johnpatriotblog

From Evil Empire to Desired Goal

America’s right has completely switched sides in the fight between democracy and autocracy

In 1983 Ronald Reagan accurately condemned the Soviet Union as an evil empire. Since its beginnings in 1917, the Soviet Union had worked continuously to undermine western democracies and promote its totalitarian vision. Eventually the Soviet Union fell, to be superseded by modern Russia. For a time it appeared that Russia might become a successful western-style democracy, but it is now clear that, under Vladimir Putin, Russia has reverted back to its historically autocratic roots. Putin is a totalitarian autocrat who imprisons or kills his enemies and has complete control of Russia. Long before this latest act of war, Russia has been an evil actor on the world stage.

While Russia’s return to its past ways is unfortunately not a surprise, what is a surprise is that America’s right has completely switched sides in the fight between democracy and autocracy. Republicans routinely praise Vladimir Putin and condemn or belittle Ukrainians and their leadership. The number of GOP players that support Russia over Ukraine is virtually a who’s who of today’s conservatives:

Donald Trump
Donald Trump, Jr.
Mike Pompeo
Steve Bannon
Marjorie Taylor Greene
Madison Cawthorn
Tucker Carlson
Peter Navarro
Matt Gaetz
Laura Ingraham
Mike Flynn

In fact Donald Trump and Tucker Carlson are so unabashedly pro-Russia that they are routinely featured on Russia’s propaganda-based state TV. In a stunning and unprecedented repudiation of the GOP of 40 years ago, there is no question that the core of today’s GOP supports Russia, a totalitarian, evil empire.

Why? This would not be happening if there was no logical reason. The reason is unfortunately very obvious. The GOP praises Putin because they want the United States to be like Russia. Russian autocracy is the desired goal and Putin is the ideal leader. They no longer believe in the principles under which this country was founded over 200 years ago. They no longer believe in a democracy in which all men and women are created equal. They no longer believe that people of all races, religions, colors, genders, and gender preferences should all have the same rights under the law. And most importantly they no longer believe in free and fair elections.

They want a country in which a privileged few have power and wealth. They want a country in which only the “right” people get to make decisions. They want a country in which anyone who doesn’t follow the conservative Christian theology does not get to participate.

We cannot let people who no longer believe in democracy use it to take more power. In states where the GOP has control, democracy is being destroyed and rights are being eliminated. They have used the power of democracy to impose autocratic laws that ensure their continued power no matter the results of elections. If the GOP gains control of either the House or the Senate, they will impose such laws at the national level, and our democracy will become history. A vote for the GOP is a vote to turn the US into Russia.

Putin the Terrible

Putin believes that Nato is weak and getting weaker. And he has a plan. His plan is predicated on two huge advantages he believes he has over the West.

Ivan the Terrible was crowned the first Tsar of Russia in 1547. Since that time, Russia has a history of autocratic rulers stretching back nearly 500 years. Russia was itself constructed over hundreds of years by Peter the Great, Catherine the Great, and the other tsars and via conquest and domination. Throughout the period of the tsars, cruelty and suffering dominated the lives of ordinary people, who, as serfs, had virtually no freedom and no rights. The Tsars were absolute monarchs, and the people were taught to both fear and love them and expect that life would never change. The Tsar and his extended family enjoyed immense wealth and privilege, living in palaces.

The Bolshevik revolution of 1917 destroyed the power of the Romanovs and the nobility, but Lenin and Stalin imposed their own hellish cruelty on the Russian people. Soviet Communism was founded on the concept that the State – in the form of the self-appointed Soviet leadership – was all-important, and that individuals were nothing. The empire of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) seized more foreign lands, resulting in a patchwork country of many different ethnic groups and fifteen officially recognized languages. No part of the USSR suffered more than Ukraine under the communists. Stalin imposed the Holodomor famine, which resulted in the mass starvation of 3-5 million Ukrainians in the early 1930s.

The Soviet state was led by absolute rulers who cared nothing for the rights of individuals. The new Tsars now ruled the entire apparatus of the State, exercising complete control of the people through the “Committee for State Security” – the KGB. Even more than the world of the Romanovs, it was a world in which power was control. There was no right or wrong, no moral belief in humanity, the only thing that mattered was strength. Those who had power imposed their will upon those who did not. Among those who learned how to thrive in that environment was a KGB agent named Vladimir Putin.

When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, the previously conquered “Republics” split away from Russia to become independent countries. But creating new nations from scratch is not easy. The new republics, including Russia, struggled with freedom, with capitalism, and with democracy. Russia started to grow democratic institutions, but it sank into deep economic depression, corruption, and the embarrassment of the Presidency of Boris Yeltsin. With the loss of public support, Yeltsin handed power to a relative newcomer, Vladimir Putin. Almost immediately, with the help of a rise in worldwide oil prices, Russia’s economy improved, and Putin’s popularity improved. Putin quickly consolidated power, and started dismantling the elements of democracy – a free press, fair elections, and an open economy. He gathered immense power and wealth by placing himself above the law – basically a modern-day Tsar. He has altered the Russian constitution to allow him to rule as long as he likes. He stands today as the single most powerful person on earth, and as probably the richest.

So what more could he want? In a word – plenty. He wants to be adored as the man who re-created the old Russian/Soviet Empire. To do so, he must control those former “republics” who have successfully broken away from the Soviet authoritarian model and now function as viable western democracies. He has already succeeded in the Caucasus. Ukraine is the current target. Because Putin disdains the lives of both the Russian and Ukrainian people, he will not stop until he has destroyed the Ukrainian will to fight – no matter the cost.

Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia are in the next round. The fact that they are in Nato doesn’t scare him. Putin believes that Nato is weak and getting weaker. And he has a plan. His plan is predicated on two huge advantages he believes he has over the West.

One advantage is that Donald Trump and the Republican Party are working to overthrow US democracy, and withdraw the US from participation in Nato. This is one of the keys to his success. His extensive state-sponsored mis-information campaign with the willing support of Fox News and others, along with his effective use of social networks with the unwitting support of Facebook and others are all dedicated to this long-term goal.

The other key is that, unlike the West, he is willing to accept a limited nuclear war in which a few million people die on each side. He believes such a war will result in the west capitulating on his terms before reaching the point of the Mutually Assured Destruction that would be World War 3. In a world in which power is all that counts, Putin believes he has the will to win.

Think back in time to 1938. A power-mad dictator was ruling Germany. He wanted Czechoslovakia. The world had a chance to stand up to him. It would have taken courage and sacrifice but it could have been done with little to no loss of life. Instead, too many people supported appeasement, the world blinked, and Hitler was emboldened to start down the road to World War 2.

We are now at a similar crossroads. The western world must have courage to make some (modest) sacrifices to stop Putin now. Those who directly support Putin, like Donald Trump, and those who support appeasing him (much of the GOP), must never gain power again. We must send all possible military aid to Ukraine short of troops. And we must apply every means possible to bring Russia to economic ruin before it can destroy Ukraine.

They are Coming for You

What we’ve seen so far is just the beginning.

First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.
Martin Niemöller

These words were spoken by a a German Lutheran Minister who was imprisoned by the Nazis in the 1930s.

As the Fascist-leaning Christian White Nationalist Republicans continue in their quest to control American society as a minority party, these words are relevant today like never before.

If you are African-American or believe that Black lives matter as much as any other lives – They are coming for you.
If you are Hispanic – They are coming for you.
If you are an immigrant from a non-Aryan (i.e. “shithole”) country – They are coming for you.
If you are Jewish or Muslim – They are coming for you.
If you practice any religion other than a Christian fundamentalist version – They are coming for you.
If you practice no religion at all – They are coming for you.
If you believe that all citizens should be able to vote without interference – They are coming for you.
If you are registered as a Democrat or are known to have Democratic sympathies – They are coming for you.
If you consider yourself LGBTQ+ – They are coming for you.
If you support the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals to live their lives without discrimination – They are coming for you.
If you believe that climate change is an existential threat – They are coming for you.
If you believe that all humans have unalienable rights – They are coming for you.
If you believe Corporations and billionaires should pay their fair share of taxes – They are coming for you.
If you believe in the 1st Amendment to the Constitution (Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.) – They are coming for you.
If you believe that women have the same rights as men – They are coming for you.
If you believe in following the lead of Science in masking and vaccinating to reduce the deadly Covid pandemic – They are coming for you.
If you believe in the right of women to control their own bodies – They are coming for you.
If you have ever had an abortion – They are coming for you.

In short, their vision is that this country will be controlled by a White Christian Nationalist minority that will have near-total control over the government and will rewrite our laws in such a way that others will have virtually no rights. It will be as if a Christian Taliban were to take control of the United States. Do all Republicans think like this? Of course not. But do those who think like this control the soul of the Republican Party? Unfortunately, yes they do.

The Republican Party has succeeded in installing the last three members of the Supreme Court (and five of the last seven), turning it into an an anti-voting rights, anti-citizen body that has already overseen the removal of many of our rights and is in the process of removing more of them. This gives then control of the powerful Judicial branch of our government.

Over the past few years, Republican led states have taken away rights from Americans. They’ve stripped voting rights, restricted the rights of local governments to enact laws related to gender equity, climate change, public safety, gun control, and education. What we’ve seen so far is just the beginning.

Now that are furiously trying to take away voting rights from as many people as possible, counting on “their people” to be the only ones who show up. They know they can’t win the majority of votes from all voters, so they control who can vote and therefore control the result. In case that isn’t enough, they are now putting biased mini-Trumps in control of elections so that they can directly manipulate the results after the fact.

And if the result of all this gives Republicans control of the Legislative branch, they will increase their assault on our freedoms and put themselves in positions of permanent power. If you believe in freedom in all its forms, you MUST register and you MUST vote for Democrats and against Republicans. We must preserve our freedoms in every way legally possible. The alternative is that we lose it all.

The Biggest Con Job Ever

As long as he has millions of faithful followers sending him money, the con will continue.

Who pulled the greatest cons in history? Ancient politicians from Greece and Rome who used fear to have their enemies exiled or killed? Christian leaders from the Middle Ages who espoused the teachings of Jesus but lived lives in splendor and wickedness? Entertainers like PT Barnum and modern-day versions who put on with falsehoods? Financial wizards like Bernie Madoff who fleeced people of millions? 20th Century Dictators who promised their people riches and glory but instead led them to death and destruction?

No, the greatest con man in history is Donald Trump. He spent his life perfecting his craft as a land developer, constantly promising more than he could deliver. He learned that laws were only meant for other people and that he could break them at will. He also perfected the art of creating a public persona that bore only a vague resemblance to the truth. But most importantly, he learned that if you repeat a lie often enough it can become the accepted as the truth.

When he turned to politics, these skills served him well. He used vague and simple language to con us into thinking he was for us, the people, when he has ALWAYS cared only for himself. He tapped into latent racism with his denigrations of immigrants and blacks which cemented the bond with disaffected white followers. He was so good at perpetuating the con that got away with crimes that would have destroyed any lesser politician. He blatantly took millions from the US Treasury to enrich himself and his family, showing no shame or remorse in the process.

After claiming that only he was smart enough to craft a tax code that helped the working class and stuck it to the rich, he instead oversaw the largest tax cut in history for the rich and a huge shifting of the tax burden to the middle class.

On and on the cons went throughout his administration. He hired incompetent administrators whose only skill was their undying ability to kiss his ass. He relaxed environmental and occupational standards – rewarding his rich financial backers with more profits while hurting the large majority of the population. And he bullied anyone who stood in his way: their options were submission or exile from the GOP.

Building the Wall was another con. The Wall was yet another way to transfer wealth from the American people to his wealthy supporters, while being wholly unable to accomplish its purported goals. Like all cowards, he talked tough but caved when it came to a fight. But he retained his shameless ability to lie and bluster his way to convincing his followers that only he could give them what they wanted.

Along the way he treated the Constitution as just another set of laws he could ignore at will. For that he was rightfully impeached, but his vast legion of loyal followers provided so much support that the GOP cowards refused to follow what they knew to be the right course and remove him from office.

Eventually the incompetence and corruption turned off some of his supporters. And they deserted him in droves for the safety and competency of Joe Biden.

Now we are witnessing the biggest con – that Trump won the election. Of course he lost! Too many people finally saw through the con. But so many still believe. They follow his every desire like blind lemmings, all the while claiming that they are not the sheep. Refusing the vaccines, refusing simple measures like masking. If Trump told them that clothes were a liberal invention, they’d go around naked. And they, the working class, send money to a billionaire. Money that he uses to further enrich himself. Trump controls this loyal army with lies and fear, and they have become a force that has taken over the GOP and paralyzed anyone with integrity with fear.

Donald Trump will never change. He will never care about anyone but himself. But as long as he has millions of faithful followers sending him money, the con will continue. The outrages will only become worse. He is a danger to the country.

The political system is powerless against his army of followers. The legal system must enforce our laws and prosecute Donald Trump for his many crimes. It is time for him to face justice. He must go to prison.

Humans vs. Aliens

Promoting the spread of the alien virus species at the expense of the human race

We’ve seen this movie a hundred times: The Human species comes under attack from invading aliens. Tens of thousands, perhaps millions of people are killed by the invaders, but we humans rally together in a united defense and defeat the aliens. In the movies, it always works out this way. Never does the story go that any human beings willingly side with the aliens against the rest of humanity unless their bodies have been taken over and their minds are controlled by the aliens.

Today, in the real world, the Covid-19 virus, a completely alien species, is hell bent on infecting and harming, even killing some of its human hosts . But unlike in the movies, a large percentage of humans have sided with the alien species and against humanity. Those people need to be called out for what they really are: traitors to humanity, traitors to their fellow human beings.

The traitors who support and enable the alien virus to thrive among us use many methods. Some of them spread fake news about the vaccines or about the effectiveness of masking, often reaching thousands through social media. Some, in positions of power, prohibit masking and other practices that are known to stop the spread of the invading species. Others simply avoid the personal responsibility that every human has to care for others of our species. And all of these behaviors threaten humanity, as surely as if they took the side of invaders from space against all of Earth’s human population, which they have.

The Covid virus is a diabolical enemy. When it emerged in late 2019, it caught the human species unprepared. The Trump administration worked at a breakneck pace to develop a game-changing set of weapons to fight the virus and develop effective vaccines. While we were waiting for the super-weapons, medical experts determined that simple things, like hand washing and mask wearing, could fend off the deadly enemy in the meantime.

In the same timeframe, the virus also learned and changed. It has mutated into ever more virulent and deadly forms. And as it evolved, our strategies, naturally, have to evolve just as they would in any war against a deadly enemy. And make no mistake, this is an ever escalating war — the human race vs. the Covid virus! The brain-washed humans who have aligned themselves with the virus constantly criticize the evolving defensive strategies as if the experts should have known what the virus would do next. Scientists and medical professionals are not clairvoyants, what they do know is that the longer the virus is among us humans, the more opportunity it has to mutate and become even stronger.

Luckily for the human race, our game-changing weapons have largely worked when deployed. Most of the vaccines have proven to be highly effective at stopping the spread of the virus and even more effective at preventing the virus from killing humans. The more people that receive the vaccines, the less the virus can spread and multiply. When enough people get vaccinated, eventually the virus will have so few human hosts to infect that it will stop spreading and cease to be a threat to our species. This is exactly what happened with the eradication of the Smallpox virus and is in process with the Polio virus – due to nearly universal vaccination. And because of the universal availability of viable vaccines in the United States, this nation should be in a position now of approaching zero cases of Covid and a completely normal, healthy economy with no need of mask wearing. But tragically that is not the case, instead, because of the nihilistic anti-vax movement, we are experiencing yet another wave of Delta variant Covid virus infections, hospitalizations and deaths. All preventable! It is simply a matter of getting a shot or two, just like we did for Polio, Mumps, Measles and any number of other vaccinations.

If the anti-vaxxers insist on keeping a large percentage of the US population on this dangerous path, our future is even more threatened. The vaccines were developed to work against the original Covid-19 virus that emerged more than 20 months ago. Today’s enemy-the Delta variant-is more deadly and more dangerous, but still largely controlled by today’s vaccines. The real danger is a future variant – one that can evade the antibodies produced by today’s vaccines. Possibly even one for which an effective vaccine cannot be developed quickly enough. Humans would have no defense, no effective weapons to fight that strand of the mutated virus.That scenario, like a horror movie that nobody wants be a part of, could cause a more deadly pandemic that could decimate human civilization and the human race.

The fact that there are so many people working on the side of this alien virus poses a grave danger to humanity. The more the virus spreads, the more chances they are providing for it to mutate and become a variant mutation that is unstoppable. Those who spew anti-vax, anti-mask, and anti-science rhetoric are aiding the enemy by promoting the spread of the alien virus species at the expense of the human race.

Profiles in Appeasement

They KNOW he attempted to destroy our democracy

In 1861, Abraham Lincoln, as newly elected President and head of the Republican Party, swore an oath of office to defend the Constitution of the United States. President Lincoln then led the country into a war to uphold the Constitution and preserve the Union, honoring the oath as he had sworn to do. In 2021, after losing the presidential election, Donald Trump, having sworn the same oath as President Lincoln, set his mob of insurrectionists on a course to prevent Congress from carrying out its Constitutionally appointed task to certify the election of the person legally elected by the American voters. This mob intended to hunt down and kill members of the U. S. Congress and the Vice President. Make no mistake, that was clearly and unequivocally a crime of treason against the United States of America.

Donald Trump was rightly impeached for that crime by the House of Representative and for his complete failure to uphold the U.S. Constitution. His culpability is undeniable. Remarkably, even after committing crimes against the nation, he somehow retains a large number of followers within the Republican ranks. And because these followers dominate local Republican political organizations at the state and grassroots levels, Republican Representatives and Senators were forced to choose between having the courage to uphold the Constitution they are sworn to defend or be obedient to their misguided constituents. By and large, they chose appeasement over conviction. For this failure to discharge the essential duty of their offices, they should be universally scorned and never elected to public office again.

Beyond all of this, there is a greater concern – the Deity-like devotion that a MAJORITY of the GOP still holds for the neo-fascism of Donald Trump. Its not like he ever did anything for them; he didn’t bring back jobs for people in dying industry sectors, nor did he get much of the Wall constructed, nor did he stop any abortions, and even with a disastrous package of harmful tariffs, he was unable to stop China’s industrial dominance. His lack of concern and understanding resulted in a disastrous Covid-19 non- response that has led to more deaths than any other country.

One promise he did keep was to make it acceptable to be a racist and/or a misogynist. No mainstream politician in over 40 years has said it was okay to be a racist. Trump did. Make America Great Again (MAGA) succeeded as intended in being taken symbolically as Make America Racist Again. As hard as is to acknowledge the reality, the truth is that he tapped into the huge but unacknowledged racist core (possibly even the majority) of the GOP voters which carried him to the nomination. And because of targeted strategies in key states and the closet full of skeletons in Hillary Clinton’s overconfident world, he lost the popular vote but garnered enough electoral votes to carry him to the Presidency in 2016.

After Trump won the Presidency, he bullied and blackmailed members of the GOP organization into submission or replaced them with his ‘true believers’. As an absolute fascist ruler of the GOP, he installed grassroots and State level party apparatchiks who are completely loyal to him, rather than to the party or citizens. They then locked-in the next level of Trump-loving loyal MAGA followers. This core of today’s Republican party will not permit criticism of their Emperor-Deity — even though they KNOW he attempted to destroy our democracy. Although he has shown himself to be dishonest, incompetent, narcissistic, and totally uncaring for the people who voted for him, a large base of voters is still in Trump’s thrall. Why?

Could it possibly be because Trump’s base voters know he is the only leader who allows them to be their true bigoted selves? It appears to be so — that his people reject the reality that we live in a multicultural and diverse country. Instead, they want no part of a world in which all differences are accepted; a society where people of all genders/races/colors/religions/sexual orientations are treated with equality, dignity, and respect.

It’s true that the Republican Party is hemorrhaging voters who are unwilling to buy into unmasked Trumpist fascism. But the core of Trump loyalists – 10s of millions of voters and thousands of elected officials – no longer support the concept of American Democracy. And nothing being done today is addressing the lingering but real danger to the Republic.

Lincoln’s Inauguration Again

In the months between Abraham Lincoln’s election and his inauguration, seven states seceded from the United States, and five weeks after the inauguration the shots were fired on Fort Sumter. The leaders of the Southern states spewed fury and hatred that drove their people to make war on their fellow Americans in the deadliest four years of our history.

As Joe Biden is about to be inaugurated, we again stand at a crossroads in America. A significant percentage of Americans have followed a leader who spews fury and hatred and has whipped many of his followers into a murderous frenzy via a big lie. Thousands of the Trump mob invaded the US Capitol on January 6 with the goals of staging a coup and kidnapping and/or killing numerous members of Congress and the Vice President of the United States. A number of the participants will undoubtedly be imprisoned for their crimes, but thousands of domestic terrorists remain. These include white supremacists, Boogaloo Bois, NeoNazis, Proud Boys, QAnon believers, Oathkeepers and hundreds of other militia groups who were present at the Capitol but will not be arrested. Behind them is a much larger group of like-minded domestic terrorist wannabes (the American equivalent of the Taliban) that are all well armed and intend to desecrate our State and Federal buildings and anyone who doesn’t follow their chosen Leader.

They have made no secret of their goal to start another Civil War in America. Donald Trump has not and will not back down in his support for the overthrow of the elected leaders of the country and placement of himself as the supreme, unchallenged Leader. His followers will accept no other alternative. At this point there is no middle way. Either Trump’s terrorist followers succeed in installing him as a Dictator, or we root them out and destroy their movement. The coming quasi-Civil War is inescapable – the only question is which side will win. We are past the point of where words are enough to heal America. We need decisive action.

Republicans hold the key – they MUST help in convicting Donald Trump of impeachment and ensuring that he can never become a force in politics again. Following Impeachment, Donald Trump needs to be charged, arrested, and imprisoned for his many crimes. There is plenty of evidence to put him behind bars for many years.

Cutting off the head of the terrorist movement will be a necessary start, but it won’t be enough. The leadership of the Republican Party must acknowledge Donald Trump’s lies, condemn them, and disown him. With enough consistency and repetition, this will bring many of his followers back from the brink and persuade them to join mainstream society (and it is the only chance to salvage the Republican Party).

But there will still be many domestic militia members who are beyond the reach of rational thought. Those who have joined the ranks of the domestic terrorists must be exposed, prosecuted, and jailed. This includes those currently serving in police forces, the US armed forces, and in all other positions of authority. It is not enough for them to lose their jobs, they must lose their freedom and their guns. This process will take many years – but, like Reconstruction after the Civil War, it must be undertaken. And unlike reconstruction, it must succeed. If it fails, America will degenerate into a failed state.

This is the test of our generation. Will America continue to be the land of the free and the brave, or will the Domestic Taliban tear us apart and turn us into another Afghanistan?

The Coming Coup

The Coup is coming. If it succeeds, It will destroy everything we love in America. Forever.

Its no secret that Donald Trump intends to be President for Life, e.g Dictator. But he lost the election – of that there is no doubt. And he’s exhausted all of his lame attempts to have multiple courts or Republican-led State Legislatures overturn the results. The Electoral College has cast its votes – confirming Joe Biden’s win. But Trump still has a plan. It involves three players: The US Legislative branch (House and Senate), The Homeland Security apparatus, and the Proud Boy/Fascist shock troops.

We all know that both the House and Senate meet on January 6 in joint session to officially count the votes as submitted by the states. Trump is expecting his allies in the House and Senate to challenge the votes of individual states, and so they will – even though there is no basis for their challenges. This will cause great disruption, as each challenge can be considered for “not more than two hours”, then voted on separately by the House and Senate. Assuming that challenges are raised for at least five states, the process will take ten plus hours – maybe double that. But even Trump knows that this process will fail as both chambers need to agree to change the votes and the Democrats who control the House will never vote for him.

But what happens inside the Capitol is just a sideshow. The main event will be outside. On December 21st, a mob of over 300 armed Proud Boys and Patriot Prayer fascists stormed the Oregon Statehouse in Salem, and entered the building. Oregon State troopers defended the building, and using teargas, were able to remove and disperse the crowd without bloodshed. This was a practice run for the real thing. Donald Trump has tweeted his supporters to descend on Washington DC on January 6 telling them to “Be there, will be wild!” He intends that tens of thousand of his armed supporters storm the Capitol in an attempt to stop the democratic process. But he doesn’t expect them to actually succeed. He just expects them to die in sufficient numbers.

Here’s where Homeland Security comes into play. In anticipation of potential trouble, the Capitol will be well defended by officers from multiple Federal agencies. This will result in a huge battle on national TV. It will make the 1968 Chicago convention riots look like a Boy Scout meeting. Many will die – primarily the Pro-Trump protesters, but some of the defenders will undoubtedly perish also.

The chaos will be unparalleled in US history. The voting process within the chambers may be disrupted or halted. But even if it isn’t the public will be appalled by the spectacle and driven to panic with the help of Fox News. The next few days will see the chaos spread across the country as the Proud Boys finally know that they don’t have to “stand down” any more. Then, when Trump declares Martial Law and suspends the election, Fox News and all the other Pro-Trump media will applaud his decisiveness. Few will connect the dots that show how Trump has orchestrated the whole thing.

If his plan works, Trump consolidates his power, and quickly takes complete control of the security apparatus, then brings the military along. America will never have another free election again.

American Freedom is in grave danger. Trump is a traitor to the Constitution, and the members of the GOP who grovel at his feet are not worthy of of the awesome responsibilities of their offices. Those Americans who love this country MUST stand up to the Dictator and his minions.

Trump belongs in Prison. All those who will choose support his attempted Coup must be stripped of their offices and permanently barred from ever holding political power again.

A Day in Trump’s America

Let’s assume that Donald Trump wins a second term in office. Its now October 2024. We are going to spend a day in Donald Trump’s America.

President Trump has consolidated power like no President before him. All significant Federal government positions are now held by Trump loyalists. After the election of 2020, hordes of career civil servants fled all departments of the Executive branch, leaving only true-Trumpers behind. Key positions were filled by political appointees, but many technical line positions have gone unfilled. This is touted by Trump as a positive achievement, but the result is felt by every American in the incompetence and outright ignorance that governs our lives.

Covid is endemic in American society. After the botched rollout of the insufficiently tested initial vaccines in 2021, few American trust or believe in Trump’s CDC or FDA. As soon as the initial vaccine failures started, Trump blamed the scientists and fired the leadership of both the CDC and FDA. His handpicked replacements were quickly discredited by their incompetence and devotion to Trump over truth. New vaccines have been developed, but with public distrust at a high level, few are willing to take them. And because the vaccines only last a year, herd immunity is impossible to achieve. There are no Federal mandates regarding mask wearing, testing, or social distancing, so 100,000 Americans are still catching Covid every day, and over a thousand are dying. Total deaths are over two million. Unemployment is over 15% but the Trump Administration reports it as half of that.

After the Supreme Court wiped out the Affordable Care Act, the healthcare system virtually collapsed. Because of Trump’s manipulation of the Tax code, Social Security has gone bankrupt, resulting in a 50% reduction in benefits for beneficiaries, and Medicare has reduced payouts by an equal amount. Over 50% of the hospitals in the US closed, and most who remain are barely hanging on. A secondary healthcare black market has emerged for the few people who can pay cash, but for everyone else its very hard to get care. The US healthcare system is now ranked lower than most of the undeveloped countries in the world.

Most other Federal agencies have abandoned their stated missions: The Education Department exists solely to funnel Federal dollars to for-profit and religious schools and colleges; the Department of the Interior regularly leases any and all Federal lands to ranchers, loggers, and especially energy companies for mining and drilling; the USEPA has softened its rules and enforcement so much that the air and waterways have become polluted in ways not seen since the 1960s; Departments of Energy, Commerce, and HUD are rife with barely concealed graft and produce reports that bear little resemblance to the truth.

The Department of Defense is a special case. Defense contractors regularly run up huge overruns and are making millions – for them life is good. But given Trump’s continuing and public disdain for their service, the frontline troops are demoralized and military leadership is very unhappy. Trump understands that the military is the one force that threatens his long term plans, so he regularly purges its leadership. New leaders are appointed every three to six months to keep the military in turmoil.

But the biggest change has come about in the Departments of Homeland Security and Justice. They have effectively combined into a superagency that has turned America into a militarized Police state. Most of the Senior leadership of the Democratic Party has been arrested on various charges: Obama on spying, Biden on corruption, Hillary because of her e-mails, and many others on bogus charges. Numerous other Democratic (and a few Republican) leaders have been kidnapped and/or assassinated by various right-wing militia groups. Trump’s Justice Department and FBI, are both now under new, loyal leadership. They are more than willing to arrest and imprison political opponents, and have been so successful at doing so that the GOP loyalists control both the House and Senate. The few Democrats in positions of power are sufficiently cowed or have become Trump supporters to survive. By now, Trump has appointed five members of the Supreme Court, and his court finds a way to approve everything he does.

Militia groups thrive and, in many areas are a defacto police force. Much as the Revolutionary Guards did in Iran, white supremacist militias enforce their own rules with guns and the support of the Homeland Security apparatus. Blacks, Jews, Muslims, immigrants, and non-whites are routinely beaten and killed with no recourse.

Life is especially difficult for women. Positions of leadership in government, industry, academia, and science are now virtually closed off to women. Although laws have not changed significantly, behavior has changed dramatically. Abortion is of course completely illegal nationwide, as are most forms of birth control.

One key change to the law – implementing a position held by Trump as a candidate – was to criminalize all past abortions by declaring them to be first degree murder. Since the records of past abortions were so easy to gather, millions of women have been jailed, decapitating the leadership of the women’s movement.

Although huge numbers of women protested as these changes were occurring, so many were jailed, beaten, and raped that protests died down after a year.

So its been nearly four years since Donald Trump was elected to a second term. The Presidential election of 2024 is in full swing – but its different than any previous election. The Supreme Court agreed with Trump’s assertion that he deserves a third term because of what the Democrats did during his first term, so his name is on the ballot in all 50 states. But, due to Republican challenges and intimidation, no Democrat is running a national campaign, and in many states there is no Democratic candidate on the ballot for President or any other major office. Donald Trump’s third term is about to become a certainty. This time, he has a new Vice Presidential running mate – her name is Ivanka. The dynasty will become reality. The President of the United States will henceforth be a Trump. ______________________________________________

Let’s come back to reality. Its actually October 2020. You have the power to choose your own ending to this story. You can vote for Joe Biden, and Democratic members of the House and Senate, and none of this will come true.

The Only Way We Can Lose is if They Cheat

Trump has said that: “The only way we can lose is if they cheat.” But like so much of what he says, it is the exact opposite of the truth. The truth is that the only he can win is if he cheats, and he knows it. And he has many methods of cheating the true will of the people.

Trump has spoken and tweeted almost daily against mail-in voting. Why is he so against it? Not because it will lead to cheating – exactly the opposite. Trump is afraid of mail-in voting because it reduces his chance to interfere with in-person voting on November 3. He and his Republican enablers have multiple efforts in place to intimidate and reduce the number of in-person voters that are unfavorable to him:

Using his Russian friends, spread as much dis-information and fear as possible to discourage people from voting for Joe Biden or voting at all.
Purge as many voters as possible, especially from areas that are not friendly to Republicans.
Reduce the number of polling places so as to discourage voting, and concentrate those who do show up into the least number of locations.
Do everything to the risk of exposure to Coronavirus, further reducing the willingness of those from vulnerable communities to show up.
Recruit vigilantes to “protect the polls” which is code for showing up with guns so as to intimidate Blacks, Hispanics, or anyone else who doesn’t seem Trumpian.

Trump is also against mail-in voting because it minimizes the possibility of physical cheating – which is his secret plan that nobody is talking about. With in-person voting, all the votes are registered and tallied by thousands of individual voting machines. Tamper with enough voting machines in key locations and you can change the election in real time without anyone being aware of it. But, you say, the machines keep a permanent record of each vote. That can be also tampered with in the middle of the night by anyone who has access to the machines. Think it can’t happen? Read David Pepper’s book “The People’s House”. He describes just how easy it is to steal an election by tampering with a few machines in a few districts. And there are plenty of Districts in the key battleground states that are controlled by Trump loyalists – and available for the Russians to manipulate. Trump’s government says that the Russians tried to tamper with voting machines in 2016 but failed. Does anybody believe them? We know that the Trump Administration dragged its feet on funding to protect the integrity of the vote. That was done to make it easier to subvert this election.

But vote-by-mail is different. Each ballet is a clear, permanent, paper record which is counted in the presence of multiple people, making it virtually impossible to skew the count. Mail-in paper ballots also make it easy to perform a 100% accurate recount. Yes, some mail-in ballots will be lost, some will be thrown out, but the more mail-in ballots, the more this election will reflect the accurate will of the people. So Trump is doing all he can to suppress mail-in voting. And its working.

Trump believes he has a reason to be confident. When he combines these techniques with all the voters that have been removed from the rolls, suppressed, marginalized by redistricting, or otherwise disenfranchised, he has the means to win the election with only 40% of the population on his side. He doesn’t need more voters, he needs voters who are so committed to him that they will do anything to vote. This is why he has made no attempt to broaden his base of support, but instead has done everything to deepen the devotion of his followers to his cult.

Trump knows that the Electoral college gives him a built-in 3-5% advantage over the Democrats. If he can subvert the will of the people by another 3-5%, he wins. That is why Trump and his people are so confident. National polling that shows a Biden lead of 6-8% is in range of Trump’s ability to cheat his way to victory.

Trump has made no secret of his backup plan in case the cheating doesn’t work. In demonizing the mail-in vote, he has already made the pre-claim that the election was illegitimate. He will never concede, no matter the result. He will likely declare victory sometime on election night even as mail-in ballots are slowly being counted. And, no matter how much he loses by, he won’t leave the White House unless he is physically forced to.

The call to action could not be more clear:

All eligible voters MUST vote for Joe Biden. Trump is a danger to Democracy. He will unleash more violence before the election. No one can withhold their vote because its too hard, or because it won’t matter, or because Joe is not the perfect candidate. The people of the United States must vote for Joe by such a large majority that all the Republican cheating won’t be enough to overcome the will of the people.
Once the election is over and Joe has won a convincing majority, sadly, and unlike ever before, the work will not be over. Trump will do everything in his power to hold onto the Presidency. And many Republicans will assist him. Americans must rise up in massive protests, and with massive acts of civil disobedience to preserve our Democracy. There will be more violence as Trump and his allies refuse to obey the will of the people. For 250 years, Americans have done what needed to be done to preserve our Democracy. Now we will be called upon to preserve it once again.

America is at stake. And we will have to fight for it as never before.