Month: February 2026

Following a tour of the Capitol, President Trump announced that it would be demolished in the coming year. Trump explained that the existing building was too old, had too few working bathrooms, was too small, and lacked gold. As a monument to him, it was an embarrassment.

House Speaker Mike Johnson expressed his support for the project, as Trump was, as everyone knew, the greatest developer in the history of mankind. “Congress just gets in the way. We’re an obstacle to his greatness. Anyway, if he needs us for any reason, we can always meet in the new ballroom.”

Preliminary plans show the Capitol being replaced by a massive golden pyramid, to be a foot taller than the Washington Monument. Trump will be buried there with a few prized possessions and will continue to govern the country in perpetuity after his reincarnation.

Just as the cornerstone of the GOP is a bargain between the Reactionaries and the PBPs, the basis of government in Iran is a deal between the security forces, which get money and privileges, and the mullahs, who get protection from an angry public. Many commentators think the current theocracy has run its course and will be replaced at some point by a nationalist dictatorship run by the Revolutionary Guards. Is that inevitable?

No, because the theocracy provides a rationale for the Guards’ power and privileges. If they don’t come from either God or the public, why should they exist?

As many people noted during Trump 1.0, the cruelty was the point; the administration concluded that extreme measures were necessary to broadcast to the world that illegal immigrants were not welcome here. Is the same message being sent this time around?

No. the point of sending masked thugs to blue cities is to prove to the residents, whether citizens or not, that Trump is in charge, and that dissent will only be tolerated within strict limits. It is about authority, not deterrence.

It is even more obnoxious than before.

Trump has sent what he calls an “armada” to threaten Iran. Since the demonstrations have ended and our Arab friends are opposed to new attacks, what is the point?

Either Trump intends to use widespread disaffection with the regime for leverage in talks about Iranian weapons or he needs a distraction from his domestic problems. I can’t see any other reasons.

When asked about the Amritsar Massacre, General Dyer essentially said that it was necessary to send the message that the British were in charge. An element of racist, pro-imperialist public opinion supported him, but most of the nation was appalled. It was another step towards independence for India.

In the same vein, MAGA supports brutal behavior by ICE, but America as a whole finds it sickening. Trump will have to listen to that voice as long as we remain a liberal democracy. How long will that last? TBD.