Has America become like the land of Oz? Are we trying to follow the yellow brick road? As we face such national confusion over electoral uncertainty none of us can accurately determine the final destiny.

While Democrats are in search of courage, Republicans are in search of a heart, and the MAGA are in search of a brain. Oz does not exist, and the President is not a wizard. The last two weeks have seen confidence turn to panic, and panic reduced to surrender. We have witnessed a false sense of bravado coupled with ill-gotten gains, built on lies, misinformation, and disinformation.

Across America, many seem to ignore a clear and unambiguous call for an end to freedom as we know it, rather than the perseveration of liberty as we have enjoyed it. The first Presidential debate was a major setback for the current President. There is no way around it so therefore just own it. No need to camouflage it or deny it. We all saw it. Yet a setback is nothing more than an opportunity to make a strong comeback.

Are the Democrats so spineless that they cannot muster enough courage to stand up and fight back? This fight is bigger than President Joe Biden. It is about every man, woman, and child that believes America is still the best hope for the world. There is good in the current administrative policies of America. Having a person of character and moral values respecting the rights of all people including women is good. To have empathy for hard times and the humanity to aid those in need, not based on what’s in it for me rather what is the benefit for thee is a good thing. For those who are concerned about bread and butter, inflation has come down, the feds are contemplating a cut in the interest rate, gas prices are lower, airplane flights are lower, and access to small business loans and mortgages are higher.

America’s doors should not be closed to freedom and opportunity, padlocked by the chains of demagoguery and tyranny. In the debate, former President Trump displayed a relentless assault on the truth when facing the political and social issues of our nation. He answered no direct questions posed to him. One still looks with wonder why many refuse to believe what their eyes cannot avoid and what their ears constantly reveal.

This election is bigger than Donald Trump. My mother always said you can tell who a person really is by the company they keep. Look who surrounds them. Surrounding President Joe Biden is Vice President Kamala Harris. He has appointed the most diverse cabinet of men and women in the history of the U.S. Presidency. Right now leaders from 30 nations around the world including Emmanuel Macron of France, Jens Stoltenberg of Norway, Justin Trudeau of Canada, Mette Frederiksen of Denmark, Donald Tusk of Polland, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Kier Starmer, to name only a few, are being hosted by President Biden in Washington, D.C. They are here to celebrate 75 years of an alliance guaranteeing stability and security in the world.

The premise that an attack against one member nation is an attack against all, only came into use during the attack on America during 9/11 and its conflict in Afghanistan. Nations of NATO committed blood, sweat, and tears along with our own. These nations now stand firm in the hopes that America will not retreat from democracy. They have taken new steps to solidify their union, making it even stronger with new agreements, in case America somehow falters on her commitments and obligations to the alliance.

On the other hand, former President Trump has aligned himself with a conservative right-wing manifesto called “Project 2025 Mandate for Leadership, The Conservative Promise”. Page 83 of the 887-page document states, “The progressive system has broken down in our time and the only real solution is for the national government to do less; to decentralize and privatize as much as possible.” This means an elimination of the Department of Education, privatizing Social Security, eliminating almost 50,000 civil service workers jobs, giving more unlimited power to the President, and casting a mask over America where liberty and freedom as we know it is no longer recognizable.

Standing around Trump is the very conservative Heritage Foundation, Alabama Policy Institute, First Liberty Institute, Keystone Policy, and Liberty University, all contributors to Project 2025. His advisors on domestic and foreign policies are felons like Steve Bannon, Peter Navarro, Paul Manafort, Michael Flynn, Atty. John Eastman, George Papadopoulos, Allen Weisselberg, recently convicted Atty. Rudy Giuliani, still holding on to Stephen Miller (noted for his policy to separate babies from their mothers at the southern border). Former President Trump has 34 felonies, which would make him ineligible to enter 37 countries without government permission. These countries do not permit felons in their nations.

Based on today’s current laws, the former President cannot enter Canada due to a felony conviction involving rape or sexual assault, or tax evasion. He has been convicted on both counts.

There is evil in the attempt to stop voter registration and participation. There is a flaw in the character when the President of a democracy considers his heroes as dictators and demagogues like Russian President Vladimir Putin, North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un, China President Xi Jinping, while hosting at your home an authoritarian like Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. This is in the face of world leaders celebrated in our very democracy. Of course no leader is perfect.

There are still policies that must be fixed. All is not well in Gaza, the Congo, Haiti, Sudan, or Ethiopia. While we remember the tragedy and horror of October 7 in the attack on Israel, this war continues for the world to see. All hostages should be released immediately, bombing must cease, and aid to innocent civilians must be increased. Ultimately a two-state solution must be realized in order to preserve and protect the sovereign rights of both people. The current President supports a two state solution and a cease fire. It is unclear what position the former President has on the issue because it frequently changes.

For those standing on the sidelines of history over this situation, you must come to the front lines to preserve our democracy. Those who would seek to be our leader for the next four years, let us remember, “A great person attracts great people and knows how to hold them together,” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Rev. Al Green in his famous ballad Let’s Stay Together inspired us by his words to love ourselves, “Whether times are good or bad, happy or sad.” The times right now are sad. However, each one of us can make a difference. There is an old African Proverb, “If you think you are too small to make a difference, then you have never spent the night with a mosquito.” Let’s all make a difference!