It is easy in the United States today to place all the blame for our current demise of democracy squarely on Donald J. Trump’s shoulders; however, the Republican-dominated U.S. Senate and U.S. House are equally to blame now because both houses of Congress have supported every single thing Trump has done.
But to blame Trump and the U.S. Congress would be the easy way out.
You Voted or You Didn’t Bother to Vote
The American people voted. They elected Trump. In the 50 states, they elected the 100 U.S. Senators for staggered six-year terms. (One-third of the Senators are elected every two years.) In the 435 Congressional districts, they elected the 435 members of the House of Representatives last November. (They serve two-year terms.)
The American people voted for this, either by casting a vote last November or by not casting a vote last November.
This is on us, y’all.
Us.
The American people: those who either through a place of hate or through ignorance, voted for Trump and Republican Senators and Representatives AND those who were too lazy to cast a vote so they let those who did vote decide my future and yours.
If you voted for Trump and any other Republican, you are complicit. If you did not vote, you are complicit. You relinquished your vote and gave it to your crazy neighbor.
Perhaps you thought “my one vote won’t matter.” People have died to give YOU the right to vote. Don’t EVER take your right to vote for granted.
I say all this to get your attention so I can tell you how the way you voted or the fact that you didn’t bother to vote last November has real world ramifications.
Here’s One Example of Real-World Ramifications
The Trump Regime took control of the Smithsonian Institution in March. Trump claimed that some exhibits were “woke” and, in some instances, showed that the United States is not a perfect country.
Taking books off public school library shelves is not enough for Trump and his ilk. They are actively re-writing history.
The Removal of Trump’s Two Impeachments
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History has now removed Trump’s name from the list of four U.S. Presidents who have been impeached. The reason? For aesthetic reasons. Museum officials say his name will be included in the list when the exhibit is redone.
Trump is the only U.S. President to have been impeached twice, but according to the Smithsonian Institution in August 2025, Trump was never impeached at all.
Let that sink in, my fellow Americans.
My Two Questions
If someone who lived in Germany in the 1920s through the 1940s were here today, I would ask them the following question: Does this behavior sound familiar to you?
If you live in the United States of America today, I ask you the following question: How can we make it stop, since we have elected a complicit U.S. Congress?
Just to be clear
Donald J. Trump was impeached on December 18, 2019, on grounds of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
Donald J. Trump was impeached a second time on January 13, 2021, on grounds of inciting an insurrection.
But nothing happened to Trump. Nothing.
Trump ran for President again in 2024 and was elected to a second four-year term beginning January 20, 2025.
Trump signed an Executive Ordered called “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History” on March 27, 2025, in which he directed Vice President J.D. Vance to “remove improper ideology” from every place under the Smithsonian Institution — the museums, research centers, and the National Zoo.
I Have Two More Questions
Don’t you just hate it when the National Zoo includes “woke left-wing radical lunatic” animals?
And don’t you just hate it when the Smithsonian’s Museum of American History tells you the truth?
Next up?
We’ll probably get a new and improved jobs report for the month of July. Trump didn’t like the one issued by Erika McEntarfer, head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, so he fired her. A clear case of “shoot the messenger.”
Janet
Janet's Writing Blog 
I can’t figure out the “woke left-wing radical lunatic” animals in the National Zoo.
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It’s a puzzlement.
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It began like this in 1930s Nazi Germany too.
With the rewriting of history.
With the labeling of “enemies of the people.”
With the cleansing of education, culture, and museums.
With the normalization of lies, disguised as national pride.
The dismantling of democratic principles happened gradually —
cheered on by some,
met with silence by many.
Those who spoke out were brave.
Those who stayed silent were complicit.
And those who thought “surely it won’t get that bad” later watched the unthinkable become reality.
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Yes, Matroos. It is devastating to watch it happening in real time and feeling helpless to stop it. Devastating. I grieve for the comparatively care-free life I had from 1953 through 2024. It is like a bad dream I cannot wake up from. It is things I never imagined would happen here. The speed with which it has happened is beyond comprehension. I watched a webinar this afternoon hosted by the law school at New York University about The Rise of the Imperial Presidency. One of the panelists recommended that we think about how we can recreate what we lost when we reach the post-Trump era. Sadly, I cannot envision a post-Trump era. My brain is overwhelmed every day by what he has just done or said. 2029 seems light-years away. Six months into this chaos has left me so exhausted, I cannot fathom what will be left 42 months from now for us to begin to put the pieces of America back together. I cannot imagine that I will, as an individual in my mid- to late-70s then, have any energy left to do my small part in repairing the damage. More than 2,600 people watched that webinar this afternoon. While the law and history professors on the panel gave interesting historical and legal facts on the subject for an hour, the comments and questions that poured into the chat box were from people pleading for answers for “How do we stop this?” “We feel abandoned by the President, the Congress, and the Supreme Court, so what can we do?” The panel never really addressed the hundreds of us who posed those questions because I’m sure they had planned an hour to just talk about how we got here. I was left with an empty feeling. Actually, I don’t think anyone knows how we get out of this. Congress has relinquished its power to the President. The 6-3 Republican majority on the Supreme Court seem to favor Trump’s power grab. Our Constitution is failing us because “we the people” have elected too many people who are either evil or have no courage in the face of evil. Thank you for letting me vent my frustration, and I always appreciate your words.
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You have started the situation in the US precisely and correctly Janet. I think people in the US should think a little more about the consequences of not voting…
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Yes, we in Europe truly share your concerns. We follow what is happening with growing disbelief and sorrow. Like you, we feel powerless. It feels as though we have all entered a nightmare we cannot wake up from.
Please know that you are not alone. Many of us here are watching with heavy hearts, hoping — deeply hoping — that this will stop before more is lost.
I want to express my sincere support for America and for everyone who still believes in democracy, truth, and human dignity. Your grief and exhaustion are real, and they are heard.
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Too many people have taken the responsibility of voting for granted. If they have to stand in line for an hour to vote, too many people say it’s not worth the effort. I have never understood how anyone feels that way. Too many people are of the opinion that their one vote doesn’t make a difference.
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Thank you for the bottom of my heart, Matroos. Thank you!
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And to think of the people who died and more who sacrificed so much for liberty and democracy!
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Absolutely! Since 1776!
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Without a doubt, those who did not fight or sacrifice do not hold the same values…
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It is sad when the Truth is more unbelievable than the lies that can be made up, Janet.
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Years ago, I knew a man who would tell a lie when the truth would have been easier. Orange guy reminds me of him. I guess he is transforming the U.S. into Camelot.
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Camelot is a lovely fantasy, There is no fantasy in Spamelot, just lots of evilness and revenge. The Revenge Tour is gaining speed and pulling in to a station near you.
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Yes, it is Camelot in his mind only — and hell for the rest of us.
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Agree with you on that
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