First, I need to pay my respects to one of my greatest and maybe most inspiring mentors, the late, truly great Samuel Langhorne Clemens, AKA Mark Twain. This little blogpost and its title were partly inspired by Sam’s surprisingly funny little essay on horrific yet historic differences between French and Comanche cultures (use this link to enjoy Twain’s witty view of “modern” human monstrosity). I also need to give due credit to the arguably wacko/gonzo inspiration provided by David Icke’s damn-the-torpedos!-full-speed-ahead popularization of the truly wacko “ET Reptilians Run the World” conspiracy theories. Icke may be batshit crazy, but a large percentage of what he says is true (and fact-checkable). An indicator of that is all the “official” lies and false quotes of many interesting claims. Yes, obviously, Icke made lots of wildly outrageous (and just plain silly & wrong) claims and predictions. Yet, human brains do have a reptilian or saurian cortex and an amygdala that can be traumatized into habitual over-reaction, short-circuiting our mammalian cortex and human neocortical functions. You can also fact-check those truths.
So, knowing how our brains get hijacked by traumas, threats, fear, hostility, and emotional chemistry lets us understand a great deal of the causes of America’s current state of division. It also brings me to the original point of this post, a brief comparison of Nixon and Trump, as examplars of reptilian behavior.
For instance, despite all his illegal, unconstitutional violations of his oath of office, former Pres. Richard M. Nixon said, “I am not a crook.”
Most of us, including me, thought that was just another outrageous lie, typical of a politician committed to never admitting lying or cheating, and guilt. Now, in this post-truth era of normalized mass-insanity and anti-ethical mass-deception, former Pres. Donald J. Trump makes Nixon look like a tragic patriot who was driven into paranoid psychosis by the Curse of The Oval Office.* Naturally, growing up in a Quaker family, then experiencing the corrupting effects of law school and California politics, then serving as Pres. Eisenhower’s VP must have primed Nixon for mental and moral decline. So, it seems likely that he really believed that his criminal activities were justifiable.
In that case, Nixon would be not guilty, by reason of insanity caused by conflicting beliefs, ambitions, stresses, pressures, forces, dangers, and requirements of his presidency (of the USA). If that is true then, before his time as President, Nixon was not a crook, and not insane. Yet, his first VP, Spiro Agnew, probably contributed to Nixon’s delinquency and moral decay.
Now, in Trump’s case, apparently, his childhood drove him into total corruption and malignant narcissism long before he was elected President. It seems he was not only influenced by his father’s sketchy ethics. Trump clearly seems to agree with Agnew’s strategy (“if you can’t dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bullshit”), which was inspired by Mussolini, Hitler, and other masters of mass-deception and fraud. Getting away with fraud and gaming our bankruptcy system for decades clearly emboldened him. Becoming a “reality TV show” host and global media celebrity would turbo-charge the delusions of any narcissistic egomaniac. Of course, being full of vanity, empty of honesty, devoted to winning “easy” money (cheating), celebrity, and maintaining it made turning Trump into Putin’s tool easy.
So, after studying all the facts, his history, and his ongoing InfoWar against truth and sanity, we can say that Trump was a mentally ill crook before he tried to corrupt the Office of President of the USA, and then kept trying to overthrow our system of government and the rule of law. Yet, Trump is no more guilty than all his enablers, including those who simply do and say nothing to stop him.
So, we can now answer the titular question, “what is the difference, if any, between a Republican and a reptilian (or Saurian) shapeshifter from Draco or Hell?”
We can safely discount Icke’s fantastic rhetoric about reptilians being actual ET shapeshifters. Still, the behaviors of Trumpi-MAGA** fanatics clearly relate to traumatized limbic systems, hyper-active amygdalas, and habitual dominance of the reptilian/saurian cortex. Of course, that enables suppression and repression of the more rational linguistic functions associated with “left-brain” activities (logical analysis, critical thinking, fact-checking, etc.). So, no matter how absurdly false or crazy their Hitler-like leaders pronouncements, we see Trump, Trumpists, and Trumpi MAGA cultists engaging in Nazi-like mass-ritual behaviors in public media-spectacles. In fact, the fascist-authoritarian power dynamics of Trumpist and Trumpi mob mentality have nothing to do with truth or ethical integrity. Like all tyrannical cult leaders, Trump and MAGA Trumpists deliberately pervert factual language to exploit their followers’ hostile-aggressive emotions. Yes, the Trumpist weaponization of language supercharges cult solidarity, while tending to disintegrate identity, intimidate opponents, and frustrate attempts at rational discussion or useful debate.
Thus, both Hitler and Nixon realized that if lies – especially really big, outrageous lies – are repeated enough, long enough, a majority of us will either start believing them or quit questioning them. Of course, like all corrupt egomaniacs who want “absolute power” (to get away with anything, no matter how disgustingly evil or atrociously destructive), Trump clearly realized that long before becoming a “Reality TV” actor. Unlike poor old Nixon (and thanks to largely to the Internet and Putin), Trump seized the chance to do mass-deception on steroids, out-lying even Hitler.
So, those of us who still understand language used for real 2-way communication, for understanding, can see that real Republicans (and sane Conservatives) are really Republicans by their use of language for real 2-way communication, truly rational thinking, effective analysis, and understanding. Trumpists and MAGA Trumpi cultists use language and lies for trying to get whatever they want. Yes, that means that the lowest of MAGA Trumpi Trump fans love/support him because they are as immorally anti-ethical as he is.
* The “curse of the oval room” was an idea that occurred to Dr. Timothy Leary. He saw it as the negative effects of being POTUS, no matter how good and noble the new president was before going in.
**MAGA ideology is clearly a jingoist-fascist- meme used to faux-justify the anti-Christian Far-Right lie that, because America is no longer great, anti-Christians have a fake-right to support any anti-Christ who seems capable of leading them into an ecocidal fascist dictatorship, so all members of the MAGA Trumpi mob can do whatever they want (to whoever they hate or dislike), until their luck runs out (as it always does, eventually, like in Hitler’s Germany, etc.).
Stopping the Con
June 1, 2024
I finished yet another an updated, improved, more detailed report (linked below) on all the treasonous crimes Trump and his accomplices committed, but have not been charged for yet. Why do I bother with another call to action, even if it adds a few more crimes to Trump’s long list? I guess it’s my sense of responsibility, to myself, my country, and to other living beings. Hopefully, the new Introduction & Facts section, and my revised Summation will help make the case and the stakes more understandable and compelling.
Arresting Trumpism: Stopping the Con
The case for indictments, arrests, and prosecution for the more serious crimes
Copyright © 2024 Michael Lucas Monterey
Introduction
As I proved in my earlier reports on the current state of global political insanity and mass-stupidity disguised as normality and normalized corruption, the MAGA grifters’ claims, tactics, and goals are pure nonsense, lies, and scams (designed to ensure more fleecing of their ignorant flock of bamboozled dupes). For example, nobody can make something great again if it is great already.
Clearly, for those of us neither bamboozled nor hypnotized by Trump and the MAGA Trumpi loud mouths, America is great now, in several ways. Of course, not all those ways are good for all of us and our habitat (the natural environment that enables and sustains life). Indeed, Trump and his great success as the Republican Party’s current dictator is a great illness. Yet, the illegal Trumpi campaign to take over America goes on, and Trump continues his treasonous war against truth, sanity, and the American rule of law.
Yes, there are many examples of America’s really good kinds of greatness but, if we want to, we can always do better. Sadly, making America greater is not what most Americans want to do. For example, voting for the lesser of 2 evils every 4 to 6 years—while failing to change the rules of the game—keeps us stuck in counter-productive conflict, enabling ongoing exploitation and ruin. That makes America worse for everybody, not greater.
So, despite the advantages of our technological civilization, about 60 million Americans seem unable to realize the difference between exploitive propaganda and reality. Yet, a vast majority of the rest of us (in America etc.) seem unaware of the laws and principles of justice that could enable a real solution, ASAP. Thus, this post-conviction damage report on the current state of the Trumpist conspiracy is another attempt to encourage effective mass-response by the only people who can legally force a real, sustainable change for the better, us.
Facts & Responsibilities
This report of serious capital crimes and treasonous conspiracy was almost ready to publish more than a week ago. Luckily, Trump’s conviction, the reactions, and ongoing lack of required action (by elected and appointed officials, judges, and prosecutors) gave me the final reasons for updating this indictment.
For example, several days ago I saw a mainstream news anchor call the Red, White, Black & Blue incompetence of Congress a “clown show”—without mentioning a real solution. Previously, I saw three well-informed observers use the word “treason” to name the worst crime committed by Trump, his accomplices, and his enablers. Later, I saw former Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger use the term “mass-psychosis” to describe Trumpi reactions to Trump’s conviction. Still though, I see no news of legal action to enforce all the laws broken by and for Trump, Trumpism, and other MAGA insanities. So, lawless dishonesty, systemic corruption, and dysfunctionality fester and spread.
After the Trumpi rally in Arizona, a woman claimed she supports Trump because everything else is like what drove Germany into World War 2. Evidently, victims of Trumpi MAGA lies are now so bamboozled they believe the opposite of Hitler’s monstrous history. Yes, the USA suffers more than a few problems and illnesses. Yet, Trumpi treason is not the cause, nor the cure.
Trump and Trumpism are symptoms, like a fever or a huge wildfire. Ending it takes much more than more energy, oil, gas or more money. Among other virtues, it requires knowing why treason is our worst capital crime, and understanding why we always need to stop it, ASAP.
However, pandemics spread globally, rapidly. As our crises take their toll on America, our Ship of State sinks deeper into anti-ethical illness and corruption. This time could be worse than the Great Depression, the Nixon Dollar Crisis, the Great Stagflation, the 9/11 Disaster, the Dot-Com Crash & Recession, the Meltdown-Bailout Scam (of 2004-2009), and the COVID Panic Lockdown & Recession.[1] This time—like the lower-class passengers on the unsinkable Titanic—most of us could go down with The Ship. Yet, maybe not. As with the financial-debt crisis, the addiction crisis, the housing crisis, and our other related crises, the cure prevents worst-case results. So, this call for remedial action goes out to everyone, everywhere.
For those of you who neither know nor study constitutional law or American Jurisprudence (vol. 16) and the United States Code (USC) of federal law, the prescription may seem unrealistic or crazy. So, several laws in sections of USC “Title 18” (on criminal violation of Rights, official fraud & abuse of power or authority, conspiracy to commit treason, sedition, etc.) are included below.
Relevant notes and links support the case for many more indictments. Why? Trump violated his oath of office in more than a few ways. Clearly, he helped plan, promote, and support violent insurrection (overthrow of our system of government and the rule of law). So, holding Trump and his team liable for violating the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution (section 3) was a good thing. Yet, not good enough. It failed to prevent more disruptive treasons, committed daily, in public and online, globally.
By whom? By a.) Trump, b.) Trumpists in Congress, SCOTUS, DOJ, State officials, judges, et al, c.) the top Trumpi rebels, and by d.) traitors on the MAGA-Trumpi “Fox News” and “NewsMax” channels (etc.), even on PBS & NPR and e.) corporatocracy’s other major media nets. Nor was the response by the DOJ, the Judiciary, Congress and State officials ever enough to upgrade protection of our constitutional rule of law. Why worry about that? The only foundation of national sovereignty, integrity, peace and prosperity (or quality of life worth gaining and sustaining) is the mode of logic we call The Law.
That logic and the enabling principles of justice inform and empower all the laws enacted to protect us from violent harms, abuses, injustices, and ruinous treason. Yet, the law needs to be protected, by us. To sustain representative democracy we need to support the rule of law, rule per the principles of true justice and fairness. As shown below, Trump, and all who defend and/or enabled him, have no respect for our Constitution, law, justice, fairness, truth, and the ethical responsibility that enables good government. That makes Trumpists anti-American traitors.
The Case (the laws and details) presents the grounds for charging and prosecuting Trump & Trumpists for violating 9 federal laws while committing treason and conspiracy to violently overthrow the government of the USA and end our constitutional rule of law. See the whole report @ Arresting Trumpism 06/07/24
Summation & Recommendations
Nobody puts out a fire with oil or gas. Yet, that was and still is the Trumpi game plan. Look, we can’t fix systemic corruption and defective democracy by letting an anti-ethical psychopathic traitor try to win absolute power (to run the government, etc.).
More division, denial, cowardice, corruption, anti-American InfoWar and a for-profit Trumpi dictatorship will not be good for anyone, anywhere. MAGA Trumpi officials, backers, and cult members are enemies of all mankind and nature. In fact, Hostis Humani Generis,[2] the principle of law that permitted the arrest and prosecution of Nazi war criminals (among other mass-murders), now applies to Trumpist politicians, psychotic executives and judges. They harm, poison and ruin the lives of billions, of all generations (with pollution, extreme climate change, and systemic corruption for profit).
Trumpism and Trump’s words and acts are symptoms of mental illness and evil corruption. Continually violating the most important elements of the US Constitution and federal law—while planning and inciting more hate crimes and violent rebellion (to make Trump a dictator)—makes Trump and Trumpism clearly present dangers, of the worst degree.
Now, as shown in many news videos and online media, during the failed Trumpi Rebellion (of January 6), in accord with USC Title 18 § 245, officers of the Capitol Police were doing their duty. They upheld their oaths of office and their constitutional Rights (and ours). Yet, the Rights of those truly loyal law officers and electors, and all citizens and voters were violated by Trump, his Trumpist accomplices and Trumpi MAGA mobsters. They intended to lynch Vice-President Pence, and kidnap Rep. Nancy Pelosi (or worse). Trump and his fanatical Trumpi rebels say that members of an opposing group or political party or religion or “race” are unAmerican “vermin” who deserve prison, or worse. The worst Trumpi extremists are terrorists and/or homophobic, or White Supremacists or Nazis, or all the above. Also remember that aiding them and any foreign enemies, even by inappropriate inaction, is either treason or sedition, a felony. That makes Trump and his enablers equally guilty of all the crimes, injuries, and damages.
The cure? A bipartisan Senate report listed names of the seven people who died because of the Trumpi assault on the Capitol.[3] That makes the responsible conspirators ripe for maximum fines and prison terms, and/or execution. In fact, televised evidence of Trump’s own statements and ongoing tactics make him obviously guilty. He remains the key conspirator and accomplice, an accessory at the least. So, their ongoing attempts to perpetuate mass-violations of sections 241, 242, 245, & 249, and of 2381, 2382, 2383, 2384, & 2385 (of USC, Title 18), and the key elements of the US Constitution[4] make it urgently important to stop all the perpetrators, before the effects get any worse.
Also remember why Trump and his top strategists developed the “Stop the Steal” tactic before he was elected. Why? Just in case Hillary won.[5] Sadly, their strategy, Trump’s treason, and his War on Truth kept ramping up after his election.[6] So, the facts of law, history, public observation (globally), and the ongoing Trumpi InfoWar (etc.), clearly prove intentional, ongoing treasonous conspiracy of the 1st Degree.
In fact, if members of Congress and the DOJ had done their jobs, Trump could have been arrested, charged, and tried for treason long ago, while he betrayed the office of the Presidency. Indeed, if Trump had been charged for all his crimes committed while in office, his treasonous intent would have been obvious to all sane observers. That would have ensured his conviction, after emergency impeachment. Also, any member of Congress or officer of the DOJ (or the courts) or a State official who ignores the 9 federal laws and key elements of the Constitution violated by Trump and Trumpists is incompetent or too ignorant for their job.
What should we do about so many Trumpist traitors and enablers? What should we demand of all our elected officials, judges, our police forces, the DOJ, FBI, and Secret Service? The “perps” can and should be arrested and prosecuted for all their crimes. Of course, we should consider Trump’s favorite punishment for such awful crimes: death by firing squad, or maybe just one guy with a pistol.[7] Whatever punishment the jury prefers, it should be severe enough to serve as an effective deterrent, preventing more treasonous corruption by government employees.
Whatever the results, sane US citizens need to demand that our constitutional rule of law is protected from Trumpists (and other traitors). We need to hold them all responsible for all their crimes and harms. If that means that 9 out of every 10 politicians and judges are arrested, removed and imprisoned, or executed (including the SCOTUS 9), so be it. That is the American way to start fixing systemic corruption and political insanity, legally. After all, a next-gen “AI” system could do a much better job than about 90% of our federal employees, judges and lawyers. That can save us all those salaries, pensions, and extra costs (of all the corruption, damages, etc.).
Yes, that may never happen, and transitioning will be messy. Yet, the MAGA Trumpi plan is making things ‘better’ (for them) by making everything worse. Trumpists want fascist tyranny by and for them and the haters and thugs, to turn the USA into a Trumpi dystopia.[8] Preventing it requires stopping Trumpism. We need all Trump’s accomplices and enablers stopped, now, or very soon. That begins by stopping the Con, Trump.
So, consider this a call for immediate legal action, for full recovery, not just relief of symptoms. Power junkies, Trump and Trumpism are symptoms of cultural illness. We need the cure, ASAP, not ever worse consequences. We can start by upholding, protecting, and using our rule of law, to ensure justice for all. Judges, lawyers, and politicians too ignorant or corrupt to do it for us are part of the problem, not the solution.
Remember, most allegedly representative politicians and top bureaucrats have law degrees. So, they have no good excuse for not knowing or breaking the law. They need to be impeached, fired, and charged (etc.), ASAP.
Of course, our cure can only begin within. We need more courage, and real respect for justice, fairness, honesty, ethics, goodness, political sanity, and personal responsibility. Yet, for our best results, we need enough knowledge of history, politics, and law to see our possibilities and the wisdom to do our best, for the sake of all generations. Commitment to all those necessities is what it takes to support good government and a sustainable civilization of healthy communities and families. Staying committed, doing whatever it takes, for as long as it takes, is the only thing that can sustain our best possible quality of life.
That will make America and the world greater than it is now. In other words, as always, “the price” of liberty and cultural wellness is real commitment to constant caring, realism, courage, responsibility and responsiveness (appropriate action). We will either stop the traitors—Trump, Trumpists, accomplices and dupes—or they turn America and our world into dystopia, starting with a totally corrupt, insane Trumpi dictatorship.
Yes, the dystopian option never ends well. Yet, how could we overcome so much culturally entrenched ignorance and disinformation driving more destructive momentum?
Well, the challenge is clearly colossal, but failure would be horrific beyond imagining. So, the solution now requires viral deprogramming, unlearning, and re-education. That may seem to be impossible or insufficient. Yet, knowing and understanding the difference between history and propaganda—between truth and treasonous fraud—makes mental slavery impossible. That makes good government possible and sustainable. After all, the only things that can destroy a capitalist democracy are a perverted money system[9] and ignorant, bamboozled voters.
MAGA-SCOTUS v. USA: Good behavior?
March 4, 2024
Copyright © 2024 Michael Lucas Monterey. Creative Commons Licensing protocols apply.
We need to swamp Congress and State officials with threats of voting them out of office and suing them (if they fail to immediately remove corrupted Supreme Court Justices).
Why? I agree with Winston Churchill, democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others. Can we make America greater (MAG)? Not if we don’t fix it and ourselves.
Should we MAG or not? Well, it will take all (or most) of us. How? What’s broken needs fixing, not a dictator, not more corruption, lies, slander, and violence. To succeed, we need an ethical Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS). So, let’s start with it. Now, about courts and keeping a seat on the SCOTUS, our Constitution says this:
“The judicial Power of the united States shall be vested in one Supreme Court... Judges, of both the supreme and inferior Courts, shall hold their Offices during good Behavior...” (from Article 3, Section 1)
Aiding fraudulent conspiracy, treasonous insurrection, and psychological warfare against the Rule of Law is not good behavior. Judicial inaction prolonging treason and fraud is a crime committed under the color of law (fake legality), and
“...Treason against the united States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnessses to the same overt Act...” (from Article 3, Section 3)
Russia, China, and North Korea have always waged InfoWar against the USA. Trump’s rain of lies is a War on Truth, against the Rule of Law. It aids our enemies by supporting mass-confusion about reality, news, laws, elections, and other necessities of American government. That makes Trump’s InfoWar ongoing treason, with billions of witnesses.
So, to protect us and ensure justice, judges appointed to America’s highest Court must uphold a higher standard of ethics than all other officials. So, when a member of the SCOTUS, pretends that Trump’s claim (of absolute immunity) might be valid, that’s as bad as ignoring his ongoing treason (etc.). It makes those “Justices” traitors, deserving arrest (etc.), now.
What if Congress won’t impeach the traitors? We can use our constitutional Rights and powers (of the States and us, the People) to oust them. President Biden and non-Trumpi members of Congress could then Fast Track emergency replacements. That would enable a sustainable MAG program.
So, let’s let our voices be heard, louder and clearer than Trumpi lies. Let’s make the fear of our votes (and prosecutions) motivate the solution most of us really want. For the good of all generations, let’s end political insanity, rampant treason, and Trump’s war against reality, and keep making America greater.
Please feel free to Share and/or copy & distribute widely.
ML Monterey, Western Cascadia, USA, 2024, March 4
TRUMP v. the USA
February 26, 2024
The current preprint copy of this Op-Ed piece is a report on the legal facts, realities, and truths of our constitutional rule of law that make Trump & Trumpi accomplices guilty of insurrection, treason, and other capital crimes. Here’s the link to a PDF copy > TRUMP v. the USA
Here’s a copy of the first page:
TRUMP et al v. the USA et al :: Copyright © 2024 Michael Lucas Monterey. Creative Commons Licensing protocols apply.
In my opinion, no politician can make America great again. We all need to make it greater. Now, holding Donald J. Trump and his accomplices responsible for insurrection, treason, and their other crimes will help.
Yet, I agree with some of what Trump and his supporters say about corruption of government here. I go further. Like researchers at Princeton and Northwestern (universities),[1] I see no democratic republic here. I see a plutocratic oligarchy, run by and for the super-rich, the ultra-rich, and their corporations. I think our Constitution needs updating,[2] but I can’t agree that one professional fraudster (who wants to be like Putin, or Xi or Kim or Hitler) can or would “fix” America.
The signers of our Declaration of Independence agree with me, that “…when a long train of abuses and usurpations…” threaten us with absolute tyranny, “…it is [our] right…[our] duty” to end our subjection to corrupted government “…to provide new Guards for [our] future security.” Still, they knew that most of us will suffer tolerable evils, rather than relieve ourselves by radically changing our habits and lives.[3] Why? We prefer suffering a devil we know, to taking a chance on one who may be worse.
INSURRECTION OR TREASON?
I also agree with Winston Churchill, “democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others.”[4]
Despite the defects—of our Constitution, governments, and devils—most of us don’t suffer enough to crave an extremely radical change of our ways or governance (etc.). We also want the rule of law to be as effective as possible. So, we should protect our constitutional rule of law. That requires holding government officials, judges, and other law officers responsible to protect it and us. They should see Trump’s War on Truth for what it is, a war against the law, our Constitution, good government, our security, peace, and liberty. That makes it a treasonous conspiracy.
We can equate the War on Truth with Putin’s global InfoWar, and psychological warfare in general. You disagree? Watch documentaries on the dictators’ playbook, and do more reading.[5] Future dictators use a game plan, starting with InfoWar. The rest of the strategy is simple, making it a useful check list.
THE DICTATORS’ PLAYBOOK
“Learning from the experience of history requires recognizing the patterns of dictatorships—the
Strongman’s Playbook…
A. Extreme nationalism that calls for restoring a country’s past glory or greatness. +1
B. Placing blame on a single group…an ethnic or religious minority, or foreign threat. +2
C. Warning of an emergency, often nonexistent, or responding to severe economic distress… +3
D. Calls for “law and order” and eliminating corruption. +4
Continued, page 2 – 7
Michael Lucas Monterey: Creative Evolutionary 
Absolute Power…?
October 14, 2024
This essay was an evolutionary, abundantly annotated work-in-progess. It was meant to be as encyclopedic, eventually becoming a multimedia Wiki-like resource. Clearly, the dominant trend ruling kleptopian Idiocracy makes this futile attempt at helping to prevent a worst-case Endgame scenario (of ecocidal Civilization 2.x+) a historic anomaly. Still, the latest draft introduction and “Epilogue” are posted below the new link > Absolute Power: PsyWar, America, or Kleptopia?
A “short story” about neo-feudal kleptocracy, America, and alternatives
Copyright © 2024 Michael Lucas Monterey. This is a preprint draft-in-progress, presented for review, discussion, and comment. BTW, suggestions & help with Notes & Sources are welcome.
Prologue
Once upon a time, there was a very kingly man named Churchill,[1] who was not a king (of the British Empire). At about the same time, a man named Hitler was exactly like a king. In just a few years, he seduced and robbed the Germans, and many others, reducing many to ruin, rubble, ashes, and graves.
Now, Hitler’s fans and new disciples still remain bamboozled. Yet, several decades before Hitler’s insane empire rotted, crashed, and burned, a young man named Trump[2] came to America. He moved in with his sister, grew up, moved to the Pacific Northwest, grew rich, and fathered the father of The Donald.[3]
Later, reflecting on the Nixonian phase of our post-Truth Era,[4] a wise guy named Michel Foucault spoke almost prophetically about the problem that still impacts good, honest Americans (among others). Here’s how Foucault summed it up:
“Politically we see a trend towards a firm resolve to do away with any law, constitutional or not, that stands in the way of shifting designs inspired by greed and vindictiveness rather than by the drive for power or any coherent political program. In this context, the decisive aspect of this lying on principle is that it can work only through terror, that is, through the invasion of the political process by sheer criminality.
“Under those circumstances, it is entirely true that, as Melman states, inefficiency has been elevated into a national purpose, and what has come home to roost in this particular case (Nixon and Watergate) is the hectic and unfortunately highly successful policy of ‘solving’ very real problems by clever gimmicks which are only successful enough to make the problems disappear temporarily.”[5]
Now, clearly, the Trumpi Playbook is even more like the Nazi Playbook than Nixon’s was. As disturbing as it is, seeing and understanding the nature of the problem enables the solution. That is the purpose of this little story about power, and mass-stupidity and mass-insanity, how they work, and how we can survive them, maybe. First, here’s the thing:
While writing this, I realized that our story really can have a happy ending, however long it takes. Having made it this far could mean that humans may be here 900 or 90,000 years from now.[6] Yes, more than 12,000 years ago, people started enjoying small town life, for nearly 4,000 years—without armies, war, money, banks, politicians—without polluting everything and every body.[7]
I know, why should you care what I think about anything? After all, a vast majority of us are already so corrupted or stupefied or confused that most governments are run by and for “rich” liars, cheaters, fraudsters, or worse.[8] Yet, you probably wonder, who is this guy (or who does he think he is)? You probably never heard or saw anything of mine that would make you grant me more than a bit of respect, if any. Indeed, I confess to being a part-time idiot (among other things) for almost half my life.
I’m not super-famous, nor financially successful (“rich”). I seem to have little or no power. No matter how accurately prophetic my insights, revelations, and writings, etc. (since the 1980s), I seem to have little or no influence. In the last 36 years, only one of my book projects was successfully published.[9] Several other book projects remain nearly finished or morphing through embryonic evolution.
To normal people, I must seem as useless and unfocused as old “Lao-zhir”[10] did nearly 2600 years ago (in ancient China). The focus of my creative work, research, and writing kept shifting. I drifted, from the artistic, spiritual, and ecotectural dimensions, to banking, economics, brewing, and corruption. Along the way I pondered our crises in physics, mathematics, philosophy, sociology, education, and politics. That led me to the global dimension of our chronic social disease. So, growing concern over the crises threatening everything most of us hold dear made me try distilling the essence of all my other works into this “Hail Mary” pass to the Endzone (and beyond?).[11]
A prime motivator was seeing that many of us still see, hear, read, and believe only what we want to, disregarding realities that seem to threaten our favorite opinions and personal mental fictions. Lately, the evidence convinced me that ignoring that wastes time (etc.). That brought me back to the spiritual roots of our problem.[12]
Now, instead of seeing a war in Heaven causing more Hell on Earth, it looks like a war of words. Absurd delusions (etc.) spew out of what were once called ivory towers, invisible gold-plated cages. They ferment, oozing and overflowing from countless dark, doorless, windowless silos and psychic septic tanks.
Some of our best intellectuals seem overwhelmed, bewildered, isolated, fearing to cross war-zones of jealous egos, warring anti-gods, hateful zombies, greedy (unholy) ghosts, cowardly hypocrites, grifters, and egomaniacs stuck in mental prisons. I don’t blame them, but it makes cycles of dysfunctionality and mass-addiction seem normal, natural, eternal, inescapable, and incurable. Hence, mass-produced webcast illusions, fantasies, fictions, play-money, and worse crises keep on ruining the world, economies, politics, and habitats.[13] So, it seems that too many of us lack enough knowledge and understanding to create and support a real solution.
Now, none of that means that I fail to see the benefits of what we get right. In fact, that keeps me motivated to help discover and support a real solution. On the other hand, we could be stampeding toward the automated oblivion envisioned in the Unabomber’s manifesto and works of many other authors (before and since Kaczinski’s rampage).[14] Were they right about us and human civilization?
Are we that far gone, really? Are we so collectively neurotic or perverse that it takes atrocities, surprise attacks, world wars, and other colossal catastrophes to make us pay attention to massive problems, scary realities, and necessities? Whatever it is, it seems obvious that—to prevent dystopia—we need a new attitude and a new way to respond to rapidly increasing ruin. Otherwise, as R.B. Fuller saw in the 1960s, instead of a “utopia” for all, we will get ever-worse dystopia, then oblivion.[15]
Why, or how? Even if we refuse to admit it, most of us seem to realize that what was “the tragedy of the commons” is now the common fate of our modern world. For example, despite corporate propaganda and fractional truths spewed out as “news” by faux-news outlets, most of us now see the bogus nature of the world’s play-money pyramid game. That explains why crypto-currencies and exchanges account for about 1% of the world’s transactions. Of course, most of those are virtual derivatives, hedge bets against equally valueless national currencies. Yes, even though we should all want sustainable cash, we keep supporting the doomed national-debt-for-profit game. That game—run by and for bankers, corrupt politicians, and other human parasites—uses their play-money and compound interest against us. That causes cycles of economic disaster, and ever more financial ruin (for 99+% of us).[16] It also lets All Time Winners deflate wages, while they buy more assets and banks at bargain basement prices. Yet, our addictions, habits, obsessions, hopes, and fears keep it all going by default.[17]
Yes, so far, instead of all of us seeing the nature of the problem and cooperating to minimize catastrophic consequences—extreme climate change, resource wars, culture wars, etc.—most of us clearly have little or no interest in supporting radical change for the better. Instead of seeking out and supporting leaders and real experts, to create a real solution, great opportunities are lost, our potentials left unrealized.
Do too many of us reject productive meetings of the minds? If we do, our partisan conflicts waste precious time and resources. It lets the ecocidal Winners Take All game keep preventing our only alternative worth sustaining.[18]
Yes, it is our most complicated problem (of all time), and the most complex. Yes, a solution can seem impossible or too improbable to be real. Yet, complication is a result of stupidity or unfortunate choices. Yes, we are intelligent. Most of us are clearly clever. Yet, groups of us make too many stupid mistakes; and the bigger the groups, the more mistakes. Yes, we see lots of good and beautiful results of cleverness and technologies. Yet, ignoring how we get tricked into choosing and maintaining rapid worsening of our complicated consequences is either stupid or insane or both. That makes wisdom a non-optional necessity.
So, we will either counter-act and minimize mass-stupidity, mass-bamboozlement, fraudulent propaganda, and deficient education (that supports more corruption), or our symptoms and odds of recovery will get worse faster. Still, mistakes and correcting them, are symptoms of creativity. Trying to ignore or deny and cover-up mistakes are symptoms of stupidity or corrupt perversity. So, we clearly need a return to respect for wisdom and creative spirituality.[19] Only that will foster the courage and enthusiastic mass-cooperation it takes to win a world-war or create the alternative to dystopia.
Are we already beyond hope of recovery? That may be the most likely excuse for the rising tide of nihilism, complacency, and cynical fatalism[20] that seems to be driving ongoing irresponsibility, official incompetence and political corruption (pandemic kakistocracy).[21] Yes, it may seem unrealistic to imagine a happy ending of our story, much less reversing the momentum of ecocidal progress, normalized greed, and anti-ethical automation.[22]
Escaping the fate that ended all self-destructive societies of the past does seem to require an impossible miracle cure. Yet, a real solution is just a matter of choice.
Now, it may seem odd that the title of this short story of stories seems to equate the notion of absolute power with America and/or dystopia. Yet, real change for the better means that we either change America or the world will go down with it. Choosing the quickest way to end the causes of our overly complicated meta-crisis[23] (and the ultra-complex consequences of all our stupid choices and mistakes) might work. Yes, and it helps to recall that complexity was never a problem for computers. So, after kicking our addiction to stuff, endemic corruption, and neurotic denial, we could start correcting our mistakes.
With the help of dependable, truly ethical (not-for-profit) “AI” apps,[24] we may solve our problem. Yes, absolute power and dystopian Americanism are symptoms of cultural illness, but malignant monopolism[25] keeps accelerating the decay of American integrity. Yes, more symptoms. Yet, ending the causes will enable the cure of humanity’s cultural illnesses, globally. To do it though, we clearly need a major disinfection and upgrade of modern politics.[26]
That can start by upgrading our understanding of how “economics” (and perverted politics) ruin healthy communities, societies, and institutions. That requires facing ego’s vanity. It causes our tendency to deny our ignorance and mistakes, especially the ones we perpetuate on a national and/or global scale. It prevents recognizing and ending the causes of our problems. That prevents the cure. Therefore, this simplified story—of how socioeconomic corruption began and devolved—involves how dead civilizations of the past spawned global kleptocracy.[27]
The next section, on alienation versus wellness is a brief summary of the devolution of human society, our increasingly infectious corruption, along with the alternatives. For encouraging new thinking and action, “The Troubadours Revenge” section covers some attempts to treat the causes and symptoms. The “Restoration, Recovery, and Beyond” section deals with how we can accelerate a sustainable solution of our multiple survival crises.[28]
For the sake of easy understanding, the key words and ideas that define and enable mass-confusion, perversion, and more decay are redefined in a forthcoming dictionary (in progress). It makes some unfamiliar and unpalatable truths easier to digest and use for upgrading our quality of life (QOL).[29]
Luckily, history and archeology prove that we found ways to survive global mega-disasters. In fact, major disasters (prehistoric etc.) were all wake up calls. They prompt us to imagine and develop better ways to survive and sustain better QOL. Yet, our global polycrisis could be potentially terminal. We could get more dystopian. So, this diagnosis aims to foster the best prescription, our best possible QOL, ASAP.
Epilogue
This paper evolved out of my earlier works on Trump, Trumpism, treason, related issues and options. I wanted to finish and post it before the election, thinking it might help, even if just a tiny bit. Yet, as the USA’s presidential campaign devolved—with no arrest of Trump for his almost countless treasons, and no effective legal or judicial action to keep him off the ballots in all our States—it became increasingly obvious that nothing I say or write can overcome the
1. mass-ignorance of American law,
2. mass-confusion caused by both major Parties,
3. Big Media’s fractional news (propaganda) & lies,
4. multinational corporatocracy’s rule by bamboozlement (ads, etc.),
5. and normalized self-deception of the deluded majority.
So, as “we” let Trump get away with running for re-election (after disqualifying himself daily, for nearly 8 years), the more useless my pre-election Work was (to prevent a Trumpi dictatorship in the USA). Still, I admit that I was naïve, fooled into believing that Harris & Walz could or should win. That was then. I then saw that I needed to make this mini-history of monstrosity v. sane humanity relevant for whoever survives the next several years of ecocidal kleptopia. Yes, since demonic corporatocracy clearly won its long PsyWar (class-war) against us mostly clueless 99%ers, this is a very different kind of epilogue.
In other words, since Trump won seemingly absolute power (over life, for himself, his cult, and his henchmen), America is dead. The currently Dem-Blue DOJ giving up on enforcing the law (and doing its job) makes the proof absolute. Our government was destroyed by our Monsters of the Id, born and raised by the Soft Tyranny of our careless mediocracy. Yep, “we” proved Socrates and Plato right about letting ignorant and/or venal people vote. That lasts about 250 years, decaying into dystopia. Yes, it’s too late to save America (as is). So, co-creating a sustainable replacement is my new mission.
Now, in beginning this story [sic][195] I implied that you may have no good reason to care about anything I say or write. However, after rewatching the film-doc Living in The Future’s Past (narrated and co-produced by Jeff Bridges), I recall a very good reason for caring about what I have to say about our survival crisis. I was virtually born and raised to be a great artist-designer-marketer.
So what? I also spent more than 60 years seeing and thinking about what motivates you (day/night) to invest time, energy, and cash (etc.) in what you think will improve your quality of life (QOL) etc. I learned how to influence and inspire your desires, feeling, thoughts, actions, etc. So, back to the new conclusion of this little story:
Once upon a time, Churchill said democracy is the worst kind of government, except for all the other kinds. I thought we could all agree with him. Yet, Trumpi kakistocracy proves Churchill wrong. Governments are only as good as we are.
For example, Sergey Vimov decided to try saving the world by starting Pleistocene Park.[196] While at it, he discovered that Arctic tundra contains twice as much carbon as there is in Earth’s sky. So, we should all be helping Vimov restore Arctic habitats (among others) ASAP. Yes, deserts, rainforests, and aquatic habitats also need help, ASAP. Now, Siberia is burning, out of control. Are we or our governments helping Mr. Vimov? No, we and they are not.
I know, it is a lot to ask of busy consumers, workers, students, and parents. Yet why? The Emperor’s New Climate Scenarios and Five Times Faster[197] are helpful. They prove that official science policy and climate change reports are unrealistic. The bad news? To avoid our worst-case hotter Hell on Earth dystopia, we need to reverse/absorb GHG emissions by 2030, not 2050.[197] Can we do it? As is, probably not.
The good news: Changing the rules changes a game, and its outcome. Changing the rules of our antique World Game will change its nature, goals, and results, enabling a best-case future.[198] That may prevent a worst-case Endgame scenario for us, for our corporations, bankers, and the insurance industry. Of course, that makes it good for politicians, governments, and consumers, in other words, for all of us.
Yes, America is a mess,[199] but no one man or woman got us into it, and no one man or woman can clean it up. Nor can we separate it from the rest of our mess. So, no tiny minority of us will save us. Nor will a bamboozled majority do what’s never been done before. Yet, at the brink of doom, we can snap out of our normal mass-hypnosis.[200] We did it before and we can do it again.
Yes, the ancient Mayans were not the only ones. When facing total destruction and loss of all we hold dear, most Americans and our allies created the modern industrial age. Those 2 years of creative cooperation kept Hitler and Japan’s warlords from ruling and ruining the world.[201] So, without doubt, we can now use our best abilities, efforts, and technologies in the next 2 years, with or without Trumpi help.
Yes, our politicians are as imperfect, and as corrupted by the system as we are. Yet, letting corrupters make our politics more dysfunctional and toxic is a symptom of insane stupidity. Letting greedy grifters and haters get away with crazy lies, vicious slanders, and seditious libel against decent politicians and officials trying to do their jobs is anti-legal political insanity.
As bad as it all is, recent chats with Meta-AI’s Llama 3.1-405B “AI” system gave me new reasons for being encouraged. Hopefully, if you read this far, you also see reasons to hope and work for the best, for all of us, of all generations.[202]
Now, to sustain focus on deeper and high-level causes—and a big pic view of the issues—it seems good to close with more human-scale reflections and ideas, below:
In the Prologue I confessed to having been a part-time idiot for a sizable portion of my life. Yet, for most of my life, I was a full-time “idiotes” (the ancient Greek word), and worse. In ancient Athens it was more than being foolish or stupid. It referred to adults too uneducated or ignorant or regardless of essentials to be a good citizen, responsible for maintaining good government. Of course, these days, that definition makes almost all of us idiotes.[203]
Sadly, for too long, I was also a conceited dilettante. Why? As a child I was afflicted with both kinds of pandemic DKS (the Dunning-Kruger syndrome). I often thought that I understood much more than I did, and sometimes thought that imperfect experts were wiser than I was.
These days (a few months ago), I discussed other issues of chronic concern with a good friend. The outrageous absurdity of Trump’s seemingly unravelling InfoWar—all his lies, slanders, treasonous libels—and his rantings against Kamala Harris were front and center. The fact that Republicans for Harris, Lincoln Republicans, the Democratic Party, and seemingly pro-truth media outlets ignored some of the worst Trumpi lies, crimes, and treasons also caused us concern. We also talked about other curiosities.
One came up after I imagined asking Trumpis, “If America isn’t great, when was it great?” and then, “OK, so, why did it quit being great?”
That reminded me of Tom Shadyac’s “I Am” (the film), on what’s wrong with the world, and what’s alright. Shadyac’s heroic, creative journey made him see that A.N. Whitehead[204] answered correctly. What’s wrong? “I am” or, as much as possible, I can help make the world alright.
Before seeing that film, I agreed. We make the world the way it is, for better or worse. Each decision, each word, all our actions, and each instance of irresponsible inaction matter. Remembering that led to recalling some other weirdness.
Much earlier, another friend and I enjoyed a “comedy night” event. I was surprised and puzzled that local comedians were not making fun of political absurdities, shocking “news” reports, and worse. It seemed as if they were straining for something laughable, without much success.[205] Was it from fear of ripping scabs off wounds that won’t heal? Do they see us small town folks being too overwhelmed for gallows humor?
Are most of us as numb as that sad little audience were? Online pundits and super-successful comedians enjoy skewering the usual suspects, sacrificing sacred cows, celebrating the scapegoats,[206] regularly roasting corporate media-circus hacks, to great success, but so what? How many of us really care?
Do up & coming comics see or feel something too terrifying, too atrocious for jokes? Were they afraid to make fun of the worst of our fears and defects? Are we that close to the end of kleptopia’s Endgame?
Maybe not. Maybe the problem is the mass-hypnosis of Consumerism draining our life-force, the energy of courageous joy, the serene bliss of just being. I don’t know for sure, but the other day, I watched more new videos. Some nterviews and documentaries offer encouraging views of our possibilities. Still, none of them made me think that most Oregonian Americans are snapping out of trance.
In fact, the anti-Trumpi-anti-MAGA enthusiasm and pep-talk[207] said nothing about really solving our global polycrisis. Noam Chomsky kept warning us of nuclear war and potentially ecocidal climate change. Yet, his mood and views are almost as discouraging. Worse, just “normal” (non-nuclear) war is destroying the world and habitats, wasting resources and time we should use to solve our worst problems. Yes, if we keep choosing not to change our ways, we get more and worse storms, “100-year” floods, more deserts, gigantic wildfires, more firestorms, and more scorched Earth every year. So, are we all just too hypnotized and overwhelmed, or too numbed out by too much fun or too much information, or too much junk food, or too little sanity, or what?
I think not, as bad as it sometimes looks.[208] I see signs of mass-awakening happening and accelerating as fast as our global disaster. Our nightmare alternative is our most potent incentive. Whichever, failing to get real enough, soon enough, tough enough to start doing enough homework—yes, study, learning, and good thinking—to start and sustain the mass-cooperation we need to solve our biggest problem (us), will create a dystopian world much worse than this one. That keeps me committed to the solution, making America greater, to enable our best possible future.[209]
Why not? With enough of us awakening, maturing, and responding fast enough, our future really could be better than any imaginary sci-fi utopia. Of course, there’s only one way to prove that.
Yet, what can we say to young people, to raging Trumpi fanatics, terrorists of ISIS and other violent militants, dedicated to rampant destruction? They seem to believe they can make things better by making everything worse. Maybe they really see themselves as saviors, fighting to end this civilization’s systemic corruption. What can we do about all the anti-ethical politicians, psychopathic executives, and anti-human nerds doing and getting whatever they want, no matter how much it harms all of us?
How do we help them see that enjoying a better QOL takes more than making things worse? How do we inspire enough hope to enable seeing that the solution will take most or all of us? Whatever we do, resolving our misunderstandings comes first, with better understanding and more wisdom.
It may seem impossibly difficult,[210] but it will be less difficult than the most likely alternative. Letting demonic dysfunctionality run the world only makes it worse. We never make things better by making them worse. Giving professional liars free reign to enjoy delusions of absolute power (for four years or less) will never make America great or better, ever. Only we can do it, and make it enjoyable, for most of us.
Yes, thanks to karma, the nature of interaction, every society and every empire run by and for corrupt leaders and corrupt followers ends badly, very painfully. As always, expecting otherwise is foolish and insane. So, we either revive America and save our world by making ourselves better and greater, or dystopia and nature will end them and most of us.[211]
Yet, I guess that seems too daunting. So, here’s a less daunting call to action:
First, this story-like work of nonfiction is about identifying causes, then resolving the meta-crisis (in minds) perpetuating our global polycrisis. Yes, our long-term biological success depends on a quantum leap of awareness and a mass-response to severe climate change. Yes, our success and survival depend on having enough realistic information about reality. So, we need changes appropriate to reality and to the reports of real scientists and realistic risk analysts.[212]
Can ordinary Americans help? Yes, easily, if we make America greater by making our selves, our lives and communities greater, because it starts with caring.
Not caring or giving up on it prolongs dystopian kleptopia. Hatefulness, arrogance, hostility, mean-spirited ill-will, greedy selfishness, corruption and all other kinds of negativity make us Dystopians, not great Americans. Look around and within. In this world, good government, good relationships, good thinking and good ideas need caring, but also protection. Yes, voting for the best candidates helps. Yet, we need to demand that our officials, and officers of the law (and the courts) protect our constitutional rule of law, our government’s integrity, our political process, and our way of life—from egomaniacs and fools who want to turn America into a dictatorship of and for grifters, cheats, liars, slanderers, corrupters, bullies, petty tyrants and ignorant fools. Yet, that means they need to know and understand history, law, and justice to be qualified to run for office. So, we need as much knowledge and wisdom for effective voting.
However, the rising tide of mass-stupidity, greed, fake-religiosity, fake-patriotism, and fake-American dystopianism won out over national integrity. So, be brave or board the Trumpi gravy train. Tell the truth and try to help minimize the damage or help finish the USA’s failed experiment with deficient democracy. Let your friends and elected (or appointed) officials know you want to rid the nation of politicians pretending to care about justice (etc.).[213]
You can also legally demand that any official or citizen who failed or fails to support that be charged and arrested for misprision of treason. Another option is using the courts to sue Red and Blue Perps for criminal negligence, and worse. You can use AI-apps to help make signs, bumper stickers, T-shirts, mugs, etc. And don’t forget, officials who want to stay in office really do care what you say and how you vote. Every letter or email, and every donation you send counts and influences your public officials. You could have “AI” apps help with massive letter writing campaigns.
Remember, a President failing to protect our nation, our systems of government and law from traitors, makes him guilty of misprision and dystopian political insanity. In fact, anyone who wants a POTUS with absolute power deserves the results, proving that America’s not great. You doubt that? watch more documentaries about history, study the US Constitution (and other constitutions), think deep and long on what they mean, and why.
Naturally, whether you join the Trumpi team or not, more basic problems still need solutions, ASAP, for example:
Yes, we could add several other basic crises that threaten all life on Earth, like the worsening desertification & water crises, the toxic AgriBiz & food industry crises, and our disgusting medical/sickness-for-profit industry crisis. Yet, we should never forget that none of them would exist or be so awful without our number 1 and 2 crises (as listed above). Now, it may help to read C.M. Kornbluth’s short story “The Marching Morons” (ASAP). It can help to watch “Idiocracy” as well, while Seeing how we really could make it a future documentary. Whether we do or don’t, we get the government we deserve in the world we create, with all our actions and irresponsible inaction (insanity, etc.).
Trump did not solve our worst problems as POTUS before. As the new POTUS, Trump could not do it on his own if he wanted to do it. So, yes, if we fail to protect our political, cultural, and biological wellness against terminal decay—by making any kind of government corruption high treason (with severe punishments)—humanity may not survive kleptopian kakistocracy.
Last but not least, don’t give up!!! Join the global Meta-political Responsible Party Alliance (MRPA),[214] then you can actively support the real solution. If you want or need spiritual help and fellowship, you may find it by supporting the evolution of the Semi-Indigenous Transgalactic Sanctuary of Absolute Truth & Deeply Original Grace, the new church of universally creative spirituality. Naturally, you can also enjoy sharing in the general enrichment enabled by helping accelerate our transition from ecocidal kleptopia (Civ.2+) to Civilization 3.[215]
Now, to make it as easy as possible, I recommend accessing and studying other works, via my website, and Works by my friends, allies, and mentors (see the Notes & Sources section, below).
Please, also let yourself enjoy expanding your awareness, growing your knowledge, increasing your wisdom, skills, and rewards. Enthusiastic response will also support the realistic scientists, wise leaders, and decent public servants who deserve help. I hope you also enjoy healing our families and communities, cultures, and habitats. If enough of us choose the real solution, who knows? We may be able to survive the consequences of our mass-stupidity, systemic corruption, and political insanity. No, the result may not be Heaven on Earth, but it may be a future more wonderful than a SciFi author could imagine. At the least, it may enable a least-worst-case future in a recovering ecosphere, planet Earth.