I plan to buy THE Time Magazine today, but the description of Trump and his behavior is ongoing - a continuation of uninterrupted holy terror. Mary Shelley, who is "best known for writing the Gothic novel called Frankenstein" had the foresight to envision Donald Trump. I look at the cover of Time and see an ugly, vulgar, and ignorant mon…
I plan to buy THE Time Magazine today, but the description of Trump and his behavior is ongoing - a continuation of uninterrupted holy terror. Mary Shelley, who is "best known for writing the Gothic novel called Frankenstein" had the foresight to envision Donald Trump. I look at the cover of Time and see an ugly, vulgar, and ignorant monster. Many Republicans look at Trump and describe him as attractive and smart. This immense difference of opinion best describes the boundless contemptuousness today between many Democrats and Republicans.
This difference of opinion has cast a whirlwind of dissension across our nation and impacted many lives. I no longer wish to live in the beautiful mountainous region of Arizona where the climate is better than Phoenix, but the population leans steeply toward Trumpers. I no longer wish to go buy groceries and am faced with an endless lineup of pickup trucks flying Trump flags or worse with Swazastika stickers on bumpers. Just like tattoos became normalized so has a level of savagery in our country. At least one day a week, I face one or two empty beer cans in my yard. and yesterday I received a male cell phone message that said " Hi Elizabeth, Go outside. Thank you." I have come to think of this as a threatening warning that can no longer be ignored.
While the American media spotlight, ever enthralled by the sensationalism of the moment and entire days of media coverage based of the level of Trump's eyelids and his legal woes, a crucial and overlooked alarming danger continues to unfold in the United States. The shadow cast by Vladimir Putin over the landscape of American democracy, and his influence and control over Trump grows larger and more treacherous by the moment. Because most of my career was spent in Russian-speaking countries, I have perspicuously visualized the progress of Putin's assault on the United States. Putin has even told the whole world of his intentions in a book (The Foundation of Geopolitics) published in Russia in 1997 where he lists his Presidential ambitions. This checklist includes the destruction of the U.S. from within by placing a man in power who is loyal to Russia - a government- operational model that mimics the USSR pattern - the era when Putin grew-up and was trained as a KGB spy. Americans do not understand Putin's intentions or his methodologies - they only see Trump as the Republican leader. This lack of education, international experience, and isolationism is crippling our nation and is what we are seeing happening now.
Our democracy hangs on the edge of a cliff and may be tipped in either direction this year. The resistance of Judge Merchan to jail Trump AND the SCOTUS delay in the "immunity" case are signs that WE - all of us - may be living in a dictatorship soon. I have lived in autocratic governments for many years, and do not wish to return. No one is safe. Putin's carefully planned strategies and his attempt to reshape the course of American politics and American lives is nearly accomplished.
I plan to buy THE Time Magazine today, but the description of Trump and his behavior is ongoing - a continuation of uninterrupted holy terror. Mary Shelley, who is "best known for writing the Gothic novel called Frankenstein" had the foresight to envision Donald Trump. I look at the cover of Time and see an ugly, vulgar, and ignorant monster. Many Republicans look at Trump and describe him as attractive and smart. This immense difference of opinion best describes the boundless contemptuousness today between many Democrats and Republicans.
This difference of opinion has cast a whirlwind of dissension across our nation and impacted many lives. I no longer wish to live in the beautiful mountainous region of Arizona where the climate is better than Phoenix, but the population leans steeply toward Trumpers. I no longer wish to go buy groceries and am faced with an endless lineup of pickup trucks flying Trump flags or worse with Swazastika stickers on bumpers. Just like tattoos became normalized so has a level of savagery in our country. At least one day a week, I face one or two empty beer cans in my yard. and yesterday I received a male cell phone message that said " Hi Elizabeth, Go outside. Thank you." I have come to think of this as a threatening warning that can no longer be ignored.
While the American media spotlight, ever enthralled by the sensationalism of the moment and entire days of media coverage based of the level of Trump's eyelids and his legal woes, a crucial and overlooked alarming danger continues to unfold in the United States. The shadow cast by Vladimir Putin over the landscape of American democracy, and his influence and control over Trump grows larger and more treacherous by the moment. Because most of my career was spent in Russian-speaking countries, I have perspicuously visualized the progress of Putin's assault on the United States. Putin has even told the whole world of his intentions in a book (The Foundation of Geopolitics) published in Russia in 1997 where he lists his Presidential ambitions. This checklist includes the destruction of the U.S. from within by placing a man in power who is loyal to Russia - a government- operational model that mimics the USSR pattern - the era when Putin grew-up and was trained as a KGB spy. Americans do not understand Putin's intentions or his methodologies - they only see Trump as the Republican leader. This lack of education, international experience, and isolationism is crippling our nation and is what we are seeing happening now.
Our democracy hangs on the edge of a cliff and may be tipped in either direction this year. The resistance of Judge Merchan to jail Trump AND the SCOTUS delay in the "immunity" case are signs that WE - all of us - may be living in a dictatorship soon. I have lived in autocratic governments for many years, and do not wish to return. No one is safe. Putin's carefully planned strategies and his attempt to reshape the course of American politics and American lives is nearly accomplished.
Elizabeth Graham http://www.democrazy2020.org
Your thoughts and writing are beautiful.
Thank you