This morning, I’ve been reading a blog I never posted, a blog that expressed my outrage and shock at what we the people have done to ourselves. Ninety plus years have not prepared me for the pure hatred, arrogance, vengeance, gleeful exercise of power for its own sake with which Trump and Musk destroy department after department and round up untold hundreds for deportation. I also could see nothing that could stop Trump from taking us into dictatorship. The people had conceded their power by electing Trump to a second term. Congress had conceded its power by approving MAGA heads for most departments. The Supreme Court weakened the power of the courts by declaring Trump above the law. It was done. But today I see signs that our democracy will hold its own.
The federal courts have declared many if not most of Musk’s mass firings illegal, and while Trump has raged, he’s stopped short of defying them. Musk, who has done the firings, is not above the law, and mass protests across the country are regaining some of the power that Congress gave away. The courts have also objected to MAGA using an ancient war-powers law to deport without due process. At this point it’s unclear whether they can actually bring back the illegally deported, but the court doesn’t appear likely to give in. Many of the firings have been rescinded, as the leadership belatedly realized they are attacking their own base.
Right now it’s hard to tell right now how many of the protesters are Trump voters, but this week’s special elections in Florida show a weakening of Trump’s edge over opponents, and the Wisconsin Supreme Court race defeated the MAGA contender emphatically. These signs may not be much, and don’t touch on the enormous destruction wrought on our relationships with the rest of the world. But, since they hit home personally, they may lead to a discovery of the importance of government in our lives.
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