Blind Allegiance and the Fifth Avenue Testimony

 There’s a quote that’s haunted me for years. Donald Trump once said, “I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn't lose any voters.” He wasn’t joking. He was testing something. Not just loyalty—but the limits of dignity, discernment, and self-respect.

And the test worked.

Michael Keaton recently echoed what many of us have felt for years: that Trump’s statement wasn’t just arrogant—it was contemptuous. It revealed how little he respects the people who follow him. “He thinks you’re stupid,” Keaton said. “He has no respect for you.” And I believe him.

This isn’t about party lines anymore. It’s about the erosion of empathy, the normalization of cruelty, and the ritualized denial of harm. When a man faces multiple allegations of sexual misconduct—including a civil case where he was found liable for sexual abuse—and still commands unwavering devotion, we must ask: what are we worshiping? Power? Pain? The illusion of control?

I’ve watched MAGA followers defend the indefensible. Not just policy—but character. Not just strategy—but cruelty. They follow him off rhetorical cliffs, moral cliffs, civic cliffs. And in doing so, they give up something sacred: the ability to see others clearly, to respect difference, to honor truth.

I write this for all of my children who are being hurt by this man. For Dakota, who brings joy and steadiness to our home. For Carol, who learns with courage and draws with grace. For Jeffery, who manages his health with vigilance and hope. For Anthony, Para, Bree, and Christan—each carrying their own ache, their own rhythm, their own resistance. For every child who watches cruelty become normalized and wonders if kindness still matters.

This blog isn’t a scream. It’s a candle. A ritual of resistance. A testimony for those of us who still believe in dignity, in care, in the power of naming harm. We are not stupid. We are not blind. We are not disposable.

We are the ones who remember.

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