colonel karen kwaitkowski has a well founded and presented opinion on the death of our empire;

The American contract, a combination of Constitution and myth, is unraveling like the marriage of an unimaginative yet loyal wife who wakes up to find the money gone, eviction imminent, and he loves another.  Further, in a battle for the kids, or any remaining resources, our lying spendthrift plays cards with the judge and drinks with the sheriff, while we are friendless.

This is late stage American empire.  Some citizens still refuse to acknowledge the empire, much less our dead broke, meddling, force-driven and corruption-wracked empire led by fools and grifters.  But a growing number do.

At this time of year, winter brings a mental and physical rest, introspection, a time to connect, heal, dream and plan for a better spring, summer and fall. Yet how many of us really feel rested, connected, healed or able to dream?  The gifts of the season have been stolen by the Krampus state, and even the good children will not be spared.

Weak and weaker generations of men warped a tiny idealist republic into sick, hollow empire.  Generations of serfs more enslaved and impoverished than their European namesakes have been cultivated in town and country alike. The quality of material life has increased slightly, but the quality of rebellion, of courage, and of character and community has been obliterated.  There is no vague thought of bringing pitchforks and tar to a government meeting, no possibility of a Robin Hood to take on state theft and arrogance, no possibility of revolution beyond spasmodic rage, something the empire leverages, and even welcomes.

We are unable to put down our existent empire like an aged pet, to fond memories, with peace preserved, liberty regained, and prosperity nurtured.  Instead, we are may have to treat the terrorist state as it treats those it calls terrorist –  with roughness, disrespect for law, using the language of pain rather than persuasion.  The US empire has killed 20 million, and destroyed the livelihoods of many more in the past 70 years. It has created modern fairy tales that allow it to shoot survivors on the high seas, and it views the world through the eyes of the mad, the thieving, and the paranoid.  This empire overwhelmingly funds, fuels, and supports obscene mass murder in Gaza and obscenities in the West Bank, and allocated billions to a destructive and deadly war in Ukraine, both for no reason that it can articulate, other than hatred.  The United States has fully earned the label of terrorist state, and relishes it.............more.........