Has "be on the right side of history" gotten old?
Because neither Democrats nor Republicans seem to give a #@$%.
As you know, there are a lot of things WE. ALL. WANT, party be damned. Health care. Social security. G.U.N..C.O.N.T.R.O.L. A healthy environment. Good schools. Free and fair elections. Real democracy. Politics or no, we agree on a lot of important things.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
- U.S. Declaration of Independence
Michigan Senators Elissa Slotkin and Gary Peters, recently voted the Laken-Riley Act, which was just backed and signed by Trump. Sadly. The law is — as are all things immigration + Trump — a racist dog whistle. White man atop brown people. The law mandates detention of undocumented immigrants charged with theft-related crimes, even if only accused of them. Forget you, Constitution.
The bill would’ve passed without Senators Slotkin and Peters, so the only reason they voted for it is either 1) they believe in it or 2) they want to signal they’re “willing to work with the other side.”
If we’re generous, we’ll say it’s #2. Because if they believe in it, they’ve just let Trump — who pardoned Jan. 6 assaulters responsible for the death of police, and who we now know have had prior convictions of rape, manslaughter, and child sexual abuse.
Senators Slotkin and Peters, stand up. There is no “let’s be reasonable” strategy. We tried that. Here we are.
You cannot, should not reason with Trump.
Do you remember the Central Park Five? (Quick recap: Black men wrongly accused of rape; Trump called for the death penalty; the men, who never pled guilty, were imprisoned then exonerated by DNA evidence, yet Trump continued to disparage them and worse. They’ve sued for defamation, but in December Trump asked the case against him be dismissed. Sigh.)
Probably no newsflash, but, I’ll say it anyway: the Right is Racist. Working with them is wrong if you want to be on the right side of history. I don’t think people who said, “Oh, there were some things Hitler was right on” were looked upon as reasonable.
This guy says it better than I can:
You will be defined for the rest of history by how you dealt with Donald Trump. That means you must state with all your being that we are already in an emergency.
I’m not saying that you abandon your integrity— just the opposite. You must stand up. For the rights of the people. For what we all want. For what you know to be right.
"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." - Martin Luther King, Jr.
If you haven’t already, please call Senators Slotkin and Peters to let them know that their votes on the Laken-Riley Act were incredibly disappointing, that they must stand up to Trump’s policies, and that you are watching.
Senator Alyssa Slotkin - 202-224-4822
Senator Gary Peters - 202-224-6221
As many have said, the universe has a sick sense of humor for the second inauguration of Trump to land on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The only good is that the racists in 2025 wear red hats, making them easier to see. Maybe Senators Slotkin and Peters need one.