Since earnest attempts at engaging in a conscious, factual discussion about hard truths with Trump supporters often erupt into a baseless, circular defensive process; as with the religious cults that train their members for years to defend their doctrines and practices without ever teaching them the truth; it is time for a different approach since we will rarely succeed at breaking through their defensive justifications, denial, and brainwashing. It is time to take action based on current and evolving needs from a platform of clarity, passion, and fact, while treating everyone with respect and dignity along the way (regardless of their affiliations).
Polarization Or Unification?
Although my next post will be devoted exclusively to the destructive effects of polarization, a glance at its bifurcating bite marks is relevant here. Breaking genders, races, cultures, religions, and political affiliations apart into separate groups has resulted in genocide, war, human trafficking; racial, gender, and cultural inequality; and more. The day we collectively realize that what hurts one hurts all, what helps one helps all — what one person or group does to raise or lower the vibration impacts all. We are one race, the human race, and we are a quantum energy field, interconnected and one, inescapably bound together forever. Separateness is an illusion.
There are some things, in this human world, that can be peacefully shared by all, that unite us in beauty, passion, and needed expression — the Arts. Whether fine arts, visual arts, plastic arts, performance arts, applied arts, or decorative arts; people come together in peace to create and share. When governments, political systems, religions, and cultural groups have brought genocide, war, human trafficking, corruption, and false promises; art has saved the world and fostered peace.
Here’s what Allan Phillips, a music producer, philosopher, and American citizen of African descent born in Venezuela with whom I’ve had the privilege of sharing friendship and music for more than 30 years, has to say about it:
“My opinion: America will never be the land of the free until we learn to prioritize humanity over misrepresenting the concept of ‘opportunity…’ When people here shout ‘I have my rights!,’ what that usually means to them is, ‘I deserve, more than others…’ The idea of climbing to the top by using other human beings as stepping stones has never, and will never work because, the second you harm someone, you harm yourself.”
The day this country at large realizes, understands and lives by the old African philosophy that Nelson Mandela used to talk about all the time UBUNTU, which means “I am what I am because of who you are.” We will then come to term with our basic humanity to others. We will realize that we need each other in order to prosper, grow and generate REAL opportunity as well as heal the world we live in.
We need to stop saying – “the problem is the right, left, whites, blacks, mexicans, russians, religion, etc…” and be pro-active with each other stressing what creates bond amongst ourselves (like art). Find out all things we can collectively relate to so we can understand each other better. We need to try to feel each other’s pain because the reality is, if we don’t make the effort, that same pain could be ours at some point down the road if we don’t make an effort to eradicate it NOW.
So, now is the time to act. Not to hide behind a smart phone’s screen and shout at each other. Lead by example. Smile, talk to a stranger in the post office, if you’re black, talk to a white guy, if you’re white, talk to an Asian person. If the stranger is rude or turns his back on you, just realize that you will be on his mind for the rest of that day and you have planted a seed. You have become a real influencer by your action. We all want to be safe and not feel vulnerable everywhere we go so, when an individual sees another being happy, compassionate and free, that becomes infectious, and it becomes culture at some point.
We just need to be kind.
But how can we pull ourselves out of our current nosedive and come together on matters such as national leadership, until nationalism is but a scar from the troubled past?
Let’s write songs about it, paint pictures of it, write poetry about it, design sculptures based on it, and bring ourselves together to feel and share.
What Qualifies A Candidate For President? Essentially We Do
Although the only constitutional qualifications for U.S. president are 1. being a natural born United States citizen, 2. being at least 35 years of age, and 3. residing in the United States for at least 14 years; and despite the fact that the Constitution does not prevent convicted felons from running for or becoming President; it is we, the people, who can further define the requirements of this role through the voting process.
However, since this unfortunate outcome has already occurred, and a regime of authoritarianism, corruption, and neo-nazism has mercilessly ensued, we must shift our focus to plugging the holes in the Constitutional dike, pursuant to urgent matters such as immigration and services for the poor.
Before doing this, let’s consider the definition of Nazism, and then take a hard look at what is being done in this dark, unraveling place that doesn’t feel like America anymore.
According to Encyclopedia Britannica, “Nazism’s ideology was shaped by Hitler’s beliefs in German racial superiority and the dangers of communism. It rejected liberalism, democracy, the rule of law, and human rights, stressing instead the subordination of the individual to the state and the necessity of strict obedience to leaders.”
While reading the next section, please consider how closely the current administration’s actions resemble those of Nazism, rather than the foundational cornerstones of liberty, justice, and democracy as defined by constitutional law.
Highlights And Exposes
This section is not intended to be exhaustive, but rather to highlight a few examples of current concerns deriving from proposals or actions taken by the Trump administration. The first is in great detail, like a case study, and the remaining are highlights with links to the full account.
Nicolle Saroukos, a U.S. military wife from Sydney, Australia, arrived in Honolulu, Hawaii on May 18, 2025, to visit her husband Matt, a U.S. Army Lieutenant stationed on Oahu, where she was detained like a criminal without her husband being informed, and then deported. Can you imagine? If what happened next doesn’t shock and concern you, then I’m afraid you may have lost yourself in the deepening darkness.
It was Saroukos’ third visit to see her husband, Matt, a U.S. Army lieutenant stationed on Oahu. The newlyweds married last December.
She said she hadn’t had issues before, but this time U.S. border officials at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport flagged her for additional screening. The official checking their passports “went from completely composed to just yelling at the top of his lungs, telling my mother to go stand at the back of the line and to excuse my language, “shut up,”” Saroukos recalled. “So I automatically started crying because that was my first response,” she said.
Saroukos said they were then taken to a holding room, their bags and phones were searched, and they were asked a slew of questions — everything from her work as a former police officer to whether her tattoos were gang-related to her marriage to an American.
“When I did say that I was married to somebody in the U.S. Army, the officers laughed at me. They thought it was quite comical. I don’t know whether they thought I was telling the truth or not,” she said. “They kept telling me that I had too many clothes in my suitcase. So because of that, they assumed that I was going to overstay my visa,” she said.
Saroukos was subject to more screening. Her fingerprints and a DNA swab of her mouth were taken. Meanwhile, her mother was free to go.
Saroukos said her heart sank when officials told her she would be declined entry to the U.S. and deported back to Australia the next day. “[The officer] said ‘so basically what is going to happen is we’re going to send you to a prison overnight where you will stay,’” she said. “Not detention center, he said prison, and I automatically just, I started crying again. Because when you think prison, you think, big time criminals. I don’t know who I’m being housed with,” she said.
According to Saroukos, border officials told her they would contact her husband on her behalf, but she found out later they didn’t. Saroukos said officials conducted a body cavity search, walked her through the airport in handcuffs, and drove her to the Federal Detention Center. “They stated, ‘No, you’re not under arrest. You haven’t done anything wrong, and you’ll be facing no criminal charges.’ So I was very confused as to why this was all happening,” she said.
At the prison, Saroukos was strip searched and detained with women who had been convicted of murder and drug offenses. She shared a cell with a woman from Fiji, who was also denied entry and waiting to be deported. Because Saroukos had missed the cutoff for dinner, she was not given food. At no point was she allowed to call her husband or mother.
“I found that so absurd because if I’m going to be there overnight, my right, just as a human being should be to contact at least one person,” she said. After a sleepless night, Saroukos was brought back to the airport early the next morning, where she received a call from the Australian Consulate General in Honolulu. Her mother had contacted them after not knowing what happened to her daughter. Saroukos told them to tell her mother to fly back with her on the same flight.
Later, she was offered a phone call with her husband. “I think we were both just very emotional. We hadn’t spoken to each other in 24 hours. He didn’t know where I was or whether I was safe,” she said.
“It’s not only myself, it’s my mother and my husband that also had to endure that pain, my husband being a current serving member, to serve his country and to be treated in that way I find very disgusting,” she said. Saroukos’ husband is now on leave in Sydney with his wife. He told HNN he waited for hours at Honolulu airport, repeatedly asking officials what happened to her, but no one gave him answers. He was finally told she was taken to the detention center but was not allowed to see or talk to her there.
Saroukos said she’s sharing her experience to warn people of the increased risks of traveling to the U.S.
“It’s made it physically impossible for me to even ever enter the United States ever again,” she said.
When asked how the experience will affect her marriage, Saroukos said the couple is still trying to figure it out. “I felt like my world came crashing down. I felt like my marriage was over when they told me that,” she said. “That’s something that they’ve taken away from me as well.”
U.S. Customs and Border Protection told HNN they are working on a statement for this story.
A spokesperson said decisions on U.S. entry are complex and taken very seriously, and many factors are considered. Immigration attorneys said detainees are entitled to a phone call if they are held for several hours. The Hawaii American Immigration Lawyers Association has a Deportation Defense Hotline at (808) 204-5951. Loved ones are advised to call the detainee’s consulate in the United States so consular officials can check on the detainee’s whereabouts and condition.
***Followup Post from June 2, 2025: In U.S. Defends Detention, Deportation of Military Wife in Honolulu, Noting “Unusual Activity” The story continues, and here comes a perfect example of political polarization. Most Trump supporters would probably skim through this follow-up post and say something like, “See, she deserved it!” But even at a cursory glance, this post offers further evidence of law and rights violations. Put yourself in her shoes. She was flagged for further screening under the current deportation climate, intensely yelled at by the Border Patrol agent, mocked and accused, and then interrogated. As a licensed mental healthcare professional I can confidently say, within a high degree of clinical certainty, that it is normal for people to forget things under these circumstances Some would even forget their own date of birth. The fact that 1. she did not remember her wedding date, 2. said her husband was planning to leave the military (which everyone does at some point), 3. deleted texts from her husband on her phone, and 4. had a lot of clothes does not, in my opinion, constitute “unusual activity,” or cause for deportation. Many would not remember their wedding date under the stress of such a circumstance, her comment about her husband leaving the military could have been taken out of context (e.g. she could have been talking about their plans after he eventually leaves the military, to provide additional support for the authenticity of their marriage), she could have deleted the texts because they were private and personal (e.g. steamy, sexual, disagreements, etc.), and I don’t even know how they determined that she had too many clothes for a 3 week visit (when her ESTA Visa allowed her to stay for up to 90 days, and who are they to decide how many clothes people should have). Also, as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and dating coach; and someone who has done this myself; it is important to realize that many couples have what they consider to be their wedding date (often the day they met, first time they made love, etc.) which is different from the day they legally married. But Nicolle and Matt were not going through the somewhat invasive process of being interviewed for Nicolle’s Permanent Residency, where such questions are commonly asked (which I have also gone through). Nicolle was simply coming to the U.S. to visit her American husband and share a vacation with her mother, who was physically present with her in the Customs line at the airport. None of these four alleged examples of “unusual activity” are valid reasons for the wife of an American citizen, who was legally entering the country, to be detained or deported; but, in my opinion, they are all reasons to sue the U.S. Government for violations of Constitutional, Civil, and Human Rights. And this was before she went through a body cavity search, was led through the airport in handcuffs, was strip searched, and put in a federal detention center with murderers. We should help Nicolle and Matt stand up against this authoritarianism which closely resembles functional Nazism; to help everyone stand up against it everywhere.
*The level of detail here was provided to help us grasp the depth and scope of this story’s truth. Such things, and worse, are happening throughout the country.
Now check out this MSNBC reel revealing how residents of a San Diego neighborhood protested on Friday after immigration and customs officials raided a popular Italian restaurant. These Trump immigration officials, dressed in battle gear carrying rifles, descended upon a San Diego street corner, shot smoke grenades at protesting passersby, and entered the restaurant placing all employees in handcuffs while held at gunpoint. These HSI agents wore helmets, goggles, masks, and flack jackets while carrying long guns — to do what — protect us from the nice waiter at our favorite restaurant? Trump’s sadistic power plays appeal to all the impotent, insecure cowards who want to wield some kind of power over others, he’s playing on their weaknesses, and would consider them and the others collateral damage, cannon fodder, if anyone was harmed or killed in the process. And what about the emotional damage, like post-traumatic stress disorder? It’s a good thing these San Diego residents saw the buffoonery of this circus performance, and I only hope none of the employees or patrons was harmed by it. Either way, they should sue the Trump administration, there are plenty of witnesses, and video footage is available through national news channels. If you were harmed emotionally, then add this to the lawsuit, and please get some help!
Anni Ma, in “Visa Cancellations and Deportations Sow Panic for International Students,” said, on April 16, 2025, “The speed and scope of the federal government’s efforts to terminate the legal status of international students have stunned colleges across the country. Few corners of higher education have been untouched, as schools ranging from prestigious private universities, large public research institutions and tiny liberal arts colleges discover status terminations one after another among their students.
At least 901 students at more than 128 colleges and universities have had their visas revoked or their legal status terminated in recent weeks, according to an Associated Press review of university statements and correspondence with school officials.” But, students, and their colleges, are fighting back, and many have been successful in securing restraining orders that reinstate their status. Some have been deported and sent to foreign prisons. None had committed crimes that would justify the revocation of their status. Some were being deported because of past parking or speeding tickets, and some had no prior infractions of any kind.
In “Supreme Court allows Trump to strip humanitarian parole of 500,000 people from 4 countries,” PBS reporter Lindsay Whitehurst, on May 30, 2025, said “The Supreme Court on Friday again cleared the way for the Trump administration to strip temporary legal protections from hundreds of thousands of immigrants, pushing the total number of people who could be newly exposed to deportation to nearly 1 million.
The justices lifted a lower-court order that kept humanitarian parole protections in place for more than 500,000 migrants from four countries: Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela.”
Please check out California Representative Lateefah Simon’s speech from a recent Hearing on the President’s Budget Bill. , She is congenitally blind in both eyes and speaks out for the poor from personal experience.
And, just as music can bring us all together through its unifying principles, so too it can be viewed as a threat by an authoritarian regime. Beyonce, Taylor Swift, and Bruce Springsteen are all being investigated by the White House as a punishment for speaking out against the Trump administration. Freedom of Speech? Liberty? Isn’t the defining principle of liberty “limited government,” intended to prevent the government from intruding into the privacy of the people, as defined by law? When an authoritarian leader blatantly disregards such protections, after himself being convicted of 34 felonies that he has yet to be punished for, we have no functional Constitution, we have no liberty, and there can be no justice as long as this continues!
Bruce Springsteen, perhaps the most patriotic of all rock/pop artists in recent years, shares his current view of “The Land of Hope and Dreams.” This is some hard truth, that summarizes this section, and the current state of U.S. government, beautifully! Please listen!!! He is a seasoned public figure who loves America and wants it back!!!
Summary
America is slipping away, and we need to save it! Please don’t dismiss this post, and so many others, by saying things like “All administrations do this,” “Trump is no different from any other president,” “I’m glad Trump is closing the borders and keeping the criminals out,” etc.; because none of these statements is true or reflects the reality of our current state of crisis as a nation. Let’s stand together against this authoritarianism, fight for democracy, and help our human family survive. What harms one harms all. We are all inextricably bound together forever. Let’s find a way to unify, like through the Arts, and then work together to turn the lights back on.
“I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
With liberty and justice for all.
On August 22, 2025, I’ll be releasing an EP collection called “Livin’ the Dream,” here’s a sneak peak, and let’s join together to return America to the land of hope and dreams.
“I Have A Feeling We’re Not In Kansas Anymore” — Judy Garland as Dorothy
Photo Credit: Fanpop
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