TO THE AMERICAN PUBLIC
What we are witnessing right now in the United States should make every American — especially white Americans, who hold the most political and social privilege in this country — sick to their core. The arrest and abduction of students by masked men, detained in undisclosed locations for exercising their First Amendment rights, is a grotesque violation of the very foundation of American democracy. Whatever fragile remnants of democracy remain in this country are slipping away rapidly, unraveling before our eyes into full-blown authoritarianism.
Secretary of State, Marco Rubio’s recent comments, calling these students “lunatics,” are not only disgraceful — they are dangerous and dehumanizing. For Rubio, a man whose family fled from Cuba, to turn around and insult students for standing up against genocide is the height of moral corruption. These students are not lunatics. They are highly educated, brave, and morally grounded individuals who are courageously speaking out against the ongoing genocide of Palestinians — a genocide that the United States government funds and enables. To smear them as extremists for demanding justice is pathetic and beneath the dignity of any elected official.
The real lunatics are those in power who are systematically dismantling America’s democratic institutions and shredding the constitutional rights that are supposed to protect all people — citizens, green card holders, and international students alike — especially on college campuses.
It is appalling that Democrats, who constantly preach about democracy and human rights, have remained spineless and complicit. If they lacked the courage to stop the genocide in Gaza, why would we expect them to defend basic constitutional rights here at home? This is the tragic state of American politics: cowardice from the so-called defenders of democracy, and open authoritarianism from those who seek to crush dissent.
The world is watching — and the world is laughing. The United States, once a beacon for scholars, activists, and thinkers, is becoming a pariah state. Fewer and fewer scholars will come here. America is fast losing its credibility and moral standing. And while this nation descends into chaos, too many Americans are sitting on the sidelines — distracted by March Madness and reality TV — while their constitutional rights are being systematically dismantled.
This is the moment to step up. Speak up. Speak out. Organize peacefully. Support the organizations and groups leading protests and rallies. Demand accountability from your elected officials — both Democrats and Republicans. This is not about politics. This is about moral survival. The time to act is now — before the last threads of American democracy are torn away for good.
(cartoon by @guy_richards_smit.
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