Anger

     One of the things I have difficulty coming to terms with is how angry I am.  Not that Mr. Trump won; I don't expect to like Presidents.  It's a lousy job and it attracts flawed men.  No, I'm angry he won after promising, however coyly, chaos and revenge; I'm angry at the shocking extent of damage the Trump administration and a complicit Congress have done and are continuing to do to the Federal government, public discourse and the "civil contract" underlying American society.  I'm furious at opposition politicians, most of whom muster only Michael Dukakis-level responses, a kind of monotone, "Why yes I am shocked, quite shocked, at all this."  I'm furious at a complacent public, watching the rise of a masked secret police force unaccountable to local officials with very little protest -- after all, they're not coming after citizens, are they?  Indeed, they are not -- not yet.  But as President Trump has remarked on more than one occasion, "Homegrowns are next."

     Authoritarianism needs a steady stream of scapegoats.  Immigrants.  Protestors.  Racial, religious and sexual minorities.  Political opponents.  Earlier this month, the President spent time at an Independence Day rally, normally an occasion to stress national unity, proclaiming how much he dislikes -- hates -- Democrats.

     The wheels are coming off.  Checks and balances are being circumvented or undermined.  Executive authority expands daily, while Congress and the courts enable it or simply look on in silence.  History shows how this trend ends, especially if it is not stopped early, and it's not a good place.