One of the most remarkable spectacles of Donald Trump's presidency has been watching some of America's wealthiest and most powerful individuals and institutions bend the knee.
Technology billionaires, corporate executives, prestigious law firms, and major media organizations- people and institutions possessing extraordinary wealth, influence, and security- have too often chosen accommodation over principle, apparently fearing the consequences of challenging an increasingly authoritarian president.
What makes their submission particularly disturbing is that these are the Americans best positioned to resist intimidation. Their fortunes and livelihoods are hardly at stake.
Contrast their behavior with that of ordinary Americans who stood firm in this year's elections, exercising their constitutional rights with courage and dignity to reject authoritarianism and defend democratic principles.
People are also reading…
There is a profound irony here. Those with the most to lose economically showed the least courage, while those with far less demonstrated the greatest conviction.
Perhaps the real guardians of American democracy are not its billionaires, corporations, or powerful institutions, but ordinary citizens who refuse to surrender their principles.
Lawrence E. Mazin, Ed.D.
SaddleBrooke
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
Follow these steps to easily submit a letter to the editor or guest opinion to the Arizona Daily Star.
