In Annie Hall, Woody Allen’s Oscar-winning 1977 film, Annie, played by Dianne Keaton, and Alvy, played by Allen, go to see The Sorrow and the Pity, the critically acclaimed documentary about the Nazi occupation of France during World War II, i.e., why some people collaborated while others resisted. When they come out of the theater, the usually ditsy Annie seriously reflects on whether she would have had the courage to resist the fascists. “You?” Alvy scoffs. “If they threatened to take away your Bloomingdale’s charge card you’d tell them everything.”
So here we are, America, facing a similar dilemma almost 50 years after Annie and Alvy went on their movie date. With the exception of the judiciary, a cadre of journalists, and most recently, Harvard University, far too many of us have “bent the knee” or remained silent in the face of Trump’s fascistic overreach, which is the equivalent of collaboration.
Sending People to a Gulag-Like Foreign Prison Without Due Process—What the Hell?!
It’s no surprise that the two Republican-controlled houses of Congress seem perfectly willing to collaborate and cede their Constitutional power to Trump and his MAGA regime. Some of them are afraid of being “primaried,” while others secretly approve of the regime’s actions and are more than happy to hide behind “mad king” Trump, no matter how mad he becomes. One might have assumed that Trump’s self-destructive foray into tariffs and trade wars would have been the final straw for a party that traditionally championed free trade, but it’s hardly fazed them. Maybe when the impacts become apparent—more inflation, empty store shelves, even an all-out recession—they’ll change their tune, but in the meantime the mad king is running roughshod over American democracy and the Constitution as he races to fulfil the promise of Project 2025.
Arresting Judges—Are You Kidding me?!
Do the Democrats take Trump’s threats to our country seriously or not? The Republican collaborators control both houses of Congress, but can’t the Democrats at least put their freedom of speech to use while they still have it? There are exceptions, most notably Bernie Sanders and AOC, as well as the blessedly long-winded Cory Booker, who deserve tremendous credit for rallying the country against Trump’s overreach, but Democratic “leadership” has been a pitiful LACK of display. I know I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again: Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries are hopelessly comatose. Dick Durbin, the Democratic Senate whip, just announced his retirement, but at 80 it was long-overdue and just a start in the right direction. The Dems desperately need new blood at the top, as well as some fresh messaging and communications people from outside their tired, worn-out bubble. It’s a sad state of affairs when the de facto leader of the party, Bernie Sanders, is an 83-year-old independent and self-described democratic socialist. (This humble spirit has nothing against democratic socialists, mind you, but surely you get the point.)
Deporting United States Citizens, Including Children—Is This Still America?!
Along with the judiciary repeatedly ruling against Trump’s endless spate of executive orders, the greatest resistance during Trump’s first 100 days in office has come from everyday Americans in the form of protests and townhalls nationwide, not only in “blue” urban areas, but in small cities and towns that aren’t exactly hotbeds of “radical left” rebellion. That shows there are plenty of people still willing to risk their Bloomingdale’s charge cards on behalf of democracy and their fellow citizens. Unfortunately, one gets the impression that the majority of Democrats had their Bloomie’s cards shutoff long ago and don’t even have the wherewithal to reapply.
“What else was someone of my class to do? There were two movements that could change the world, communism and fascism, and I couldn’t be a communist, obviously.”
A young aristocrat on why he collaborated with the Germans
The Sorrow and the Pity