Editor’s Note: Welcome to new subscribers. Day 156 of the Great Con II. As you are reading this issue, I have been walking the beaches of Normandy, the site of the free world’s great historical battle to push Nazism out of France and ultimately defeat it. Many a young American lie here near this hollowed ground. I am humbled.

I thought this piece would be fitting as we face forces that are working to bend democratic institutions to personal whims, much as Hitler and the rise of Nationalism did to Germany. Thank you for being here.

Some people live history while others read about it.

This is especially true as the Greatest Generation is almost gone. I find myself reflecting on what they fought against and whether the rise of Donald Trump and the normalization of autocratic themes in American politics today could descend into something like nationalism or Nazism.

The question is not to be an alarmist.

It is rooted in observations of what we are seeing across the branches of government. The judicial decision-making is becoming more subjective, immigration enforcement is being carried out on long-term residents, both legal and illegal, for problems that don’t exist, and the composition of the current administration includes many moral losers who have tended to fail upward.

While the United States is not Nazi Germany—not by a long shot—there are troubling signs that should command our attention and our vigilance, not our prayers and passiveness.

Over the past decade, executive orders have become a favored tool for bypassing Congress and imposing policy by fiat. Trump’s immigration crackdowns, for example, have targeted specific groups with a zeal that recalls darker chapters in history. The use of masked federal agents to quell protests, the demonization of the press as “enemies of the people,” and the relentless attacks on the independence of the judiciary all echo tactics seen in the early stages of authoritarian regimes.

The Supreme Court, once seen as a bulwark against executive overreach, has in some cases been tone-deaf to current trends and enabled presidential lawlessness, as seen in recent rulings that limit the ability of lower courts to check the president’s power. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s dissent in Trump v. CASA warned of a “zone of lawlessness” where the executive could act without meaningful oversight—a chilling phrase that should unsettle every American who believes in law and order.

The rhetoric from the White House has grown increasingly brazen. Trump’s references to himself as a “king” and his invocation of Napoleon’s assertion that “he who saves his country does not violate any law” signal a disregard for constitutional limits in exchange for the fiction of being “the chosen one”.

More disturbing still is the mainstreaming of extremist symbolism, as when Elon Musk—once celebrated as a visionary entrepreneur—gave what appeared to be a Nazi salute at Trump’s 2025 inauguration (he, too, continues to fail upward). There is a constant flood of terms such as nasty, crooked, and enemies against fellow Americans. Most recently, Trump even stated that he hated Democrats.

Such gestures, once relegated to the fringes and openly recognized as un-presidential, are now part of the national conversation, signaling a dangerous shift in what is considered acceptable in American public life.

But what, exactly, is missing from this picture? What would it take for the United States to cross the line into full-blown nationalism?

For one, American institutions still retain a degree of independence. Most state governments, non-governmental organizations, and a free press continue to push back against executive overreach.

The economic structure of the country remains fundamentally different from that of Nazi Germany, with no state-controlled war economy or forced labor camps, though the recent massive increase in military budget, the deployment of troops in Los Angeles, and caged holding pens for immigrants are starkly similar to Nazi activities.

Most importantly, there is no industrialized machinery for genocide—though the dehumanizing rhetoric and actions directed at immigrants, people of color, and LGBTQ+ individuals is a dangerous precursor.

There are a few items that Americans should be on the lookout for.

The rise of state-sanctioned paramilitary groups targeting minorities would be a red flag. Oathkeepers, Proud Boys, or whatever they want to call themselves, be mindful of any effort to legitimize a role for them.

Watch for the criminalization of protest and the expansion of “terrorism” definitions to silence dissent. Public agencies have already been hollowed out of the best and brightest for their dissent. If the administration come for the voices in the streets or to shutdown public property, be prepared.

The imposition of loyalty oaths in public institutions or the forced adoption of ideological curricula in schools would signal a further erosion of democratic norms. We’ve already seen a bit of this in MAGA led states.

The United States is not yet Nazi Germany, but the warning signs are unmistakable. The threat lies not in any single policy or executive order, but in the gradual erosion of checks and balances on multiple fronts, the normalization of violence against minorities (the whole purpose of the immigration myth), the normalization of hate speech, and the silencing of dissent. As historian Timothy Snyder has warned, “Do not obey in advance.”

The responsibility to defend democracy falls not just on politicians or judges, but on every citizen.

You should be acting now, however you can in whatever means you have, before it is too late, peacefully but with persistence, even causing a bit of annoyance, making the good trouble.

You’ll be a part of preserving democracy’s short but still living history, and you’ll be protecting your legacy for future generations of kinfolk who’ll ask…

What did they do?

There is no doubt that people will use AI as a companion, a therapist, or a trusted friend. As the tech matures, many of us will be wearing it 24 hours a day. It will get to a state that AI, our artificial friend, will know us better than we know ourselves. Can it be used for good? Absolutely. Can it be abused? It most certainly will be.

AI will sufficiently impact human relations to a level that the issue of access isn’t the only item to address. Access to AI must be equally addressed with supporting human-to-human relations. We will need more public safe spaces to commune, more expectations of knowing neighbors, and a recommitment to humans through national measures such as universal healthcare. One must be done with the other, or we will be a nation of individuals with nothing tying us together.

And the ties that bind can’t be built on some sort of illusory hate or zealotry.

That’s been tried many times.

This is the kind of writing that I pause and think about. A beautiful piece by the author, who is nearing her end time and searching for common ground with her doctor, who sees the world differently. Struggling with hard things and meeting in the middle, working to build a consensus; these have always been hallmarks of democracy.

Our culture is in a stage now where it is easy and convenient to not do any of the community building, to stay in your bubble and zone of comfort, and throw bombs. A reckoning will come from all of this negative energy, but it is better to counter it now with direct engagement and listening. Editor’s note: The author passed away a few days after writing this piece.

Check out this cool short video about a projectionist in New York. As a fan of film and screenwriting, I totally get the love and feel of this.

This is the longest piece of media I’ve ever posted in The Porcupine, running about an hour and a half. It’s riveting and brilliant. If you're a high school teacher, minister, or interested citizen, this is one of the best things I’ve watched this year, and I highly recommend it for group discussion.

I first heard about it via social media and bookmarked it to come back to, then one of my kids mentioned it to me. Seeing that we both arrived at it independently, I took a quick look and was glad I did.

This can be tough to watch, but it’s real and authentic. It’s getting to the tough issues without the spin. It exposes the differences between opinions and wants, wishes, and what are the facts. It gave me many thoughts, and it should be a wake-up call on how much people in our culture have drifted away from the knowledge and principles, and the truths that define America.

I have to credit Hasan for doing this. It can be personally upsetting to face people who don’t see you as an American, or even a human. Watch it and share it. We need more discussions like this, not less. Bring it into the open. Let it see the light.

Let people know if they are communing with Nazis.

Watch it.

And Now….

The best of the old world needs to continue with us into the new one. Principles of learning and growing, respecting elders, valuing education, and reading real books for pleasure. All part of becoming a better human, building a more perfect union. We must work to ensure that the current backslide into Christian white nationalism is stopped.

Democracies are rare and vulnerable. Study and know your history. Visit the places and the graves and the works of those who would tell you, who would whisper the truth to you.

He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Be a good human.