By Tom Burke / Herald Columnist
The United States of America? It’s going.
And yes, you should be frightened.
In 94 days Donald Trump, Elon Musk and their lackeys have attacked not just every facet of the working federal government but are aggressively assaulting the fundamental principles of our democratic society.
They are, with malice aforethought, implementing a cultural revolution to recast America in the MAGA-centric vision outlined in the radical Project 2025 plan drafted by would-be tyrants, Christian nationalists and wanna-be dictators to replace the U.S. Constitution.
To me, their actions are a figurative desecration of the graves of the dead at Arlington, on the interred behind the beaches of Normandy, on the shallow holes dug in the icy earth of Korea’s frozen Chosin, across the rows of crosses at Gettysburg, on the snow-covered huts of the poor, ragged remnants of Washington’s army lying cold and starving at Valley Forge, on the dead Marines who fought house-to-house in Fallujah, and on those still manning the rusting hulks beneath Iron Bottom Sound off Guadalcanal, on the Arizona at the bottom of Pearl Harbor’s Battleship Row, and on the tankers and freighters sunk into the black depths of the Atlantic by Hitler’s u-boats.
And there’s still years remaining for Trump et. al. to further indulge their lust for power and destroy what has been so carefully wrought since the day 77 men stood on Lexington Green and said, “No!” to the despot King George III.
But, but, you exaggerate, Mr. Burke. Surely.
I only wish I did.
Consider what Trump have done since Jan. 20 as he has wreaked havoc on the Republic and utterly failed to fulfill his oath to the Constitution:
Tariffs are a new (big) tax, have caused turmoil in the stock and bond markets, are leading us toward recession and threatening world trade;
Canada, the 51st state? Preposterous!
China and 245 percent tariffs. A war Trump is losing.
Mexico, he wants to invade.
Washington state (bomb cyclone relief denied).
Social Security: massive staff cuts, closed offices, DOGE stealing proprietary data, and payments endangered.
The Department of Justice firing honest prosecutors, becoming Trump’s revenge instrument.
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau firing 1,700 workers, killing the agency that’s returned $21 billion to defrauded citizens.
The courts being ignored, manipulated, and marginalized.
The Internal Revenue Service losing 20,000, killing the free, direct-file program, eliminating its prosecution division and breaching taxpayer confidentiality.
The Veterans Administration cutting staff, closing services.
Siding with Russia against Ukraine.
Abandoning NATO and threatening members.
Resigning from World Health Organization.
Cutting Health and Human Services and Centers for Disease Control by $80 billion; 20,000 employees fired, critical health research halted.
Cutting thousands of NOAA jobs, eliminating scientific research and study of coastal flooding dangers.
Firing thousands at EPA, cutting green energy everything, rolling back pollution standards.
Seeking to deport 12 million, eliminating foreign students here, and abandoning due process of law.
Defunding Head Start.
The gutting of the Department of State with Mass firings, 27 embassies/consulates closed, 50 percent of its budget cut, eliminating bureaus overseeing climate, democracy, human rights, refugees and international organizations; and ignoring African continent.
You see where’s this is going?
The assault on government infrastructure, led by DOGE and blessed by Trump, is unrelenting, widespread, and cruelly destructive. And as The New York Times’ David Brooks wrote: “This is a single effort to undo the parts of the civilizational order that might restrain Trump’s acquisition of power.”
Now, I don’t have enough words today to outline everything Trump is doing.
So here’s some homework.
You, gentle reader, must do a bit of research and become acutely aware of what’s happening to the following: (You may be shocked, dismayed, afraid.)
The Jan. 6th rioters and insurrectionists pardoned.
AmeriCorps shut down including its disaster relief division.
Universities such as Harvard, Penn State, and Columbia attacked.
All HHS grants to medical institutions halted for review by Trump political appointees
Greenland (We’ll take it over.)
US Agency for International Development dead, done, shuttered.
Library assistance eliminated.
Green energy projects shut down.
The U.S. Naval Academy Library 300-plus books removed.
Women in the military denigrated.
The National Park Service gutted.
FEMA crippled.
Medicaid cut by $880 billion.
Federal funds denied to Maine.
National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting System defunded.
The Kennedy Center captured.
Primary research into heart disease, smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity stopped.
Programs to prevent drowning, testing for sexually transmitted diseases, hepatitis, and worker safety shuttered.
Birthright Citizenship denied.
Measles vaccine discouraged.
The Federal Reserve System’s autonomy attacked.
Voting rights limited.
More tax breaks for the wealthy.
Harriet Tubman erased.
If you’re not frightened, keep reading, because I’m giving the last word to Thomas Friedman, a Pulitzer Prize columnist.
And he nailed what’s happening…
“The world is now seeing Trump’s America (our country!) for exactly what it is becoming: a rogue state led by an impulsive strongman disconnected from the rule of law and other constitutional American principles and values.”
Stay strong.
We can win. But it will take a lot more work, time, patience and litigation.
Slava Ukraini.
Tom Burke’s email address is t.burke.column@gmail.com.
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