I am not a farmer facing rising costs in fertilizer and in fuel to run my equipment.  I am not an airline administrator forced to deal with fuel increases, an unstable energy market, and rising costs in airline travel.

I am not a manufacturer bemoaning the increase in energy costs to produce essential products. I am not a small business owner, contractor, landscaper, or service provider distressed over increases at the fuel pump that place a burden on my operating costs.

I am not a parent with young children struggling to feed my family, to heat my home, or to cover increased commuter costs as a result of the war with Iran. 

I am a senior citizen, soon to be an octogenarian, who has lived long enough to know that Operation Epic Fury is not the answer to managing Iran and its subversive activities in the world, or the alleged threat of its nuclear power. War was not the answer with Viet Nam, Iraq, or Afghanistan.

Past presidents, experienced officials in intelligence, warfare, and terrorism, as well as our European allies, appear to be in agreement. 

The current administration has led us into a quagmire, an untenable position, in the execution of this “war of choice,” a war not sanctioned by Congress or authorized under Constitutional law.  It is an illegal war, and one opposed by 58% of Americans.  There is no clear evidence that Iran placed the U.S. at “imminent risk.” In fact, the Deputy Director of Intelligence recently resigned disputing this assertion.  His resignation letter, clear and succinct, appeared to be the only true statement expressed by any official in this current administration, well versed in cover ups, deception, diversion, and denial.

As Americans, we are weary of the chaos, the violence in our streets, a justice system co-opted by the Executive Branch, pervasive corruption and deceit, the lack of transparency and gas lighting, the gutting of our institutions, the strategic assault on voter’s rights, the attack on journalistic freedom, the failure of federal programs to provide for our safety and stability, adequate healthcare and food security for all. 

Yes, we are weary, and angry, and even stunned, by the callous indifference of this administration to respond to the needs of the people.  Our voices have been muted, our needs ignored, our rights diminished.  Our Congress is held hostage to authoritarian rule which castigates any opposition or dissent.

In my lifetime, I have seen democracy expand, with the passage of the Civil Rights Act, the New Society, Brown vs. the Board of Education, the Women’s Movement, and profound social and cultural changes since the ’60s.  Despite involvement in unpopular wars, there was a growing pride in our global leadership, our economic support of underdeveloped nations, and the myriad of health organizations that provided prevention and healthcare to populations in need.

Americans were known for their generosity and idealism.  We could be trusted by our allies to adhere to the tenets of democracy and to promote freedom for all peoples.  Now we are viewed as a threat to global stability, a nation using its military power for self-serving purposes, absent virtue and reason.

Today, after viewing the Sunday news programs, I came away with a feeling of dread, a sense of despondence, that those in our government are tone deaf, defiant, unyielding, but worse, committed to a course with horrific consequences.

Federal officials asked to provide vital information to the American people, responded with arrogance and condescension, using ad hominem tactics to invalidate the interviewer and to dispute legitimate questions and factual information. Our democracy is on life support.  It will not survive without the First Amendment, a functional Congress, a justice system we can trust.  It will not survive without the American people standing up and saying that they will not tolerate a war they did not want, a war costing more than a billion dollars a day, a war not clearly defined that is taking the lives of young Americans, a national deficit souring over $90 billion dollars.

We The People. We can make a difference. Let us not fall into a sense of despair, feelings of futility. Now, more than ever, we must take action in any way we can, in whatever time we have, to save our democracy, to hold firmly to our freedoms, to have a voice. “We” are all we have. Our government is now functioning as an autocracy, making unilateral decisions without Congressional approval and in defiance of Constitutional law. It is also defying international law in policy and practice. We have elected officials held captive by threats of retribution if they do not comply with the demands of the Executive Branch. Our government is broken. It is up to us to choose freedom, indeed, to fight for it now. It is slipping away from us every moment in which we do nothing.

Saturday, March 28, is an opportunity to demonstrate that you will no longer tolerate authoritarian rule, that you will stand up to protect our freedoms.  Plan to participate in a No Kings protest near you. Fight for your voice, for healthcare, for social justice, for peaceful resolution to conflicts, for non-violence, to protect the vote, and above all, to save democracy.

Together, we can make this No Kings protest the largest in U.S. history.

Claire Walsh is a Founding Member, DEMOCRACY Women In Action, DWA Indivisible in the Lower CT River Valley.