The first two weeks of felon Trump’s term has been horrendous. If you haven’t read any thing by Ruth Ben-Ghiat, I hope this article by her will give you some solace. Her work is crucial for understanding autocratic and fascist dynamics in the United States. Her Substack site, Lucid, and her recent book, Strongmen, are especially valuable. What follows is today’s Substack post.
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I don’t know about you. Washington Episcopal Bishop Mariann Budde’s sermon moved me. It was delivered at the Washington National Cathedral’s Service of Prayer for the Nation.
She directed the words spoken at the end of her sermon to Donald Trump. We call it the “Seeking Mercy Semon.”
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The post that follows was written 4 years ago. That year, wildfires ravaged Australia and the western United States, especially California. On January 7th, 2025, at least 23 catastrophic fires broke out in Los Angeles County. These fires were intense due to low humidity. There were arid conditions. Powerful Santa Ana winds reached hurricane force, exceeding 80-100 miles per hour. Two fires, the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades and the Eaton Fire in Altadena, have caused the most damage. The map shown here is an overview of the significant fires in the Greater Los Angeles area.
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On December 20th, Donald Trump faced Judge Juan Merchan in a sentencing hearing. The hearing...
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I wrote this post in on December 10, 2020 from my home office. From here, I can see wetlands formed from Mud Creek. Mud Creek is a small stream about 100 meters from my backyard. It runs for a few miles until it merges with Noses Creek. Eventually, it meets with Sweetwater Creek, a tributary of the Chattahoochee River, Georgia’s largest river.
I have been writing from this office since 1993. I will share more in the future as The Mud Creek Chronicles.
Visiting the past can help us navigate the future. This is especially true now. We have a wannabe dictator and a known authoritarian. They prefer meeting with leaders of authoritarian nations rather than democratic leaders.
Donald Trump and his sycophants were trying to steal the 2020 election. I wrote this nearly a month before he incited thousands to attack the United States Capitol Building. It was obvious. Or it should have been obvious. Autocrat Trump was showing the world that he was determined to stay in office, no matter what.
What did we learn from this attempted coup?
