I’m no political scientist but, I have a degree in psychology, a master’s in human services, and a stubborn memory for what my civics teacher drilled into me: Truth matters. Leaders are not supposed to rule, they are supposed to serve us . These last fourteen months have tested everything I thought I knew about how America works.
First, I need to sound the alrarm about Cuba—because the silence is deafening. For three months, President Trump has blocked all oil and gas shipments to the island. He’s even gone so far as to threaten any country that tries to send humanitarian aid, warning of “severe consequences”. The result? Cuba has gone dark—literally. There’s no fuel for ambulances or hospitals, no electricity for homes or water pumps, no way for 11 million people to keep their lives going. International relief groups and the U.N. have called it a “humanitarian crisis.” Even Russia has stepped in to criticize the U.S. blockade and is sending aid to Cuba. And to hear this man”s words as He sat in the Oval Office and said, “I can do what I want with Cuba. I’m going to be the first president to take Cuba”. I grew up believing presidents didn’t talk like that.
But that’s not the only thing that’s got me livid. This administration’s handling of the Epstein files has been the biggest cover up in history with evasion and redaction after evasion and redaction. Despite bipartisan pressure, the Justice Department withheld important documents—including those with credible allegations against President Trump. Congress passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act, but what we got was a bunch of heavily redacted pages and no explanations—enough to make every American wonder what’s being protected, and who.
And don’t get me started on the war of choice with Iran. The U.S. and Israel launched a bombing campaign. There was no imminent threat to America; even members of Congress have said the same. Lebanon, meanwhile, has been demolished by U.S.-backed airstrikes—hundreds of thousands of human beings displaced, what was once infrastructure has now been reduced to rubble. The justifications change by the hour, but the suffering on the ground is real and we are watching it in real time on our phones.
I know some will say I’m being too dramatic, or that presidents have always lied. But this is different. This is a government that tells you the lights are on while you’re sitting in the dark. I’ve spent my life helping myself heal and rebuild after trauma. I know what it looks like when trust breaks down and people start to believe nothing will ever change. This isn’t just politics for me, this is personal.
Of course, Cuba’s government is no example of democracy or human rights. There are real reasons to oppose that regime. But cutting off oil and gas, threatening anyone who tries to help, and boasting about “taking” a nation—that’s not American foreign policy. That’s collective punishment. And it’s the Cuban people, not the leaders, who are paying the price.
People in Tennessee might say, “What does Cuba have to do with me?” My response to that would be: If we let this slide—if we let lies, cover-ups, and cruelty become the new normal—sooner or later, it comes for all of us. The truth matters. Empathy matters. And I’m sorry but, silence in not an option at the moment.
So I’ll keep writing and I’ll keep speaking up, because that’s how I was raised. That’s what my teachers taught me. And that’s what this country, at its best, still stands for.
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