us all into concentration camps, and assuming that a president who has promised to bring back torture, attempt a civil-rights-violating mass deportation, and has openly promoted silencing his critics through lawsuits or criminal charges will do exactly what he says he will do. This is not a case of “my team lost so I am sad,” this is a case of “my team lost and the winning team might literally try to kill us.”
Where I Stand
I am an author of speculative fiction. I do not have a particularly large platform or following; I am not especially powerful or wealthy. By myself, there is very little I can practically do to stop the impending darkness that the coming administration seems determined to pursue.
But I do not stand alone.
I am a citizen of the United States and will follow its laws as far as my conscience allows, but one thing I cannot do in a time like this is remain silent because there is no faster road to tyranny than compliance. It is time to stand up and say no. For my part, I plan to do everything I can to peacefully support the constitutional rights of every American no matter their creed, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. And I seriously suggest that all of you prepare to do the same.