This is probably not the best way to make my first post, but here it goes.

This country is politically divided between conservatives and liberals, urbanites and rural folks, Christians and others. Divisions are not new. They are natural to democracies. We should cherish and respect them. What I am about to post is not about this division, but about democracy itself.

A year ago I stood in line with my kids for ice cream at a favorite shop at my very middle class neighborhood. A few heads ahead of me stood Bill Gates with his child and her friends. If you have travelled abroad, the thought of Bill Gates standing in an ice cream line is an incredible contrast and almost a shocking sight. Standing behind him in the same line is what makes America the wonderful country that it is. Even Bill Gates is not above the law when it comes to getting his ice cream. He acts and feels like one of us.

Equal protection under the law: That is what it means when you stand in line with Bill Gates for ice cream. It is a symbol of how you can get ahead by work and wit, not by virtue of connections. It’s a symbol of meritocracy not the aristocracy/kleptocracy that dominates so many other places around the world. The rule of law encompasses many things. The passage of laws based on discovery of facts, the democratic debate, checks and balances, protecting the minority viewpoint, the resemblance of an even playing field, the due process of legal procedures, and a free press, are intertwined building blocks of our democracy and economy. Promises are legally binding here. Contracts can be enforced in court. Everyone equal under the law. How else then can the 1% stand in line with the 99% without fear of one another? Immigrants want to be in America for this above any other reason: we can stand in line with Bill Gates knowing we can be equals.

Trump came to power challenging the current state of affairs. He asserts, the laws and contracts we have in place are rigged against “us”. The ruling parties have become corrupt and no longer represent the common man. He will stand up and change the rules for “us”. Out with NAFTA, done with TPP, renegotiate payments for NATO, screw Paris Accord on Climate change, etc. American exceptionalism elevates to a new height under Trump. We are the six hundred pound gorilla; don’t mess with us. In the place of existing agreements will be bilateral agreements using “our advantage” in each case. Why the bilateral approach? As with any 600 pound gorilla knows, your advantage is in one-on-one situations but less effective against 1000 mice. This advantage needs support of the “us” and works well by dividing the “them”.

Trump is exposing the weaknesses of our democracy: Inefficient governments debating endless squabbles, disproportionate role of special interest as squeaky voices that move policy in their favor, the pesky irritating matter of minority rights getting in the way of majority norms, weak foreign policy, and hesitation to use force that may offend a few. Take the example of civilian casualties in the theaters of war. A swift forceful campaign, may cause more casualties initially but ultimately save lives by ending the war quickly. That was our justification for dropping atomic bombs on Japan. Trump is looking for quick resolutions the atomic way.

The fatal weakness of the Trump doctrine, is that it is undemocratic and creates chaos. By undermining rules and agreements in place and throwing them out without debate, it throws out the basic tenet of stability of our system of laws. Worse yet, Trump administration has shown a clear disregard for human decency including for fellow Americans. For example, previous administrations have routinely replaced politically appointed ambassadors, but never so swiftly and en masse without regard to their family members who have their own lives over seas. Same happened at the State Department. The first military foreign intervention of the Trump administration showed a similar disregard: we put troops in Yemen and took casualties on both sides. The “Muslim Ban” showed a total disregard for the lives of legal residents who have property and jobs in the US by banning their entry. It also shows disregard for the employers and tech industries it disrupted. The support of the Russian bombing campaign in Syria, talk of torture, secret prisons, etc., all show he has little regard to higher values than what is on his agenda. The first victims of Trump policy do not have voting rights. But, if you sow seeds of division and curry populist favors who knows what you can get away with? As a middle of America resident you may think you are immune, think again. He is already picking favorites among factories and industries. He has been in favor of using eminent domain to take private property from individuals and hand them to corporations. His process is messy, chaotic, based on favoritism, and ultimately relies on his good will.

Many pundits in the media suggest the chaos and the mess reflect inexperience of the Trump team. Make no mistake: The chaos created is intentional, the favoritism deliberate. It is a negotiating strategy of manipulators. It is meant to make swift extreme demands so we will be pacified by partial concession. It is meant to create an “us” vs “them” mentality and create divisions and fear. Christian Americans see no problem with the “extreme vetting” no matter how many innocent lives it disrupts (they are not even aware of it). Some Jews are defending the Muslim ban since it may help Israel. Iranians are claiming they are not related to ISIS and should not be part of the Muslim ban. As the chaos ensues, people will try to align themselves with the center of power: the Trump administration. Tech companies now will think twice before hiring immigrants. Corporations will promise factories in the middle of America. Federal employees will not raise alarms about climate change. Do not upset your president! Be patriotic, he is defending our nation! Be grateful for what you have! You owe it to this country! I have heard my friends tell me some of these things this week.

There is a lot at stake though and it is not conservatism or liberalism. At stake are the basic principle of what makes this country the greatest nation on earth. At stake are values of dictatorships versus democracies. History tells us recent dictatorships rose out of similar populist ideas, had initial democratic support, and became more extreme as they took hold. They similarly suppressed/blamed minorities, sowed divisions, and used favoritism with carrots and sticks to keep the populace happy and silence the dissenters. Right leaning nationalist pro-Christian dictators of this sort have a name: fascists. At the end many suffer and laws become less meaningful. In some cases, vengeance takes hold and new dictatorships come replacing the fascists. The stakes are high.

Trump administration has just begun. Trump has already shown a lack of loyalty to conservative principles. It is already done away with conservative principles of small government, limited government spending, state rights, and promoting American values such as democracy and human rights. He has been on every side of every issue historically and claimed he was right at each time (take war in Iraq, abortion, etc.). It flagrantly lies. It plans to use the full force of the Federal government to the advantage of its base, its “us”. This “us” is undefined. The Trump administration is lacking democratic values and will use its unfettered power towards its goals. It does not feel bound by our traditions, values, or rule of existing laws. Even if not corrupted already, power will corrupt it. And its concentrated power with the aid of his allies will corrupt it more.

Trump was democratically elected president under our pre-existing rules. There was reason to give him a chance to prove himself in the office to separate the rhetoric from the real man. We owed this to our fellow Americans who were frustrated with the system and saw something good in him. He had a chance to push his agenda democratically and with due process. In his first 10 days, he has made it clear he does not intend to do so. He does not respect the rules and traditions that brought him to power. He intends to re-write rules that favor his side, his Art of the Deal will be a change of existing deals to his advantage.

This is how dictatorships begin. The American chapter on democracy may be closing and a tyranny is about to take hold. It may not have absolute power yet, but it will try to grab that power. Basic American values and ideals are at stake. Human rights and human values are at stake. For the sake of democracy Trump needs to be opposed on every side. Conservatives and liberals have an equal duty to defend our democracy before tyranny takes hold. If you don’t oppose him you will be either an accessory to its injustice or its victim. You may now feel you are on the winning side, but if tyranny wins, we will all lose big. I would like to be standing in line with Bill Gates for Ice Cream, not across a security barrier that will be erected if we do away with rules.