Millie LaFontaine lives in Concord.

The war in Ukraine rages on.

Moments before I started writing this, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine was ushered from the Oval Office after being publicly lambasted, two against one, by our so-called president and his vice president.

Apparently, these two were angry at Zelenskyy for not being “grateful” to the United States for their offer to rob Ukraine of its precious minerals for essentially nothing in return. They provided no guarantees of protection for the beleaguered country, only blatant lies about the war and how it started and insults to its duly elected leader. They attacked him, didn’t admit their own wrongdoing and claimed victory despite their despicable performance.

Our world is being turned upside down by the men who have taken over our government, and somehow we’re supposed to stand silently by and pretend it’s all for the good. It’s not all for the good. It is evil and destructive. Democracy cannot be reduced to a deal, and peace cannot be achieved by insults and false promises.

These men have made a travesty of a democratic election in our own country, and their words and actions show their true motivations on the world stage. They promised unsuspecting voters that America would be a mythical land of peace and prosperity for us and the world. They hid in plain sight the fact that their actual plan was to create power, wealth and control for themselves alone, robbing their constituents of a voice, the government of a legal framework and the rest of the world of hope for a better tomorrow.

They claim to be Christians, but in fact, they disparage those of other faiths and color. Which part of Christianity preaches that we should shun our neighbors, torture our migrants, further impoverish our poor, fire our dedicated workers and gut all programs designed to help the sick or spread goodwill?

The “fraud and abuse” that they say they must root out of government spending is a tiny fraction of what they claim it is. How is taking a chainsaw to it going to do anything but bring down the entire system? In fact, the programs they are focusing their wrath upon — from DEI, to Consumer Protection, to Clean Energy, to Education, to the National Parks and Forest Services, to Medicaid, to USAID — are the programs that most clearly reflect our prioritization of the humanity and dignity of all human beings.

They claim to protect free speech, but in fact, the only speech they want to hear is their own lies. How is creating an atmosphere of fear and retribution, and stripping the press of its ability to speak the truth living up to their promises?

Four years ago, I was relieved that the damage this president could do was behind us, even if he lied repeatedly that the 2020 election was stolen from him. I didn’t want to believe that he and his cronies would spend the next four years plotting and planning how to systematically dismantle democracy.

But today, watching him use his playbook against the President of Ukraine, I knew I was wrong. As in the past, he followed his three rules of engagement: 1. Always attack. 2. Never admit wrongdoing. 3. Always claim victory, even if you lose.

We as a nation need to admit we made a colossal mistake and resolve never to allow someone like this to rule us again. But first, we need to make sure we can remain a democracy.