Something’s happening here. What it is is increasingly clear.

The autocracy may not solidify, but we’re close. President Trump, rather than uphold the law as he swore to do, succeeds in ignoring the law, or finding ways around it, or loopholes through it.

Killing people suspected of ferrying cocaine, claiming it’s fitting because they are trying to kill Americans, OK since it’s a supposed war, and he can so anything he wants. The Supreme Court said so, and no one can stop him. So long as Republicans in Congress are terrified of him, Congress can’t stop him. The DOJ and FBI do his bidding. Secretary of Defense Hegseth, former Fox News personality, with no experience, believes he has the support of the military. The list is too long.

How about persecuting legal immigrants, causing them to live in fear? Or insulting and threatening our Somali community? Trump, his friends, and family netting illegal millions from deals that previously may have been filed under bribery. Getting away with it.

Justice moves slowly, but the bad stuff happens at lightspeed. Dozens of incompetent decisions. Gutting the ACA insurance program, food programs? Increasing influence over CBS, even CNN. Yikes. Treating our government and its traditions as if this is a demolition derby, with pretty good functional cars, with the goal of smashing them all to heck.

A performance whose goal is power.

James Cogan
Lewiston