Stand up for what is right

President Eisenhower, a Republican, warned that unchecked executive power could lead America to become an industrial military complex. That is exactly what is happening now with Trump and fellow Republicans, whose policies and funding focus on fossil fuel extraction and logging while gutting protections for your health, public lands, endangered species, wildlife, forests and climate change. They are also gutting programs to aid families, people with disabilities and veterans while billions of dollars go to the Pentagon and building up the military – note the recent involvement in Venezuela – as our debt continues to rise.

President Teddy Roosevelt, a Republican, was key in establishing our national parks system and conservation of wildlife. My father was a Republican and he, Eisenhower and Teddy would be appalled with the Republican Party today and that this industrial military complex must be stopped.

All of us need to do this through our votes and constant vigilance of new bills put before Congress. Contact your congresspeople to let your voice be known. Oppose any public lands or waters being opened up to mining or drilling. Oppose fossil fuel expansion and instead support renewable energy. Oppose opening up the Western Reserve in the Arctic and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, both of which are critical breeding grounds for half a billion birds. Oppose opening up 1.6 billion acres for offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, California and Alaska. Oppose removing habitat protection from the Endangered Species Act and removal of protection of threatened species. 

We are in an extinction crisis due to our human footprint. How can a president and party deny climate change and put our lives and the lives of countless other species at risk? Almost all countries in the world voted to reduce carbon emissions, yet we did the opposite. We must support renewable energy and keep our forests intact.

Support our lawmakers who stood up to oppose destruction of the Affordable Care Act. Support congress-people who voice opposition to the president.

Oppose the raids of ICE – all of this is part of the military industrial complex. Oppose this regime, and stand up for what is right for our country.

– Margaret-Ann Mayer, conservation lead, SWCO Sierra Club