"Witnessing a social, criminal, political, psychological, and a faith phenomenon in the United States has only been seen in glimpses in other contexts, and not to the extent now. To understand what is going on and to hopefully devise remedies will require examining the primary causes and the interactions.
"From the beginnings of civilization in the Fertile Crescent, the Indus River valley, and China politics, rule has been intertwined with faith, religious traditions. The leader, ruler, the monarch was considered divine and could do no wrong, at least to the faithful followers. All negative stories, facts were considered fake or propaganda. Being a priest meant you had the leader's ear, thereby influencing the direction of society and the nation. It was also a good position for increasing your wealth by selling the people and the leaders' promises that are, in fact, baseless. This has taken the form of charismatic preachers grifting so much that they build their own super churches, colleges, and homes. The faith also could and has had a significant impact on loyalty to the monarch, driving it ever higher.
"Being part of a court held immense power and possibilities, so long as you did what the leader asked or ordered you to do. Such a position also had the leader's ear, with the possibility of influencing state policies and increasing your own wealth. So being part of a cabinet, a Soviet, a portion of the executive staff, meant that you could have your own fiefdom to exploit. Any position below that was a minor nobleman or a capo who had their own soldiers. Yes, government and organized crime are similar in structure, with goals of maintaining territory, gaining territory, power, and wealth. It has only been in the recent 200 years that the development of democracy has started to change. However, the old ways always have a way of returning.
"All dictators and their courts have degrees of narcissism. Trump has been classified as a malignant narcissist with sociopathy, which presents us with a unique, extremely dangerous situation that is potentially mortal to the country and its citizens! Was Hitler narcissistic? The answer is most probably yes, as all dictators and monarchs are. A known con man, liar, and cheat is Trump. His experience in fighting in the courts gave him the experience and knowledge of how to manipulate our justice system! Is or was our government and judicial system up to putting up guardrails? Part of his sickness is thinking like a godfather and being able to threaten others, particularly Republican politicians, without saying it directly. This forces the GOP to bend to his worst instincts. Note that his experience as a con man makes him charming and convincing to his audience/supporters. This is by knowing their grievances, fears, and anger, thereby co-opting them to control them. The help of the regime's propaganda media, Fox News, has captured a viewership. Trump's mental illness is very focused on two things: wealth and power, but keeping his followers convinced that he is fighting for them! He doesn’t care about anybody else, no matter how close; those around him, including his own family, are expendable.
"This sets up an environment and needs to resist, peacefully if possible, but it may have to be taken to the next level, VIOLENCE! Don’t get me wrong, to assume that I recommend violence via internal war is what I want. But as the ruling class feels more threatened, the more likely they will resort to violence themselves at any cost. So history and psychology tell us to be ready. Then you ask why the Russian 1917 revolution didn’t lead to such massive wars. They remembered that the peasants saw the czar and his nobles as the ruthless ruling class stealing from them. They saw the Bolsheviks working and protecting them, promising land reform, equality, etc. Sometimes it takes generations to reform or end dictatorships. If Trump and MAGA win, how long will it take for America to end the dictatorship?
Stephen Stripe (from his post on Facebook, 4/21/2025)
