Dear friend,

This week, the streets of Washington, D.C., have been transformed, not in celebration but in service of one man’s ego. Barricades block entire sections of the city, troops have been deployed, and security checkpoints control the flow of citizens. All of this while Americans across the country are told we can no longer afford basic programs that feed children and families or provide basic health services.

And in front of the Department of Agriculture hang two massive banners, one of Donald Trump and one of Abraham Lincoln.

Lincoln led this country through its darkest hour, not in service of himself but for a more perfect union. He knew the presidency was not a pedestal but a responsibility. His leadership was marked by humility, compassion, and a belief in the American experiment. Americans were not to sacrifice for his sake but for each other.

He believed in a government that would serve its people, and in the midst of the Civil War, Lincoln never used his position to fuel his pride. He stayed devoted to the foundations of the country, the Constitution, and that all people are created equal with the government existing to protect their rights, not to parade its power.

The Gettysburg Address, a defining speech of our nation, was under 300 words. It lasted less than three minutes, yet it reaffirmed the freedoms we are owed by our government, brought to us by our forefathers and those that continue to fight. Lincoln spoke not to glorify himself but to honor those that came before and those who live on now to carry that work forward.

What will Trump say? And how long will he speak?

You already know the answer. Trump demands that you sacrifice for himself. He cloaks his self-aggrandization in patriotism. So what we see in Washington, D.C., is no celebration of our country but a taxpayer-funded narcissism parade.

I believe in the United States of America that Lincoln believed in, one where the strength of our democracy is not measured by the military in our own streets but by how we care for each other. Keep that vision alive, add your name if you believe in an America rooted in humility, and oppose Trump’s wasteful birthday parade. >>>

Yours in service,

Dick