Republicans puzzle me. They claim to be the party of law and order, but somehow can’t see that when police murder a black man on the streets of Minneapolis, law and order is broken and needs fixing.

They characterize protest as inexcusable lawlessness, and forget that the largely peaceful protests, protected by the First Amendment, that have happened recently pale in comparison to the lawlessness of our Founding Fathers, who, when signing the Declaration of Independence, were reminded by Ben Franklin that they all risked being hanged as traitors, because their revolutionary protest was, in fact, breaking the law.

They claim that we need to make America great again. Even in these turbulent times, I think America is getting better. One example: Congress is making progress in reflecting the country it represents, but not because of the Republicans. 51% of the U.S. population is female; 24% of Congress is female, up from 4% in 1986. Of the females in Congress, 82% are Democrats. 13% of the U.S. population is Black; 11% of Congress is Black, up from 4% in 1986. Of the Blacks in Congress, 96% are Democrats.

I think an America led by a Congress that actually represents its citizens is a better America. I grew up in the 60s, when Congress was a white male domain, and America responded to protest with fire hoses and National Guard bullets. Trump’s unlawful actions in Portland demonstrate that that’s the America the Republicans want to return to. I think America is better than that.