As a retired lawyer, I have always argued that lawyers and the rule of law are truly the backbone of our country. I still do. But the people, as put forth in this piece, are also the backbone. Together we will prevail. And no "sky is falling" thinking!-- it just makes things feel worse.
Unfortunately, the six Christian Nationalists on the Supreme Court don't believe in the rule of law. There's no such thing as Presidential immunity anywhere in the Constitution. The Founders broke away from one king, they certainly didn't want another to rule the United States.
The only place immunity is discussed is immunity for Congressional members during debate on the House and Senate floors.
Obviously, the current Supreme Court is not the group of people who will stop this administration. Like the article says, WE are the people who have to stand up and take one step at a time to stop it.
You could say that the sword of banality cuts both ways. Bureaucratization & normalizing by faceless clerks & jobbing lawyers of evil practices is balanced by the counter actions of quiet nameless (often) regular folks who say, “…enough is enough.”
So yes, we must mobilize the ordinary citizens who are tired of the antics of the MAGAt zealots. Are tired of the moral depravity of Stephen Miller & Steve Bannon. & are just plain tired.
I agree that we each need to take that first step, but it doesn’t have to be dramatic. Join Indivisible or another resistance group. Make a sign and participate in rallies big and small. Call or write your representatives even if it’s just to tell them to stay the course. Keep yourself informed and inform your loved ones. Boycott businesses that comply in advance. Support resistance candidates. Vote. And don’t give up hope because that’s giving in.
One thing that I know how to do, and always make my best effort to do, is helping people to stay hopeful, including my own self!!!
At times, the news of the p.o.s. trump's chaotic actions & mean-spirited words can just feel completely overwhelming & depressing. And, you just want to get in bed & pull the covers over your head!!!
Here are some things you can do to keep hope in your heart for humanity & our global community:
1. Remember that there are more kind-hearted, generous spirited, compassionate, positive people in the USA than the mean-spirited, hard-hearted greedy people. And, YOU are one of them!!!
2. When you are out & about doing your routine errands & activities, smile & look someone in the eye and tell them that you really appreciate their help. (Everyone likes/needs to be validated.) If you are good at telling jokes, tell them a short one! Laughter is the best gift!!!
3. If you are able to, go for a walk in as pretty a place as is convenient for you. Or just go outside and sit on your porch, deck, or in your yard (if it's not too hot/humid).
4. Read a humorous book or watch your favorite comedy, it could be something silly, or something clever & witty....doesn't matter as long as it makes you laugh from your belly. Laughter is the best medicine!!!
5. Do a mitzvah/kindness for someone....anonymously. Just you will know, and it will warm your heart that you warmed someone else's heart.
6. Take a long hot shower, or sit in a hot tub/spa and just let the worries of the world wash off!
7. Snuggle with your fur baby if you have one!
8. Most of all....Be kind to & take care of yourself!!! And know that tomorrow you will feel more hopeful!!!
My family died in Nazi camps and my dad survived 5 of them. I have always said it’s the people across Europe who welcomed the Nazi’s in and held their babies up to Hitler who let it happen. No dictator can get there alone. The ordinary people who fight for freedom are the heroes of the time they live in
For those looking for comparisons to Nazi Germany, it would benefit them to look even more closely at the Weimar Republic.
Does any of this sound familiar?
* Fringe parties and factions who refuse to compromise on anything and pull their support from the majority Center Left coalition, thereby denying them a strong enough majority to counter their mutual opposition on the Far Right.
* Oligarchs, afraid of what the leftist policies will do to their fortunes, pressuring the Centrist gov't to move to the right.
* An aging holdover from a previous gov't chosen to be the leader who, while more than capable of serving, is too set in his ways to act forcefully against the threat from the Far Right.
* No one bothering to pay attention when the Far Right is showing what they intend to do once in charge.
Most histories of Germany in the 1920s look at Hitler's rise to power. But in "Fateful Hours: The Collapse of the Weimar Republic", award-winning historian Volker Ullrich looks at the history of the Weimar Republic, and how it bungled pretty much every chance to stop the Nazis.
It isn't *specifically* about El Presidente and the US, but it's really damned hard not to see the parallels. Of course, these aren't the only weaknesses he mentions - just the ones I felt like pointing out. Ullrich really wants us to see just how easily a democracy can slide into fascism.
And it's far too easy when you're not willing to defend it.
I did not know the story of Hans Litten. What a chilling example for the enemies list that the Trump administration is now prosecuting. If we can't compare MAGA/Republican Party with the Nazis, what's the point of studying history? As we should all know, Hitler didn't begin with gas chambers. The evils he perpetuated in the mid-1930s is where we are now. MAGA consciously employs similar tactics and symbols. I agree that the important comparison is with the attitudes of the people—Republican voters—evidenced everyday if you listen to conservative talk radio where hosts and callers vent their hatred for liberals, immigrants, and the homeless. But I go further and complain about the Democratic Party backing down time and again from making the obvious comparisons. In 2015, Donald Trump held rallies where crowds gave the Nazi salute and pledged their loyalty. Critics who compared these rallies to Nazi rallies were shouted down. In light of today 2026, after the Jan. 6 2021 insurrection, after Trump's 2 year and going dictatorial rule, after concentration camp-style detention centers, after the murder of protesting citizens in Minneapolis, after a Congress and Supreme Court giving him untethered control, how were those critics inaccurate? Why are we STILL so afraid to frame our current government as a crime syndicate run by a cult leader?
I am reminded of Spencer Tracy's speech explaining the guilty verdicts against Nazi judges in "Judgment at Nuremberg". Apparently, the long scene was filmed in a single take
But this trial has shown that under a national crisis, ordinary -- even able and extraordinary -- men can delude themselves into the commission of crimes so vast and heinous that they beggar the imagination. The only problem is that in the US, there was no national crisis, unless you count the one of Trump's making
Wonderful essay. Some do nothing because the task at hand seems monumental, hitting us from all sides with no let up. We seem/feel powerless. In this case, don't be daunted by the forest; focus on the trees. One issue , one action at a time, regardless of how small and minor it may seem, is vital to our sense of humanity. And we must never, ever lose that.
As a retired lawyer, I have always argued that lawyers and the rule of law are truly the backbone of our country. I still do. But the people, as put forth in this piece, are also the backbone. Together we will prevail. And no "sky is falling" thinking!-- it just makes things feel worse.
Unfortunately, the six Christian Nationalists on the Supreme Court don't believe in the rule of law. There's no such thing as Presidential immunity anywhere in the Constitution. The Founders broke away from one king, they certainly didn't want another to rule the United States.
The only place immunity is discussed is immunity for Congressional members during debate on the House and Senate floors.
Obviously, the current Supreme Court is not the group of people who will stop this administration. Like the article says, WE are the people who have to stand up and take one step at a time to stop it.
Thank you contrarians Your voices are encouraging daily
Great history lesson and necessary kick-in-the-butt to do something, anything.
You could say that the sword of banality cuts both ways. Bureaucratization & normalizing by faceless clerks & jobbing lawyers of evil practices is balanced by the counter actions of quiet nameless (often) regular folks who say, “…enough is enough.”
So yes, we must mobilize the ordinary citizens who are tired of the antics of the MAGAt zealots. Are tired of the moral depravity of Stephen Miller & Steve Bannon. & are just plain tired.
Resist
Mobilize
Avance la Lucha
I agree that we each need to take that first step, but it doesn’t have to be dramatic. Join Indivisible or another resistance group. Make a sign and participate in rallies big and small. Call or write your representatives even if it’s just to tell them to stay the course. Keep yourself informed and inform your loved ones. Boycott businesses that comply in advance. Support resistance candidates. Vote. And don’t give up hope because that’s giving in.
One thing that I know how to do, and always make my best effort to do, is helping people to stay hopeful, including my own self!!!
At times, the news of the p.o.s. trump's chaotic actions & mean-spirited words can just feel completely overwhelming & depressing. And, you just want to get in bed & pull the covers over your head!!!
Here are some things you can do to keep hope in your heart for humanity & our global community:
1. Remember that there are more kind-hearted, generous spirited, compassionate, positive people in the USA than the mean-spirited, hard-hearted greedy people. And, YOU are one of them!!!
2. When you are out & about doing your routine errands & activities, smile & look someone in the eye and tell them that you really appreciate their help. (Everyone likes/needs to be validated.) If you are good at telling jokes, tell them a short one! Laughter is the best gift!!!
3. If you are able to, go for a walk in as pretty a place as is convenient for you. Or just go outside and sit on your porch, deck, or in your yard (if it's not too hot/humid).
4. Read a humorous book or watch your favorite comedy, it could be something silly, or something clever & witty....doesn't matter as long as it makes you laugh from your belly. Laughter is the best medicine!!!
5. Do a mitzvah/kindness for someone....anonymously. Just you will know, and it will warm your heart that you warmed someone else's heart.
6. Take a long hot shower, or sit in a hot tub/spa and just let the worries of the world wash off!
7. Snuggle with your fur baby if you have one!
8. Most of all....Be kind to & take care of yourself!!! And know that tomorrow you will feel more hopeful!!!
My family died in Nazi camps and my dad survived 5 of them. I have always said it’s the people across Europe who welcomed the Nazi’s in and held their babies up to Hitler who let it happen. No dictator can get there alone. The ordinary people who fight for freedom are the heroes of the time they live in
For those looking for comparisons to Nazi Germany, it would benefit them to look even more closely at the Weimar Republic.
Does any of this sound familiar?
* Fringe parties and factions who refuse to compromise on anything and pull their support from the majority Center Left coalition, thereby denying them a strong enough majority to counter their mutual opposition on the Far Right.
* Oligarchs, afraid of what the leftist policies will do to their fortunes, pressuring the Centrist gov't to move to the right.
* An aging holdover from a previous gov't chosen to be the leader who, while more than capable of serving, is too set in his ways to act forcefully against the threat from the Far Right.
* No one bothering to pay attention when the Far Right is showing what they intend to do once in charge.
Most histories of Germany in the 1920s look at Hitler's rise to power. But in "Fateful Hours: The Collapse of the Weimar Republic", award-winning historian Volker Ullrich looks at the history of the Weimar Republic, and how it bungled pretty much every chance to stop the Nazis.
It isn't *specifically* about El Presidente and the US, but it's really damned hard not to see the parallels. Of course, these aren't the only weaknesses he mentions - just the ones I felt like pointing out. Ullrich really wants us to see just how easily a democracy can slide into fascism.
And it's far too easy when you're not willing to defend it.
I did not know the story of Hans Litten. What a chilling example for the enemies list that the Trump administration is now prosecuting. If we can't compare MAGA/Republican Party with the Nazis, what's the point of studying history? As we should all know, Hitler didn't begin with gas chambers. The evils he perpetuated in the mid-1930s is where we are now. MAGA consciously employs similar tactics and symbols. I agree that the important comparison is with the attitudes of the people—Republican voters—evidenced everyday if you listen to conservative talk radio where hosts and callers vent their hatred for liberals, immigrants, and the homeless. But I go further and complain about the Democratic Party backing down time and again from making the obvious comparisons. In 2015, Donald Trump held rallies where crowds gave the Nazi salute and pledged their loyalty. Critics who compared these rallies to Nazi rallies were shouted down. In light of today 2026, after the Jan. 6 2021 insurrection, after Trump's 2 year and going dictatorial rule, after concentration camp-style detention centers, after the murder of protesting citizens in Minneapolis, after a Congress and Supreme Court giving him untethered control, how were those critics inaccurate? Why are we STILL so afraid to frame our current government as a crime syndicate run by a cult leader?
Beautiful article. Thank you for speaking softly while carrying a heavy load.
I am reminded of Spencer Tracy's speech explaining the guilty verdicts against Nazi judges in "Judgment at Nuremberg". Apparently, the long scene was filmed in a single take
But this trial has shown that under a national crisis, ordinary -- even able and extraordinary -- men can delude themselves into the commission of crimes so vast and heinous that they beggar the imagination. The only problem is that in the US, there was no national crisis, unless you count the one of Trump's making
They're building new and improved methods to enforce that compliance. It includes scraping our personal data, and IP address every time we interact with any government website. https://thedreydossier.substack.com/p/i-found-a-second-votegov-and-its?r=5vogaw&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Every voter has the chance to speak up in the way they cast a ballot.
I fail to see how it’s unfair to draw parallels between the Nazis and current leadership in this country.
Wonderful essay. Some do nothing because the task at hand seems monumental, hitting us from all sides with no let up. We seem/feel powerless. In this case, don't be daunted by the forest; focus on the trees. One issue , one action at a time, regardless of how small and minor it may seem, is vital to our sense of humanity. And we must never, ever lose that.