President Trump just renamed the United States Institute of Peace after himself, then fell asleep in front of world leaders. Foreign heads of state sat through his rambling 14-minute speech, as he praised men in "beautiful" dark suits, and collapsed into his chair. This is what authoritarian decline looks like: a hollowed-out leader propped up by loyalists, while ICE raids rip families apart. But we still have a real shot at taking back the House in 2026, if we all stand up and demand this farce of a presidency end before it takes the country down with it.
Wow. I retain hope by reminding myself this year will be the worst as Trump declines and we wait to regain some power in the midterms. The other hope is that Trump's rapid descent is happening before he and his followers fully consolidate power, as opposed to other fascist leaders you mention. They had full power before their decline.
I feel this too. His decline is real and if it is caused by mental or physical issues, or both, that doesn’t matter as much as that it’s happening before he and his movement have fully locked down every lever of power. You’re right that in other fascist regimes, the collapse came only after the leader already had total control.
I just don’t want to rely on his weakness to save us. It only matters if it wakes the rest of us up. The machinery around him is still moving to carry out his agenda an Project 2025. That’s why this moment, and the 2026 midterms, feel like a small but very real window. If we stay focused, organize, and use every bit of power we still have, we can save this ship from completely sinking.
As a 78 year old fellow, I have been following current events for 60 years, once a member of the John Birch Society. Since those days I have been wondering if I will see the destruction of the American empire. I used to compare American social trends with events in ancient Rome and WWII Germany. Your blending of old history with current events is very good. I am glad I signed up as ‘paid’.
Thank you, Louis. I very much appreciate the support. I never imagined that I would step away from my other work and do this full time, but the times we are in made it feel necessary.
What you shared means a lot. Sixty years of watching this country change is a kind of knowledge you cannot get from books, and the fact that you moved from the John Birch Society to where you are now says a lot about your willingness to rethink and grow. When someone with your history tells me the Rome and Germany parallels feel real, I take that very seriously. None of us ever wanted to be right about the possibility of decline.
I am glad you are here and that you chose to be a paid subscriber. I feel a responsibility to make it worth it, not by comforting people, but by telling the truth in a way that connects the dots across time. People like you, who have seen multiple eras up close, are exactly the ones I hope will keep adding context, pushing back, and reminding the rest of us what it looked like when things still worked better than they do now.
Well, thank you for your return comment. As to my John Birch period, as a teenager I found and read this book, None Dare Call It Treason, which got me involved. For the next year I spent my hard-earned dishwasher wages buying and reading their material. After a year I learned two things. First, their style of writing and material was boring to read. Next, when Robert Welch declared that Eisenhower was probably a communist, I then knew they were crazy.
Next, my father told me to go to college. At Oregon State I learned the study of human psychology was much more interesting than learning how to run an economic retail business. Then dad told me to join ROTC. After a year in South Vietnam as an artillery officer, I learned our country had no business being there and that we were destroying the land and people.
After that, I managed the family oyster farm in Newport Oregon. I learned that any kind of farming is always hard work with little or no profit. It seems no matter how much promise each new year seemed to have, something always arose to destroy profit. Also, I learned that, man-caused environmental destruction and global warming are true. Our farm experienced it for sure, so I was lucky to find a sucker and sold it to him. No more aquaculture for me.
After that, I moved to Portland and co-managed the family seafood restaurant, located in Old Town Portland. As I saw wholesale seafood prices rise, I learned that mankind is wiping out seafood worldwide. Out on the streets of Old Town, we suffered the effects of the homeless folks. I learned America’s social problems are extremely serious, as also every other American city is now suffering with. As to the future of Portland, I saw all kinds of unsolvable negative trends, so I sold out of the restaurant and the commercial real estate, the city block that my grandfather bought back in 1957. My cousin kept the restaurant and has been suffering since.
Then I started with my own HVAC service business for several years until the commercial block sold for a good price. Total retirement is nice, except now lots of time to read many sources of current events, and the future looks dangerous. There is one other great mystery however.
All my life I have been a serious follower of Jesus. I have attended many evangelical churches in several states and cities. The great psychological and social question is this unquestioning following of the Republican party and Donald Trump. We know his character is against all that is in the bible, so what is up with my fellow evangelicals? I think there are two answers.
First, Christians are warned about the dangers of “loving the world and the things of the world.” (1 John 15-17) Most all the Christians I have met over the decades just love their television movies, sitcoms, violent sports shows. Therefore, they have lost the gifts of discernment. Most all adopt the political and social dictates of the evangelical leaders as if God Himself was speaking. They just don’t read very much. Nor wrestle with the serious questions of our society. Therefore when, for example, folks like Franklin Graham pronounce Trump as worthy of our votes, evangelicals have given up the ability to seek depth in understanding and discernment.
For example, as I daily check out a dozen evangelical news sources, I see not a mention of the genocide of the Palestine people. This is because evangelicals are supposed to stand behind Israel because ‘they are God’s chosen people.’ Sadly, it seems as though the church folk never get past simple daily devotionals in their bible reading.
Maybe it is best if I just stop reading about these issues and just bury myself in the next Hollywood blockbuster? (Thank you for your website)
So true, Heather. The real crime is the failure of those of us who care about what is happening to our country sit by and watch and do not act. One possibility is to enact the laws you have outlined. If the Republicans who are planning to leave Congress (quite a few, apparently) join with the Democrat side before they do so, there is a chance we could impeach or imprison Trump and his criminal administration. Perhaps this is a pipe dream, but the alternatives are revolution or submission.
Wow. I retain hope by reminding myself this year will be the worst as Trump declines and we wait to regain some power in the midterms. The other hope is that Trump's rapid descent is happening before he and his followers fully consolidate power, as opposed to other fascist leaders you mention. They had full power before their decline.
I feel this too. His decline is real and if it is caused by mental or physical issues, or both, that doesn’t matter as much as that it’s happening before he and his movement have fully locked down every lever of power. You’re right that in other fascist regimes, the collapse came only after the leader already had total control.
I just don’t want to rely on his weakness to save us. It only matters if it wakes the rest of us up. The machinery around him is still moving to carry out his agenda an Project 2025. That’s why this moment, and the 2026 midterms, feel like a small but very real window. If we stay focused, organize, and use every bit of power we still have, we can save this ship from completely sinking.
As a 78 year old fellow, I have been following current events for 60 years, once a member of the John Birch Society. Since those days I have been wondering if I will see the destruction of the American empire. I used to compare American social trends with events in ancient Rome and WWII Germany. Your blending of old history with current events is very good. I am glad I signed up as ‘paid’.
Thank you, Louis. I very much appreciate the support. I never imagined that I would step away from my other work and do this full time, but the times we are in made it feel necessary.
What you shared means a lot. Sixty years of watching this country change is a kind of knowledge you cannot get from books, and the fact that you moved from the John Birch Society to where you are now says a lot about your willingness to rethink and grow. When someone with your history tells me the Rome and Germany parallels feel real, I take that very seriously. None of us ever wanted to be right about the possibility of decline.
I am glad you are here and that you chose to be a paid subscriber. I feel a responsibility to make it worth it, not by comforting people, but by telling the truth in a way that connects the dots across time. People like you, who have seen multiple eras up close, are exactly the ones I hope will keep adding context, pushing back, and reminding the rest of us what it looked like when things still worked better than they do now.
Well, thank you for your return comment. As to my John Birch period, as a teenager I found and read this book, None Dare Call It Treason, which got me involved. For the next year I spent my hard-earned dishwasher wages buying and reading their material. After a year I learned two things. First, their style of writing and material was boring to read. Next, when Robert Welch declared that Eisenhower was probably a communist, I then knew they were crazy.
Next, my father told me to go to college. At Oregon State I learned the study of human psychology was much more interesting than learning how to run an economic retail business. Then dad told me to join ROTC. After a year in South Vietnam as an artillery officer, I learned our country had no business being there and that we were destroying the land and people.
After that, I managed the family oyster farm in Newport Oregon. I learned that any kind of farming is always hard work with little or no profit. It seems no matter how much promise each new year seemed to have, something always arose to destroy profit. Also, I learned that, man-caused environmental destruction and global warming are true. Our farm experienced it for sure, so I was lucky to find a sucker and sold it to him. No more aquaculture for me.
After that, I moved to Portland and co-managed the family seafood restaurant, located in Old Town Portland. As I saw wholesale seafood prices rise, I learned that mankind is wiping out seafood worldwide. Out on the streets of Old Town, we suffered the effects of the homeless folks. I learned America’s social problems are extremely serious, as also every other American city is now suffering with. As to the future of Portland, I saw all kinds of unsolvable negative trends, so I sold out of the restaurant and the commercial real estate, the city block that my grandfather bought back in 1957. My cousin kept the restaurant and has been suffering since.
Then I started with my own HVAC service business for several years until the commercial block sold for a good price. Total retirement is nice, except now lots of time to read many sources of current events, and the future looks dangerous. There is one other great mystery however.
All my life I have been a serious follower of Jesus. I have attended many evangelical churches in several states and cities. The great psychological and social question is this unquestioning following of the Republican party and Donald Trump. We know his character is against all that is in the bible, so what is up with my fellow evangelicals? I think there are two answers.
First, Christians are warned about the dangers of “loving the world and the things of the world.” (1 John 15-17) Most all the Christians I have met over the decades just love their television movies, sitcoms, violent sports shows. Therefore, they have lost the gifts of discernment. Most all adopt the political and social dictates of the evangelical leaders as if God Himself was speaking. They just don’t read very much. Nor wrestle with the serious questions of our society. Therefore when, for example, folks like Franklin Graham pronounce Trump as worthy of our votes, evangelicals have given up the ability to seek depth in understanding and discernment.
For example, as I daily check out a dozen evangelical news sources, I see not a mention of the genocide of the Palestine people. This is because evangelicals are supposed to stand behind Israel because ‘they are God’s chosen people.’ Sadly, it seems as though the church folk never get past simple daily devotionals in their bible reading.
Maybe it is best if I just stop reading about these issues and just bury myself in the next Hollywood blockbuster? (Thank you for your website)
So true, Heather. The real crime is the failure of those of us who care about what is happening to our country sit by and watch and do not act. One possibility is to enact the laws you have outlined. If the Republicans who are planning to leave Congress (quite a few, apparently) join with the Democrat side before they do so, there is a chance we could impeach or imprison Trump and his criminal administration. Perhaps this is a pipe dream, but the alternatives are revolution or submission.