Citizens with different political perspectives can have different views about the issues — taxes, abortion, guns, foreign policy, etc. But we cannot differ on the most important question: Do you want to “conserve” our precious democracy or do you want to enable a wannabe dictator (Trump) and oligarchs (Musk) to abscond with it?
Like all dictators, Trump is trying to control the Legislature (federal/state), the military, communications, and the judiciary.
The Republican-controlled Congress is not pushing back as Trump and DOGE continue to illegally hollow out congressionally created agencies. Congress is also failing to forcefully object to Trump’s usurpation of its power of the purse.
The Secretary of Defense has fired top military officials and the top three military lawyers. Trump wants military leaders whose primary loyalty is to him (not the Constitution) and judges that won’t get in the way if he breaks the law.
Trump is trying to take away our rights. Our First Amendment rights — the right to say unpopular things without fear of reprisal — have been violated. The due process of law which we expect to protect us should we be falsely accused, has been ignored. Our privacy rights have been violated as Musk’s minions look at our financial data at the Social Security Administration, Treasury and IRS.
Trump is threatening judges and willfully ignoring court orders which our democracy requires him to follow. If Trump continues to defy court orders, we will no longer be a nation governed by the rule of law, but rather by the whims of one man — a dictator.
We did not vote for this egregious abuse of power. Trump and Musk believe that our country belongs to them. It doesn’t. On April 5, at the Utah Capitol, let’s protest loudly to keep their Hands Off! our country.
Justin F. Thulin, Salt Lake City
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