October, 2025
Letter from the Vineyard, October 2025
On October 18th, across the country, millions moved onto the streets for a “No Kings” demonstration or, as some Republicans categorized it, a “Hate America,” rally.
Looking at all the reports, it seemed anything but a “Hate America” rally; rather an unabashed love fest for this country and what it stands for, for the things which have made us wonderfully unique.
No mistake, we are at a pivotal point. We have been before. Pick up Jill Lepore’s “These Truths,” a history of the United States; there have been times we have been at the brink and have come back, better.
There is never a guarantee. The Athenians lost democracy, the Romans their Republic. But nothing is inevitable and, for the first time since we entered this Project 2025 bad dream, I felt hope.
The protests were delightful, mocking; nothing a movement like Trump’s detests more than being mocked.
Much of what outrages us is not just Trump; it is the people around Trump. He’s not smart enough to be pulling all this off.
He is being used by men who understand he has captured the imagination of the disaffected in this country, men like Stephen Miller who is driving immigration policy, like Russell Vought, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, main architect of Project 2025, who, for whatever reasons, seems to have devoted his adult life to creating an executive that surpasses all other parts of the government.
It’s been played before in this country. We may be besotted by the streaming series “The Gilded Age,” but then there were men trying to do what these men are attempting to do today, create an oligarchy.
They think, because they are rich, they are better, smarter.
I think these men have done amazing things. It does not give them the right to rule.
Musk is marching toward being the world’s first trillionaire, has just launched Grokipedia, an alternative to Wikipedia, which depends entirely upon Grok, Musk’s AI creation for its information. Grok seems to share the biases of Mr. Musk himself. What could go wrong?
The would be oligarchs love the administration of Donald Trump because it is making it easy for them to shape the world to their wants. Stephen Miller wants a white world. Russell Vought apparently wants an Il Duce; one he can control. He seems to be getting it.
We’re in a government shutdown. Kristi Noem, head of Homeland Security, created a video blaming the Democrats for the shutdown. Well, there just went another norm.
The stress is beginning to show. Flights were halted into LAX because of a shortage of air traffic controllers.
And the norms broken keep getting bigger.
We woke up, discovered the East Wing of the White House was no more. How was this possible? How did a part of the White House get destroyed without some oversight, some deep dive into its historical importance, a look at alternatives?
It is true the White House complex needs a space to entertain; tenting is not an ideal solution but was it necessary to destroy one wing of the White House to provide it?
The SNAP program is running out of money. The Trump Administration won’t use billions in reserve to support it.
“The Great Big Beautiful Bill” is setting the groundwork for the United States to carry a debt ratio similar to Italy and Greece, countries whose financial crises almost brought down the European Union. And who thought this was a good idea? Under a Republican president? Under a Republican Congress? This is happening?
It is.
Speaker Johnson won’t seat a Democratic Congressperson from Arizona, nor will he call Congress back into session. The administration apparently doesn’t want him to as it gives them some opportunities to consolidate power into the Executive Branch though it’s not Trump thinking this up. Russell Vought, is that you, calling the shots?
Trump jokes about a third term. Steve Bannon says there is “a plan.” It’s not constitutionally possible but when has the impossible tempered this administration?
We have gone beyond norm breaking, entering uncharted territory.
So, let us go back to where I started: the protests, the lovely, crazy, wonderful, “No Kings” protests. Erica Chenoweth and Maria Stephan wrote in “Why Civil Resistance Works” that if 3.5% of a population of a country’s population takes to the streets, political change becomes likely; not guaranteed, but history suggests it will.
It’s estimated there were 7 million in the streets, that’s 2%. Next time I will shut the shop and take to the streets. Let’s get out there, change the world.
Letter from the Vineyard 