16–18.06.2026
French president Emmanuel Macron dragged TFG* by the good ear to the Palace of Versailles to sign an Agreement to Accede, an Acquiescence, if you will, to bring a stop (a pause? a lacuna? a smoke break?) to open hostilities in the Persian Gulf that have pretty much fucked the economies of the entire planet sideways, killed thousands of innocents and less sos, and ensured that no conscious nation will never trust the United States again. I, for one, am very tired of winning.
I am 100% certain that the import of the historical location was lost on our guy, even when he managed to keep his eyes open. Not much more than a century ago, a humbled Germany was dragged into the same room to sign the Treaty of Versailles that brought the first world war to an end and set the pot on high simmer in preparation for the next.
Perhaps not being the alpha for a while will be good for us. America has always seen itself as the scrappy underdog, even while wearing the fat suit of empire. We could do worse than lose a few pounds. What we need to keep an eye on, however, will be those that take this international humiliation personally.
We should look to the German Weimar Republic of the 1920s and 30s for a cautionary tale. Why did the postwar democratic government of Germany fail? It couldn’t have been because everyone was too busy learning Bob Fosse chair routines, could it?
I seem to recall that rampant inflation was one reason. My German-American grandmother told me stories of citizens pushing wheelbarrows of reichmarks to go buy bread. That may have been hyperbolic—I should Google it—but regardless, the pillars of civility are already groaning under economic strain in this country.
If people start falling through the massive holes that this administration ripped in the social safety net, the masses are going to start looking for a scapegoat. Never mind the extrajudicial police force already roaming the streets, looking for… who are we rounding up this week? Is it you? Is it me? Oh fuck, it is me, and probably you, as well.
TFG signed national security directive NSPM-7 back in September, calling out “anti-American,” “anti-Christian,” “anti-capitalist,” and “anti-fascist” views as indicators of domestic terrorism. On any given day, I fall under one, probably two, of those categories. Three on a bad day. The ACLU slapped back, rightly stating that, “Nonprofits, their donors, and activists striving for a more equal, just, and fair country and world are core components of American civil society.”
On Tuesday, ICE arrested 15 people in Minneapolis on spurious charges of “domestic terrorism,” stemming from their involvement in “Antifa-related” activities, while yesterday the White House posted an article on whitehouse.gov titled, “Trump Administration Delivers Another Crushing Blow to Antifa Terrorist Network.”
I’m going to say this once because I’m pissed that it even bears repeating at this point: Antifa means Anti-Fascist. It is an ideology—one that we, as Americans, should be in line with—not an organization. Seriously, if you are pulling people off the street for being anti-fascist, what does that make you?
According to my limited, but curious, knowledge of German history, the Weimar Republic was beginning to make a go of it until the Great Depression came along and their economy, along with everyone else’s, screwed the pooch. That’s when the Hugo Boss outfits came out of the closet, so to speak.
I would be surprised if the Democrats don’t take both houses in the November midterms, followed by the White House in 2028, but then what? Many of our former allies, as well as all of our adversaries, are tired of our shit. All it will take is one good economic downturn, and the blackshirts will be out in force, looking for someone to blame.
Make no mistake, we’re in a tight spot, but is it too late to double down on our own humanity? I believe it was Wilbert Harrison who sang, way back in 1969, “Together we will stand divided we’ll fall / Come on now people, let’s get on the ball / And work together, come on, come on, let’s work together, now, now people / Say now together we will stand, every boy, girl, woman, and man.”
I couldn’t put it any better than that.
*This Fucking Guy
Román Leão 
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