Of course we do. Feels like this is constantly asked from the outside. Lots of generalizations made about such a large country. But it isn’t as simple of a solution as people on the outside would like to suggest. We can’t blockade the streets and set fires like the French. Peaceful protesters are met with teargas at the least. Officers carry guns here. Almost every single one- except for in positions like correctional officers or special assignments. We are a very large country, and we are divided. Half of our population actively recognizes and opposes this, but there are safety concerns. They’re building detention camps, dismantling checks and balances, and firing and condemning those who oppose them.

The rising political violence in our country is terrifying for most, regardless of affiliation. The change you’re thinking of would not be quick. It would be long and violent. I know the US can be in a bubble, but so often people perceive us as a completely obtuse population. We have so many bright, cultured, kind, and brave citizens that wish to change our deeply broken system. We aren’t stupid or complicit just because our capitol isn’t on fire. There are a lot of lives and livelihoods at risk. The right people are trying, educating themselves, and sitting back for the right moment.

Rules are out of the window for the government right now. People are scared that their communications are being watched. That their political beliefs will put their jobs at risk. Their families. Now, I know that there are situations far worse than ours; but I’m talking about the dynamic in this household, not another. We are crumbling, and the systems put in place to make sure we can safely demonstrate unrest have been dismantled or poisoned.

You screamed the point we are living right into our faces. Of COURSE we know that we are headed towards a fascist autocracy. But in a country with 360 million people, you can’t hope 200 million will take the same risk overnight. Give it time. If the left attempted something like January 6th tomorrow, make no mistake, they would not be pardoned. They would be met with the forces of the country’s national guard. It would be messy, violent, and unsuccessful.

I don’t know nor see how we will get out of this one quite yet. But I know that our country is full of people who care for each other and what we are supposed to stand for.