Conservatism’s ugly side pushed me out
To my fellow conservatives,
I was you, once.
I wanted to preserve the principles of the Constitution. I called myself a Republican. I voted in the U.S. presidential election every year since I was old enough, my first being for Ronald Reagan. I talked my father out of liberalism, found Rush Limbaugh empowering and welcomed a new cable news station by the name of Fox News.
Then, in 2016, Donald Trump flew a plane into our country’s twin towers of checks and balances, so I stayed home.
I didn’t like tyranny when it wore dark skin, but I disliked the white tyrant even more.
Now I am an Independent, realizing that the labels Democrat and Republican no longer mean anything.
For me, the first order of business for 2018 is to fight against autocracy and kleptocracy, and fight to preserve law and order, protect the free press and put into office people who will do the same. At the moment, the only people interested in these things are the Democrats.
My former party has allowed itself to be hijacked by fringe right-wing extremism, popularism and tribalism.
I still believe in life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, but I will resist abuses of power, wherever it rears its ugly head.
Conservatism’s ugly side has announced a caliphate on decency, and real patriots must flush it out of its hole and eliminate it.
William Burns
Bluffton
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This story was originally published January 7, 2018 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Conservatism’s ugly side pushed me out."