American has reaped what we have been quietly sowing. Capitalism has destroyed the republic.
The rich are in charge and they are going to ram policies down our throats which will destroy us, while whispering soothing assurances that this will make everything better. They'll distract the gullible with divisive rhetoric about minorities, immigrants, anyone who is different.
There are still some people, apparently, who buy it all and swallow.
What I've been looking for is the pattern. What the hell happened and how? Sure, I read all the conspiracy theorists (or at least the sanest-sounding among them) and I am convinced about the Russia connection. But how? For what?
Today's news that the UK's Nigel Farage is a "person of interest" in the FBI's investigation into Russian interference in the US election is finally showing the bigger picture. Farage, if you don't know, is one of the architects of Brexit. He and his big mouth pal Boris Johnson convinced a country they'd be better off without the European Union without offering a single explanation of how it could work and why it would be better. But, like us, the Brits bought it. They thought it meant isolating themselves from the refugees of the world, strengthening their economy and their future. They thought it meant national pride. It's not looking like any of that is true. It never did.
And who did Trump's dirty-work pal Roger Stone use as an intro to Russia? Nigel Farage.
The door was opened, the welcome mat dusted off, and Russia infiltrated social media just as Trump asked them to. And he won.
Who benefits? Putin. Every time. Putin. He's thrown the EU into confusion, isolated Britain, and helped put in a puppet who cozies up to whoever offers him the most money and ego-stroking.
Trumpuppet was very happy in the Middle East. They treated him like a powerful man. He was very unhappy with EU leaders. They treated him like the bully he is.
He throws out threats to back out of the Paris Climate Accord. He hints he's giving Russian back their camps in the US. He distracts and he lies and all his toadies do the same. There is not a member of his administration who appears to be clean.
The Congressional leaders who support him are as covered in Russian influence as he is.
So who stops this? Who adds it all up, declares this country has been taken over by a hostile government, and slams the door shut? The Democrats? They helped create Trump as surely as Putin did. Until they grow up and remember their principles, they've got nothing.
Ted Lieu, Chris Murphy, Kirsten Gillibrand, step up. We need you. Take the lead.
If you don't know it yet, be aware other countries are slamming their doors on us now. Try to cross the Canadian border. You'll find they're being a whole lot more strict than they ever were before.
We are alone with this. It's our house. We have to clean it.
The question is how?
