John,
As Americans, we sometimes forget just how big America is, how diverse we are, and how special we are.
It’s not just the land itself that makes us so special … although, if you take just one look at Appalachia, you’ll be mesmerized by the views. I called West Virginia home almost my entire life, West Virginia helped raise my children when I was away at war defending this country, but West Virginia is just one state out of 50 that make up these beautiful United States of America.
Anyway, it’s not just the richness and beauty of this country that makes people want to be part of this country – since the beginning, it’s been about the IDEA of America, a nation that isn’t made up of people who share a common ancestry, religion, language or even culture, but a shared commitment to equal opportunity and freedom.
That’s what makes us special.
I, for one, feel betrayed – how could so many of our fellow citizens betray America and attack its beating heart, our very own Capitol? How could so many of them turn against our home?
I struggle with this question as I witness people still supporting Donald Trump and members of his Treason Caucus.
One of the things that keeps me up at night is the knowledge that these people aren’t done – they’re prepping right now for their next assault.
How do I know? They’re bragging about in public on social media, that’s how. Trump went as far as creating a social media platform just for his deranged cult followers, and this is all they talk about!
One very chilling thing we need to understand is that these people aren’t just a bunch of aimless shut-ins living in their mom's basements mainlining Cheetos and Mountain Dew. They walk among us every day; many of them are successful professionals!
For example, take Dr. Paul “the Nazi” Gosar, one of Trump’s top cultists in Congress and a key architect of the deadly January 6th coup attempt – he’s actually a dentist.
Hell, he was the Arizona Dental Association’s dentist of the year in 2001, they inducted him into their “Hall of Fame,” and he served as their president from 2004-2005.
All the while, he was secretly NUTS!!! (After he ran for Congress and really started letting his freak flag fly, all six of his siblings publicly disowned him and made a video endorsing his opponent.)
My point is, we can’t afford to underestimate our adversaries. Read any book on war, and you will see that once one side dismisses their opponent, they are all but doomed.
We need to learn from history, we need to respect the fact that our enemy is well-resourced and hellbent on turning this country into a fascist, authoritarian, hyper-religious, white ethno-state.
That’s the reality: This all comes down to white supremacy – it is alive and thriving in America. Maybe you don’t live in a place where you can see it, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t there.
I unfortunately saw it, up close and personal, for many, many years in West Virginia … to the point where I had no choice, I had to leave, for my own mental health and for that of my family.
Now, I didn’t turn my back on West Virginia; I will keep fighting until the day I die for my home state, but I did need a break. (For those of you wondering, I now call North Carolina home.)
Look, I don't want this letter to be depressing and negative.
There is some good news: We massively outnumber them – even the most politically disenfranchised folks don’t align with the far right.
But as you saw in the past midterms John, Republicans were able to eek out majority in the House thanks to their voter suppression laws and extreme gerrymandering.
That's why we need the year-round resources to make sure we're doing the long-term work vital to winning elections. Elections are not won or lost a couple weeks before the vote, but rather by the hard work organizations like No Dem Left Behind put in day-in and day-out and who else is fighting to win rural America for Democrats on a scale like No Dem Left Behind is?
That's why I'm more than proud to be No Dem Left Behind's national spokesperson and that's why I am sincerely asking for your support today. John, will you chip in now to stand with your fellow Democrats across rural America and defeat the MAGA movement?
John,
- Major Richard Ojeda USA (Ret.)
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