Don't Panic?
11:53 Wednesday, 18 February 2026
Current Wx: Temp: 33.64°F Pressure: 1010hPa Humidity: 97% Wind: 3.06mph
Words: 364
It's unfortunate that so many otherwise important and worthwhile voices choose substack as their platform, but that's where they are.
I think you may be able to read this piece, which is part The Bulwark, making the case that Trump can't cancel, steal or otherwise thwart the midterm elections. It's a sober argument, and may be of some comfort to many.
I'm less sanguine.
It seems to me that it's just too much of a coincidence how much the mass deportation effort, the acquisition of "detention centers," the subpoenas to social media platforms, the repeated use of "domestic terrorist," and more than I can probably recall just now, resembles the kinds of efforts, logistics and infrastructure necessary to conduct mass arrests of U.S. citizens.
I wouldn't rule out provocations by ICE in blue cities seeking to cause protests that could be labeled as "riots" or "insurrections." Tulsi Gabbard's presence in Georgia suggests some "national security" dimension to this narrative structure they seem to be fabricating.
And it may be possible that the eventual target isn't the midterm elections, but the 2028 presidential election.
I suppose it's possible that all this is just for mass deportations. But witnessing Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election tells me that he, or whoever is pulling the strings, isn't above trying to do the same thing again, only this time using the power of the presidency, newly armed with a national security apparatus that could disrupt the entire constitutional process.
I mean, who is going to stop them? He has shown a willingness to simply ignore the courts. A "state of emergency," with mass arrests of citizens and elected officials alike, relying on databases assembled and analyzed by tools developed using AI, could seriously disrupt and impede efforts at organized resistance. So, again, who is going to stop them? Not the Pentagon.
If the midterms go off without serious disruptions, and Republicans hold the Senate, what guardrails can Congress put in place between January 2027 and January 2029 that Trump wouldn't simply veto, even if Republicans lose the Senate.
Even if I'm being unreasonable in my speculations, it should be profoundly troubling that this is even conceivable.
✍️ Reply by emailEchoes From the Ether
07:19 Wednesday, 18 February 2026
Current Wx: Temp: 31.64°F Pressure: 1014hPa Humidity: 97% Wind: 3.06mph
Words: 305
Got a nice note from MacOS Guru in response to my Blogs Answer Questions post. He affirmed that the current state of affairs makes it hard to post about MacOS or emacs, his two topics of interest. And indeed, he hasn't posted since last December.
Today, AKMA makes mention of the Questions post, pointing out a blind spot in my view of "life." I'm not on any social media platform, for reasons I think I've made clear ad nauseam. AKMA mentions that his reactions and responses to the current crisis have largely occurred there.
And Jack has posted a noteworthy quotation from Hunter S. Thompson.
I'm accustomed to "ranting into the void to no discernible effect." I flatter myself that it's my Buddhist "non-attachment to results," when really, it's nice to get a response. But I would do this anyway, even if no one was reading. I've been doing it so long, it's become like breathing.
But to possibly extend my "reach," I've been commenting on YouTube videos. It's interesting to learn what people find worthwhile to respond to. Pointing out the deportation efforts and detention center construction as preparations for mass arrests of "domestic terrorists" either before or in the wake of the mid-terms, elicits no response. Perhaps too much like the ravings of a conspiracy theorist.
But mention George W. Bush, and whoa! 291 "likes" and 18 replies.
Which, in point of fact, is an unremarkable feature of "normal life."
Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe we're not sleep-walking into fascist authoritarianism. Maybe it'll all "go away" after the mid-terms.
But I think if your hair isn't on fire by now, you're just sticking your head in the sand. Embracing willful ignorance. And I kind of get it, because, well, what can you do?
Well, first, "You've got to get mad!"
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