Owl Shogun Studios

Throughout the annals of human history, there have been many who have relied on fear and the threat or use of violence to get their way. We've had no shortage of chiefs, kings, and emperors all utilizing state power to convince their fellow humans that they and they alone possessed the right to rule. Some claimed that the gods had given them such a divine mandate. Others relied on cunning or guile to circumvent existing political structures to ascend to the top. Others deployed the time-honored tradition of subjugation and military conquest as a means of imposing their will over their much weaker adversaries. Indeed, for most of our brief 300,000-year existence as a species, we homo sapiens have operated under the notion that might makes right.

But in the modern era which we now live in, humans have thankfully invented new and better ways to interact with one another. Even though war has not vanished in its entirety, our capacity to cooperatively achieve common aims is something our ancestors could never have dreamed of. In the aftermath of the first World War, the League of Nations was formed in order to prevent further tragedies incurred by such a conflict. As future generations know, the leaders of that time failed to safeguard international law; resulting in the much more disastrous World War II. Our second great effort to maintain a peaceful planet manifests itself as the United Nations.

In the absence of the UN and its founding charter, the world would no longer be beholden to a shared set of rules and agreements which underpin the very security of our planet. While the United Nations as it currently exists may not be a “perfect” system, it is the best measure we have against the potential for a Third World War. Such a scenario is one which very few of us would survive amidst nuclear devastation. For better or worse, we need the UN to ensure the survival of the species; especially in this most critical period where climate change remains an existential threat to all living creatures of the biosphere. But this can only work if ALL nations cooperate in this vision.

It is with great irony then that the United States, one of the UN's founding members and formerly a champion of the very western institutions which built the modern world, is choosing to abandon such principles in favor of selfish gain; much to the detriment of everyone. Trump's attack on the sovereign state of Venezuela and the abduction of its leader, Nicolás Maduro, is a threat to the very idea of international law and a relative peace which has been maintained for over 80 years since the end of World War II. But Trump's designs on Venezuela and its resources was not conceived overnight. This is merely the latest chapter of a sustained regime change effort spanning a period of two decades.

Throughout the early 2000s and 2010s, my country had funded numerous opposition groups to engage in subversive actions against the Venezuelan government. Upon a harsh crackdown of protestors, the United States responded with a series of economic sanctions which impoverished the nation much like it has done to Cuba, Iran, and other countries who refused to adhere to American interests. Back in 2015, then President Barack Obama had this to say about Venezuela in relation to our plans for the world:

An unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States.

In 2017, amidst the UN General Assembly in New York City, Trump held a dinner with Latin American leaders in which he openly suggested that the United States should invade Venezuela and overthrow its government. Afterwards, from 2017 to 2020, my country imposed an additional series of crippling sanctions on Venezuela's state-run oil company. This led to a dramatic decline in oil production by 75% and the nation's GDP fell by as much as 62%; causing a crisis for the population and the ensuing exodus of Venezuelans.

It is important to note that the UN General Assembly, much like with Israel's genocide in Palestine, has repeatedly and overwhelmingly voted against such unilateral measures. In accordance with international law as established during the founding of the UN, only the UN Security Council has the authority to impose such actions. Yet in 2019, the USA had unilaterally recognized Juan Antonio Guaidó as interim president, a man Trump planned to install as a useful puppet to further American interests in the continent. Shortly after, more than $7 billion in Venezuelan assets were frozen.

In the past year (2025), the United States has carried out bombing operations in seven countries; none of which were approved by the UNSC nor where they conducted in lawful self-defense. In addition, Trump has issued direct threats to six UN member states; all violations of international law. This, along with the recent attempt to overthrow the current Venezuelan government, are all part of a consistent pattern showcasing the United States of America's callous disregard for our rules-based order. Should the UN allow American lawlessness to continue with impunity, then we risk the chance that international law will simply wither into a state of irrelevancy. If the agreements and norms which bind us are allowed to accommodate thugs like Donald Trump who believe that “might makes right”, then there can only ever be international anarchy. In such a world, there is only death and destruction... And who wants that?

Home-Grown Autocrat

While the machinations of American imperialism have had various consequences abroad, we must not forget the political and cultural turmoil which has erupted on domestic soil. The fate of the world is still tied very much to the fate of this Republic. In just the past year alone, Donald Trump has committed so many violations against the constitution as to truly boggle the mind. Amidst all the disarray, too many of these injustices seem perfectly acceptable to the sycophants in congress who, either due to a lack of courage or an absence of moral fiber, have all reneged on their supreme duty to defend the constitution of which this nation stands; thus betraying the very oaths they took when they first entered their sacred offices.

I have come to expect such disappointing conduct from our elected officials as they tend to abandon principals for patrician coin with regularity. What I have not been able to grow accustomed to is the alarming number of my fellow Americans who continue to support and celebrate the acts of this autocrat occupying the White House; a man who gets more emboldened every day in the absence of accountability. Despite claiming to champion supposed Christian values as prescribed by their messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, the religious base of this nation has become utterly enamored by the vile and damning rhetoric of Trump and do not seem to express the sort of empathy or compassion as espoused by their so- called “Son of God”.

I still get whiplash thinking that we went from the well-spoken and poised orator of Barack Obama to the babbling and inane gibberish of this current President. I'm still aghast when I see Americans idolize a man who can barely speak in coherent sentences or present ideas in a rational manner. In the course of human history, we have seen far more capable dictators who proved their competency for schemes and demonstrated a clear talent for soaring rhetoric designed to convince their captive populations. But when Trump opens his mouth, I become nauseous by the sheer stupidity of his words. How can anyone in their right mind listen to this degenerate and think that he is fit to lead the most powerful country ever conceived? What sort of person can honestly believe that Donald Trump and his oligarch conspirators represent the interests of the plebeian masses even after everything we have seen thus far?

For years I have struggled to come up with an answer. When I think of dictators, I tend to envision more adept men such as Gaius Julius Ceasar, Joseph Stalin, Adolf Hitler, and Lee Kuan Yew. Trump is too intellectually defunct and too barbarous to fulfill the office of dictator like Cincinnatus or the throne of emperor like Augustus or Marcus Aurelius. He has no gift for oration and his rhetoric is staggeringly flawed and utterly unconvincing... And yet... Even after inciting an attempted coup to overthrow the election in 2021, just over 77 million Americans voted for him.

I can only conclude that the reason so many of these men and women are enchanted by him is that they themselves do not possess the intelligence to ascertain their own deficiencies. Trump is an autocrat for the ignorant buffoon and reflects their deeply-held bigotries and narrowmindedness. In Donald Trump, they have found a platform to unleash their true nature. The fact that Trump speaks like an imbecile is testament to their own proclivities towards anti-intellectualism. In essence, President Trump is a reflection of a very large portion of America itself.

Yet at the same time, there is a method to his madness. He is clearly following the examples of Hitler in many of his domestic policies which aim to selectively weaken, eradicate, or radicalize key institutions in ways that remove obstacles and enable further consolidation of power. Far too many in congress, primarily Republicans, have done nothing to stop this dictator-in-the-making despite having the means to do so. But I will not rely exclusively on my own personal biases towards this man who I consider fundamentally antithetical to America. Instead, I'll do my best to present to you a brief yet poignant summary of his most egregious conspiracies against the United States over the past year.

This is by no means a complete or comprehensive list as I'm merely a fantasy novelist, not a lawyer or a professional journalist. Everything you're about to read is verifiable on the historical record. And so, without further ado, let us dive into 2025: the year Donald Trump declared war on America.

The Enemy Within

A key characteristic of Trump's second presidency is his obsessive use of executive orders which he wields as if a king issuing royal decrees. Technically, not a single one of these orders carry any legal weight. Our sacred constitution is clear in stating that the power to enact laws lies solely on the House of Representatives and the Senate. These kingly orders are merely suggestions as only congress can act upon them if they deem it necessary for the good of the nation. It is this strict separation of powers between the executive, legislative, and judicial branches which makes our glorious democratic republic the envy of the world. But as I've said before ad infinitum, Donald Trump does not care for our democracy nor for our Republic. And apparently, neither do his supporters and the wealthy elites like Peter Thiel who subscribe to the Dark Enlightenment theory of the world.

An honorable politician, if such a rare species of person even exists, will renounce all investments and/or business interests for the duration of their term in office. This is meant to remove any issues which can arise from said conflicts of interest which are contrary to the needs of the electorate. However, this current President proves time and time again that the rules are or little importance to him. Right from the start of 2025, he launched a dizzying plethora of scams and numerous crypto grifts designed to part gullible Americans from their money... And it worked.

Trump also established a brand new venture he named World Liberty Financial to cloak his numerous fraudulent activities in the form of crypto scams, bribes, and a host of secret dealings. Despite being a massive conflict of interest, congress looked the other way. WLFI was utilized by many individuals to send generous donations and contributions as though currying favor with a mafia boss; investing heavily into the assets of WLFI. This alone is an impeachable offense regardless of one's party affiliation as Trump had amassed over $1 billion in 2025. Oh, but it gets much better! Trump happily accepted a $400 million Jet as a gift (bribe) from Qatar. The people who made the largest contributions to his meme coin were even rewarded with a lavish dinner at the imperial palace of Mar-A-Lago; each of them promised with a personal visit by the President himself.

In August of 2025, Apple CEO Tim Cook gave Trump a 24-karat golden plaque. For context, most (if not all) federal workers are prohibited from accepting or receiving any gifts which exceed a value of $20. Failure to comply will result in severe legal consequences. Yet this President thinks himself exempt from the law; a fantasy made manifest only by the cowardice of a complicit congress which, through inaction, effectively condones such corruption.

Another such incident was when Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave him a boxing world championship belt. Although, this is understandable when we consider the war in Ukraine. Zelenskyy knows implicitly what type of man he is dealing with. Trump is neither moral nor rational but a child easily swayed by appeals to the ego. Fellow corrupt men such as Israel's Netanyahu also took part in the bribery; giving Trump a golden pager. Former prime minister of Japan, Shigeru Ishiba, gave him a golden samurai helmet. President Lee Jae Myung of South Korea bestowed Trump an actual golden crown. These are but a few examples of world leaders seeking to purchase favorability from a man swayed by base flattery and glorification. But this was not limited exclusively to heads of state. Numerous billionaires who were under investigation by the Department of Justice (DOJ) largely benefited from engaging in bribery. Having all contributed an astounding $30 million to Trump's political campaign, their investigations were effectively dropped; a reward for loyalty which Trump values over all things.

Then came the slew of pardons for some of the vilest specimens among us. All of the January 6 insurrectionists were absolved of their treason despite having already been convicted in the courts. Though the POTUS technically has the legal authority to forgive any federal crime, the moral implications of this were still shocking. The pardoning of those who engaged in a blatant coup undermined the rule of law and the very integrity of our electoral process. Not only was this unamerican, but it is a direct threat to the stability of this Republic's future. It signals to our enemies that even if you commit treason, so long as you curry favor with King Trump, you will be absolved of all past sins. There can never be true accountability under Donald Trump.

This abuse of the Presidential Pardon was made worse as clemency was given to a multitude of unsavory characters. The racist criminals Andrew Zabavsky and Terence Sutton killed an African American and attempted to hide the crime. These men were pardoned. A pardon was also given to the disgraced governor of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich, who was lawfully convicted of corruption. Brian Kelsey, a former state senator from Tennessee was pardoned despite being found guilty of violating campaign financing laws. Devin Archer, known for defrauding investors, was pardoned as a means to gain insight into attacking Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden. Michael Gerard Grimm, convicted for felonies and tax fraud, was pardoned. John C. Rowland, convicted of conspiracy and corruption, was pardoned. New York's most prolific liar, George Santos, was pardoned despite his conviction for theft and fraud. Rudi Giuliani, well-known for his role in plotting to overturn the 2020 presidential elections, was pardoned. Trump even interfered with federal investigations into sex trafficker and manosphere propagandist Andrew Tate.

There is a clear and recognizable pattern to the people Trump pardons. No matter how wretched their souls may be, as long as they pay lip service and offer the appropriate amount in bribes, you can be absolved of your evils. If you are rich, well-connected and just as corrupt, you too can evade the guillotine of justice like Trump repeatedly does. Such a shameful state of affairs proves that America really is a two-tiered justice system. We must never naively delude ourselves into thinking otherwise.

Then came the dismantling of our institutions. Trump appointed to his cabinet some of the most incompetent and aggressively unqualified men and women ever to serve in the White House such as Pete Hegseth, Pam Bondi, Tulsi Gabbard, Kristi Noem, Robert F. Kennedy, and Stepehen Miller — all of them fascists and believers in the MAGA cult. It's a miracle Matt Gaetz, a man known for illegal drug use, bribery, and potential sex trafficking, was actually rejected by the Republican-majority senate as their appetite for evil seems bottomless. Most embarrassing is that that man is a Floridian. As I've said before, Florida tends to produce some of America's most heinous politicians.

Billionaire oligarch Elon Musk was allowed to form his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE); tasked with the goal of tearing apart the mechanisms of government and fulfilling their Project 2025 goals. Musk meant to streamline our decent into a more autocratic state where patrician elites rule without the pesky checks and balances that a strong and healthy democracy often demands. Much of the operational capacity of the federal government was greatly damaged with the reckless firing of thousands of federal workers and the complete obliteration of numerous critical agencies.

Elon Musk was also granted access to the personal data of millions of Americans and, from this mass of data, created unauthorized information systems. Funds appropriated by congress were seized and contracts cancelled; undermining congress' power of the purse. Due to DOGEs closeness to the White House itself, Musk and his thralls enjoyed protection from accountability and oversight. With unchecked power, the unelected official and co-consul Elon Musk's mass firing of career civil servants doubled as an attack on institutional knowledge necessary for our government to work. Loyalty, not competence, was preferred over all things. Even essential agencies such as the CFPB, established after the financial meltdown of 2008 to protect consumers, was under assault which hindered America's ability to enforce laws.

The supposed “Department of Government Efficiency” saved the American taxpayer exactly $0 and actually cost us a lot more. In the end, all we got was a lethal erosion of our Republic in the hands of an out-of-touch billionaire with no real stake in American democracy. Amidst the wiping out of entire departments, the elimination of workers unions and the complete decimation of collective bargaining, Elon Musk certainly succeeded in gutting the government into a mere shadow of its former self. The only real winners of this tragedy are the patricians themselves. But the rapine and pillaging didn't end there.

Donald Trump saw fit to halt any and all investigations into the January 6 Insurrection. All those working on the case, such as chief-prosecutor Jack Smith, were fired. Many more within the Department of Justice were removed from their offices; those whose jobs were to search for and unveil corruption within the government. Trump then unilaterally paused enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act as well as other Anti-Bribery Laws; enabling companies and individuals to pay foreign officials to gain favor and unfair advantages.

When former New York City mayor Eric Adams was under investigation for corruption, the US Attorney General at the time (Daniel Sasson) was pressured to drop the case. She resigned in protest only to be replaced by a Trump loyalist who did drop all the charges. In exchange for this favor, Eric Adams gave Trump's ICE enforcers free reign to flood the streets and terrorize the locals. The integrity of the Department of Justice was weakened so significantly that it has become virtually impossible for them to prosecute acts of corruption. This cleared the way for Trump as there was (and is) no one left who's able or willing to stop him.

Then there is Donald Trump's continued war against journalism which has taken on a more aggressive stance when compared to his first presidency. The Associated Press was banned from the White House press pool simply for refusing to use the absurd term “Gulf of America” rather than the historically accurate Gulf of Mexico. As of this writing, most of the major legacy news organizations have already capitulated to him, thus surrendering their mandate as reliable paragons of the fourth estate.

Agencies such as ABC and CBS have joined the fascists at Fox News to become propaganda outlets for our aspirant monarch. Trump even pulled funding from NPR and PBS who are major sources of public education in the sciences. Trump also weaponized the FCC to suspend, cancel, and suppress the voices of late night comedians. One famous example is of course the suspension of vocal-critic Jimmy Kimmel; again demonstrating to the world as to the depths of Disney's acquiescence to the yoke of Imperator Trump. This is made all the worse when our Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth imposed an additional requirement that any who report at the Pentagon is subject to a pledge of loyalty; further diminishing the essential role that journalists play in holding our government to account.

But Trump's war on democracy does not end there, for this radical plague of conservatism seeks to infect academia as well to control the hearts and minds of our youths. With the backing of Republican states like Texas and Florida, the MAGA cult worked on a series of initiatives to indoctrinate school children with religious education whilst censoring certain aspects of history that doesn't favor their narrative. Critical funding was pulled from universities all across the nation who refused to comply with Trump's demands. The Department of Education was also targeted; weaponizing the IRS to revoke the tax-exempt status of campuses such as Harvard for not conforming to his own ideological aims.

American conservatives have always seen education as an inherent threat to their way of life as college graduates tend to be exposed to a wider array of people. This diversity of ideas often promotes a more progressive mind untethered to the iron chains of tradition and small-mindedness. Hitler understood that to control the population, you had to mold the minds of the next generation. This led to the founding of the Hitler Youth. It remains to be seen if Trump will do something similar or if such a program will be enacted by one of his successors. All I know is, it'll be hostile to science, facts, and reason in favor of religious superstition and this burgeoning fascist ideology now sweeping the nation.

In lieu of the growing discontent over Israel's genocide of the Palestinian people, the Trump regime chose to punish and blacklist anyone suspected of pro-Palestine sentiments by labeling them as antisemites (just as I said they would). Institutions were defunded and many people were fired or even arrested. Some even had their student visas revoked for expressing their first amendment rights; rights which under the constitution are afforded to everyone on American soil, not just those who carry citizenship status. One example I recall was the unlawful detention of Mahmoud Khalil for his participation in the protests at Columbia University. As an added insult to American youths, Joe Biden's student loan forgiveness program was gutted for no other reason than Republicans simply hate the poor. Federal workers can even be denied student loan forgiveness should they happen to align with those who Donald Trump considers his political enemies... So pretty much Democrats and leftists.

Trump is undergoing a dangerous crusade to rewrite history not only in the classroom, but in our museums as well. The Smithsonian Museum, a most cherished public institution, has been targeted by the regime for espousing facts that do not align with official White House narratives. In particular, Trump has bullied them to censor or omit the ugly truths of American history such as slavery and our treatment of the natives. Trump only wants us to focus on American greatness; celebrating the achievements of white folk whilst ignoring at our peril the triumphs of women and people of color. America cannot afford to impose selective amnesia on our youths just so that we can shield the delicate egos of white Christian conservatives who obsess over an fictitious past that never existed.

2025 also saw renewed antagonism and punitive legal measures against the LGBTQ community. It's a well-known fact that too many conservatives are incapable of embracing a world where sexuality and gender exists on a spectrum rather than a binary. By citing the prejudices of their bronze-age holy book, they neglect science and the realities of the natural world which supports such beautiful nuances. To be anti-LGBTQ is to be anti-humanity. This was coupled with a war on DEI (Diversity · Equity · Inclusion) and other ideas or initiatives they consider “Woke” as understood by the new conservative paradigm.

While I have my own petty concerns regarding DEI and wokeness in media, it is hardly important in the context of our Republic. It's especially unbefitting for a President of the United States to place so much undue attention towards an topic that is better kept within the realm of the citizenry rather than the government. This unrelenting emphasis on wokeness is yet another silly distraction to keep average Americans pitted against one another; thus preventing us from uniting under a shared cause of class consciousness in the face of growing patrician tyranny. Those perpetuating this non-issue also fear that the Anglo-Saxon culture is under threat from foreigners. It's as though we have forgotten the promise of America. We are nation of immigrants which continuously aims to achieve a more perfect union. As such, we welcome those from ALL walks of life and incorporate them into our increasingly pluralistic society.

I get pissed when those of the conservative persuasion prop up ancient Rome as the ideal example of how western societies should operate. You see them more and more on the internet and it honestly worries me. As you know, I'm an appreciator of Rome, but I would never wish to live in the imperium. Yet to suggest that the Roman Empire was this white and homogenous society is not only historically incorrect, but also a projection of racism. Just like America, Rome was a melting pot of cultures and peoples hailing from numerous lands all across the Mediterranean world.

In the early days of Rome, perhaps one could argue that it was more “ethnically pure” given that the city (or village) was comprised mostly of Latins. But even then, ancient Italy was already a veritable patchwork of intermingling peoples such as the Sabines, Etruscans, and Celts. Once we get to the times of Emperor Trajan, the city of Rome transforms into a cosmopolitan center inhabited by citizens from all over the empire be they Africans, Syrians, Mauritanians, Egyptians, Gauls, Jews, Nabatean Arabs, and so much more. What it meant to be Roman changed definitions over the centuries just as what it means to be American has changed and will continue to change into the far future.

The olden Anglo-Puritan traditions will inevitable lose its dominance as other ideas, beliefs and values merge to shape our culture just as Afro-Americans have influenced and shaped our modern America to an incredible effect. Those of the MAGA cult are terrified by this future and have since gone to war against this; even proposing that DEI and wokeness is somehow inherently unamerican. In terms of public policy, this has manifested in the form of many anti-DEI initiatives which have placed undue pressure on workplaces and academic institutions to cease any practice they deem contrary to the MAGA narrative; leading to the wrongful firing of countless people. This is a violation of the first amendment.

Then came the retaliations against his opponents. The security clearances of those unaligned with his policies, such as former-president Joe Biden, were revoked; the implication being that they were now exposed to the potential danger of his vigilante loyalists. Liz Cheney and Hilary Clinton were also among those targeted in this way. We saw Democratic legislators arrested by police in violation of their rights to protest. Pastors, judges, and numerous others who objected to Trump found themselves detained. During a rally held by Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, Trump's border patrol agents showed up with guns-in-hand as an obvious attempt at intimidation; this is purely undemocratic.

These retaliations were even directed at the very law firms whom he felt had wronged him (they didn't). This led to the revocation of licenses and government contracts. He also went after individual lawyers who refused to bend the knee. Of the firms attacked, some them were Jenner & Block and Elias Law. Of the attorneys he targeted, some of them were Pete Koski and Jack Smith. The message was clear: anyone who doesn't kiss the ring will be punished. But what purpose is there in the law if the leader is above it?

In one of his habitually unhinged rants on the far-right media platform, Truth Social, Trump threatened democrats with the death penalty for releasing an advertisement which reminded military personnel that they have a constitutional duty to defy illegal orders. Our rogue President behaved as we have come to expect with further treats of escalation and violence. This is NOT how a President of the United States, regardless of what their politics are, should act. No citizen of this Republic should ever tolerate this behavior either.

It's even more alarming that Trump repeatedly waves around the idea of running for a third term when that is a constitutional impossibility. His conspirators have already expressed support for the notion and, if the Republicans are allowed to retain power after the mid-term elections this year, they will permit it. This is how all autocrats who hide behind the veneer of democracy cling to power. Augustus never publicly proclaimed himself dictator of the Romans as his uncle Caesar did. He instead portrayed himself as the princeps or the first citizen. Even during the Pax Romanum, the Roman people held a palpable aversion for monarchal rule. It's why in countries such as Lukashenko's Belarus you have “elections” in order to maintain the pitiful illusion of a democracy. Although, a real Trump dictatorship would be short-lived given his advanced age. But perhaps he might hand over the position to his son Barron, thus establishing a Trumpian Dynasty right here on American soil.

A major theme of 2025 was Trump's plethora of tariffs levied against virtually all of the world's nations. As you might guess, these tariffs violated a multitude of multilateral treaties and incurred pandemonium to the global economy. Even our closest allies were subject to this; viewed by many in Europe, Canada, and other countries as a betrayal. More tariffs were imposed on any country that did business with Venezuela. The President has no authority to set and impose tariffs, only congress. And contrary to his propaganda, tariffs did not and have not benefitted the American people. It is WE who suffer under increased prices at the grocery stores and it is OUR businesses who struggle while the rest of the world recalibrates away from us. These nonsensical policies degraded decade-spanning relationships with our allies and severely tainted America's reputation abroad.

But perhaps the single most terrifying trend of Trump's second presidency is his unleashing of ICE upon the land. While they have technically been around since 2003 as a means of curbing the very real issue of illegal immigration, prior presidents never utilized this group in so detestable a manner as what we've seen this past year. During Obama's presidency, over 3 million illegal immigrants were deported yet seldom did we hear anything suggesting mass human rights violations. However, under Trump and his diabolical creature, Kristi Noem, we have seen a level of depravity that echoes the cruelty of the gestapo.

We saw the construction and use of detention centers meant to traffic human beings and send them to countries which they were never born in. Many American cities have been terrorized by ICE enforcers going door-to-door and inciting violence. They have arrested countless people in private businesses, workplaces, public schools, and have even broken into people's homes without a warrant. Many have been wrongfully detained and hastily deported despite having committed no wrong-doings. Even US citizens have become ensnared in ICE's wicked games; a fact which keeps me paranoid on my walks and cognizant to avoid speaking Spanish whenever I'm outside the house.

Many of those abducted by ICE are seldom seen again and are typically sent to life-threatening detention camps. Within these internment facilities, prisoners have reported overcrowding and unsanitary conditions. They have been denied basic necessities such as food, water, medical care, and access to proper hygiene. Many in these camps have been exposed to hazardous conditions such as in Alligator Alcatraz, a shameful facility built right here in the swamps of Florida which ended up being flooded with little to no regard for the prisoners' safety.

Trump and his conspirators tried to convince us that these people were drug dealers or violent thugs yet most of them have never committed any violent crimes whatsoever. These are all hard-working people dehumanized to such a degree as to be rendered inconsequential by my government much like how the Nazis wrongfully demonized the Jews. Trump treats them as though they are terrorists. So many families have been torn apart and so many lives lost just so that he could placate the bigotries of his voter base. That the MAGA occultists still have the gall to refer to themselves as Christians who espouse the teachings of Jesus sickens me. There are ways to do things legally and expediently without resorting to such base savagery.

Donald Trump even defied the Posse Comitatus Act, as I feared, by sending the United States Marines into the city of Los Angeles to quell a protest; thus circumventing state power to suppress a democratic state he views as an obstacle to his growing bid for power. The National Guard was also deployed to assist with ICE operations; patrolling the streets of our nation's capital like Nazi storm troopers. ICE agents have menaced the streets of Chicago, Portland and are now conducting door-to-door raids in the city of Minneapolis as of this writing. Will this prove to be a testing ground for the regime's eventual and total subjugation of the country?

Vice President JD Vance has stated that they seek to boost their deportation numbers by radically expanding the budget for ICE and employing more ideologically aligned assets on the ground to identify and hand over immigrants. While this regime claims that they support immigration through legal channels, we've seen time and time again that numerous legal residents have been swept up and deported regardless of legal status. Trump is determined to punish blue (democratic majority) states by cutting their funding and flooding their cities with ICE agents to intimidate its populations. As of this writing, we have seen an American citizen (Renee Good) shot and killed by one such agent.

While our immigrant populations are the most at risk, Renee Goods's murder has reinforced the reality that any one of us is subject to being killed by the state and that they will do anything to justify the crime whilst defending the killer. Rather than express regret or offer condolences to the victim and her family, our government instead chose to praise the acts of Jonathan Ross, the ICE agent who murdered Renee, and doubled down on their immoral stance. Some in the regime even stated that she deserved it. This would have been unthinkable in past administrations and reveals to us just how far gone Trump and this regime is. When our own president dishonors the death of an American citizen who his own men killed, what does this say for our future?

In my mind, Renee's murder is just the beginning. This regime will not stop with the targeting of immigrants, legal or otherwise. This regime will continue its crusade on our democratic institutions, our journalists, and our academics. This regime will continue its attack against the left and the LGBTQ community. This regime will push harder to curtail women's rights. Given time, we may see a more rigorous and comprehensive surveillance state, chilling assaults on our free speech, the harsh suppression of protests, the selective prosecutions of high-profile figures, election interferences, and one day the purging of citizens who neglect to swear fealty to an illegitimate king. Renee Good's untimely death is only a preview. Her fate is what awaits all of us should we do nothing to stop this nascent autocracy which now takes root and festers in the White House.

There are honestly way too many things to write about regarding Trump's first year in office. What I have presented to you thus far are only the few things that I could remember to write down. We're only twelve days into the new year and already things are ramping up. But all of this dire talk of politics and democratic erosion is becoming too depressing even for me who is usually fascinated by the subject. In truth, the question on the rise of an American Ceasar now hits too close to home for me.

And so, I shall write a final sequel to this essay series which I hope will sufficiently conclude my thoughts as I don't think I can continue writing about this any longer. At the end of the day, my dream is to become a manga creator and adapt my fantasy novels into full-fledged manga. If that means I must leave America in order to achieve this, then so be it. THAT is what all my attention SHOULD be directed towards. As I am, I can do absolutely nothing about Trump or the decaying state of American democracy.

While this recent chaos and media frenzy is no doubt a diversionary tactic to distract the American public from the Epstein Files, I am still mindful of the fact that, at the end of the day, 77 million people voted for him. In lieu of this, I have noticed a significant drop in tourism where I live. And who can blame the people of Earth for feeling at least a tiny bit of apprehension over the United States?

The US government will now examine the social media posts of tourists over the last five years to ascertain political affiliation. Several Europeans visiting here on holiday have already been wrongfully detained and sent back for things as mundane as a meme expressing views the regime disliked. How can we claim moral superiority to Chinese restrictions on free speech when we ourselves are eroding our first amendment rights? If I were from Canada, Europe, Japan, or anywhere else, I would never visit the United States under this current authoritarian-leaning regime. There are much more interesting places to travel to which are operated by sensible and less hostile governments. As a Floridian I will tell you that Walt Disney World is NOT worth the cost and effort. For the exorbitant prices you will be spending here in Orlando, you can visit numerous other countries and treat yourself to real history, real architecture, and real culture.

There is, however, one ray of hope amidst the darkness. The great people of New York City have voted in (as mayor) a man named Zohran Mamdani — a democratic socialist. He is also a Muslim... A socialist Muslim. I LOVE it! Perhaps there can be a resurgence for America where younger and smarter people create a society that is more equitable and cares for its citizens while denying capitalists free reign to exploit the proletariats with impunity. Perhaps the days of Trumpian terror is soon to end? Oh, how I wish that I could be so optimistic. Any roads, Let us now reach the terminus of this essay series: On The Republic.

(To be concluded in Part Five.)