Facing the American sprint to totalitarianism

Opinion

It is abundantly clear by now that, barring unforeseen interventions, America is racing toward a Trump dictatorship.

Aided and abetted by his congressional puppets in the House and Senate and non-elected appointees, the White House is running virtually unchecked over the constitution, the rule of law and any notion of human decency. Judy Waytiuk’s Dystopia alert: it’s here — tell it like it is (Think Tank, March 23) outlines clearly the very real threat to democracy posed by the current administration, a threat to our humanity greater than any tariff regime could ever be. What to do — maybe first prepare and vote judiciously in the upcoming federal election?

Despite his protests to the contrary prior to the election, U.S. President Donald Trump is embracing the policy recommendations of Project 2025, the brainchild of the Heritage Foundation, an increasingly ultra-right think tank funded largely by billionaires, based in Washington, D.C. Its manifesto, among other things, supports reforming government along extreme conservative lines — aligning civil servants politically, reducing abortion access, opposing gender rights and DEI initiatives, and imposing strict immigration and citizenship policies.

All this is to be achieved through giving virtual free rein, unchecked by Congress and the judiciary, to the executive branch.

With his flood of executive orders, Trump has attempted to deliver on all these issues and more by attempting to fire thousands of civil servants, to eliminate most international aid, to reduce education, health and social supports for millions of Americans, to threaten withdrawal from all negotiated trade agreements and treaties, and to promote unfettered resource exploitation.

In addition, he has bullied Ukraine, encouraged Palestinian destruction and displacement, threatened Canada, Panama and Greenland, ignored UN and NATO commitments while simultaneously usurping congressional authority regarding the Justice Department, the FBI and various other agencies. To make matters worse, instead of being constrained by the constitution and the law, he has attacked judges and the courts with threats, insults, and bald-faced lies.

The latest ruling on presidential immunity has emboldened Trump to the point of recklessness and previously unconceivable, unspeakable cruelty and vindictiveness. First, he pardoned hundreds of known felons, insurrectionists and other criminals. Who can guess where emboldening this crew will end. Second, he has threatened, too effectively, the news media, universities and even state governors — anyone who dares to dissent or fails to acquiesce to his ever-changing whims.

Third, using declarations of war and emergency, employing the Alien Enemies Act and various immigration acts, and falsely citing criminal invasions by gangs of rapists, murderers and drug dealers, the U.S. has apprehended, arrested and extradited thousands to detention camps with no regard to due process, their legal status or their family situations. Civil rights be damned.

The televised images of people bent over in shackles unable to straighten up, having their heads shaved, and being trundled off to a prison in the Salvadoran jungle, reminds me of the African slave trade and Nazi death camps. Those images, deliberately filmed and produced, may be forever etched in my mind, are obviously intended as threats and intimidation.

His latest targets are the Biden family, former vice-president Kamala Harris, the Jan. 6 committee members, transgender people and even law firms. There seems to be no limit to his hatred, brutality and will to destroy all human decency.

As justification for his actions, he claims that he is the victim of disrespect, the U.S. a casualty of trade agreements and a global lack of gratitude. And his billionaire friends are ostensibly sufferers of government overreach.

Regrettably, it’s doubtful that we have seen the full extent of his attack on human rights, civility, truth, and history, or his duplicity with other tyrants and his attacks on the most vulnerable — and doing so in the name of God and Christianity — and democracy. What hypocrisy!

In my lifetime I have never experienced anything remotely resembling what we are witnessing today when the so-called leader of the free world threatens not only all the vestiges of freedom we have enjoyed to this point, but also attempts to destroy our very humanity in the process.

I worry for our and everyone’s children and grandchildren and their chances to enjoy the rights and privileges we have enjoyed. For their sakes we must never accept that what we see going on to the south of us is in any way normal, inevitable and, God forbid, unstoppable.

It’s time for all people who care about, and for, each other — American, Canadian, and around the world — to rally around and stand up for democracy while we still can. We can start by having our candidates for public office in the next election understand our anxiety and feel our urgency.

Let’s not have them or us believe that the issues are only taxes, tariffs and the economy — the stakes are much higher — our very humanity is on the line.

John R. Wiens is dean emeritus at the faculty of education, University of Manitoba.