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We are living in a kind of dystopian nightmare where the government tells us that black is white, and white is black, and we believe it.

We are told that Ukraine attacked Russia, that Zelenskyy is a dictator, and we should align our country with Russia, Iran, and North Korea in blocking a United Nations resolution that condemns Russia for attacking Ukraine.

We are told that our public schools are indoctrination centers for communism and socialism, exposing our children to pornography, and grooming our children to be homosexuals. We are starving our public schools by giving education funding to private schools and eliminating funding for the U.S. Dept. of Education.

We are told that climate change is a hoax, and that Environmental Protection Agency is a waste of tax dollars.

We are told that foreign aid to the poorest and most vulnerable children, saving thousands of lives through food, nutrition, education, medical care, vaccinations, is a criminal enterprise and must be eliminated.

We are told that the president can label nonviolent protesters bad people and can jail them, seclude them far away from their home and family, even deport them, without a warrant, without probable cause, and without accusation of the violation of any law, in violation of U.S. statutes, and the Constitution, and Americans cheer when a federal court order declaring the act unconstitutional is ignored.

We are told that as long as the president is acting in his “official capacity� as president he can commit crimes, even murder with impunity.

We are told that Social Security is a Ponzi scheme and must be severely reduced as part of the budget.

We are told that Medicaid — health insurance for the poorest, Medicare — affordable medical insurance for the elderly, Social Security, WIC — support for Women, Children, and Infants and SNAP — benefits to low-income families to supplement their grocery budget so they can afford the nutritious food essential to health and well-being, and raising the minimum wage so low income families can have a living wage must be severely cut from our federal budget to make room for tax cuts for corporations and the wealthiest among us.

We are told that our government is our enemy and must be destroyed and that an unelected oligarch can decide what part of our Constitutional form of government can survive.

We are told that vaccines cause autism and are suspect as a form of government control.

We are told that the idea of equity — treating others with justice and fairness, is a destructive and suspect idea and has to be eliminated from any American institution.

We are told that the idea of inclusion — the act or practice of including and accommodating people who have historically been excluded, must be stamped out of any American school or government practice.

We are told that the concept of diversity — the inclusion of people of different races, cultures, etc. as a part of our nation is to be opposed as socialist or communist even though we are a nation of immigrants with a national motto “out of many, one.�

We are told that autocratic dictators in China, Russia, North Korea, and Hungary are to be admired, emulated and are even brilliant even as they murder, torture, poison, or imprison in gulags any opposition and that democratically elected leaders in England, France, Italy, other democracies are weak and deserve our derision.

We are told that a valid presidential election was rigged and thus justifies violence to stop the peaceful transfer of power.

These are lies that a majority of Americans have come to believe because they have been repeated over and over by a president who has no integrity or honor and his supplicating political party, and they are destroying our democracy in front of our eyes.

John S. Flood Jr.

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