The president tweeting the words, “LIBERATE MINNESOTA!," “LIBERATE MICHIGAN!” and "LIBERATE VIRGINIA!”—a call to the few to disregard the health and safety of the rest in a democracy during a national health crisis—is divisive, disturbing and frightening to this refugee who escaped from vicious Russian domination in the Hungarian Revolution of 1956.
The Russians had already taken from our small border town our two beloved horses and the pigs that supplied food for the village; all the wedding bands they could find; and salt from the cellars meant for preserving and flavoring. They disappeared the neighbor across the road who provided milk for the village because he spoke out about the looting. The soldiers cut down the forests for lumber and laughed at us as they merrily rode out of town with our treasure and livelihood. They were finally coming for our voices, choices and dreams. They called it “Russian Liberation Day,” the commencement of the building of the Iron Curtain. Back then, 'liberate" was communist double-speak for Soviet-style dictatorship.
The last time a president urged states to “liberate” themselves from “a more perfect union" was Jefferson Davis and the Confederate States, which were unwilling to treat stolen, enslaved black people as people, and that led to hundreds of thousands killing each other and dying.
Inequality, intolerance and indifference will be death of democracy. We all need to be vigilant to be safe and healthy and stand up to protect ourselves from toxic bullies of all kinds who would destroy our unity, our United States.
— Edith Schrammel, Evergreen Park
Note from KBJ: Thank God for President Trump.
