Trump has declared himself king. The rule of law, the Constitution, the separation of powers, and the checks and balances that allow our democracy to function are systematically being dismantled by the Trump administration. We are in a constitutional crisis!

If you think that Trump will stop until he has complete control over all levers of governmental power, then you are sadly blind. In the blink of an eye, all our cherished freedoms will fall. Like dominoes. 

He has already broken the barrier of “separation of church and state.” “Free and fair elections” will be eliminated as he gains control of the U.S. Post Office. By declaring martial law, he will abolish “freedom of assembly,” the “right to protest “and “freedom of speech.” Finally, he will deconstruct the “freedom of the press,” the press which he calls the “enemy of the people.” The groundwork for all this is being built daily.

Snitching on your neighbor, ignoring the rule of law and abolishing civil rights for certain “undesirables” is a movie we have seen. The generations that came together to fight back fascism, communism and tyranny around the world are turning over in their graves. We dishonor their sacrifices with each passing day.

On July 21, 1944, my uncle’s (and namesake’s) dead body, along with 1,700 other heroes, lay scattered across the sandy beaches of Guam in WWII. Could they ever have imagined the rise of fascism and tyranny in this country? Were they “suckers and losers,” as Trump contends?

This cruel, short-sighted America First orthodoxy will kill Americans, abandon the poor and powerless of the world to death and famine, decimate our alliances to leave us less safe and cripple our supply chains, causing economic pain for the average citizen. As we abandon Ukraine and Europe, we join Russia, China and North Korea as a new axis of evil.

When we take a chainsaw to truth, science, history, medical advances, a livable planet, democracy, human rights and common decency, we abandon the glue that binds us. Hate, revenge and cruelty are becoming our motivating cultural norms. Losing compassion and mercy, we descend into chaos and despair.

America represents an idea filled with aspirational ideals. No single group holds a monopoly on the promise of America. Can the ideal of “liberty and justice for all” be preserved, instead of just for the privileged few? Are we a representative republic with a constitutional order or just another dictatorship?

Like a bull in a china shop, this administration is shattering and desecrating our core American ideals daily. We must speak up and act before it’s too late. During this nightmare rodeo, we need to hang on, even if for eight seconds at a time.

If your idea of America is being dismantled and desecrated, we must speak up and act—before it’s too late. 

Vito DiBiasi lives in Dingman Township, PA.