Unchecked power, madness next door
~ we must wake up to the cost of looking away
The Last 3 days of Musings; 3 quick links-back if you missed them: yesterday, Plotting courses, missing cues; the day before, any day, any page, any chapter; and the day before that Where we stand: reinvent, ridge, revue
Waking up isn’t what it used to be.
Not triumph. Not despair. Just upright. Eyes open, brain buffering into headlines that feel like code from a madman’s simulation.
Each day begins with chaos, not clarity. Distractions weaponized. Cruelty televised. And still, the wrecking ball named Trump swings. Not just south of the border, but into our living rooms, our headlines, our future.
One day, he’ll be gone. But the wreckage? That might take generations to untangle, if it can be untangled at all.
As Canadians, we must stop mistaking proximity for insulation. Trade wars don’t end at customs. Populist firestorms don’t respect fences. When elephants roll, everyone nearby gets crushed.
This isn’t theatre. It’s an erosion of norms, truth, and trust.
And it’s not “the inmates running the asylum.” It’s the arsonists torching the place, calling it leadership and then bringing a fire truck and asking for credit.
So what do we do?
We stop scrolling past.
We speak. We show up.
We stop pretending democracy defends itself.
Because this is not a bad movie we can pause.
It’s real. It’s now. And it’s ours, citizens, to fix. Or forfeit.
Decency needs a megaphone.
Silence is complicity.
I publish this Musings column daily and also post poems, short stories and other ‘plus/+’ content. Many of you enjoy this column Daily for free, and I truly appreciate your readership. Paid subscriptions are modest: $8 monthly (26¢ a day), $72 annually (20¢ a day), or you can donate any amount. Paid subscribers get extra content, but everyone is welcome - your presence matters. But if you haven't yet become a paid subscriber, I'd be grateful if you'd consider it.
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Check out the most recent bonus postings on Musings+
SHORT STORIES: SHADOWS ON THE PRAIRIE
POETRY: WOULD LIKE TO KNOW and LIVING IT
Mr. Trump is, as you put it, a wrecking ball: I wake up in fear and the need to speak out to save democracy.