Prologue: This week the fraud reached a new level with worldwide tariffs. This is the end of American exceptionalism and the beginning of real economic pain for many. There is no economist of merit who will tell you this is a good idea.

This is all about ego and nothing about economics.

For a narcissist, this is the pinnacle of achievement. Everyone in the world waits for your word or action, trapped in the delusion until courage rises from the enablers. If you think it is beyond such a simple understanding, remember the many, many signs along the way. Recall all the professionals who knew him and told the truth about their experience

There’s no genius, and there’s no plan.

On to the brief.

We are a species of language. Language itself may be a primitive stage of development compared to the existence of time. Perhaps we are more accustomed to the quiet or to grunts or nonverbal signals in comparison to the art and craft of stringing words together. It is no wonder we have hundreds of various languages and a million different ways of saying something. From Plato to Shakespeare to Rap to Politics, language has served to both enlighten and evade and as a weapon and a shield. We revel in our ability to use language, and it has implored people to do great things and provoked others to do terrible crimes.

Beyond treating honesty as a naivete, the current administration has masterfully wielded words to shape narratives, stoke fears, and rally supporters, so much so that a dictionary is necessary to decipher their true meaning.

We Americans should be used to this because ours is a land of freedom of language. There are very few guardrails. You can share almost any thought that pops into your head, no matter how brilliant or dumb. You can drop rhymes or f-bombs, sometimes mingling them both. The worst outcome of our freedom of language is social isolation. You may get diminished opportunities or hurt feelings. In other countries, the wrong thing said can get you disappeared or dead.

Democracy is the art of open language more than any other form of government. It is built upon debate and consensus. It goes to the very fiber of our existence as Americans. Attempts to distort words or control speech directly affront the first principle of freedom.

We might as well become a Russian or Chinese state.

The Trump administration's linguistic acrobatics would make George Orwell nod. He warned us. Their mastery of doublespeak transforms complex issues into simplistic slogans, nuanced debates into us-vs-them battles, and factual criticisms into partisan attacks.

Let’s look at some of the most common terms used by the current administration; words used repeatedly to drive home a certain type of false narrative. The plan becomes easier to recognize once you realize the true meanings.

America First: While this is said to create a myth of America being behind, the opposite is true. America has been so successful that it is the country the world has looked to for escape and inspiration. That is now being squandered by making us more like, for example, Russia, a country where very few line up to become citizens. When this phrase is repeated, it truly means America alone, isolated from allies and global cooperation.

Beautiful: Anything the leader likes, regardless of aesthetic or actual merit. Tariffs? Beautiful.

Border security: While a bipartisan bill was offered under the previous administration, it is well known that the current president recommended killing it. When the term is used, it is not to address a real problem but to promote xenophobic policies for political gain.

Dangerous: Anything or any person that threatens the administration’s current efforts to uproot public services. In fact, when the word is used, it is to deflect from the danger being caused by the current administration.

DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion): The administration's crusade against DEI programs reveals a deeper agenda. By framing diversity initiatives as "radical and wasteful," they're not just cutting jobs and programs – they're attempting to preserve a particular vision of America that excludes and marginalizes nonwhite Americans. When you hear it said, they are championing the entrenchment of a white majority.

Drain the swamp: This was supposed to mean ending a beltway mentality of gold and grifters. What it means is to replace career experts with loyal sycophants.

Fake news: This is where most of the lying began. The predominant fake news source has been Fox News, as shown in court records and settlements. This is a tool to accuse and project onto your opponents the exact thing you are doing yourself. When you hear it said, the real meaning is factual reporting that makes us look bad.

Freedom of speech: The right for some to say offensive things and outright lies without consequences.

Great again: This is a mythical past where certain demographics held unchallenged power, such as the confederacy or a southern small-town sheriff.

Illegal alien: This means, “Any immigrant we don't like”, predominately non-white, regardless of actual status. To the horror of many Americans, the administration has deported innocent civilians abroad because of their color and because they could get away with it. (Sometime within the next year, this will morph into a discussion of aliens from outer space).

Law and order: A holdover term from the Nixon era which means selective enforcement targeting minorities and dissenters.

Liberal elite: A term that used to mean upper-crust, ivy-league types that now means anyone with a college education who disagrees with us.

Patriot: The term has morphed to include individuals who have harmed officers or other Americans as long as they unquestioningly support our agenda.

Real Americans: Meant to mean white, rural, conservative voters. Fails to consider that real Americans were native. Gives no consideration for personal or patriotic responsibility.

Rigged: Another term juiced by this administration to mean any election, system, or political loss that doesn't favor us.

Strong: Means to be belligerent, confrontational, and unyielding. Adds to the current concern with young men in America.

Traditional values: These are regressive social policies trumped up as what made America great. The term is used to distract the public while fleecing working Americans.

Woke: Another made-up word to depict education and awareness of social injustices as weak and wrong. Wielded as a catch-all boogeyman for anything that challenges the status quo. When Trump declares that "Our country will be woke no longer," he's saying, "We reject progress, reasoning, and understanding".

Equally interesting are the words and phrases the administration is trying to erase. The New York Times revealed a list of terms federal agencies have been urged to avoid, including "activism," "climate crisis," "feminism," and "social justice". This linguistic purge isn't just about changing vocabulary — it's an attempt to reshape reality, to erase these concepts from public consciousness. It's a chilling reminder of how language can be used as a tool of control and oppression.

The administration depends upon people to take them at their word and not ask questions. Once that model is broken, an avalanche of progress will occur, which is typically how democracy works.

These are concerted efforts to reshape American values and identity. If you pay attention to the type of wording used, you will see a consistent pattern. Listen for what is used and notice the ones that are not. Be an active listener, not a passive participant. Learn to decode their language and expose the true meanings. For an administration that uses the lie as a basic form of communication, you must stop giving it credence, for in the end, those who control language control thought. And those who control thought control everything.

The question isn't whether we can decipher their doublespeak—we can—it's whether we'll still recognize our democracy once this is over.

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Until next time, the siren is on. The effort to divide us socially is destroying us economically. By the time you read this, action is taking place all weekend across the Nation. Your voice, your vote, your money, your feet. Channel your energy toward the real problem with any peaceful means possible.

Be a good Human and Make Good Trouble