Tag: autocracy

July 4th

Vote for Democracy #42

(Photo by Lucas Sankey on Unsplash)

Today is July 4th, observed in the United States as Independence Day, commemorating the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776.

The Declaration of Independence is a fundamental document for the United States and a copy of it currently hangs in the president’s Oval Office.

Unfortunately, Donald Trump does not seem to know what it says.

In an interview with Terry Moran two months ago, he answered a question about what the Declaration of Independence means to him by saying, “Well it means exactly what it says, it’s a declaration, it’s a declaration of unity and love and respect and it means a lot and it’s something very special to our country.”

While Trump is correct that the Declaration of Independence means a lot and is very special, he totally mischaracterizes its meaning and purpose.

The Continental Congress was declaring their freedom from Great Britain and its king, whose tyrannical actions they enumerate.

It is horrifying that the current president and administration are perpetrating tyrannical actions now, some of which reflect those in the Declaration and some additional ones.

It makes this 249th anniversary a somber one but also a challenge to all of us to speak up for our founding principles and the rule of law, for a government that “promote(s) the general welfare” as spelled out in the Preamble to our Constitution. This struggle needs to be carried out in justice and non-violence and progress may be slow, but, I hope, that our 250th anniversary next year will see us making progress toward realizing our democratic ideals rather than retreating further toward autocracy.

The Declaration declares that all are equal and endowed “with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

May our 250th Independence Day be with a government that recognizes the civil and human rights of all people so that we can truly celebrate our democracy on July 4th, 2026.

Trump corruption

Vote for Democracy #39

(Photo by Lucas Sankey on Unsplash)

Donald Trump and his family are not even trying to hide their grifting and corruption.

The two most recent public examples are the acceptance of a luxury 747 from the government of Qatar and a dinner with the top holders of a Trump meme coin.

The jet had been made for the use of Qatar’s royal family but they had been trying to sell it in recent years. Trump had seen the jet and liked it. He wanted to use it as the presidential plane while Boeing continues to construct two new planes to replace the current ones, which are almost thirty-five years old. Somehow, instead of buying it, Trump finagled it being a gift to the Defense Department that will be transferred to the Trump presidential library when he leaves office. This is an attempt to get around the emoluments clause of the US Constitution, which prohibits the president from accepting gifts from foreign countries without the consent of Congress.

Article I, Section 9, Clause 8:

No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.

Days before being sworn in for his second term, Trump and his family launched a crypto meme coin called $Trump. The nature of crypto is lack of transparency as to who holds it but it is known that Trump and his family profit from the trading of the meme coin. Trump’s sons, Don, Jr. and Eric, announced a dinner with the President for the largest holders of $Trump, many of whom are known to be from foreign countries. The top 25 holders also had an additional reception with the President and a tour of the White House the next day. This paying for access to the president is a form of grift, influence peddling, and corruption. It’s also a further example of how Trump has used the presidency as a way to enrich himself and his family. Unlike other presidents, he has not released his tax returns to the public and has not placed his assets into a blind trust so that the public has confidence that presidential decisions are being made for the good of the country rather than personal financial gains.

In this term, Trump is also promoting policies that give advantages to his rich allies, especially Elon Musk. Musk, already a major government contractor, has increased his contracts while cutting many other contracts through DOGE, having court cases and investigations against him dismissed, having environmental regulations relaxed, and having pressure applied for other agencies and countries to accept his Starlink system.

So, yes, the United States has descended into both autocracy and oligarchy. The forces of democracy are fighting, though, and, I think, gaining momentum as the Trump administration’s actions become more lawless and blatant. While the damage has already been immense, we have to regain our democracy, values, and the rule of law before our country is lost forever. All the small actions of individuals and the larger initiatives of organizations, multiplied by millions, must prevail.

Today is observed as Memorial Day in the United States, when we honor the memory of those killed in service to our country. We owe it to their memory to do our part in upholding the democracy for which they gave their lives.

one month in

Vote for Democracy #34

(Photo by Lucas Sankey on Unsplash)

Because of my health, I haven’t been up to doing major posts about the situation here in the United States.

Condensed version: Donald Trump and Elon Musk are leading an internal administrative coup, trying to end our Constitutional democracy and install an autocratic oligarchy. Despite court orders, they have fired vital staff in agencies, fired those in charge of oversight and investigations, tried to overturn birthright citizenship guaranteed by the 13th Amendment to our Constitution, cut aid to poverty-stricken people around the world, and abandoned our allies, including Ukraine, turning instead to supporting Russia and far-right European parties like Germany’s AfD. Congressional Republicans, who are in the majority in both houses, have mostly ignored this disaster, allowing their own constituents and the fate of our allies to suffer.

There are many organizations and prominent, principled individuals who are calling out these outrages and resisting, as well as ordinary folks who have been voicing opposition to their members of Congress, protesting in state capitals and other cities and towns, and organizing boycotts against oligarchic companies.

The level of public corruption is staggering. Trump is blatantly profiting from the presidency, including by cryptocurrency schemes. He has suspended enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Elon Musk is cutting jobs and programs in multiple agencies while protecting his businesses’ extremely lucrative government contracts and eliminating those who were investigating him for violations.

Trump’s popularity has already fallen but there is no sign that he will change his ways, even with his shameful behavior in turning against Ukraine in the face of Russia’s illegal, immoral, and indefensible invasion of their country. It’s also helpful to note at this point that Trump and the Republicans do not have a mandate from the voters for any of this. Trump won less than half of the votes cast in November and an even larger number of eligible voters did not vote at all. There are also a number of things that Trump has done or threatened that were not part of his campaign rhetoric at all.

Anyone who was familiar with Project 2025 realized that some of these executive directions were coming and that the administration would push for all power to be concentrated in the presidency under the controversial “unitary executive” theory, which flies in the face of the systems of checks and balances established in our Constitution.

Still, the avalanche of executive actions and pronouncements by Trump, Musk, Vance, and other high-ranking officials has been staggering. Part of their plan was to overwhelm the courts and anyone in government or not who opposed their efforts.

I wish I could say those of us supporting democracy, the public good, and our traditional allies were bound to succeed but I don’t know what will happen. I’m afraid that some of the damage will be permanent. Actually, we know that some of the damage is irrevocable, as some recipients of USAID have already died because medical care and famine relief were abruptly ended.

I do want people to know that Donald Trump and his administration do not speak or act for me and for the majority of Americans. I am deeply sorry for the damage and harm that have befallen millions of people at home and abroad. Admittedly, my part in the resistance is tiny but I will continue to be part of it. Please, all defenders of democracy, do whatever you can within your own sphere of influence to help reverse the slide toward autocracy and oligarchy. We the People must assert our rights and rebuild a country that respects our freedom and liberty.