1. United States
2. Texas
3. Letter

“Democracies are not lost all at once. They erode piece by piece while people convince themselves that what they are seeing cannot really be happening.” Defending our Republic and democracy is exhausting business. Sometimes it’s the equivalent of kicking a dead horse to try and get elected officials to pay attention to and acknowledge the very things they were put in office to pay attention to. So here’s just a few unacceptable things that seem to have become normal, but are anything but. Trump’s phony agreement for a 1776 Slush Fund—that’s the most fitting name, since Trump decided he alone would command $1.776B in taxpayer funds for his personal discretionary use to reward minions. Using 1776 in any way, shape or form around the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the Capitol is a travesty, mockery, desecration, and outright manipulation of our democratic founding in favor of mob rule. 1776 is no justification for 1/6 and never will be. So why is the president supported in his efforts to remake one of the most shameful instances in our history into a glorious event? Using our money? A US president stoked the fires of sedition and revolution because he lost a free and fair election. And he continues to do so. Why is this blasphemy condoned by the GOP Congress, and even supported? Or worse, ignored? Why is Trump being allowed to attempt to pay off his supporters (without using his own money), perhaps for the past, and perhaps also for the future? Then there’s the Iran morass. Where it appears the war that’s not a war is being fought with middle schools memes and taunts. “An Agreement has been largely negotiated,” Trump posts, “subject to finalization…. Final aspects and details of the Deal are currently being discussed, and will be announced shortly. In addition to many other elements of the Agreement, the Strait of Hormuz will be opened.” Anybody holding their breath? Then Iran’s state media immediately posts that Trump’s claim that the strait would reopen as it was before the war was “not true,” adding that “it should be noted that American officials have acknowledged in multiple messages to Iran that Trump’s tweets are primarily for promotional purposes and media consumption within the United States, and they have recommended that no attention be paid to these statements.” And always accompanied by memes blowing shit up, demeaning images of this that and the other, all in a juvenile display of chest thumping. Such is the state of America’s commander-in-chief’s deal-making expertise. Meanwhile, Rep Massie was on Meet the Press Sunday. An actual moral actor it seems, he has been key to demanding the release of the Epstein files. Predictably, ‘the most transparent administration in history’ continues to ignore the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which required the DOJ to release all the files no later than December 19, 2025. Noting that Massie had named names from the files in the past, he was asked, “Can we expect you to name more names in the coming weeks and months?” Massie answered: “Yes.” Excellent.