Americans of all backgrounds must stand together to stop terrorists before they kill. There are many ways that we can work to diminish the threat. Our political leaders can show support for the 2nd amendment by placing reasonable limits on the weapons of war being on the street. Citizens who have family members who struggle with anger or reality can alert law enforcement when the person has access to an assault rifle. Citizens in public places will have to work to be vigilant and situationally aware; who is around me, where are the exits, where can I hide? We will all have to ask questions because our reality contains the threat of a hail of bullets from an angry disturbed person.

We live in frightening times. The Senate Majority Leader has done nothing to protect our electoral process, and he has blocked anyone who tries to. Reports are coming out that Senator McConnell and his friends have a lot of money coming from Russian interests. Dark money in our politics will allow other countries to funnel money to politicians like McConnell and Trump to gain influence. Citizens need to know the truth and determine if they want their votes to count.

Former FBI Director Robert Mueller testified today in front of two committees of the US House of Representatives. Mr. Mueller was dignified and non-partisan in his approach. As citizens we have received a lot of information that is important, but not exciting. Voters will ultimately need to decide if they are okay with political candidates working with foreign governments to win office, and pretending like there was no foreign interference. As Benjamin Franklin is reported to have said when asked what form of government we had after the constitutional convention; “A republic, if you can keep it.” I hope our representatives are brave enough to do what is necessary to protect the republic, but if they are not it is up to the citizens.

Why is Donald Trump always seeking to divide Americans? If he were an agent of Russia he would have to work hard to do much better than what he has done. He undermines our law enforcement and intelligence agencies. He attacks the courts and congress with lies regularly. The divide and distract strategy is likely born of a desperate need to maintain support in the light of increasing legal/political problems facing Trump. When will there be accountability for Trump that causes him to consider the country above his own interest?

America is still out there, and criminals still must be concerned about justice… no matter how much money they have. The story of Jeffrey Epstein and the US District Attorney’s office in Miami led by Alex Acosta is appalling. Hiding facts from a judge and victims of a crime is evidence of guilt. When you hide facts from victims and the judge in crimes involving the abuse of children it is damning. I wonder how much longer Mr. Acosta will be Donald Trump’s Labor Secretary – a job that deals with monitoring and policing sex trafficking in the USA. Let’s hope America’s children are not left with their protection in question.

The investigators cannot keep up with the pace of criminal activity that swirls around the current president. Some of the activity appears to go back decades, while other activity is quite current. The sheer volume of potential indictments will tax birth federal and numerous state prosecutors to the limit. The future of our republic rests on those who hold officials to account for their actions, and keep our nation’s foundations built on truth and justice for all. We want no collusion with foreign powers in our elections, and no kleptocracy for our government.