This daily sinking, this everyday erosion of norms and civility, and the witnessing of vanishing rights—good governance has never seemed so mythical.

Partisan networks and social media fan the flames, poison public opinion, spread incendiary inaccuracies and exaggerations and outright lies. The country is trying to carry on with business as usual, but how long can we ignore this?

I more clearly see how the erosion unfolds—people ignore the warning signs, get overwhelmed and distracted, or simply don’t believe it could happen here. Every day Trump remains in office is another day in which he gets to hurl distractions and misdirection plays, another day in which he has the opportunity to harden and secure his position, neutralize more underpinnings, more forcefully ignore our grievances.

It’s wanton destruction, on a massive scale, before our eyes. Truly heartless, ruthless, cold, and calculated.

Did people really vote for this? Where is the chink?

A pope from the states. There’s a first time for everything. I hope he’s as much of a thorn in Trump’s side as many are hoping he will be.

Imagine that—even the decision to elect a pope was colored by Donald Trump’s presence in the world. He’ll probably take some perverse pleasure in that. At first, I was thinking Trump had something to do with the choice, but in a heavy-handed way, not thinking that maybe the conclave itself was looking around and trying to address the evil incompetence.

We’ll see what difference Pope Leo the XIV makes. It all seems rather showy to me. Maybe they should consider updating the dress code, for starters. You’d think it might get burdensome walking around in flowing robes and a silly hat all day.

Trump is President, but that doesn’t mean we have to like it.

He’d prefer our allegiance, or is it our obeisance? Actually, it doesn’t matter what we think or how we feel about him. He doesn’t care, because he lives in a bubble teeming with ass-kissers and other sycophants who feed him compliments and manufactured information about how great he’s doing, how much everyone loves him. Imagine that.

This is how far we’ve fallen. Our country, our governmental workings, our reputation in the world—all of it is in the hands of an empty-souled land baron and an alien billionaire who have never grown up, alongside a collection of cynical, shadowy, fearful, glass-half-empty dissidents who want to reshape America into an amalgam of ignorance, paranoia, isolationism, racism, feudalism, and faux-Christian Aryanism.

The damage being visited on us now is going to take a long time to fix, if at all. And to think we might have been able to avoid this– or perhaps only postpone it?– if certain people along the way had seen the writing on the wall, instead of so intently hanging onto Trump’s coattails.

How can anyone look at what’s going on with Trump and the rest and think that this is right and proper? Here’s a guy who’s intentionally pushing the limits of executive power, who dismisses the concept of checks and balances, who exists in a milieu of corruption and incompetence, who thinks he’s above the law, whose claim to fame is smarmy real estate magnate and game show host, and who has trouble thinking about anyone but himself.

What’s he doing here? How did he get this far? People have attempted answers to those and other questions, but it’s often in the context of finding him to be some sort of fascinating anomaly, and not an aberration deserving of being shown the door, or a cell.

Who can look at what’s happened since he took office and think we’re on the right track as a nation, that it’s some sort of logical progression? It’s mayhem out there, or will be shortly.  

Stephen Miller for National Security Advisor? Superb choice, Donald. Can’t think of a better guy for the job. A member of the inner sanctum brain trust, he of the creepy demeanor and bedside manner of Caligula. Perfect.

And kudos for all the misdirection while America implodes. The media is already hypothesizing what a land battle– with Canada!— would look like. The news outlets are all getting the vapors over your wanting to reopen and expand Alcatraz– for the worst of the worst, or whoever, in America. You know– because most of us are rotten at our core and deserve to be locked up or otherwise silenced, taken out of commission for the dastardly offense of disagreeing with you or having skin that’s just too dark for your liking. Meanwhile, it’s becoming a legitimate risk to fly, the economy sucks (not Joe’s fault), and the rest of the world is in the process of waving us goodbye.

The second hundred days look to be even more dizzying than the first. A real whirlwind of accomplishments and too many reasons to count when it comes to why we here in the good old USA should be optimistic about, well, everything. Because you’re in control, Donald. You’re gonna dazzle us all with your intellectual acumen, with your brilliant deal making and tireless efforts at peacemaking. I’m sure Ukraine will be beside themselves with joy over the deal you’re gonna cut for them, especially after you get your precious metals deal and pay lip service to Vladimir’s skullduggery.

It should be clear to everyone but the true MAGA zealots that Donald Trump and the rest of the pretenders are clearly outmatched, outwitted and, in general, shamefully unqualified. Up until now, and with rare exceptions, the people who occupied the office seemed pointed in the direction of sane, with at least a modicum of humility and normal human sensibilities. Much of the current crew are dead inside. They have emerged from under rocks and at the behest of the Heritage Foundation, under the handicapped tutelage of Bannon, Roberts, Vought, and a gaggle of billionaires who wave wads of cash in front of Trump’s nose, along with lawyers who somehow have managed to keep Trump from facing the consequences of his calculated villainy.

What we’re watching– and can no longer afford to simply observe from the sidelines– is a pathetic display of unparalleled and infuriating incompetence, with an angry, vengeful, soon-to-be 79-year old teenager calling the shots. Or is someone else doing that?

Will there ever be a last straw?