We should all take this pandemic seriously. We should also resist authoritarian/illiberal responses.
The tide of authoritarianism is rising everywhere around the world, from China and Russia to the Philipines and India, from Iran and Saudi Arabia to Israel and Hungary, from the United Arab Emirates and Turkey to Egypt and Brazil.
Even the United Kingdom post-Brexit under Boris Johson, and of course, the United States under the narcissistic chaos of the Donald Trump regime, are not immune to authoritarian democratic backsliding — far from it.
We should take the coronavirus pandemic seriously and face it soberly and intelligently. We should listen to the experts and do our best to stay healthy and encourage others to do likewise. But under no circumstances should any of us (further) sacrifice our inalienable rights and freedoms to the worst authoritarian leaders, or wannabe authoritarians at the very least.
Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Donald Trump has been absolutely corrupt from the beginning - his father and grandfather before him paved the way, with further assistance from monsters like Roy Cohn and now Vladimir Putin, among others. Don’t give them any opportunities or excuses to take what they already feel entitled to.
They feel entitled to power, but they are not entitled to power over me or anyone else. Let them know that. No more of this madness, corruption, and flat-out lying.
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