I am writing this letter because most Americans do not seem to realize how close they are to losing democracy. In this letter I will attempt to point out the reasons for concern.

First of all, the mainstream media appears to be afraid to criticize Donald J. Trump for the misogynist, authoritarian, racist, traitor he really is. Mr. Trump, during the COVID-19 pandemic, resisted mask mandate and the vaccine readily available to all who wanted it. Mr. Trump, you are possibly responsible for many deaths.

Although he denies it, I believe his intention is to reduce or eliminate Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Think of the effect on the middle class and poorer mass populations. Could this affect you?

Also our esteemed Mr. Trump has promised to deport millions of immigrants. Oh, good, maybe you and I can spend hours in the hot sun picking lettuce. Another reason to vote blue.

More examples of the extreme right wing’s playbook:

Banning books, is burning next?;

Opposition to public schools;

Opposition to the true history of slavery being taught;

Restrictive voting laws where the non-white population is the majority;

Blatant outrageous lying to serve their purposes;

Trump wanted to shoot peaceful protesters.

Why did Sen. Ted Cruz and several other Republicans block reasonable gun restrictions such as the ban of assault weapons from becoming law? Could it be NRA cash filling their pockets? Gun manufacturers and the NRA are easy sources of cash for the right.

Republicans have shown by red states ruling on abortion how concerned they are about women’s rights and health.

More reasons to vote blue.

I am 91 and with the exception of three years spent in Germany while in the U.S. Army, I have lived in the USA. Until recently, I have been proud and happy being a citizen of the great experiment in democratic rule of the majority of its citizens. Now I fear our future is in jeopardy because of a loud and racist, fascist minority.

Also, our Supreme Court, while once a respected entity, has become nothing more than a tool of the radical cult of Trump. An example of this is the reversal of Roe v. Wade, despite the opinion of the vast majority of U.S. citizens.

So what do we do? The answer is plain. We, the right-thinking majority, have the constitutional right to vote. We must vote en masse in local elections, state elections, midterm elections and presidential elections. Vote blue and get our democracy back!

Have you noticed all the red baseball caps and how popular they are with the GOP? Evidently they are much too tight, restricting the flow of blood to the brain. Evidence of this is supported by several factors:

False claims of a stolen election;

Denial of global warming;

Opposition to masks and vaccines during a pandemic;

Refusing to support strict background checks to purchase firearms;

Will not outlaw assault weapons for the general public;

Supporting Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. Her latest tidbit of wisdom is that straight people will become extinct.

More reasons to vote blue.

Also besides the horrible information I have provided you, you might want to check out Project 2025. I believe you will be amazed and horrified at the future the far right and Trump have planned for you.

Back to global warming. Despite the disaster caused by the burning of fossil fuels, Trump has promised to drill, drill, drill! Much of this on national parks and forests.

I have had my say now and I urgently urge you to vote blue. For the sake of democracy.

Don Stanfield is a Homer resident.