The trifecta of a dictatorship
Reemberto Rodriguez (June 25, 2025)
reemberto@gmail.com
Been there before. But this time is different – all times are different:
- A President who is above the law;
- A Judiciary that buckles to political pressure; and
- A Legislature that is coerced and numbed into inaction.
- A Judiciary that buckles to political pressure; and
(Trivia question: Who said “When people are feeling secure, they’d rather have someone who is strong and wrong rather than somebody who is weak and right”? Google it. It’ll surprise you. We’ve been there before.)
All of this – or similar stuff – have happened before. Yet, that does not make it right. Here’s where we are:
But wait! There’s more:
- And then there is the President who approves of Federal agents rounding up people in unmarked cars and wearing masks – and hauling them off to unspecified places. And these are not ‘one-off’ events. This is happening everyday in today’s USA. This time there are plenty of videos to prove it. But, they ain’t been shown in the MAGA world, that’s for sure. (Remember when they used dogs to go after folks in the South?)
- And a Supreme Court that has created an Imperial Presidency who is exploiting any and all ambiguity or crack in the law to solidify his power. (Remember when the Supreme Court ok’ed that Blacks are ⅗ human?)
- And a Congress that refuses to enact laws that affirm human dignity and voting rights. (Remember the first 100 years of this Nation’s history?)
- And a Supreme Court that has created an Imperial Presidency who is exploiting any and all ambiguity or crack in the law to solidify his power. (Remember when the Supreme Court ok’ed that Blacks are ⅗ human?)
Welcome back to the USA, version2025. The trifecta of a dictatorship.
And. It. Sucks.
Yet, here we are. Again.
The paradigm is now shifted – it has gone backwards.
Therefore we need no longer talk about what might be. We have to acknowledge what is, know where we stand, know ‘what is’, and charge forward with a clear vision of what can be. We need to reclaim the dream that ‘we the people’ have the power to reclaim aspirational democracy; that separation of power means something; that unchecked power leads to concentration of power. In essence: That it is all about power.
It’s time for non-violent protests that lead to substantive change, change in who has the elected power, change in the role money plays in politics, change in the tone of dialogue and discourse, change in respect for the environment, and change in how the government can strive to be fair to all.
I know I know. This ain’t gonna happen overnight. There’s still pain coming our way. There are still legal fights to fight, grassroots to organize, and fund-raising to be held. This is going to be a long fight. Must fight we must – non-violently, that is.
First we have to get past this nightmare of a one-party autocracy, trifecta of a dictatorship, led by a man who cares exclusively about himself and will go to any length to enrich himself and stay in power indefinitely. Any. Length. Manufacture war, exaggerate internal unrest, welcome ineptness into his administration, destroy the very system that got him elected, and worse.
It is time.
Our power is non-violent protest. On the inside – and the outside. On the streets. On social – and traditional – media. In academia. In the arts. Every. Which. Where. Relentless. Small and large – but consistent – non-violent protest.
Here we go.
Reemberto@gmail.com