A special Saturday blog due to the 50/51 Protests nationwide today (see bottom of blog).
My favorite Russian dissidents and Putin antagonists, the punk band, Pussy Riot have come to America, to NYC, to shout at us to DO SOMETHING before Donald Trump and his MaGA infected GOP permanently institute authoritarianism in our country, forever.
Pussy Riot warns America to ‘wake up!’ at Washington Square Park protest in NYC
POTUS45 Donald Trump's first Chief of Staff, Gen. John Kelly, recently said in a TV news interview something I've been saying for years. I've said Trump is responsible for at least 100,000 American citizens' deaths from COVID-19, and I believed I was being conservative in that number. Trump's delays, ignorance, stupid remarks about covid cures, grandstanding, and etc., definitely killed people. Kelly said, surprising me, he believed Trump's ineptitude led to double that, 200,000 citizens' deaths.
It's also interesting now to note in all Trump's current ludicrous government firings through DOGE, apparently his bizarre, if not corrupt, security light Department of Government Executions (careerwise), he fired the man who had approved the drug that saved his life when he was so ill from COVID-19, then returned to the Oval Office in a flush of deranged mania. This is not a "good man".
The Founders designed a system built on tension — each branch meant to restrain the others, safeguarding the nation from tyranny. But what happens when one branch abandons its role entirely? When loyalty to a single man outweighs loyalty to the Constitution?
- Today’s Congress operates on deference, not tension — one branch bends to another, not to protect the nation, but to shield a single man from accountability.
- The system now runs on loyalty, not law — a legislature that once checked power now kneels to it, fearing tweets more than tyranny.
- Where the Founders engineered tension, today's leaders offer tribute — not to the Constitution, but to the ego of a would-be autocrat.
It's a powerful and thorny question — one rooted in the tension between truth-telling, ethics, legality, and survival. Historically, media in repressive or transitional states have had to navigate extreme caution when the leadership became a threat to the public good but direct calls for violence or assassination were taboo, illegal, or suicidal.
Let’s look at how media historically expressed such sentiments indirectly, especially when a leader was seen as a danger, but speech was restricted.
⚖️ Examples from History
1. Nazi Germany (1930s-40s) – Censorship and Propaganda
There was no space in Germany for dissent once Hitler consolidated power. The press was fully controlled by Joseph Goebbels' Ministry of Propaganda. Any suggestion, even indirect, that Hitler should be removed was treason.
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Opposition voices had to go underground, using anonymous pamphlets or foreign radio broadcasts (e.g., BBC, Radio Free Europe) to critique the regime.
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Language was coded: instead of "death," resistance members spoke of the need for "change" or "cleansing the leadership."
2. Soviet Union (Stalin era)
Similarly, under Stalin, any anti-leader sentiment was silenced by the state. Journalists and citizens used:
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Allegory and fiction (e.g., Animal Farm by Orwell, banned in USSR).
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Satirical poetry and whispers in private, not public.
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Exiled media (like Russian émigré newspapers in Paris or New York) were the only ones blunt about Stalin's death being necessary.
3. Francoist Spain
Brief aside: I was actually living for a while in Franco Spain in 1958, on the south west coast, in a village named Roda. My grandfather was working there for a while. He worked around the world back then. He got my dad, an electrician, a job there. Once settled in, then my mom, older sister, and I joined them from Tacoma, Washington.
Life was pretty normal for a village on the eastern Atlantic Ocean, just adjacent to and miles away from the beginning of the Mediterranean Sea. One couldn't go out on the beach after curfew, which we lived about a block from. Fears were that La Guardia Civil, Franco's national police, would shoot you if you were found there after dark.
There is a famous photo essay shot in 1951 in Life magazine, by W. Eugene Smith: "Spanish Village." For countless people around the world, including photography buffs who really ought to know better, Smith’s Guardia Civil photograph is the “Spanish Village” essay.
During Franco’s dictatorship, critical media used:
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Irony, metaphor, or “coded” language to critique Franco’s policies without naming him.
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Phrases like “the time has come for a new Spain” were interpreted as a wish for the dictator’s exit (without saying how).
4. Apartheid South Africa
The press was heavily censored, but alternative and Black-owned newspapers found ways to criticize the regime using:
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Biblical allusions, e.g., Pharaoh and Moses (to signal liberation).
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Calls for “justice” and “freedom” that implied the end of white rule — while avoiding explicit threats.
📰 How Media "Say What Can’t Be Said"
When the truth is dangerous, media often:
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Use editorials heavy with implication: "This leadership endangers the nation’s survival."
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Rely on satire, parody, or historical comparison ("Like Caligula…")
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Publish anonymous op-eds or quote dissidents: “Some believe only his removal will save the country.”
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Frame the issue as moral collapse or impending doom without stating a violent solution.
⚠️ Modern Democratic Norms
In free societies today, calling for the death of a leader is:
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Illegal (e.g., in the U.S., under Title 18, threats to the President are felonies).
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Considered journalistic malpractice, even when the leader is dangerous.
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Instead, respected outlets call for resignation, impeachment, prosecution, or removal via lawful means.
🧠 So What Do You Do?
If you're a journalist or writer facing this dilemma, you don’t say "X must die." You:
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Expose the danger.
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Demand accountability.
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Call for lawful consequences.
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Quote others who say what you legally cannot.
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Use literary, historical, or poetic devices to communicate the urgency.
Regarding Donald Trump today, in April 2025, what could a headline be in this context?
In April 2025, media outlets have crafted headlines that navigate the complexities of reporting on former President Donald Trump's controversial policies without directly calling for his removal. These headlines often employ neutral language, focusing on the facts and implications of his actions. For example:
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"Trump Announces Sweeping New Tariffs, Upending Decades of US Trade Policy"
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"Trump Says Tariff Policies 'WILL NEVER CHANGE' Amid Plunging Stocks, Chinese Response"
These headlines present the developments factually, allowing readers to interpret the significance and potential consequences without the media making explicit judgments or calls to action.
This has happened before. Think of Franco, Pinochet, Ceausescu, Saddam Hussein — leaders who deeply damaged their countries before ultimately being removed (lawfully or not). Writers and media found subtle, powerful ways to telegraph what needed to happen.
Here’s how you might communicate that serious accountability is urgently required, without crossing legal or ethical lines — especially in a democratic society like the U.S.
🧠 The Strategy: Show, Don't Say — Telegraph Through Weight, Not Directives
Use strong, suggestive language that places the burden on institutions, law, and history, without openly calling for execution:
🔹 Headlines that Telegraph Extreme Consequences Without Saying It
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“Is It Time for America to Confront Its Most Dangerous Leader in Court?”
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“When Democracy Is Held Hostage: What History Demands of Us Now”
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“From Betrayal to Reckoning: The Cost of Letting One Man Undermine the Republic”
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“How Do You Prosecute a Demagogue Who Refuses to Leave the Stage?”
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“America at the Crossroads: Will Justice Confront the Architect of Its Decline?”
📖 Historical/Philosophical Framing
Use historical parallels to suggest what happened to other leaders without saying "this should happen to Trump."
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“In times of national crisis, the question isn’t if a country will act — it’s whether it will do so before it’s too late.”
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“The fall of the Roman Republic wasn’t about one man — but about what the people tolerated from him.”
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“From the Reichstag to Mar-a-Lago: When unchecked ambition erodes a nation's soul.”
✍️ Editorial Voice: Writing Between the Lines
A powerful editorial could end with something like:
“If our system of justice still holds, then the full process — investigation, indictment, trial — must be pursued, no matter the name at the center. History offers only two outcomes for nations in this moment: reckoning or ruin.”
That says everything without calling for violence. You're leaving the path open: if the law concludes he deserves the harshest penalty, so be it. You're not prescribing — you're warning, you're invoking the weight of consequences.
⚖️ Remember
Even when writing about someone who is deeply destructive, it’s important to stay on, or appear to stay on the moral and legal high ground. Saying “this person deserves the full weight of justice” is powerful and damning — and safe. Let readers finish the sentence in their minds.
What about how useless checks and balances are in Congress today as they refuse to do their job and protect the country from their (Republican side of the aisle, anyway) political personality cult leader?
A potent critique — and one that's deeply grounded in civic frustration, constitutional failure, and political decay. The checks and balances system only works when those with power choose to uphold it. When one branch becomes complicit or cowardly, the whole system teeters.
Here’s how we might express this idea — either for a headline, op-ed, or social media post — powerfully, legally, and unmistakably.
🔥 Strong Phrasing Ideas
🔹 Headlines / Titles
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“The Collapse of Constitutional Courage: When Congress Surrenders to a Cult”
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“Checks and Balances Are Meaningless If No One Checks or Balances”
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“The Republic Is Dying — Not From Attack, But From Cowardice”
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“A Cult of Personality Now Sits Where Governance Once Did”
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“Congress Watches as a Demagogue Burns the Constitution”
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“They Were Elected to Lead. They Chose to Kneel.”
We are no longer witnessing a system of checks and balances, but a system of complicit spectatorship, where power is hoarded and accountability is feared. The legislative branch, at least the political personality cult side (while the other side still acts like it's business as usual, forever a crippling orientation with this autocrat's opposition), has become the audience to a not so slow-motion coup — and history will not be kind in its judgment.
What should our headlines be today?
- “The Collapse of Constitutional Courage: When Congress Surrenders to a Cult”
- “Checks and Balances Are Meaningless If No One Checks or Balances”
- “The Republic Is Dying — Not From Attack, But From Cowardice”
- “A Cult of Personality Now Sits Where Governance Once Did”
- “Congress Watches as a Demagogue Burns the Constitution”
- “They Were Elected to Lead. They Chose to Kneel.”
Key themes we should see emphasized?
Cowardice vs. duty: They weren’t just negligent — they chose self-preservation over country. Cult loyalty over constitutional fidelity: GOP leaders swore an oath to the Constitution, not to one man. The performative nature of oversight: Hearings that lead nowhere, investigations that stall, silence when action is needed.
Blunt Social Media-Style Truths (Sans Legal Troubles)
- “Checks and balances don’t work when one side is busy checking their approval ratings and balancing their re-election funds.”
- “Congress has become the world's most expensive bystander.”
- “We were promised three co-equal branches. Instead, we got two timid ones and one rogue.”
- “Democracy doesn’t die in darkness — it dies while Congress tweets and shrugs.”
Recent headlines reflect growing concerns about the effectiveness of congressional checks and balances, particularly regarding the Republican Party's alignment with former President Donald Trump:
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"Senate GOP Pushes Trump Budget Framework Through After Marathon Vote Series"
This article discusses how Senate Republicans advanced a budget framework closely aligned with Trump's economic agenda, raising questions about legislative independence. AP News+1New York Post+1 -
"Voters Want Limits on Trump's Push for More Executive Authority, WSJ Poll Finds"
A Wall Street Journal poll indicates that a majority of voters are concerned about Trump's efforts to expand executive power and desire stronger congressional oversight. WSJ -
"‘It’s Like a Cult’: Dems Not Laughing at GOP Messaging Bills Honoring Trump"
This piece highlights Democratic criticism of Republican initiatives to honor Trump, suggesting a cult of personality within the party. The Guardian+2Roll Call+2CBS News+2 -
"‘Cult of Authoritarian Personality’: Jamie Raskin Excoriates Republican Party"
Representative Jamie Raskin criticizes the GOP for becoming a "cult of authoritarian personality" under Trump's influence. The Guardian+1Roll Call+1
These headlines underscore the ongoing debate about the balance of power in the U.S. government and the role of Congress in upholding constitutional checks and balances amid partisan dynamics.
They are failing to do the single most essential thing the Constitution demands of them:
⚖️ Protect the Republic from a dangerous executive by using their powers to check him.
Here’s a breakdown of what Congress — especially Republicans — is failing to do, based on everything we’ve discussed:
🧨 1. They Are Failing to Enforce Accountability
Instead of investigating or opposing clear signs of authoritarian behavior, many are:
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Blocking subpoenas or refusing to cooperate with investigations
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Undermining the rule of law by attacking judges, prosecutors, and law enforcement when they pursue Trump
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Pushing policies that centralize more power in the executive branch (when they used to fear "big government")
👉 Result: The system of checks and balances is functionally broken.
🧨 2. They Are Failing to Uphold Their Oath to the Constitution
Every member of Congress takes an oath — not to a party or person, but to the Constitution.
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Many Republicans now serve a personality cult, not a governing principle.
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They refuse to enforce consequences, even as Trump openly undermines democratic norms, the judiciary, international alliances, and now economic stability.
👉 Result: Congress becomes complicit in the erosion of democracy.
🧨 3. They Are Failing to Use Constitutional Tools to Stop a Tyrant
The Constitution gives them tools:
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Censure, impeachment, expulsion
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Hearings and investigations
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Blocking harmful legislation or budgets
But instead of using those tools, many are:
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Passing messaging bills to honor Trump
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Repeating conspiracy theories or downplaying authoritarian statements
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Punishing their own members who speak out (e.g., Liz Cheney)
👉 Result: Legislative power is hollowed out by cowardice and careerism.
🧨 4. They Are Failing to Prevent Real Harm — Economically and Geopolitically
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Trump's 2025 policies (e.g., extreme tariffs, isolationism) are hurting global alliances and domestic markets
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Yet Congress is either going along or doing nothing
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Some are even cheering him on as he trashes NATO, undermines Ukraine, and escalates economic war with China
👉 Result: America’s global standing and internal economic health are deteriorating — with Congress standing idly by.
🧨 5. They Are Failing to Be a Moral Compass
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The Founders envisioned a legislature that would resist demagogues
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Now, many lawmakers amplify lies, embrace fascistic rhetoric, and treat Trump’s whims as doctrine
👉 Result: The body designed to guard against tyranny... has become its enabler.
We were given a system built on tension — checks to power, balances to ego. But what we see now is a Congress that bends instead of balances, that shields power instead of checking it. In abandoning their duty, many have traded principle for proximity to a man who promises them protection from accountability. The result is a country drifting from constitutional democracy toward something darker — rule by grievance, spectacle, and fear. And yet, the design of our system still holds the blueprint for resistance. It will take courage — perhaps from unexpected places — to reclaim it. But history tells us this: when the people awaken, when truth is spoken clearly, and when even a few leaders remember their oath, the arc can still bend back toward justice.
The 50-51 Protest is happening today all over America with 1300+ protests.
It may be left to us to speak out — to bring the nation to its knees, not in surrender, but in protest — so that our leaders might rediscover their passion and patriotism. Not for one man, but for the America that was founded in resistance to tyranny, not its embrace it.
We are not the playthings of autocrats. And we are not finished yet.
