“For Wakanda? Without question.” The steely eyes of Okoye exude resolve as she delivers that line. It sends goosebumps down my spine just remembering it. Black Panther is a fabulous movie for many reasons, but the character of Okoye is so well done that even in this film, she stands out. In this moment she is asked if she would be willing to destroy the man she loves for her country. She shows the depth of her loyalty and her commitment to duty in her unflinching response.

I love my country. People wave the flag and proclaim love of country, but my intuition has told me that no one I have ever met loves America like I do. I have seen glimmers of it in men like John McCain and George Washington, but I have never personally met anyone with the depth of feeling that I have for my nation. It is more than a fondness. More than a respect. More than an admiration. It is LOVE!! Born of gratitude, compassion, and vision; it is indestructible as diamond. It is tenacious, it is fierce, it births courage and valor.

Some mothers of boys try to dissuade their sons from joining the military and going to war. As much as I love my boys, I would not hesitate to sacrifice them for my country. I’ve given my entire life, sacrificed everything including my mental health, to raise my four boys to be the best men they can be. Still, some things are worth the ultimate sacrifice. “For Wakanda? Without question.” Nothing would make me more proud than to have my sons serve their country and mine, to safeguard the freedoms that I have benefited from all my life. If anything that I have or anything that I might have in the future would serve my nation, I would offer it freely.

Some may say that my nation does not deserve this kind of love. This love is not about America, it is about me. Great nations don’t make great people; history has shown this ad nauseum. Great people build great nations. Great people have great love.

Last night I couldn’t sleep. Plagued by anxiety kept checking the news for the release of the full Mueller report. There are two things that fueled my anxiety to a fever pitch. One is the stark divisions I see. Over fifty percent of American’s believe the Trump campaign colluded with Russia even after the Attorney General released a summary clearing the President of collusion.

On Twitter I have seen four groups of people. First, most establishment Republicans and legal minds have accepted General Barr as his word. There was no collusion and they are ready to move on. Second, most Democrats and intelligence experts are reserving judgement until the report is released. I fall into this category. Third, many are being led by the President himself to claim complete exoneration and revenge upon those who started the investigation. Fourth, many are angry at what they see as a blatant cover-up, obstruction of justice, and treason that is being swept under the rug.

All four of these groups are looking toward the 2020 election as the only certain way to settle the matter of Donald Trump’s unfitness for office. Again, we are looking the Democrats. Only trouble is, the polls are showing that most Democrats don’t even really care about Mueller, collusion, or obstruction of justice. They care about health care. Health care.

This makes me so angry I could shoot fire from my eyeballs. I am going to be very direct right now to my friends on the left. YOU DON’T HAVE A RIGHT TO HEALTHCARE FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. In fact, you don’t have the right to an education, a job, a safety net, a pension from the federal government! You have to earn those things. A hundred years ago American’s understood that. We have created a country of lap dogs begging for scraps from the government banquet table. We are better than that! In the past your party could get away with being the party of handouts, but America needs more from you right now. You need to be the party of principle!

To my friends on the right, you don’t have the right to a supreme court that you agree with. You don’t have the right to force everybody else to come to heel just because you won a single Presidential election. You don’t have the right to force ANYONE to be loyal to this President. You don’t have the right to gaslight people by closing your eyes to the madness and blame everything on the Democrats, “who hate Trump.” That is unfair and you know it. Stop it!! Trump is an agent of chaos. He sows discord and contention everywhere he goes. He is not fit for office. If you don’t know that it is because you are uninformed. Period.

Now let me tell you what all American’s have a right to; right, left, and center, male and female, black and white, rich and poor.

First, we have a right to access to accurate information. Right now we have competing narratives that make no sense. Our free press is confused and reeling. They are being blocked from accessing the results of the Mueller investigation under the guise of national security. Our government is at war with itself, our media is at war with itself. No one can agree on anything because we are all swimming in a soup of lies and corruption. I have read two biographies of President Trump. I have studied him and read his Twitter feed. I’ve studied the man ever since he began his rise. He is first and foremost an agent of chaos and this is a time of unprecedented chaos. We have a right to access accurate information.

Second, we have a right to have leaders who are honest with us. Hyperbole, exaggeration, and flippant lying has become commonplace in our leaders. Our President lies to us daily about matters large and small. He has not been held accountable by his supporters. Their refusal to insist that Trump be honest with America is a violation of the rights of all Americans. We have the right to honest leaders.

Third, we have a right to equal treatment under the law. I am observing with increasing alarm that our justice system is not impartial. If a person has the money, they can hire not just one good lawyer, but teams of lawyers. Entire law firms operate more like mercenaries than agents of justice. They threaten, sue, bribe, and corrupt the system into allowing them to commit crimes with no fear of retribution. We have the right to equal enforcement of the laws.

If we, as Americans, choose to sell those rights for the mess of pottage, we will reap the consequences. I would rather die slowly of cancer without the money to treat it. I would rather watch my children die screaming, knowing that there was medication to save them that I can’t afford. I would rather all those things and more than to take healthcare from a government that deprives me of my rights to accurate information, honest leaders, and equal treatment under the law. We as Americans must demand more.

Please understand that my direct words are not meant as an attack on anyone. My love for my country compels me to speak out. Satan’s forces are gathering like storm clouds around us. It is time for us to awaken to the danger we are in and stand against the evils of our time. If we allow corruption and disinformation to become normalized, we will see our country fall. I can’t watch that happen without raising my voice even if it does little good.