Autocracy

Evil Under the Musk/Trump Wrecking Ball

Evil Under the Musk/Trump Wrecking Ball

Discover the alarming truth behind the drastic measures taken by President Donald Trump and VP Elon Musk, threatening the very fabric of our public services, the lives of American citizens, and federal government.Under the current administration, sweeping budget cuts...

The Rise of Authoritarianism: Insights from Ruth Ben-Ghiat

The Rise of Authoritarianism: Insights from Ruth Ben-Ghiat

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.

Examining Trump’s Authoritarian Strategies in 2020: His Attempted Coup

Examining Trump’s Authoritarian Strategies in 2020: His Attempted Coup

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?

Letter from a Dark Future

Letter from a Dark Future

Note: I received this letter on the day of the election. The letter is from Skyler Fussro, a young woman living in the 2055. I have received letters from Skyler for several decades. You can read some of them here. Usually, she is calling me out for our dismal approach to education and climate change. She is also in touch with Greta Thunberg, the young Swedish climate change and humanitarian activist.

But this letter reflects a deep concern she has with Donald Trump’s election by primarily white men and women. She says that the America she is living in is more diverse than it was in 2024. By the way, she lives with her family in a high-rise apartment in central Atlanta. It is a few blocks from Five Points and the campus of Georgia State University. I was a professor there from 1969 to 2003.

Election of the Century

Election of the Century

Dear Jack Hassard, I write to you again 1 from a future that fills me with dread and a glimmer of hope. The years since Donald Trump's rise have been a dark and perilous time for our once-great nation. His authoritarian rule has crushed the democratic freedoms we once...

Processing…
Success! You're on the list.

Categories

Archives, Too

Science as Inquiry Website

The Center for Global Thinking Website

Free Online Text

Certification

Jack Hassard successfully completed the Site structure course!

Site Security

SiteLock