We owe the staff of The Roanoke Tribune our strongest approbation, an enormous debt of gratitude and openly expressed support for the Tribune’s 86th Anniversary Issue. America’s mainstream media have functioned in effect as Donald Trump’s own personal public relations firms. By widely publicizing Trump’s every evil, duplicitous, racist, misogynistic and stupid utterance, those news sources solidified Trump’s support, added to his support, or scared the hell out of his opponents, without, I must add, balancing their reporting with clarification that the intention of his mendacity is to transform America into a Fascist nation. People who keep silent about corrupt leaders, or who fail to put their words to work are their accomplices.
The abrogation of moral authority in the national political party structure has permeated and influenced leadership down to the local of levels, even school boards. Everybody in the political system has to toe their party’s line. The destruction of the nation’s mores now clearly underway is a direct result of the status quo having remained intact despite changes in the top leader in DC. Conditions have worsened, in particular, for poor and Black people over the past 50 years. The abuses triggered by despotism, however, are not limited to America’s lower classes; they touch all of us.
“When national politics enter into municipal government, nothing resulting therefrom in the way of crimes and infamies is then incredible. It actually enables one to believe and accept what was once considered unacceptable. –Mark Twain
As Langston Hughes said: “Fascism is a new name for that kind of terror the Negro has always faced in America… This kind of terrorism is extending more and more to groups of peoples whose skins are not black.”
Hypocrisy is the vice of vices and courage is its antidote.
Little boldness is needed to assail the opinions and practices of notoriously wicked men, but to rebuke (allegedly) great and good men for their conduct and impeach their discernment reflects the highest level of moral courage. – William Lloyd Garrison
Moral courage involves doing the right thing, particularly when risks involve opposition or disapproval. This involves ethics and integrity, the resolve to match words and action with values and ideals. It is not about who we claim to be but who we reveal ourselves to be with our deeds.
We cannot blame the Trumpists alone for their rise to prominence in “leadership” in America. The American people are also culpable. Trump’s cultists are evil, and should be expelled from America’s leadership positions summarily; but we have always had truly evil people in America, but not as president. Evil needs no champions, once it starts, if left alone, it grows exponentially. But goodness needs champions; the worst thing we can do is nothing.
“Sometimes all you need is 20 seconds of insane courage, and something great will come of it.” –Benjamin Mee
“Cautious, careful people always casting about to preserve their reputation or social standards never can bring about reform. Those who are really in earnest are willing to be anything or nothing in the world’s estimation, and publicly and privately, in season and out, avow their sympathies with despised ideas and their advocates, and bear the consequences.” Susan B. Anthony
The courage shown by the Tribune to clarify the most serious threat to America in our history deserves extra-ordinary appreciation principally because of its motivational potential.
Marian Anderson stated: “There are many persons ready to do what is right because in their hearts they know it is right. But they hesitate, waiting for the other fellow to make the first move – and he, in turn, waits for you.”
Robert F. Kennedy, Sr said it thusly: “Each time a person stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, it sends forth a tiny ripple of hope.”
“Too often we hold fast to the clichés of our forebears. We subject all facts to a prefabricated set of interpretations. We enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.”
–John F. Kennedy
Perhaps more people will be motivated by the stance the Tribune has taken to vote themselves, but more importantly to press their family members, friends, neighbors and members of their affinity groups to prepare to vote during the Midterms on November 3, 2026, to actually vote, and thus save the nation from Fascism.
REMEMBER: 190 million adults did not support Trump in 2024 — 75+ million Harris votes, votes for other candidates and 111 million self-disenfranchisers.
VOTES from the 2024 self-disenfranchisers are most likely to be VETOES for Trumpism because that grouping leans more strongly toward the Democratic Party. (SOURCE: PEW RESEARCH CENTER – The Changing Racial and Ethnic Composition of The U.S. Electorate)
