Trump's Assault On American Values

We started by chastising Donald Trump for his thinly veiled racism. That was ineffective. His vile rhetoric only grew more virulent and degrading, spurring a rise of hate crimes across the nation. Then we took to task Republican politicians and officeholders for their spineless failure to denounce or rebuke the unprecedented stream of divisive demagoguery pouring from an American president. Those erstwhile defenders of American values only maintained their silence or offered mealy-mouthed support for the president's tirades.

Even the scolding by Democrats and a heightened disapproval voiced by a large part of the national media have merely served to gratify Trump's thirst for attention and have inspired even grosser vituperation. 

It comes down to this. The American people are responsible for rescuing the fundamental essence of our society. They must rise up in righteous outrage and in defense of all that has made America the symbol of democratic governance. We, the people, must take to the streets by the millions to reject the bigoted, despotic direction taken by this president. We must make clear to the world and to history that the United States, in this generation, responded to the challenge of tyranny and race baiting and resisted the abrogation of its underlying principles. Where is the Thomas Paine of these times now that we need him more than ever.