While attending the April 5 “Hands-Off” rally in Santa Fe along with 2,000 others, I couldn’t help noticing that many of us were long in the tooth which inspired some humorous conversations along the lines of “Ain’t you sick and tired of doing this?” My first protest rally was in 1966, so yeah. Plus, I’m still waiting for my check from George Soros.

I recently watched videos of Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s whirlwind tour throughout Red State America, holding rallies of tens of thousands and raising some righteous hell, condemning the Trump-Musk regime for destroying the American Dream we’ve always cherished as a birthright. This in glaring comparison to the comatose Republican Congress whose members remain subservient lapdogs. What was encouraging about the Sanders/AOC events was that many in the crowds were young folk who not only enthusiastically applauded Uncle Bernie but gave him standing ovations, especially when he defended a woman’s right over her own body. This right is being threatened in some of the more primitive states where legislation is under way to send women to prison if they get an abortion. Needless to say, men who impregnate and then abandon them and their baby are never charged with a crime.

I had been thinking lately about the younger generation of Americans, mainly those in their late teens to early thirties, because they are the ones who will have to live in the wreckage of the United States after the current administration is done with it. Like many from my boomer generation, I lived through the great movements that struggled to gain equal rights for women, gays and people of color. Rights which those growing up have taken for granted. Rights which are now being threatened by the most ruthless, reactionary and corrupt government I’ve witnessed in my long life.

What would I say to the next generation and what should they remember? To begin, Donald Trump is not only a perverse anomaly but the true definition of the kind of person you never want to be. Even beyond politics, he is a manifestation of cruelty, destruction, lawlessness and chaos and these life choices are deliberate. Not surprisingly, he has surrounded himself with those who share his same toxic attitudes.

Be aware that Trump’s attacks on colleges and universities have nothing to do with “combating anti-Semitism on campus.” He could care less seeing that he once referred to neo-Nazis chanting “Jew will not replace us” back in August 2017 as nice people. Trump’s MAGA movement is anti-intelligence because it’s easier to lie to people and control them if you encourage ignorance. It’s not a surprise that his cult is also targeting other promoters of learning such as libraries, librarians, teachers and schools.

According to their carefully crafted falsehoods, libraries are infested by hordes of drag queens and teachers, who can barely afford pencils and notebooks for their students, and are using highly sophisticated and expensive medical equipment to perform sex changes in their classrooms. Worse, MAGA is targeting gay and trans kids in the name of “protecting Christian values’ while real Christians practice love, grace, tolerance and inclusion as preached by Jesus of Nazareth.

You young people are living in one of the most critical periods of American and global history. The United States you were raised to believe in is in the process of being transformed from a flawed but vital democracy into a corrupt, racist and authoritarian dictatorship where respect for our constitutional values will be undermined if not outright eradicated. Therefore, I suggest you read up and memorize the Bill of Rights that guarantees the freedoms of the press, speech, religion and assembly. Learn as much as you can about the history of the United States from every perspective before it is white-washed by the supremacists in Trump’s cabinet. Venerate those Americans who fought for justice, truth and equality before mention of them is deleted from government websites. If books are banned, gather together to form reading groups in your own homes. I would suggest the timeless “1984” by George Orwell which could be a playbook for the current government. Protect your friends who are gay or immigrants from bullies and stand up to any adult who targets them.

Never forget that fairness, compassion, tolerance and moral courage are the true values you wish to emulate and, as you grow older, values to pass on to your children and grandchildren. Remember too, that you aren’t alone. We old geezers are behind you all the way.

Daniel A. Brown lived in Franklin County for 44 years and has written a monthly My Turn column for over two decades. He lives outside of Santa Fe, New Mexico with his wife, Lisa and dog, Cody.