The ABC’s of DOGE

The ABCs of DOGE: Why Federal Workers Are the Backbone of Democracy

Imagine waking up one morning to find that the essential systems and services you rely on—air traffic control, food safety inspections, national security, disaster response, infrastructure maintenance—have come to a screeching halt. Trash piles up in national parks, social security payments are delayed, and critical weather forecasts no longer reach those in the path of devastating storms. This is not a dystopian fantasy; it is the harsh reality of what happens when federal workers disappear.

A Democracy Without Experts? 

Federal workers are not just employees; they are the experts who keep critical systems running smoothly. These professionals—scientists, engineers, analysts, healthcare workers, and security experts—have sworn an oath to uphold the values of the United States. They do this work at a fraction of what private corporations would charge the government, not for personal gain, but because they believe in democracy and public service.

Yet, an alarming trend is emerging: the systematic dismantling of the federal workforce in favor of privatization. If Trump and Elon Musk succeed in their vision of replacing federal workers with privatized, corporate-run alternatives, the consequences will be devastating.

The Dangers of Privatization 

Privatizing the federal workforce is a direct attack on democracy. Why? Because corporations do not serve the public—they serve profit. The so-called efficiency of the private sector comes at a cost: higher prices, reduced transparency, and a lack of accountability.

Think about what happens when you outsource essential government services to private mega-corporations:

  • Cost Explosion: Private companies will charge double, triple, even ten times what federal workers do now for the same services. Why? Because they exist to maximize shareholder profits, not to serve the public.
  • Tax Burden Shift: While billion-dollar corporations receive massive tax breaks under a privatized government, the working-class citizen will be left footing the bill. Your tax dollars won’t be funding public services; they will be funneled into the pockets of the ultra-wealthy.
  • Corporate Control: When the government is run like a business, citizens are no longer participants in a democracy—they become customers of an authoritarian oligarchy. Public interest will take a backseat to corporate agendas, and policies will be dictated by the highest bidder.

The Real DOGE: Democracy Over Government Exploitation 

This is why the ABCs of DOGE matter. “DOGE” isn’t just a meme—it’s a rallying cry: Democracy Over Government Exploitation. The fight to preserve our federal workforce is a fight to preserve our democracy itself.

The acronyms used to talk about federal departments and agencies may seem like a bunch of nonsense that MAGA is falsely accusing of being superfluous and telling the American people that there is so much waste, fraud, and abuse going on inside of them. However, in the two months of Elon’s chainsaw massacre of federal agencies, not one case of fraud has been brought to the courts, not one iron-clade example of waste or abuse has been brought to Congress or the People to demonstrate the validity of of their lie. 

And no case of waste, fraud, or abuse ever will be brought to Congress or the People because it is a BIG, FAT lie. It is a ploy concocted by the most extreme of the MAGA mindset to get the American people to rollover and let the MAGA maniacs dismantle our democracy and replace it with an Authoritarian Oligarchy. The pathetic examples that Elon does cite, such as there is a 350 year old man receiving Social Security is simply an admission of his vast ignorance and immense stupidity in not understanding or even attempting to learn about the systems, the people, the agencies that he and his teenage racists hackers are dismantling.

America to Elon is like his Cybertrucks that are built with crappy glue so that pieces of its exterior panelling fall off while driving or like his crappy rockets that blow up in mid-air causing airplanes to turn around in mid-air to avoid colliding with the pieces of his rocket crashing back down to Earth. Elon likes to call this” ‘a rapid unscheduled disassembly.’

Charlie Warzel summed it up incredibly accurately in The Atlantic on February 3, 2025 in his article: The ‘Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly’ of the United States Government.  He says, “Elon Musk, a foreign-born billionaire, is exercising significant influence over the U.S. government through his role in the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). He has overseen workforce cuts, implemented an insecure email server, and gained access to sensitive government systems, raising concerns about national security and data privacy.”

Are we going to let Elon keep cutting our federal workforce?

If Elon-Trump keep cutting Federal Workers using their rabid DOGE, America loses, BIG. Here are some of the endangered letters of the alphabet of American democracy, the departments, agencies and services Americans depend upon and perhaps have long taken for granted for too long that the whistle of conmen appealed to enough people to put crooks into the White House. Strongmen-conmen who lie, cheat, steal, and are willing to use violence to get what they want. And if they do, our American democracy may soon be a thing of the past, an extinct species of nation-states, a failed state. 

Following are just a few of democracy’s alphabet that we will soon lose:

  • No CDC – No warning or protections from pandemics.
  • No CPSC – No safe products. Dangerous toys, electronics, and appliances.
  • No CFPB – No protection from scams & fraud. Banks, lenders, and corporations run wild.
CFPB employees protest outside closed DC headquarters | NBC4 Washington
  • No DEA – No enforcement against drug trafficking. Rise in illicit drug flow.
  • No DHS – No border security, cyber defense, or emergency response.
  • No DOD – No national defense. Weak military. No cybersecurity.
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  • No DOE – No safe nuclear or renewable energy. No quantum computing experts.
  • No DOI – No national parks. No wildlife protections. No public land stewardship.
  • No DOJ – No justice. Corruption, discrimination, and corporate crime run unchecked.
  • No DOL – No workplace safety, fair wages, or unemployment support.
  • No DOT – No safe roads, bridges, or railways. More accidents, failing infrastructure.
  • No ED (Department of Education) – No public education. Schools defunded. Student aid gone.
Trump expected to issue executive order to eliminate Education Department || CBS News — 126K views 2 weeks ago
‘He has no vision’: Fmr. Education Secretary blasts Trump over elimination of Dept. of Ed.
  • No EPA – No clean water. No fresh air. No safe environment.
  • No FAA – No flights or safe skies. More plane crashes. Air travel chaos.
  • No FCC – No net neutrality. No affordable broadband. Corporate control of media.
  • No FDA – No safe food, drugs, or vaccines.
  • No FEMA – No disaster relief. Communities left to fend for themselves after hurricanes, floods, fires.
MEDIA BLACKOUT: America’s Poorest Counties Devastated By Catastrophic Flooding || More Perfect Union —
1.4M views 10 days ago
  • No FHFA – No oversight of Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac. Housing market instability.
  • No FEC – No election oversight. Dark money and fraud flourish in politics.
  • No FTC – No protection against monopolies, corporate abuse, and scams.
  • No HHS – No public health protections. No medical research funding.
  • No HUD – No housing assistance. More homelessness, unaffordable rents.
  • No ICE – No immigration enforcement. Border security weakens. Or more frightening, becomes a piece of the authoritarian arm piece used to frighten, intimidate, and destroy anyone considered an enemy of the state, which in an authoritarian oligarchy is anyone who does not go along with all the lies and con games being played upon the people.
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  • No IRS – No tax enforcement. Billionaires pay zero taxes while working Americans foot the bill.
  • No NASA – No space exploration. No climate monitoring. No satellites. Elon will get to blow up as many of his crappy rockets as he wants and We The People will pay for his light show showering hazardous waste over the United States and the world.
  • No NHTSA – No car safety regulations. More vehicle recalls, dangerous roads. Instead, Elon will use this hole to jam through executive orders signed by his puppet President Trump to force people to drive his dangerous autopilot cars… the fully automatic ones that he wants to roll out this year. Watch this video and report: The Hidden Autopilot Data That Reveals Why Teslas Crash | WSJ
  • No NIH – No cures. No medical research. No advancements in medicine.
Since the "DOGE cuts" (referring to the Department of Government Efficiency's proposed cuts) to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), there have been significant concerns about the future of medical research, including workforce reductions, grant delays, and a cap on indirect cost reimbursements, which has led to a temporary freeze on some of the cuts. [12345678
Here's a more detailed breakdown of the situation: 
1. Workforce Reductions and Uncertainty: [910
  • Planned Cuts: The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is planning to reduce the NIH workforce by around 3,400 employees, aiming to reset staffing levels to those employed at the end of fiscal year 2019. [910
  • Layoffs and Early Retirements: The NIH is bracing for layoffs, with officials expecting cuts similar to those seen at the end of the Trump administration. [9
  • Internal Turmoil: The NIH has faced internal turmoil, with two high-ranking officials resigning and the agency still lacking a permanent director. [1112
  • Early-Career Scientists Affected: Some scientists, including those with tenured positions, are facing uncertainty about their job security as contract renewals are no longer automatic. [8
2. Impact on Research Funding and Grants: [1314
  • Indirect Cost Cap: The NIH announced a policy to cap indirect cost reimbursements at 15% for all new and existing research grants, effective February 10, 2025. [1314
  • Grant Delays and Freezes: Federal courts have temporarily frozen plans to slash the rate NIH pays for “indirect costs” and the administration’s temporary “pause” on federally funded grants and loans. [6
  • Grant Terminations: The NIH has terminated a growing list of research projects, including studies on HIV in children, reducing mold exposure and its effect on asthma, and LGBTQ+ related studies. [1516
  • Concerns about Medical Innovation: Scientists and researchers are concerned that these cuts could delay medical advances and hinder the development of treatments for various diseases. [31117
  • Impact on Universities and Research Institutions: Universities and research institutions are facing significant budget cuts and are struggling to maintain their research programs. [2367
  • Examples of Affected Research: A research project on cannabis use disorder impacting non-heterosexual women at Ohio State University was canceled after DOGE pulled funding. [15
3. Ongoing Legal Challenges and Political Backlash: [518
  • Temporary Restraining Order: A federal judge in Massachusetts issued a temporary restraining order, halting the directive to slash NIH grants. [518
  • Lawsuits: Lawsuits have been filed by attorneys general challenging the proposed cuts in indirect costs. [7
  • Political Opposition: Some politicians have criticized the DOGE cuts, calling them “dangerous and short-sighted” and expressing concerns about the impact on medical research and public health. [23
Generative AI is experimental.
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eav5gyrgExo
[2] https://www.iowapublicradio.org/health/2025-02-14/universities-dodge-major-nih-funding-cuts-for-now-heres-what-you-need-to-know
[3] https://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/trumps-nih-budget-cuts-threaten-research-stirring-panic-rcna191744
[4] https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/02/22/nx-s1-5305276/trump-nih-funding-freeze-medical-research
[5] https://healthpolicy-watch.news/nih-limits-overhead-cost-funding-to-15-cutting-off-9-billion-to-biomedical-research-institutions/
[6] https://www.axios.com/2025/02/26/musk-doge-science-cuts-universities-fallout
[7] https://www.opb.org/article/2025/03/12/how-far-could-trumps-nih-funding-cuts-set-medical-innovation-back-by-decades-uw-researchers-warn/
[8] https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/24/health/nih-doge-trump.html
[9] https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cdc-nih-hhs-layoffs-doge-rfk-jr-restructuring/
[10] https://www.govexec.com/workforce/2025/03/nih-faces-renewed-doge-directive-cut-staff-pre-covid-levels-putting-thousands-line-rifs/403593/
[11] https://www.infectiousdiseaseadvisor.com/news/nih-research-funding-drops-1b-under-trump-administration/
[12] https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5143563-nih-leaders-retire-doge-cuts/
[13] https://cu-citizenaccess.org/2025/03/university-of-illinois-research-already-suffering-from-federal-funding-cuts-and-doge/
[14] https://www.bdo.com/insights/industries/nonprofit-education/understanding-the-nih-s-new-indirect-cost-rate-policy-what-nonprofit-and-higher-education-cfos-need
[15] https://www.10tv.com/article/news/local/doge-cuts-nih-funding-ohio-state/530-9b8aca01-852e-4c3b-b8be-06bb60d0aee4
[16] https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00828-3
[17] https://fortune.com/2025/02/21/doge-national-institute-health-funding-indirect-funds-elon-musk-medical-research-science/
[18] https://filtermag.org/harm-reduction-research-doge-cuts/amp/
[-] https://www.axios.com/2025/02/26/musk-doge-science-cuts-universities-fallout
[-] https://www.bdo.com/insights/industries/nonprofit-education/understanding-the-nih-s-new-indirect-cost-rate-policy-what-nonprofit-and-higher-education-cfos-need
SBA, HHS to take over some Education Department responsibilities, Trump says || Face The Nation
  • No SSA – No Social Security. Seniors and disabled left without income. Fact check: Elon Musk calls Social Security a Ponzi schemethis is very RICH coming from a South African who made billions from American tax payers! The real reason Elon wants to take Social Security away from our seniors and disabled is so he can get major tax breaks as he continues to sell the United States crappy products and inferior services.
‘The plan is to scuttle the agency’: Democrats demand answers from Musk on Social Security cuts
Sabotaging Social Security: Trump & Musk Move Ahead with Plan to Gut Agency
Trump supporters TURN ON HIM at Republican TOWN HALL

We must ask ourselves: Do we want to live in a society where decisions are made for the benefit of all, or one where billionaires dictate every aspect of our lives for their own gain? The answer should be clear.

The MAGA Contagion: When Extremism Becomes Policy 

The erosion of federal institutions is not happening in a vacuum. It is part of a broader, more insidious phenomenon: the contagion of MAGA ideology. What began as a political movement has metastasized into an extremist agenda, one that now silently endorses mass layoffs of federal employees, the shutdown of USAID, the Department of Education, and even an attempt to dismantle the U.S. Institute of Peace—a non-profit organization, not even a federal agency.

Independent Agency CEO: ‘DOGE has broken into our building.’

This movement is no longer confined to rhetoric. The so-called “DOGE boys”—young men ranging from 18 to 26—have been emboldened to take physical action, showing up armed and forcing their way into government agencies and organizations that attempt to resist their intrusion. This is not governance. This is intimidation. This is authoritarianism creeping in through the back door.

Every American should be deeply concerned. Is this what MAGA voters truly wanted? A government dismantled by corporate greed and enforced through violence? A society where expertise is abandoned, institutions are gutted, and democracy is reduced to a hollow shell controlled by billionaires? This is the reality we are facing if we do not push back.

Ex-NFL kicker Chris Kluwe arrested after city council protest
N*zis are Taking Over The Government! || Adam Mockler — 27K views 1 month ago
The zombie horror story has roots in Haitian slaves fearing their cruel Masters would bring them back after death to work forever in their sugar cane fields, but it got a make over in Nazi Germany under Hitler when practically overnight once trusted family, friends, neighbors changed from trusted members of society into blood thirsty supporters of Hitler’s Hate regime. Friends would turn neighbors, friends, and family into the dreaded SS for helping Jews or not being loyal to Hitler.

Just a little side trip through history:

Himmler, pictured with Nazi leader Adolph Hitler as he salutes passing SS troops. Courtesy of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. 

In 1929, Hitler appointed Himmler Reichsführer of the Schutzstaffel (SS.) At the time, the SS served as bodyguards for Hitler and other top Nazi leaders. As the newly appointed leader of the SS, Himmler sought to develop an elite faction of the Nazi Party. In 1929, the SS totaled 280 men. By the time the Nazis came to power in 1933, Himmler had grown the SS to 52,000. Himmler inducted two new functions for the SS—internal security and guardianship over racial purity. In 1931, Himmler established the Sicherheitsdienst (Security Service, or SD) to gather intelligence and monitor opponents within the Nazi Party, leaders of other political parties, and government officials. In 1934, the SD was distinguished as the sole political intelligence agency for Germany. Five years later, in September 1939, Himmler fused the SD with the Reich Security Main Office (RSHA.)
Following the Nazi’s invasion of Poland, in 1939 Hitler appointed Himmler as the Reich Commissar for the Strengthening of the German Ethnic Stock. This new position authorized Himmler and the SS to have complete control over German resettlement in areas of occupied Poland and eventually the Soviet Union in 1941. Himmler had complete say over who was German, where ethnic Germans should live, and which populations should be moved out or destroyed to make room for resettled Germans. Himmler’s plan for resettlement would be conducted with the help of the Einsatzgruppen, also known as the SS’s mobile killing units. The Einsatzgruppen was tasked to initiate and partake in mass murder of Jews, government officials, Roma, and people with disabilities, no matter the age or gender.

Source: An Architect of Terror: Heinrich Himmler and the Holocaust

Bad DOGE: Manifestation of the Mind Contagion Called MAGA

Bad DogE

As town halls in Republican-controlled districts fill with outraged voters, it becomes clear that many who supported Trump never intended for him, Elon Musk, and the GOP to dismantle the federal workforce, gut agencies, and set their sights on Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Yet, a deeply entrenched MAGA loyalist base still cheers on the destruction. This unwavering 40% of the electorate includes January 6 insurrectionists—some of whom Trump pardoned on his first day back in office—violent agitators, and those who celebrate chaos and cruelty as political strategy.

Fury thrown at lawmakers during recent town halls
TIDAL WAVE of Regret Slams Republican Voters as Reality Sinks in

Surrounding these extremists are legions of keyboard warriors, relentless in their pursuit of anyone who dares oppose the Trump-Elon regime. They harass and threaten those who stand for truth, expertise, and democracy. They despise professionals, intellectuals, and anyone who possesses knowledge beyond their limited worldview. Their reality is small, insular, and designed to benefit only one group: rich, white men who hoard power and wealth.

These individuals do not engage in rational debate; they demand reality conform to their beliefs. They are hostile to facts, science, and history. They lash out violently—both online and in the streets—against anyone who challenges their narrative.

Who are these people? How did they become this way? Can they still be reached, or are they a malignant force eating away at democracy from within? And if democracy can be wrestled back from their grip, what do we do with them? Their response to opposition is clear: intimidation, suppression, and violence. The question remains—how will the rest of America respond?

What You Can Do

  • Raise Awareness: Share this message with friends, family, and colleagues. The more people understand the stakes, the harder it will be for privatization efforts to move forward unchallenged.
  • Support Federal Workers: Show your appreciation for the people who keep our country running. From TSA agents to environmental researchers, these individuals dedicate their lives to serving the public.
  • Use Your Voice: Protest, petition, and vote against policies that seek to dismantle our federal workforce and hand control to private corporations.
  • Display Your Support: Our ABCs of DOGE stickers, shirts, and signs are designed to start conversations and spread awareness. Place them on your laptop, water bottle, or car to make a statement wherever you go.

The time to act is now. Once federal expertise is lost, it will not easily be regained. If we allow the systematic dismantling of our government workforce, we are not just losing workers—we are losing democracy itself.

Kindness Still Counts

Gov. Pritzker Commencement Address: Kindness is intelligence

Message of the year… indeed, the decade:How do you spot an idiot? Look for the person who is cruel. The kindest person in the room is often the smartest.” — Gov Pritzker

Also, see interview with Governor Pritzker’s March 24, 2025 interview with Jen Psaki on the effects of DOGE cuts to his people in Illinois such as cuts to research on soybeans and how they are protecting US soybeans from Red Leaf Blotch.

“People are going to lose their lives due to the cuts Elon is making through DOGE…”, Governor JB Pritzkey

And Check Out The Quip’s Collection’s Resistance Collection

American War: A Novel About How Damage Begets Damage

I was captivated by another Throughline that aired on January 19, 2023. This episode explores possible Extremist Futures as envisioned by Omar El Akkad in his novel American War.

Omar’s novel is about America’s second Civil War. He imagines 50 years into our future. A time when climate change has turned Florida into an underwater theme park and climate disasters devastate the world. His vision is very similar to mine in my novel Sapience: The Moment Is Now (not yet published).

In American War, the world finally understands that it has to stop burning fossil fuels and bands them–but it’s too little too late. The US is the last to band fossil fuels. All states agree to switch to more sustainable energy except Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia. These three states take up arms, deciding they would rather secede than stop burning fossil fuels.

They lose, again, but what follows is a years-long insurgency. This is where his story is mostly centered.


Ignorance

Something Omar says in the beginning of this Throughline needs to be emphasized. He says, “We read to feel into another.”

This is how we come to know and understand each other. A country or a state (I’m thinking of you Florida) that bans books because they might be subversiveGod Forbid… they might give children ideas… is a system that seeks to keep its citizens in ignorance.

Break down the word: ig nor ance. States and countries that ban books are teaching their people to ignore what they see with their very own eyes.

And, people who are kept in ignorance are a heck of a lot easier to manipulate too!

He also says, “Story is the final act of Resistance!


Disturbingly Plausible

The New York Time’s describes his novel: “Omar El Akkad’s “American War” is a disturbingly plausible case in point — a tale of a future America torn asunder by its own political and tribal affiliations.

This is what caught my attention too.

Throughline plays some from the audio book of American War that includes sound effects. Had I not caught the beginning, I might have thought I was listening to real, on-the-ground reporting.

Omar’s story feels real, very real. It feels like it is already happening.

He grounds his story telling by his real life experiences as a boy in Lebanon where he was a witness to the devastation of war and what happens to people in refugee camps.

Omar says, “A society subjected by warfare is akin to moving backwards in time.”

Think of what Putin is doing to his people and to the beautiful people of Ukraine. Every image coming out of his sick ego trip is likened to images from WWI.

The Academy Award nominated movie All Quiet on the Western Front vividly paints the insanity of rich, powerful men who send other men to die for their personal power and glory. In this movie (and of course the book), Paul Bäumer and his classmates are just cannon fodder for a fatherland that has gone mad.

All Quiet on the Western Front | Official Trailer | Netflix

If you are having a hard time remembering the horror and senselessness of death of WWI, then watch All Quiet to remind yourself that quiet means dead. Watch as these young, gifted boys sign up for service and get pumped up by grumpy, old narcissistic men who stuff them full of overly romanticized, patriotic notions of war and how they are defending the fatherland. It’s on Netflix, so you have no excuse.


Euphemistic Fraudulence

Omar describes this souped-up patriotic messaging as euphemistic fraudulence.

Texas University’s McCombs School of Business published an article that was written by Robert Prentice titled: Euphemisms Inflict Collateral Damage on Integrity.

This article begins with the college admission scandal that caught up actress Lori Loughlin and fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli in acts of fraud to get their children into the best schools.

Robert writes, and this is important:

In an earlier blog post we suggested some reasons, grounded in behavioral ethics, that might help explain why reputable people and loving parents became involved in these frauds.  The conformity bias, the self-serving bias, and incrementalism all may have contributed. The evidence disclosed in the indictment offers additional clues.
A euphemism, say’s Webster’s, is “the substitution of an agreeable or inoffensive expression for one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant.”
Famed Stanford psychologist Albert Bandura writes of “moral disengagement,” suggesting that people, such as Loughlin and Giannulli, who think of themselves as good people can do something bad so long as they can selectively suspend morality for their activities. One way people do this is by use of euphemisms.  Bandura notes:

“Language shapes the perception of events and the thought patterns on which people base many of their actions. The personal and social acceptability of given activities, therefore, can differ markedly depending on what those activities are called. Euphemistic machinations are used widely to detach and depersonalize doers from harmful activities. Cloaking detrimental activities in euphemisms can be a powerful weapon.”

“Working the System” – Euphemisms Inflict Collateral Damage on Integrity
Examples of the “sanitizing and convoluted language” (Gambino) of euphemisms that have helped people make their peace with wrongdoing include the following:
  • Dead civilians = “collateral damage”
  • Mass firings = “right-sizing”
  • Lies = “alternative facts”
  • Burning down villages = “pacification”
  • Fraud = “creative accounting”
  • Genocide = “the final solution”
Empirical studies indicate that “euphemistic labels can psychologically sanitize unethical practices, facilitating our participation in them.” (Moore & Gino).

The World is Either Good or Evil

This is a lie. Every modern human being born today is told this lie.

Omar talks about how this idea is used to twist us into doing all sorts of evil things. It is a notion, an idea, a belief drilled into us since the day we are born until the day we are dead.

It is this very idea that the world can be cleaved into a good side and a bad side that allows us to be manipulated.

I would add it is precisely splitting the world into Good and Bad parts that lets us justify just about any abominable violence we can dream up.

It is also what allows ruthless rulers to turn plain, ordinary, decent human beings into killing machines and monsters.

Ruthless Rulers are already monsters and include men such as Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Ali Khamenei, Kim Jong-um, Denis Sassou Nguesso, Abdullah Aziz Al Saud, Bashar al-Assad, and there are many more (see the list of Current World Dictators).

World Dictators In 2022 By Location

We live with these monsters right here, right now on our planet. And they are pounding our world straight back to the Stone Age just as fast as they can.

This is a comprehensive, up-to-date list of the current world dictators and authoritarian regimes. In 2022 there are 57 dictatorships in the world. We define a dictator as the ruler of a land rated “Not Free” by the Freedom House in their annual survey of freedom.

What do you think? Are they winning? The Red countries that is… are there more red countries than yellow or green?

That is exactly what they want you to believe. But, perhaps you are beginning to sense out it is precisely this idea of division that is the problem.


Empathetic Liars

One of Omar’s characters is an empathetic lair. He is the character that goes into the refugee camps and radicalizes the kids there.

Omar says there is no such thing as exotic suffering, but empathetic liars make you believe there is. Empathetic liars parse the fine threads of what we do and what is done to us. Empathetic liars play upon the lack of self-agency in a place like a refugee camp (or one of Putin’s prisons) and use it like a gleaming lure to hook their targets–kids (or Russian prisoners) whom they plan to turn into cannon fodder.

Omar says, “People go to bad place when their self-agency is taken away from them.” And the more damaged a person is, the more their circle of Trust closes in, making them extremely vulnerable to empathetic liars

And that is exactly what autocrats, dictators, and pretty much most of the Republican Party in the United States are doing. Whoever they are…all close ranks around their strong man, hype their followers up on Fraudulent Euphemisms, and close the circle of Trust until only one man can be trusted.

And, there sure are a lot of want-a-bee dictators who desire to be the one and only man the entire human race can trust–Putin, Trump, Xi Jinping, Ali Khamenei, Kim Jong-um, Denis Sassou Nguesso, Abdullah Aziz Al Saud, Bashar al-Assad, or pick your poison.

Yes, Omar is very right to envision the coming of America’s Second Civil War! Heck, we might be staring down the path to WWIII.

I think Empathetic Liars is another name for Dark Empaths. Dark Empathy is not a good thing. Dr. Ramani does a very good job in this video explaining why all of us need to be on the look out for Dark Empaths and Empathetic Lairs.

The Dark Empath VS the Narcissist: The Signs | Med Circle

Reality? What Reality!

Omar talks about when a group of people believe anything they want to believe is real… you’re living in a very dangerous place and time.

Add the element of violent insurrection being a central part of a country’s narrative, and you have a tinderbox waiting to explode.

He admits he’s been amazed how reality has out did his fiction.

He warns, “There is a particular Force that when it emerges within a group of people, it must be stared down directly.”

I would add that when this Force is encountered: You cannot blink. You cannot turn away. And, if you falter, it will destroy you.

I’m writing about such a force too. I was reminded of a prologue I was playing around with to describe my story. I realize it is exactly what Omar is warning us about.

The Last DJ on Earth | I wrote and read the beginning of this video. My husband plays the Last DJ and my friend Brain (who has since passed) plays the Persuader

Will we listen? Can we listen anymore?

Feature Archetypal Animation

Image from: American War by Omar El Akkad, book review: Should be read as a cautionary tale | The Independent — This impressive debut imagines a second American Civil War set from 2074 to 2095 and is set apart from other dystopian novels because of the fully realised plausibility of the scenario 

Image from: Penguin Random House Audio | “Powerful . . . As haunting a postapocalyptic universe as Cormac McCarthy [created] in The Road, and as devastating a look as the fallout that national events have on an American family as Philip Roth did in The Plot Against America. . . . Omar El Akkad’s debut novel, American War, is an unlikely mash-up of unsparing war reporting and plot elements familiar to readers of the recent young-adult dystopian series The Hunger Games and Divergent.”
—Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times

Music: 1865: Songs of Hope and Home from the American Civil War Anonymous 4 | [15] Home, Sweet Home / Polly Put the Kettle On   

First Archetypal Animation

Music: Heaven Or Hell | Don Tolive | [1] Heaven Or Hell