How it Ends

This is what years of unfairness has wrought:
An ignorant people who can be bought
An angry, invigorated mob, feeling power
Through a billionaire conning them at this hour.
The ones with a gripe, the ones unschooled,
The poor who’ve been used and abused and fooled
Now ripe for more lies from a brazen thug
Who grabs the flag, gives it a hug,
Convincing the gullible, goaded to hate,
That he is their god, he is their fate.
They give him their money, give him their lives
And one day if his victory arrives
He’ll destroy what is then too late to defend.
And this is how democracies end.
Jane Whitledge
Duluth, Minnesota

Countering MAGAland lies

    The folks in MAGA La-La land are soiling themselves over Trump’s conviction for falsifying business records, and their disinformation campaign is in high gear. Here are a few facts: These were state charges and Biden had nothing to do with them. The Orange Menace is a lifelong New Yorker and his crimes were committed in New York, so boo f**king hoo, he got tried and convicted by a New York jury. New York has filed charges for falsifying business records 9,794 times in the past 9 years, so Trumpty Dumpty was not being singled out for prosecution. The judge’s daughter works as a Democratic political consultant, and the judge donated $35 to Joe Biden’s last campaign. Big deal. The judge consulted the New York Advisory committee on Judicial Ethics about both these issues and received an opinion that he need not recuse himself. Don-the-Con was given every benefit of the doubt during his trial. In fact he was treated leniently. If anyone else had violated the gag order 10 times like Cheeto Benito did, they would have been jailed. That gag order was meant to protect jurors, witnesses and court staff, and was necessary. Authoritarians seek to obliterate objective truth, and undermine every institution our democracy depends on. This is how they roll. They won’t stop lying so we must see through their lies on our way to the polls.
David A Sorensen
Duluth, Minnesota

Here comes the nightmare

It’s all well and good to be nervous and concerned about the advent of TRUMP II. Especially now, since the hopelessly corrupt Supreme Court has revealed its toxic pro-Trump bias. The orange sausage can literally kill anyone he wants. He can do no wrong.
Know that battalions of lawyers are in place, ready to challenge and appeal every and any election loss, local or national. Appeals will go all the way to the aforementioned Kangaroo Court. Trump won’t lose a thing.
So pay attention to what you’re going to get with TRUMP II:
• A complete rewriting of the Constitution, if not an outright abandonment of it, which will terminate troublesome freedoms like free speech and the right to protest. Remember, the government already has camps waiting. They’ll arm the guy next door to enforce it.
• Elimination of all laws and legal processes that impede the man from his march to power. He has said, in public, that he will do these things.
• Agencies like the Foreign Service, the CIA, the FBI, the military and Homeland Security will be manned by MAGA loyalists, trained and waiting. Their guns will be trained on the people.
• Already-established alliances with other world dictators, opening wide the door to our enemies, while abandoning our former allies.
Signs of change will be soon visible. Foes of TRUMP II will disappear, and there will be an increase in accidental fatal helicopter crashes. Eventually Black Marias will be cruising the streets (Black SUVs) prowling around looking for disloyal citizens. Neighbors will disappear in the night, and their houses new occupants will have plenty of binoculars.

Don’t want to worship a god, or visit a church? Pack a bag. You’ll be going somewhere. There will come a mandate that every home must post the 10 Commandments by the front door. If you think this is just some angry cartoonist’s joke, go read a history book. Before they take them all away.
Ray Allard
Duluth, Minnesota