"Nothing bad can happen, it can only good happen." -Donnie J!

1/10/2026     Photos: © Stan B.

As an avid student of, and witness to history, it is indeed, both fascinating, and in this case frightening, to see history rhyming yet again- in an almost century long cycle. The cycle of Fascism: the same origins (prejudice, fear, ignorance) using the same playbook- manufacturing and spreading alarm (using rumor, propaganda and outright lies) and then using the ensuing anxiety to declare the necessity of increasingly authoritative measures. At first, these retaliatory measures are used against those on the margins, the despised, the most powerless; gradually the circle expands to cover one and all- slowly, incrementally, denied by both those who tighten the screws, and dismissed (at first) by those, not yet, being screwed. Eventually, the frog is boiled, the deed is done, and one and all are entrapped on a sinking boat despite one's social status.

Of course, all the above can only be done with the aid of a charismatic figure, someone with considerable appeal, access to those with power and money, and the ability to con said assets for his own personal gain and ambition. And so we currently find ourselves, thoroughly within the grasp of he who now controls the most powerful country in the world. A man who persistently boasts of his own attributes and conquests to anyone who'll listen, and particularly to those who rather not- a most particular conceit for someone so ill equipped to speak, at all! This is a man who: lauds his own "very large ahh... brain," attempts to mimic and demean people with disabilities in public and refers to women as "piggy." His followers praise his business acumen, despite his: multiple bankruptcies, repeated failures to exhibit the slightest knowledge of what constitutes a simple mathematical percentage, and his proven inability to make a profit in a business specifically designed to separate the customer from his money- gambling casinos. His statements and policies are never questioned to his face and official behavior once thought unconscionable, now dulls with familiarity.

The signs are all there, and increasing by the day- this will not end well! This purveyor of 30,573 lies in his first term alone, this convicted felon whose criminal history began with organized crime in NYC, this best of friends for fifteen years to one of the most notorious child sex traffickers of these past decades is proclaimed by Conservative Christians as none other than "God's Imperfect Vessel!" He and his family continue to bilk the public and collude with private enterprise to the tune of Billion$, all the while declaring to "drain the swamp." And this is but the slimmest of outlines, highlighting a criminal career that is now faltering under the weight of his own lies and deteriorating physical and mental health. 

His last days will not bode well for all of us. The economy is temporarily being held up by its sheer size and resilience, his fear of the personal secrets The Epstein Files hold are causing increasing panic and policy blunders of major national and international consequence. The masked occupation of some of our major cities, the outright military threats to enemies and allies alike- all of this and more by a man who slurs through incoherent, meandering speeches stopping only to "rest his eyes" for ever increasing intervals as his seconds praise his intellectual prowess and non stop work ethic (when not golfing). 

The walls are starting to cave, despite his followers continued and more desperate denials- but the end will not come easy! Which will implode first remains to be seen: our faltering economy, a foreign military escapade gone horribly wrong, or the whistleblower who finally puts the nail to The Epstein Files- however it unfolds, we will have to pick up the remaining pieces of his hubris, our country and ourselves...

Photos: © Stan B.