Dear Editor,

There was a time when decency wasn’t political. When saying “people die all the time” in response to mass death would’ve disqualified a leader. But in 2020, that’s exactly what Donald Trump said about COVID-19: “It is what it is.”

Now he’s back with sweeping tariffs that are rattling markets, raising prices, and hurting small businesses and retirees—damaging vital trade relationships. Those on fixed incomes are watching their savings shrink and their costs rise. And just this March, over 130 Venezuelan men were deported—not to their country, but to El Salvador’s most notorious prison. No hearings. No due process. Just performative cruelty on camera.

When harm like this is justified by the word “strength,” we need to ask: What are we actually being loyal to?

Loyalty to a party or person should never require silence in the face of harm. And yet, for many, it has. Loyalty to cruelty becomes complicity.

Authoritarian regimes don’t begin with horror. They begin with excuses. With slogans. With policies framed as “protection” that quietly turn into harm. Democracies don’t collapse overnight—they erode through silence, through justifications, and through the belief that speaking up is too uncomfortable. When we look back at failed governments—from Nazi Germany to Rwanda to modern-day Hungary—we rarely ask, “Why did people resist?” We ask, “Why didn’t more people?” Let that question live in the present—before it becomes our future.

Contemplating changing your position isn’t weakness—it’s growth. Walking away from what no longer aligns with your values is courage, not betrayal.

If you’ve felt a quiet discomfort—or wondered if things have gone too far—you’re not alone. You're not crazy. You're not weak. Let's have a brave debate about it.

I am a part of a group where respectful conversation exists. Join us!

Find conversation on Facebook at Coal Creek Political Speak.

Kris Swedenborg

Golden