Burning Down The House

Hold tight- We're in for nasty weather

I’ve had a song in my head the last few weeks from the Talking Heads ,“Burning Down the House.” Those of us of a certain age will remember it as a catchy tune from the 1980’s. The lyrics are appropriate to where we find ourselves in America right now..

Hold tight.. we’re in for nasty weather..

America’s house is burning down. By this summer, everything will be scorched earth.

Let me be clear. Trump has destroyed America in less than 100 days. Coming back from this DOGE takeover, mob shakedown and chaos is going to take much more than over 1200 marches across America on an April Saturday.

Understand, this is not to insult anyone who marched on Saturday. Good. You did your civic duty. It’s going to take a lot more disruption to disrupt this wanton dismantling of over 100 years of governance by Trump, Musk, and their minions.

Let me be clear. This will not become the new civil rights movement. Black people are not coming to save America, nor are we the ones to stand on the front lines. The Black Lives Matter movement took a lot out of us. We have watched that progress go up in smoke. Since the inauguration, Black Lives Matter plaza being torn up in DC, removal of DEI programs and DEI book bans have let us know one fact-

Black people are in Trump’s crosshairs. Always have been. Just ask the Central Park Five.

While you may think that’s awful, that’s ok. Now is the time for white people to line up on the front lines to fight for this country. Because the rest of us are tired of fighting for the scraps of democracy. In 2024, 90% of Black Women voted for Kamala Harris. White women voted 53% for Trump. We have carried the load for you. Now it’s your time.

So, let’s get down to it. The short version of this substack is my Bluesky thread from yesterday if you don’t want to read further. It’s succinct, raw and hits the spot.

If you have time, and I hope you do, here’s the long version.

I’d like to say I was surprised at how these first days of the administration are going, but I’m not. Project 2025 goals are being met, rapacious religious rascals are in the white house, and pseudo son Musk is DOGE’ing the American public’s safety net and government. If this had been any other country, we would say it was a coup.

It is a coup. The media and most institutions of this country are sleepwalking through, hoping it’s a bad dream.

What happens now? First, let me say that you should understand that all this falls under a particular kind of religious worldview. Trump’s religious supporters, evangelicals, Catholics and others, believe they are in a battle with good and evil. We who want safe schools, education, clean air, the social safety net, and freedom for our bodies are the enemy. They want a tightly regulated world, centered around patriarchal leadership, the family, closed borders, limited education that is “biblically based” and a populace that matches their fantasy ideal America: White, Christian, and male led. You can read about this in my recently banned Naval Academy book , White Evangelical Racism: The Politics of Morality in America.

That leaves a lot of us out. I don’t just mean immigrants, ethnic groups and other religious people. It means anyone who doesn’t think or act as they want them to. If you think the Trump administration is going to stop at the 238 prisoners sent to the mega prison in El Salvador, or the students being snatched off the streets in Sommerville, Alabama, or a third grader taken out of the classroom by ICE, think again. This administration is so venal, it is has appealed to the Supreme Court to keep an innocent man ICE picked up imprisoned in El Salvador.

All of this is horrible, but it does not stop there. Marco Rubio is revoking student visas in the system without notifying them or their educational institutions. Trump is shaking down law firms. He’s cutting massive funds from universities, either because of accusations of antisemitism or trans issues. Soon, this shakedown and punishment will trickle down to other businesses and individual people. So much of the fabric of this nation has been torn apart that it is difficult to chronicle it all in one space.

All of this is the culmination of the “Stop the Steal” coup started on 1/6/21.

By now you probably feel queasy or angry reading this, rightfully so. We’re not going back to November 3, 2024. This is a moment that you should face squarely. Whatever happens next will be because people get together to decide if we want to be ruled by a mad king, or we want to have a democracy. The choice is clear.

Democracy isn’t just for when it works for you. It must work for everyone in the nation. If it democracy and the right to due process is ignored for people being rounded up, imprisoned and deported, it can happen to you too.

It is past time to get into solidarity with your neighbors and affinity groups. Make common cause with likeminded people. Do what you can to support each other. Upheaval is coming to every sector of life in this country. So many people have lost their government jobs, and private sector jobs are soon to follow. Savings have been wiped away. Prices for goods and services because of tariffs will go up. If Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid go, many people won’t have the means to pay mortgages, rent, buy groceries or take care of their health.

The center will not hold. It’s already been blown apart.

It’s time to start making alliances and deciding where you stand. What you will do, what you need to do, and what you won’t do. A few weeks ago, I said on Bluesky to get a plan. People got angry, and some wanted me to tell them what to do. Let me be as blunt as possible. If you run out of food or money, don’t expect the food pantry to have resources. The Trump administration has cut 1 BILLION in aid to local food banks. Figure out where you stand for your household, job, etc. and plan accordingly.

I know this isn’t the most pleasant substack to read, but I don’t want you to be deceived. Nothing is going back to “normal” in America. It is now up to us to decide if it’s going to be Trump’s vision of decay and civil war. Like Nero, he’s burning down everything, and playing golf at a senior tournament over the past weekend. Don’t hand him a fiddle by doing nothing.

America is moving into authoritarianism at a rapid pace. Don’t be caught flatfooted. We can push back and protect ourselves, but that only can come by looking what is happening.

Now is the time. Now is the moment. Now is the time to awaken from your slumber. The country we knew is being trashed. Whether we can get it back remains to be seen.