Because They Can

Blatant bribery is out in the open, and most Republicans have stopped pretending to care. Rather than confronting the corruption in their own ranks with the same energy they poured into the Hunter Biden saga, the so-called “Party of Law and Order” now meets this level of corruption with a collective yawn.

The problem isn’t that bribery exists; the problem is that Team Trump has normalized it. It no longer shocks the public conscience the way it used to.

Take, for example, Trump’s recent “crypto dinner,” openly advertised as a reward for major donors to his crypto coin. The message couldn’t be more clear: pay Trump, and you get access. It is the boldest attempt yet in American history to auction off influence, and it’s done in the open with a devious grin. The Don of Pennsylvania Avenue doesn’t even bother to hide it.

And yet, the outrage from politicians is muted. Why? Because the expectation of outrage is built on a false assumption: that most politicians act on principle. The truth is, most don’t. That includes most Democrats, but it’s especially true of Republicans today. Once politicians decide their loyalty lies with corporate donors and billionaires instead of their constituents, principles are thrown out the window. And when called out, some Republican congressmen are now so shameless that they threaten to imprison their critics.

But every politician, no matter how compromised, fears one thing: losing their seat. That’s where we still hold power. As long as we live in a functioning democracy, votes matter. And when enough of us speak up, even the most corrupt officials are forced to listen.

Studies and historical precedent suggest that just 3.5 percent of a population, if persistently organized, can ignite bold social change. That’s all it takes. Think of the civil rights movement. Think of the women’s suffrage movement. We don’t need a majority to start the engine of reform, just enough to rattle the gears.

The challenge we face is endurance. People will protest, speak out, and raise awareness for a time, but corruption, especially when bold, bombastic, and consistent, becomes background noise. And unfortunately, people adjust to background noise. They go back to their daily lives, exhausted, disheartened, and cynical. That’s what Team Trump is counting on: that we’ll eventually tune out the chaos and ignore the decay under our feet.

That’s why we need more than momentary outrage. We need sustained, nonviolent resistance in the streets, at the ballot box, and in every conversation where truth is buried under propaganda.

There are concerns that Trump might declare martial law to quash opposition. If that day ever came, it would mark a dark chapter in our history. But history also shows that when authoritarianism goes too far, it often sparks the very resistance it seeks to crush. We not only witnessed this in other countries, such as Iran in the aftermath of Black Friday, but we saw this right here in America after the Kent State Massacre in 1970, when an overzealous show of state power galvanized a generation. Americans, regardless of party, have a deep aversion to being controlled. When a government overreaches by dictating what we can say, do, or even think, the backlash is swift and fierce. This isn’t an anomaly; it’s woven into the fabric of our American Spirit.

Let me be clear: I do not welcome or advocate such an extreme scenario. Martial law is a tragedy, not a strategy. But I also know that Americans don’t take kindly to tyranny. If Trump or anyone else attempts to rule through fear, they’ll find that the American spirit, deeply rooted in liberty and self-governance, still burns strong.

We must never allow ourselves to become desensitized. Keep protesting. Keep organizing. Keep resisting. Do it peacefully, powerfully, and persistently. Things won’t change overnight, but they will change.

History shows that the struggle for liberty and freedom is not a one-time event. It is ongoing. It’s now our turn to defend what others before us fought and died for. Yes, the hour is late, but the door is still open.

This is our time. This is our fight. And when history looks back, let it say that we didn’t flinch; we stood up, we spoke out, and we kept the flames of freedom and liberty burning.