The United States exists today because of rebellion.
The founders were influenced by John Locke’s social contract theory, which says that when a government infringes on the rights of its people, it is the people’s right to resist. The founders created the Declaration of Independence for this very reason: to separate ourselves from tyranny.
But as President Donald Trump has allowed for United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to separate families through indiscriminate abductions — overwhelmingly of innocent subjects — and deport individuals without proper due process, undermined decades of progress for LGBTQ+ equality and reproductive rights, and vilified the media for their criticism of him, I believe we are now faced with a domestic tyrant.
Trump must not be above the law, and maintaining loyalty to him in spite of his criminal charges and suspicious connections is not patriotism. It is patriotic, however, to oppose a president and administration who uses power to disrespect American ideals.
For someone who’s claimed to defend the Constitution, Trump displays a lack of belief in the values of the First Amendment.
His administration’s encouragement of Christian nationalism inhibits freedom of religion through targeting faith communities, his suppression of journalists harms freedom of press and he has gone as far as suggesting those who believe in freedom of speech are “foolish people.”
On Jan. 7, an ICE agent shot and killed Minneapolis resident Renee Good, a mother of three and legal citizen. Killing a peaceful bystander didn’t make the U.S. any safer, but the murder of this innocent American shows that ICE and other federal agencies’ real focus likely isn’t immigrants’ legal status or public safety, but demonstrating authority over civilians — citizen or not.
On Jan. 24, another citizen was killed by federal agents in Minneapolis when U.S. Border Patrol fired at least 10 shots at Veterans Affairs intensive care nurse Alex Pretti. The goal of firing 10 rounds is not to subdue but to kill, violating the two most important alleged guidelines of the Department of Homeland Security.
Before Pretti was killed, the border patrol removed a holstered and legally-permitted firearm from his waist. Despite claims by Trump’s FBI Director Kash Patel, concealed carry at a protest is permitted by Minnesota statute as well as the Constitution, according to University of Minnesota Law School professor Megan Walsh, a Second Amendment specialist.
America hasn’t fought against fascism only to be led by someone who thinks it’s no big deal. Cruelty is nothing new to the executive branch, but never has it been so blatant. We can’t tolerate a president who is unapologetically ignorant, volatile and who aims to destroy a system the U.S. implemented in order to evade this very tyranny.
From the American Revolution, through the fight for women’s suffrage, the Civil Rights Movement, the Vietnam and Iraq wars to today, protest has steadily served as a cornerstone of American politics and an inalienable aspect of our national identity.
It is anti-American to suppress that right as Trump has attempted. No leader nor nation is above criticism, and to think opposition is unpatriotic confuses dissent with disloyalty.
It is anti-American to sit silently as the U.S. descends into authoritarianism by inhibiting the right to protest harmful foreign and domestic policy.
Silent compliance in the face of immorality is not patriotism; it is the enemy of progress. Dissent is a tool, and now it’s more necessary than ever to use it.
Kaeden Souki is the Sports Editor for The Beacon. He can be reached at souki28@up.edu.
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