I Am Ashamed

I am ashamed of the American government.

• I am ashamed that the president and his obsession over a border wall has resulted in more than 800,000 federal workers and untold contractors who support many vital services being furloughed and receiving no pay. In reality, he doesn't care about a border wall. He cares only about winning, regardless of how many people he causes to suffer.
• I am ashamed that the president, whose countless trips to his myriad golf resorts has cost US taxpayers tens of millions of dollars, is suddenly so concerned about the federal debt (that has skyrocketed since he took office) that he has canceled the scheduled pay increases of federal employees three days before they were to take effect.
• I am ashamed that this country under the current president has engaged in a trade war with China that threatens the jobs of thousands of auto workers and farmers. 
• I am ashamed that this so-called leader of the free world has consistently attacked leaders of our country's staunchest allies such as Great Britain, Germany, France, Canada and Australia.
• I am ashamed that the president has cozied up to dictators such as Putin and Kim Il Jung.
• I am ashamed that the president continues to attack in a very personal way anyone who dares to disagree with him or his policies. I thought people outgrew name-calling as young children.
• I am ashamed of his ongoing temper tantrums, his always scowling face and his defiantly crossed arms. I've seen preschoolers who act better than this petulant man-child.
• I am ashamed by his constant attacks on our military and its leaders
• I am ashamed by his ongoing attacks on American intelligence agencies
• I am ashamed by his frequent attempts to use American government institutions to either suit his own purposes or to try to skirt the law.
• I am ashamed by his constant attacks on the free press and his cries of 'fake news' whenever a media outlet releases a story that criticizes him.
• I am ashamed that the Republicans, who have had control of both houses of Congress for the past 2 years, have refused time and time again to stand up to the occupant of the White House and to do what is right for America, not what is right for the Republican party and the billionaires that it serves.
• I am ashamed that the current administration thinks it's fine to take children from their parents and keep them locked in cages for months on end.
• I am ashamed by the Republican efforts to remove legislation and policies that have protected our air, water and land from pollution and destruction, and that have protected endangered species. 
• And I am ashamed of those who condone and support the current government's actions outlined above.

Don't tell me that I and others who are embarrassed or ashamed should pack up and leave the United States. That won't happen. We have as much right to live in this country as do the racists and fascists who support this administration. (No, I'm not saying that everyone who supports this administration is a racist or fascist, but some are).

As American citizens, we, at least for the moment, have the right and the freedom to express our opinions. It is, in fact, our duty to stand up for what we believe. Just as Rosa Parks, Susan B. Anthony and Martin Luther King, Jr., stood up for their beliefs when they saw injustices, it is our duty to call out America's political elite for their hateful, self-serving actions.

There was a time when people looked to America as a land of opportunity, as the leader of the free world, as an advocate for human rights. Sadly, that time has passed. We are now the laughing stock of the world.