"We have met the enemy and he is us!" The American people voted against Rule of Law, the Consitution, and democracy. Shameful pigs who are willfully stupid. Dietrich Bonhoeffer in one of his letters from prison called it exactly right; the stupidity of the German public foreshadowed the stupidity of today's American Trump-voters. RESIST!
As Rothkopf points out, our current disease has been incubating for a very long time. Even if we can lance the boil that is the current administration, the underlying disease process remains. We can in theory arrest the slide, slow it, maybe start to heal a bit, but the disease process will remain, ready to inflame again.
The only real solution is, of course, one which we cannot speak of, for obvious reasons.
The state your country is in for the moment has clearly not started that day in 2015 a NY fellow who was despised in NYC descended a fake golden escalator to declare to the world that he was going to have a go at playing president in between cheating at golf, cheating his wife, cheating his contractors and cheating the tax man.
Dark right wing forces were behind this moment from the beginning.
It started earlier as you have pointed out. A long fight breaking rules, laws and conventions along the way. A fight that gave "Citizen United", "The Federalist Society", "The American Enterprise Institute" and some more sinister groups claiming to be "christian".
But please keep believing that this can all be fought, combatted.
For the moments important parts of your judicial system (democrat and republican judges together!) are fighting the illegality of most if not all of the EO's from the Sharpie Pen Kid. People are harassing repulsivecan during Town Halls, rightwing politicians who spinelessly do nothing about that curse soiling the White House. Big "white shoe" law firms are saying "no" to the bully (not all of them, I know). Harvard has had enough.
So things are moving. It will never be easy because the fellow controles millions of millions very angry people who happen to own lots of guns.
Through Patel he's controlling the FBI, through Bondi the DoJ, fortunately the Heghseth fellow is losing his grip on the military because he keeps on insulting the military.
You are so right, sir. I was moved by how you said when we accept unbelievable grift as business as usual, we’re in trouble; when we let it go that people aren’t getting due process and the big guy openly scorns it, we’re in trouble; when the regime goes after dissidents, we’re in trouble, and so on. I think it is all a lot worse than we thought it would be, even though you’re right, we knew or should have known. I read most of project 2025 but am still surprised at how rapidly things are moving forward in a very bad way. Like white Christian supremacy goals before the sup ct that folks are saying will end separation of church and state. The bulldozing over every Constitutional right. The destruction of governmental functions. They very well may be planning to install an authoritarian regime and if they do it in a few months we won’t be ready to stop them. Every day I think about leaving the country, because I think I do have a red line. My wife isn’t there yet, but I’m close. But you make excellent points. We might not have time to ponder the what ifs.
Yes, the history speaks, and we missed so many signs. The darkness is heartbreaking and terrifying. The worst scenario is too near. You are not alone David, and the resistance is growing; but the destruction, the cruelty, the trauma, and corruption seem endless, and will remain. How best to intervene now? Elections in 2026 and 2028 are far away, if they even happen. The courts hold promise, but are so very slow. Protests, calls and letters, and boycotts are not enough. Will those in Congress who care more for the man who would be king than their constituents ever do right for those who voted for them, for our country? We need action now. More ideas are needed; fewer sleepless nights.
We are in trouble, this person must be stopped now. The further he goes the harder to get rid of same person.He and his family are raping the 🇺🇸 right before your very eyes. 🇨🇦 has just elected a leader with whom is moving away from 🇺🇸 . You can’t be trusted. 🇨🇦citizens are moving away with commerce, tourism, it will be noticed. Boycott is becoming worldwide.
" [When,] in that drive to power, they will commit so many high crimes and unutterable treasons, to add to those already committed, that simple self-preservation demands they can never allow a transfer of power to anyone who might hold them accountable. "
The whole world knows all this. Just what exactly are we to do? There is a helpful article in the New Repulic with some ideas. But not ones that are guaranteed to restore our democracy. Still it's something.
My parents joined an end-times religious cult in the 70s. Think Jim Jones but moving acolytes to Alaska instead of Guyana when I was a teenager. I know how well and truly fucked we are having seen what happens when to people who are in thrall to power run amok and especially the vulnerable dragged along for the ride. What does shock me is how little resistance there has been to him starting with the GOP, the institutions, people of wealth and power, to people that should know better. Being an older retired person there's nowhere to run to. Nowhere to hide. We'll stay and fight for our shitty country while we can.
I knew. Not because I'm smarter, but because I paid attention. I came of age during Nixon and often complained how his handpicked successor pardoned him. It's rarely mentioned the 20,000 soldiers lives he wasted in Viet Nam. I spoke against Reagan's policies and illegal acts. Bush torture policy was a test we failed?
Trump's first term was another test, we helped him set the stage for term two. No, I am not surprised at Trump's illegal actions. The surprise is the number of Americans that endorse, cheer or ignore this final slide into semi-Fascism? The USA will never be the same?
My problem is not a lack of imagination as to what can happen to my country. Quite the opposite for me. I imagine a dystopian future where the American people live is slums; where there are 10’s of millions of homeless and what few babies there are, they live with hunger; the store shelves are bare and food deserts are everywhere across the country; where there is no middle class only very rich (top 1-3%) and very poor); Americans stand in bread lines and go to soup kitchens; people die needlessly from preventable diseases; there are no public schools and only the very rich can afford to educate their children; the US government rules with great military force; young men enlits just so they know where their next meal is coming from; there are lots of military displays as all the money the government has goes into the great military industrial complex; a future where if you are a rebel and you speak against the regime you will be put in a concentration camp, shot or hung; the very rich of course live very well as oligarchs do in such times. I’d go on but as you can see I am aware of where the US is headed…if we don’t figure out how to rid ourselves of this regime. I protest, write letters to congressional leaders, do social media posts, in person speaking to people, but it seems to me while a lot of people ARE WAKING UP, many still don’t believe this is happening and even that it can happen in the US! They don't realize the seriousness of what is happening. They laugh at trump and his sycophants and say he’ll never get away with it, and of course he does time after time! Blame it on main stream media, or the fact that people are scared to say or do anything that brings attention to themselves (just like the Germans under Hitler) as it makes them uncomfortable to deal with this reality. We all need to face the seriousness of this moment in our history. WAKE UP AMERICA BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE!
"We have met the enemy and he is us!" The American people voted against Rule of Law, the Consitution, and democracy. Shameful pigs who are willfully stupid. Dietrich Bonhoeffer in one of his letters from prison called it exactly right; the stupidity of the German public foreshadowed the stupidity of today's American Trump-voters. RESIST!
As Rothkopf points out, our current disease has been incubating for a very long time. Even if we can lance the boil that is the current administration, the underlying disease process remains. We can in theory arrest the slide, slow it, maybe start to heal a bit, but the disease process will remain, ready to inflame again.
The only real solution is, of course, one which we cannot speak of, for obvious reasons.
Mr. Rothkopf, thank you for connecting the dots.
The state your country is in for the moment has clearly not started that day in 2015 a NY fellow who was despised in NYC descended a fake golden escalator to declare to the world that he was going to have a go at playing president in between cheating at golf, cheating his wife, cheating his contractors and cheating the tax man.
Dark right wing forces were behind this moment from the beginning.
It started earlier as you have pointed out. A long fight breaking rules, laws and conventions along the way. A fight that gave "Citizen United", "The Federalist Society", "The American Enterprise Institute" and some more sinister groups claiming to be "christian".
But please keep believing that this can all be fought, combatted.
For the moments important parts of your judicial system (democrat and republican judges together!) are fighting the illegality of most if not all of the EO's from the Sharpie Pen Kid. People are harassing repulsivecan during Town Halls, rightwing politicians who spinelessly do nothing about that curse soiling the White House. Big "white shoe" law firms are saying "no" to the bully (not all of them, I know). Harvard has had enough.
So things are moving. It will never be easy because the fellow controles millions of millions very angry people who happen to own lots of guns.
Through Patel he's controlling the FBI, through Bondi the DoJ, fortunately the Heghseth fellow is losing his grip on the military because he keeps on insulting the military.
Maybe we anxious C-PTSDers will be the ultimate survivors, then.
You are so right, sir. I was moved by how you said when we accept unbelievable grift as business as usual, we’re in trouble; when we let it go that people aren’t getting due process and the big guy openly scorns it, we’re in trouble; when the regime goes after dissidents, we’re in trouble, and so on. I think it is all a lot worse than we thought it would be, even though you’re right, we knew or should have known. I read most of project 2025 but am still surprised at how rapidly things are moving forward in a very bad way. Like white Christian supremacy goals before the sup ct that folks are saying will end separation of church and state. The bulldozing over every Constitutional right. The destruction of governmental functions. They very well may be planning to install an authoritarian regime and if they do it in a few months we won’t be ready to stop them. Every day I think about leaving the country, because I think I do have a red line. My wife isn’t there yet, but I’m close. But you make excellent points. We might not have time to ponder the what ifs.
Yes, the history speaks, and we missed so many signs. The darkness is heartbreaking and terrifying. The worst scenario is too near. You are not alone David, and the resistance is growing; but the destruction, the cruelty, the trauma, and corruption seem endless, and will remain. How best to intervene now? Elections in 2026 and 2028 are far away, if they even happen. The courts hold promise, but are so very slow. Protests, calls and letters, and boycotts are not enough. Will those in Congress who care more for the man who would be king than their constituents ever do right for those who voted for them, for our country? We need action now. More ideas are needed; fewer sleepless nights.
We are in trouble, this person must be stopped now. The further he goes the harder to get rid of same person.He and his family are raping the 🇺🇸 right before your very eyes. 🇨🇦 has just elected a leader with whom is moving away from 🇺🇸 . You can’t be trusted. 🇨🇦citizens are moving away with commerce, tourism, it will be noticed. Boycott is becoming worldwide.
About elections :
" [When,] in that drive to power, they will commit so many high crimes and unutterable treasons, to add to those already committed, that simple self-preservation demands they can never allow a transfer of power to anyone who might hold them accountable. "
Re-stack!
58,000 US service members lost their lives in Vietnam along with millions of civilians and Vietnamese soldiers.
The whole world knows all this. Just what exactly are we to do? There is a helpful article in the New Repulic with some ideas. But not ones that are guaranteed to restore our democracy. Still it's something.
This country is about to experience an economic down turn like we haven't seen since 1929. For one reason and one reason only. Extreme tariffs.
It is extremely hard to start thinking of oneself as a “leader.” Which maybe means doing and saying things one has been thinking for a long time.
Now is the time.
Age old problem, described years ago by Eric Fromm (and many others I’m sure): people are afraid of freedom, as much as we crave it.
My parents joined an end-times religious cult in the 70s. Think Jim Jones but moving acolytes to Alaska instead of Guyana when I was a teenager. I know how well and truly fucked we are having seen what happens when to people who are in thrall to power run amok and especially the vulnerable dragged along for the ride. What does shock me is how little resistance there has been to him starting with the GOP, the institutions, people of wealth and power, to people that should know better. Being an older retired person there's nowhere to run to. Nowhere to hide. We'll stay and fight for our shitty country while we can.
I knew. Not because I'm smarter, but because I paid attention. I came of age during Nixon and often complained how his handpicked successor pardoned him. It's rarely mentioned the 20,000 soldiers lives he wasted in Viet Nam. I spoke against Reagan's policies and illegal acts. Bush torture policy was a test we failed?
Trump's first term was another test, we helped him set the stage for term two. No, I am not surprised at Trump's illegal actions. The surprise is the number of Americans that endorse, cheer or ignore this final slide into semi-Fascism? The USA will never be the same?
My problem is not a lack of imagination as to what can happen to my country. Quite the opposite for me. I imagine a dystopian future where the American people live is slums; where there are 10’s of millions of homeless and what few babies there are, they live with hunger; the store shelves are bare and food deserts are everywhere across the country; where there is no middle class only very rich (top 1-3%) and very poor); Americans stand in bread lines and go to soup kitchens; people die needlessly from preventable diseases; there are no public schools and only the very rich can afford to educate their children; the US government rules with great military force; young men enlits just so they know where their next meal is coming from; there are lots of military displays as all the money the government has goes into the great military industrial complex; a future where if you are a rebel and you speak against the regime you will be put in a concentration camp, shot or hung; the very rich of course live very well as oligarchs do in such times. I’d go on but as you can see I am aware of where the US is headed…if we don’t figure out how to rid ourselves of this regime. I protest, write letters to congressional leaders, do social media posts, in person speaking to people, but it seems to me while a lot of people ARE WAKING UP, many still don’t believe this is happening and even that it can happen in the US! They don't realize the seriousness of what is happening. They laugh at trump and his sycophants and say he’ll never get away with it, and of course he does time after time! Blame it on main stream media, or the fact that people are scared to say or do anything that brings attention to themselves (just like the Germans under Hitler) as it makes them uncomfortable to deal with this reality. We all need to face the seriousness of this moment in our history. WAKE UP AMERICA BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE!