Great points, Elliot. The aftermath to the Civil War alone holds great lessons. We let many manifest traitors to the Union off the hook, and let the benefits of Reconstruction be undermined by unrepentant and deeply racist former Confederates and slave owners. The results have poisoned our history from Appomattox to this very moment. Nixon got off too lightly. Same with Joseph McCarthy. And the same with the January 6 conspirators, including Trump and many of his close advisors and family members. A number of U.S. Supreme Court justices also need to be investigated if we ever have a legitimate, decent & honorable government again.
I agree. I think the Union's mistake was in not prosecuting every Confederate from Colonel upwards with sedition. "National healing," my shiny metal ass. This time, a hard lesson needs to be taught to anyone who tries to overthrow The People's government.
Wow, Elliot, that is one of the strongest statements I’ve encountered about what we should plan to do. Personally I have always been a peacemaker, among family and friends. So your stance challenges me to see another perspective. I remind myself that justice is one of the highest values in Judaism (my home base and I think yours.) Yet what you wrote about is not about an abstract value but a pragmatic path to accomplishing “Never again!” Thank you for outlining things so clearly.
.. Add to the list Musk (and all of his little DOGE boys), Theil, The Heritage Foundation and their Project 2025 garbage, Zuckerberg, Bezos, Everyone of the other Bro-ligarchs who funded this Nightmare Top to bottom, and All of the ties to different states GQPers, ALL Of Them need to be held accountable. No, “I was just following my Party’s Lead”.. aka I was just following orders, that claim didn’t fly during the Nuremburg Trials, and It Damn Well Shouldn’t When this Regime Is Toppled.
Thank you, Elliot. I agree and have been saying this for a long time. When the fall comes, and it will, it will make the Augean stables look pristine *before* Hercules cleaned them. "We will need to allow for amends and evolving views" ... yes, but we must not fall back into the trap of "healing" the nation. Look where that got us. There can be no healing if we leave any trace of disease. There can only be healing when we have gone through the entire thing and faced it to the end, including the necessary accountability phase. Immediately after Paris and France were liberated in 1945, the "collabos" (collaborateurs, those who collaborated with the Nazi occupying forces) were hunted down for weeks by the French and punished. It was not pretty, and errors were made as well. I'm not condoning that, although after so many atrocities done to the French, especially at the end of the war, it was to be expected. To this day, "collabo" is a foul insult in France. There were other punishments in Europe as well. The Nuremberg trials and ensuing other trials did similar tasks, under a more suitable and lawful approach.
That having been said, as you write, in our case the entire lot, root and stem, in their hundreds or thousands as needs be, must be held clearly and appropriately and permanently accountable, including whatever penalties - no pardons - under the law, and we must learn from this terrible time and shore up our government and systems to make it harder to do again.
As I read this edition of TtF, Elliot, I thought immediately of the Nuremberg trials, and the on-going efforts in post-WW2 Germany to bring to justice those who participated in the mass executions of all those whom Hitler and his power-hungry sycophants deemed to be inferior and / or dangerous opponents of Nazism. That didn't stop with the Nuremberg trials, and in whatever follows when this fascist government falls there must be the same bringing to accountability all those who participated in following orders that were illegal to begin with. Thank you for writing this one, and for encouraging steadfastness in our expectations when this nightmare is over.
Excellent analysis but HOW do we start to hold this regime accountable? the Congress has been neutered and SCOTUS seems to be trumps lap dog. I fear for the future of our democratic republic.
We have become pretty savvy, I’m hoping. If not now, when? Care in choosing the leaders with that aggressive attitude as you suggest, and let them get to work.
Thank you, Elliot, for cutting through the fog. In light of recent events, it is hard to avoid being depressed, and your words are inspiring in that we the people need to take action to protect democracy. Always we must keep an eye to support emerging and future leaders who have the courage to fight on behalf of the American people as well as our allies.
Thank you so much, Elliott ! Does this sound vindictive ? Perhaps but we can see what happened after the Civil War when the Union allowed Confederate leaders to be rehabilitated and their evil treasonous deeds were never punished. Or when Gerald Ford pardoned Richard Nixon. Or, God help us, when Donald Trump pardoned the rabble who had tried to stop the certifying Congressional vote to certify the 2020 election.vote. Unless we stop this apologetic, non judgmental face we try to maintain these monsters will arise again and again. We must stop them hard, step on them and not be anything but true to the Constitution ! We are backed against a precipice and we have to fight back. This is our only chance !!
Many strong ideas have been raised by Eliot and those commenting. But none of them will matter unless people take action and rally behind credible leadership.
It feels as though we’ve reached a point of civic capitulation: no leaders are stepping forward, and no one is organizing meaningful resistance.
The public outrage is real, yet it’s mostly channeled into writing, talking among ourselves on Substack, or small, incident driven protests. Lasting change—toward justice, truth, and a healthier democracy—will take time, and it must be built on a foundation of basic civility and shared values.
Leadership needs to emerge from across society: political parties, business and industry, religious communities, unions, medical and legal associations, universities, and the media. Without these institutions stepping up, the vacuum remains.
One possibility is for major philanthropists—people like Bill Gates or Warren Buffett—to support a series of local, professionally facilitated meetings where communities can generate ideas, discuss solutions, and organize peaceful civic action. These could then scale to state and national levels, with parallel efforts among professional groups and business leaders.
A similar exercise helped shape Agenda Peru several decades ago. It’s not a perfect parallel, but it shows that nationwide
Great points, Elliot. The aftermath to the Civil War alone holds great lessons. We let many manifest traitors to the Union off the hook, and let the benefits of Reconstruction be undermined by unrepentant and deeply racist former Confederates and slave owners. The results have poisoned our history from Appomattox to this very moment. Nixon got off too lightly. Same with Joseph McCarthy. And the same with the January 6 conspirators, including Trump and many of his close advisors and family members. A number of U.S. Supreme Court justices also need to be investigated if we ever have a legitimate, decent & honorable government again.
I agree. I think the Union's mistake was in not prosecuting every Confederate from Colonel upwards with sedition. "National healing," my shiny metal ass. This time, a hard lesson needs to be taught to anyone who tries to overthrow The People's government.
Do we become no better than what we're against?
Wow, Elliot, that is one of the strongest statements I’ve encountered about what we should plan to do. Personally I have always been a peacemaker, among family and friends. So your stance challenges me to see another perspective. I remind myself that justice is one of the highest values in Judaism (my home base and I think yours.) Yet what you wrote about is not about an abstract value but a pragmatic path to accomplishing “Never again!” Thank you for outlining things so clearly.
.. Add to the list Musk (and all of his little DOGE boys), Theil, The Heritage Foundation and their Project 2025 garbage, Zuckerberg, Bezos, Everyone of the other Bro-ligarchs who funded this Nightmare Top to bottom, and All of the ties to different states GQPers, ALL Of Them need to be held accountable. No, “I was just following my Party’s Lead”.. aka I was just following orders, that claim didn’t fly during the Nuremburg Trials, and It Damn Well Shouldn’t When this Regime Is Toppled.
Thank you, Elliot. I agree and have been saying this for a long time. When the fall comes, and it will, it will make the Augean stables look pristine *before* Hercules cleaned them. "We will need to allow for amends and evolving views" ... yes, but we must not fall back into the trap of "healing" the nation. Look where that got us. There can be no healing if we leave any trace of disease. There can only be healing when we have gone through the entire thing and faced it to the end, including the necessary accountability phase. Immediately after Paris and France were liberated in 1945, the "collabos" (collaborateurs, those who collaborated with the Nazi occupying forces) were hunted down for weeks by the French and punished. It was not pretty, and errors were made as well. I'm not condoning that, although after so many atrocities done to the French, especially at the end of the war, it was to be expected. To this day, "collabo" is a foul insult in France. There were other punishments in Europe as well. The Nuremberg trials and ensuing other trials did similar tasks, under a more suitable and lawful approach.
That having been said, as you write, in our case the entire lot, root and stem, in their hundreds or thousands as needs be, must be held clearly and appropriately and permanently accountable, including whatever penalties - no pardons - under the law, and we must learn from this terrible time and shore up our government and systems to make it harder to do again.
As I read this edition of TtF, Elliot, I thought immediately of the Nuremberg trials, and the on-going efforts in post-WW2 Germany to bring to justice those who participated in the mass executions of all those whom Hitler and his power-hungry sycophants deemed to be inferior and / or dangerous opponents of Nazism. That didn't stop with the Nuremberg trials, and in whatever follows when this fascist government falls there must be the same bringing to accountability all those who participated in following orders that were illegal to begin with. Thank you for writing this one, and for encouraging steadfastness in our expectations when this nightmare is over.
Excellent analysis but HOW do we start to hold this regime accountable? the Congress has been neutered and SCOTUS seems to be trumps lap dog. I fear for the future of our democratic republic.
We have become pretty savvy, I’m hoping. If not now, when? Care in choosing the leaders with that aggressive attitude as you suggest, and let them get to work.
Not an aggressive leader. A resolute one who will see it through without flinching.
Your choice of words may be better. It was my meaning.
I had undersood it as such :)
:)
Amen and bravo, the history we refuse to learn from repeats itself over and over looming larger each time.
Well said, Elliot! Accountability is like appropriate boundaries. Without them, children of all ages run riot. As at present.
We cannot go back to what was and certainly not with the current Congress of cowards.
We must envision a different path to the collective good.
Youth arise!
Apologies for being future focused. This accountability thing is troubling.
Many have looked at me sideways when I say the most important thing is the Constitutional order and rule of law.
The price of eggs doesn’t matter if we lose this.
No question about it; politically interpreted justice cannot stand.
You speak the truth…we need to begin to map out our route and stick to it!
Totally agree. Please re-assert the checks and balances of your constitution asap. The world can’t afford this mobsterism
Thank you, Elliot, for cutting through the fog. In light of recent events, it is hard to avoid being depressed, and your words are inspiring in that we the people need to take action to protect democracy. Always we must keep an eye to support emerging and future leaders who have the courage to fight on behalf of the American people as well as our allies.
Thank you so much, Elliott ! Does this sound vindictive ? Perhaps but we can see what happened after the Civil War when the Union allowed Confederate leaders to be rehabilitated and their evil treasonous deeds were never punished. Or when Gerald Ford pardoned Richard Nixon. Or, God help us, when Donald Trump pardoned the rabble who had tried to stop the certifying Congressional vote to certify the 2020 election.vote. Unless we stop this apologetic, non judgmental face we try to maintain these monsters will arise again and again. We must stop them hard, step on them and not be anything but true to the Constitution ! We are backed against a precipice and we have to fight back. This is our only chance !!
Excellent points. Don't forget about Russ Vought, the architect of Project 2025. Talk about damage done by an unelected bureaucrat.
Many strong ideas have been raised by Eliot and those commenting. But none of them will matter unless people take action and rally behind credible leadership.
It feels as though we’ve reached a point of civic capitulation: no leaders are stepping forward, and no one is organizing meaningful resistance.
The public outrage is real, yet it’s mostly channeled into writing, talking among ourselves on Substack, or small, incident driven protests. Lasting change—toward justice, truth, and a healthier democracy—will take time, and it must be built on a foundation of basic civility and shared values.
Leadership needs to emerge from across society: political parties, business and industry, religious communities, unions, medical and legal associations, universities, and the media. Without these institutions stepping up, the vacuum remains.
One possibility is for major philanthropists—people like Bill Gates or Warren Buffett—to support a series of local, professionally facilitated meetings where communities can generate ideas, discuss solutions, and organize peaceful civic action. These could then scale to state and national levels, with parallel efforts among professional groups and business leaders.
A similar exercise helped shape Agenda Peru several decades ago. It’s not a perfect parallel, but it shows that nationwide