Are we scared yet? No, I’m not referencing the pandemic. It’s definitely scary but we understand its elements and can apply science and technology to cope with it. No, What I’m most fearful of is our President who has unequivocally stated that he is our king, our emperor, or maybe our supreme being, the one the First Commandment recognizes. He has publicly admitted that, in his mind, there are no powers…none… that his position does not allow him. In the past it seemed like braggadocio and his supporters loved the idea of how uncomfortable it made the opposition.  But no more. It is more and more obvious that he is serious…that in his mind he is now America’s king and brags about having the power to solely make decisions regulating the lives of his subjects…us.

In the past it seemed unthinkable to make a comparison between an American President and that of Hitler, Stalin or Mao tse-Tung. But no more! What is even more distressing is that the members of his party, specifically the Senators and Congresspersons have succumbed to this imperial worship; have ignored or discarded their oath to uphold our Constitution and now cower in silence as he rants and raves, drifting dangerously from one pole to another while his supporting public hold their hands over their ears and eyes and sing his praises.

“I have the ultimate authority,” Trump told the press. “When somebody is the president of the United States, the authority is total and that’s the way it’s got to be. … It’s total.”  When will he become bold enough to begin arresting and imprisoning his political enemies? Or the members of the free press. When will he demand you return to work or you die? Will there be a time or an event when the Lindsey Grahams, Ron Johnsons, or Marco Rubios come out from under their respective rocks and say “ENOUGH!” or will they continue to lick his feet and pray he doesn’t really notice them during one of his fits of rage, realizing they can reap some of the spoils if they’re silent.

In time the effects of the pandemic can be mitigated and even forgotten. But if Trump and his Republican cohorts have their way there will never be another America, at least in the foreseeable future.