TO MY REPUBLICAN FRIENDS, FAMILY, AND EVERYONE WHO WONDERS WHY I AM SO OUTSPOKEN ABOUT TRUMP, MAGA, AND THE DIRECTION OF OUR COUNTRY.
I want to explain something because I am growing increasingly tired of being accused of spreading hatred simply because I refuse to remain silent about the hatred, cruelty, bigotry, and intolerance I see coming from the MAGA movement.
Criticizing hatred is not spreading hatred. Condemning racism is not racism. Standing against bigotry is not intolerance. And opposing authoritarianism is not an attack on America.
I am 71 years old. I spent 20 years serving this country in the United States Army Infantry, retiring as a Sergeant First Class and Senior Drill Sergeant. I swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic.
That oath meant something then, and it still means something today.
My loyalty is to the Constitution, not Donald Trump, not the Republican Party, not the Democratic Party, and certainly not the MAGA movement.
My anger isn’t about ordinary political disagreements. We can disagree about taxes, immigration, government spending, gun ownership, healthcare, and the role of government.
But there is an enormous difference between disagreeing about public policy and accepting the dehumanization of other human beings.
And that is where I draw the line.
I am tired of watching immigrants portrayed as criminals simply because of where they were born.
I am tired of watching LGBTQ+ Americans, particularly transgender people, turned into political targets simply for wanting to live with dignity.
I am tired of watching racism, misogyny, religious intolerance, and xenophobia dismissed as harmless political rhetoric.
I am tired of seeing people who proclaim their love of freedom attempt to dictate how others should live, whom they should love, and what they should believe.
I am tired of watching billionaires and corporations exercise enormous influence over our government while ordinary Americans, veterans, seniors, and struggling families are left behind.
And I am tired of watching people who proclaim their patriotism excuse attacks on our democratic institutions.
Patriotism is not blind obedience to a president. Patriotism means having the courage to hold our government accountable, especially when the people in power are the ones we voted for.
One of the things that troubles me most is the hypocrisy.
For decades, conservatives have lectured Americans about family values, personal responsibility, morality, law and order, and constitutional principles.
Yet many excuse behavior from Donald Trump that they would have condemned without hesitation had Barack Obama or Joe Biden done the same things.
Imagine if Obama had refused to accept an election defeat, pressured officials to overturn election results, and watched as his supporters violently attacked the United States Capitol.
Would Republicans have dismissed it as ordinary political disagreement?
Of course not.
January 6, 2021, was not a peaceful expression of political disagreement. It was a violent attack on the Capitol during the constitutional certification of a presidential election.
As a retired Army Infantry veteran who taught military discipline, accountability, and lawful authority, I find attempts to excuse that violence particularly offensive.
And here is something I especially want people to understand.
I AM SICK AND TIRED OF BEING ACCUSED OF SPREADING HATE WHEN I CRITICIZE PEOPLE WHO ARE ACTUALLY PROMOTING HATRED.
When someone makes racist statements and I condemn them, I am not introducing racism into the conversation.
When someone mocks immigrants, celebrates their suffering, or treats entire communities as less deserving of dignity, calling out that cruelty does not make me hateful.
When someone spreads misinformation, promotes conspiracy theories, or encourages contempt for people who are different, challenging that behavior is not persecution.
And when I criticize the authoritarian rhetoric and conduct I associate with MAGA fascism, I am expressing my political convictions, not advocating hatred toward everyone who votes Republican.
Opposing hateful behavior is not the same thing as hating the people responsible for it.
I know Republicans who are decent, compassionate people. I know people who voted for Trump for reasons unrelated to racism or hatred.
But supporting a politician carries responsibility for examining the conduct and policies we help empower.
We cannot ignore cruelty, corruption, dishonesty, or abuses of power simply because acknowledging them makes us uncomfortable.
And we cannot demand accountability from political opponents while making endless excuses for our allies.
Democrats aren’t innocent of wrongdoing, either. Our political system has serious problems extending beyond one party. I have criticized Democrats and will continue doing so whenever warranted.
Wrongdoing does not become acceptable simply because someone on your side commits it.
Another thing that troubles me is the growing willingness to treat compassion as weakness.
Since when did caring about another person’s suffering become something to ridicule?
Since when did treating immigrants humanely become unpatriotic?
Since when did respecting the dignity of gay and transgender Americans become an attack on traditional values?
And since when did questioning a president mean someone hates America?
I have lived long enough and experienced enough of the world to understand that America does not have a monopoly on freedom, compassion, or good government.
Loving your country does not require pretending it is perfect. Sometimes loving your country means being one of its loudest critics.
And yes, sometimes I get angry. Sometimes my words are blunt and make people uncomfortable.
I take responsibility for my words.
But I refuse to accept that my anger is somehow more offensive than the behavior provoking it.
I refuse to accept that demanding accountability is more divisive than corruption.
I refuse to accept that standing up for marginalized people is more hateful than the prejudice directed against them.
Civility matters. But civility should never become an excuse for tolerating cruelty.
I believe political disagreements should be resolved through peaceful protest, honest debate, constitutional processes, and free and fair elections.
That is why voting matters so much to me.
Our democracy depends on informed, engaged citizens willing to question authority and hold elected officials accountable.
At 71, I have no intention of abandoning the principles that have guided my life.
I care about the country my grandchildren will inherit. I care about immigrants, minorities, women, LGBTQ+ Americans, veterans, seniors, and struggling families who deserve dignity and fairness.
So, to those who accuse me of spreading hatred because I criticize MAGA, I have a simple response:
If my condemnation of racism makes you uncomfortable, perhaps we should discuss the racism rather than my condemnation of it.
If my opposition to cruelty offends you, perhaps we should discuss the cruelty rather than my opposition to it.
And if my criticism of authoritarian behavior makes you angry, perhaps we should discuss that behavior rather than demanding my silence.
My convictions are not rooted in hatred. They are rooted in human dignity, equal rights, constitutional government, and democracy.
I can respect your right to disagree without surrendering mine.
I can care about you personally while strongly opposing the political movement you support.
I served my country for 20 years. I have spent a lifetime forming my convictions. And I will not abandon them because speaking out makes some people uncomfortable.
I will continue challenging misinformation, condemning bigotry, defending constitutional rights, and advocating for those being marginalized or mistreated.
Because I would rather be criticized for speaking out against injustice than spend the rest of my life regretting that I remained silent.
My conscience is not for sale. My patriotism is not conditional. And my silence is not available for purchase.
Ronnie Wright
SFC, US Army retired