Confronting Evil

by Russell McNeil

"Then they came for me — and there was no one left to speak for me." ~ Martin Niemöller


While I appreciate that a few of my friends are supportive of the US President, I have reached the end of my own psychological rope on this. My own personal daily reaction to the outrages of this imbalanced man is visceral. I have tried to understand your points-of-view. But I can no longer tolerate your positions. For me this man is my daily nightmare. I wake every morning and go to the news feeds to see what new desecrations Donald Trump has committed. I am never disappointed.

I do not believe that people are inherently evil. I do believe that the actions that Donald Trump have taken are having evil consequences. I was raised in a religious environment. I was taught the differences between right and wrong. I was taught that bullying defenseless people is wrong. I was taught that words have consequences. I was taught that preying on the weak, the young, the voiceless and the powerless is wrong. These are things Donald Trump and his sycophants do daily. This is the definition of raw cowardice.

I am speechless that a few of you still support this man. I can only conclude that you - my friends - are living in a state of permanent delusion. This is the 21st century - not the 2nd when the Roman Emperor Commodus (a man with a frighteningly similar temperament to Trump) succeeded Marcus Aurelius and began a reign of terror that ended with the disintegration of Rome.

Donald Trump is a cancer on the human family (a cancer that is now metastasizing as seen clearly in Trump's immoral speech to 40,000 cheering boy scouts this week). If you are unable or unwilling to see this I can only feel sorry for you. But I will no longer tolerate your myopia. My friends also include many who are the daily targets of Donald Trump. I can no longer remain silent while my other friends - women, minorities, LGBTQ, scientists and academics (I am one of those), and journalists (I am proud to have been one too) - are assaulted daily by this Presidential demon. Enough! #TheResistence

Dear Trump Supporters

I love you. I do. I'm not joking. I get your pain. I feel it. You're trapped by corruption. That's it. No way out. Every day talking heads tell you. Every day you're told you're nothing. You don't count.

You worked fingers to the bone. You did everything you were told. But they took your job. Took your house. Split your family.

You're a loser. Everything tells you this. No-one looks in your eyes, calls you sir or ma'am. You've been trashed. Except in the bar. Running up a tab on the credit card you can't pay. Every month you need more booze, more drugs to numb the pain. You have no choice. By next year you'll either be dead or deeper in debt.

At school they told you, study, work hard, and you'll be rich. On the way up, take the punches, you'll win in the end. Keep fighting. Men will fear you, and babes will line up to get into your bed.

They lied. They all lied. They made a fool of you. You can't win. They can't lose. You're blood boils and somebody's gotta pay.

Who is gonna pay? Not the ones who set this up, right? You don't even know their names. I don't know their names.

This much I know.  There's more inside you that no-one sees, no-one knows. But I gotta say this.   I don't love your hate.

Hate won't get you to the top. Won't put it right.  We have to work together to put it right. We have no choice. We have to go back to when things were alright. You had a job, a home, a community.  You had respect.

You have to build a community. Minute by minute, word by word. You have no choice.

 I'm talking about basic civil society, services that allow you to live without fear. Education, health and living wages. Hope for your kids future. Justice. I'm talking about walking down the street with confidence.

Respect can't be bought. Belonging can't be bought. Security can't be bought. You have to give respect. You have it to give and you deserve it to get it back. That's why I love you. Respect. My life, your life depends on it.

The only thing hate will bring is death. Tormented souls with nothing left but clenched fists and high blood pressure.

We have to keep trying to build together. They are not in control. You are not in control. We are not in control. It's tense. It's tiring. Sometimes it seems hopeless. But we have to keep listening. Keep talking.

It's not what they should do or what  I should do? It's what CAN I do?

All we got is the rest of our lives. We have no choice.