Another excellent and informative post. This is HCR-level comparative analysis. Well done. As happens with almost every HCR Letter, I learned some new things today.
Wow, another insightful masterpiece of writing. The parallels between 1876 and 2020 are amazing, love the graphics too! Thank you so so much for sharing this.
"Shafer cites a national turnout of 81.8% and an official South Carolina turnout of 101%, a mathematical confession that the system is corrupt." I'll be volunteering as a poll worker in my county to have confidence in the local elections results at least. That's probably one of the single most important things we can all do.
What comes after ... Trump being elected again. Now, we are being isolated from the rest of the world. Chained in ... Trump’s actions are to break NATO ... do Putin a favor. This is what happens when you let people get away with murder. You get 60 years of darkness. We still have opportunity to change the outcome. Do we have the courage? It is up to us the people.
I can’t believe this, but I do. I’m just horrified but I already believed what you describe and that it was part of a larger plan that could have been prevented.
Lisa, I hear ya. That “I can’t believe this, but I do” feeling is what your nervous system does when the pattern clicks into place and you realize it wasn’t random chaos, it was a script people have used before. The part that keeps me up is exactly what you said which is it could have been prevented if we treated the warning signs like warnings instead of politics. Thank you for taking the time to read this and naming it so plainly.
I like that “vigilance isn’t just fear with better posture, no, it’s clarity with a plan. “ And I am not one who is afraid. I taught high school for 37 years.
Lisa, yes. But I’d add this: vigilance isn’t just fear with better posture, no, it’s clarity with a plan. When we name the pattern out loud, it loses some of its power to sneak up on us, and it becomes harder for “extraordinary” to masquerade as normal. Keep spreading it, and keep your heart steady Lisa. History shows the backlash is loud, but it’s never the whole country.
Excellent! I studied this piece and went back to many parts. This was one:
“When a system repeatedly generates legitimacy disputes, factions start treating the rules not as neutral but as weapons.”
The stuff that keeps me up at night involves how the system perpetuates itself, by design; thereby, perpetuating the ‘pillars of oppression’ upon which this country was built. Real question: How do we change that? Actual nuts and bolts, how?
Melody, I’m with ya and I’ll be honest, there isn’t an easy answer to tjis. The system is built to outlast our attention spans, so changing it feels like pushing a fridge uphill.
Now, if I’m thinking out loud… I think it starts smaller than we want. Protect the “boring” parts like those election workers, local clerks, judges, DAs, school boards, city councils because that’s where rules get enforced or quietly bent. Then follow the money the old fashioned way with unions, watchdog groups, public records, local reporters who actually publish receipts. Now somewhere in there you build a stubborn little “we” around one concrete thing like housing, schools, healthcare because a win teaches people the system can move, and that’s how the spell breaks.
I wish I had a heroic shortcut. I don’t. But I do think the nuts and bolts are: local power + paper trails + a community that won’t scatter.
I’m with you, Melody. Just my thoughts, but change will be needed from the top down AND the bottom up. A few observations: We have seen what can happen when people take to the streets in peaceful protest. That is only a place to begin. I watched the destruction of government agencies along with you. It will take at least a generation, perhaps longer to rebuild and restructure - FAA had not recovered from the mass firings during the Reagan administration for example, when the “Fork in the Road” emails went out to all government employees. Our legislative system has also been paralyzed. We must get the dark money out of elections and impose term limits, perhaps implement recall processes. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Before we can effect change for the better, we have to be able to articulate the actual problem. I am thankful that authors like Xplisset do just that by viewing the current situation from a historical perspective providing a possible scope, breadth and depth. Once we can define the “it” we can look at problem solving. The Cynefin Framework for problem solving categorizes problems into four realms and different problem solving techniques work for each. Using this matrix, our current situation could be identified as a Complex problem, with elements of a Chaotic problem. In Complex problems, “environments are constantly changing. . .and there are too many factors to identify or measure.” This is where problem solvers probe, sense, respond. Traditional top down command and control does not work here, but the same type of creativity as in entrepreneurship is needed to create new approaches and try them out to determine what will work. Chaotic problems call for action to stop the hemorrhaging. We are at that point, now. There are other equally valid approaches to use, but my point is that there is a way out of the darkness.
Another fan-frigging-tastic (really, an) expose, Dude X. I thank you, again, for the education and history. Professor Heather would be proud. Question: The “This Will Hold” Substack has been documenting actual (it appears) fraud in a number of states in the 2024 election (ghost counties, disappearing votes, statistical absurdities, etc.). So, have you been following these articles, and if yes, what do you think?
I have seen enough evidence to convince me there is smoke but I have not followed up enough with substantial research on my own to conclude definitively it was fraud.
Want of foresight, unwillingness to act when action would be simple and effective, lack of clear thinking, confusion of counsel until the emergency comes, until self-preservation strikes its jarring gong - these are the features which constitute the endless repetition of history.
Deb whew. That quote lands deep with me here because it names the pattern before we dress it up with excuses: we delay, we debate, we look away, and then act only when the fire reaches our own doorway. The “jarring gong” is real and some people don’t wake up until consequences become personal. Appreciate ya dropping this here. It's the kind of line that should sit with us all year, not just on these anniversaries.
Your insights are always exceptional, but this one gives me cold chills. I see more of the white wash and how it became cultural truth. I grieve for the futures of my children and grandchildren. I hope change agents can impact the trajectory of history for the better this time.
Thank you so much, Xplisset, for this excellent research and analysis . I’m also a daily reader of HCR- now if only we could get the word out to those who only watch Faux “news”. Of course many just want to preserve their grip on ‘their control of power’ , but I still believe that some are just uninformed and are being duped.
Very very good post. Informative. Appreciate your research. And it shows look. This was all about privilege. They knew they could do that. Cause nobody on that far right would say they are wrong. And it was a thug rally and they were called to go assault and destroy. And that’s exactly what they did. If they were black it would’ve made Kent State look like Disneyland. They had no class. They had no decency. And all of a sudden it was okay to be against Law Enforcement. All of a sudden it was okay to not back blue. See that’s the hypocrisy. The selective backing of law enforcement. But these are the same people that would tell protestors to shut up about Traveon. Yet you assault police officers. You destroy the capital. Now they’re all out of prison and they are trying to whitewash this and gaslight and say it never happened. They were voicing their displeasure in a rigged system. But society all of society the whole nation watched it on T.V. And everyone saw what happened. This was lawlessness on full display. X pieces like this will never allow us to forget.
Dear XVOA, I formally nominate you as a main contributor/writer of Our Project 2028. I trust your reporting and have faith in your getting to the truth. There is a history that you grab and put out for us in your posts that connects the dots. It helps get our heads straight! I think the poster is a teaching tool that should be up on every Democratic Leaderships "must read documents" pin it up in their office! DO NOT LET THE CONFEDERATE FLAG ever in the halls of congress again. Only in a "Dinosaur"museum. Reptiles put 40 to maybe 60 years in their plan to Make America White and Christian Again., their P2025 crap! I'm sure there are brothers and sisters who have worked in opposition for the same amount of time and now have their work disappearing from the shelves in schools and libraries. The work of We the People, journalists, constitutional scholars, and all need collective solidarity to crush the current regime. Turn people toward the light of democracy. I say social democracy. Tax the oligarchs, Government of civil servants and return to our values. Offer the American Dream again. This is our task!
Just keep up the good work. No pressure. I am concerned about the future as many others. I read and listen to many people discuss this regime in charge of our government and military. We have been in upside down opposite reality for years now. IMO ICE shooting a civilian and maybe other injuries and deaths of civilians that are just unfortunate collateral damage. If there are no consequences, quickly, we just keep spiraling to our demise. How confident are any of us that we can stop this madness? Nothing is for certain. Freedom to use substack to explore, learn and vent is not a guarantee. Could end up a paid subscription to nothing. How safe are the nuclear weapons? I'm very concerned...I /or encourage others to protest in the streets...I feel safe to tell you and this community my concerns. We need collective solidarity and OUR PROJECT 2028 but it is probably just a whimsical wish of mine.
Have you listened to Democracy Docket last video interviewing Dahlia Lithwick who has been reporting on the SCOTUS for years? If not, I recommend it. There seems to be little hope for the SCOTUS to be reformed, they are doing shadow dockets with no legal reasoning, just increasing Executive Power to support this POTUS. I always have thought the rule of law and other barriers would stop felon 47. What is happpening with all the power and money going to the top handful of oligarchs is the way this country has always leaned. OMG! What is happening now will not stop, Dahlia was clear, we are all thinking the constitution and other legal/courts/judges will come to save us in America but we are living on a powder keg. IMHO We are going to be stuck with a king/dictator...sorry but the five alarm warning has weakened. It may be all lip service until our freedom of speech is gone too. Oligarchs discuss our fate a Kings Buffet at Man of Lardo. All theater for us and no "turn off switch". In my neck of the woods, people are secure in that they have their weapons if they have to defend themselves and family. Really? My security is that I have less life to give up...I enjoyed living the American Dream. I'm sorry for the loss for my kids/grands though for so many others...
Another excellent and informative post. This is HCR-level comparative analysis. Well done. As happens with almost every HCR Letter, I learned some new things today.
I so agree this is HCR-level comparative analysis! I hope she knows about you. And yes, I learned some new things today.
Indeed. And I find myself wondering whether Shafer's November comparison was used to develop the January 6 mob strategy.
Very interesting to see that pattern across history. Thanks for your clear and digestible way of sharing.
Wow, another insightful masterpiece of writing. The parallels between 1876 and 2020 are amazing, love the graphics too! Thank you so so much for sharing this.
"Shafer cites a national turnout of 81.8% and an official South Carolina turnout of 101%, a mathematical confession that the system is corrupt." I'll be volunteering as a poll worker in my county to have confidence in the local elections results at least. That's probably one of the single most important things we can all do.
What comes after ... Trump being elected again. Now, we are being isolated from the rest of the world. Chained in ... Trump’s actions are to break NATO ... do Putin a favor. This is what happens when you let people get away with murder. You get 60 years of darkness. We still have opportunity to change the outcome. Do we have the courage? It is up to us the people.
I can’t believe this, but I do. I’m just horrified but I already believed what you describe and that it was part of a larger plan that could have been prevented.
Lisa, I hear ya. That “I can’t believe this, but I do” feeling is what your nervous system does when the pattern clicks into place and you realize it wasn’t random chaos, it was a script people have used before. The part that keeps me up is exactly what you said which is it could have been prevented if we treated the warning signs like warnings instead of politics. Thank you for taking the time to read this and naming it so plainly.
I like that “vigilance isn’t just fear with better posture, no, it’s clarity with a plan. “ And I am not one who is afraid. I taught high school for 37 years.
Lisa oh I believe you. Thirty seven years in a high school? Nah thats not just “not afraid,” that’s battle-tested.
I guess all we can do is fight and stay vigilant plus spread the word.
Lisa, yes. But I’d add this: vigilance isn’t just fear with better posture, no, it’s clarity with a plan. When we name the pattern out loud, it loses some of its power to sneak up on us, and it becomes harder for “extraordinary” to masquerade as normal. Keep spreading it, and keep your heart steady Lisa. History shows the backlash is loud, but it’s never the whole country.
Excellent! I studied this piece and went back to many parts. This was one:
“When a system repeatedly generates legitimacy disputes, factions start treating the rules not as neutral but as weapons.”
The stuff that keeps me up at night involves how the system perpetuates itself, by design; thereby, perpetuating the ‘pillars of oppression’ upon which this country was built. Real question: How do we change that? Actual nuts and bolts, how?
Melody, I’m with ya and I’ll be honest, there isn’t an easy answer to tjis. The system is built to outlast our attention spans, so changing it feels like pushing a fridge uphill.
Now, if I’m thinking out loud… I think it starts smaller than we want. Protect the “boring” parts like those election workers, local clerks, judges, DAs, school boards, city councils because that’s where rules get enforced or quietly bent. Then follow the money the old fashioned way with unions, watchdog groups, public records, local reporters who actually publish receipts. Now somewhere in there you build a stubborn little “we” around one concrete thing like housing, schools, healthcare because a win teaches people the system can move, and that’s how the spell breaks.
I wish I had a heroic shortcut. I don’t. But I do think the nuts and bolts are: local power + paper trails + a community that won’t scatter.
I’m with you, Melody. Just my thoughts, but change will be needed from the top down AND the bottom up. A few observations: We have seen what can happen when people take to the streets in peaceful protest. That is only a place to begin. I watched the destruction of government agencies along with you. It will take at least a generation, perhaps longer to rebuild and restructure - FAA had not recovered from the mass firings during the Reagan administration for example, when the “Fork in the Road” emails went out to all government employees. Our legislative system has also been paralyzed. We must get the dark money out of elections and impose term limits, perhaps implement recall processes. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Before we can effect change for the better, we have to be able to articulate the actual problem. I am thankful that authors like Xplisset do just that by viewing the current situation from a historical perspective providing a possible scope, breadth and depth. Once we can define the “it” we can look at problem solving. The Cynefin Framework for problem solving categorizes problems into four realms and different problem solving techniques work for each. Using this matrix, our current situation could be identified as a Complex problem, with elements of a Chaotic problem. In Complex problems, “environments are constantly changing. . .and there are too many factors to identify or measure.” This is where problem solvers probe, sense, respond. Traditional top down command and control does not work here, but the same type of creativity as in entrepreneurship is needed to create new approaches and try them out to determine what will work. Chaotic problems call for action to stop the hemorrhaging. We are at that point, now. There are other equally valid approaches to use, but my point is that there is a way out of the darkness.
Another fan-frigging-tastic (really, an) expose, Dude X. I thank you, again, for the education and history. Professor Heather would be proud. Question: The “This Will Hold” Substack has been documenting actual (it appears) fraud in a number of states in the 2024 election (ghost counties, disappearing votes, statistical absurdities, etc.). So, have you been following these articles, and if yes, what do you think?
I have seen enough evidence to convince me there is smoke but I have not followed up enough with substantial research on my own to conclude definitively it was fraud.
Want of foresight, unwillingness to act when action would be simple and effective, lack of clear thinking, confusion of counsel until the emergency comes, until self-preservation strikes its jarring gong - these are the features which constitute the endless repetition of history.
Winston Churchill
Deb whew. That quote lands deep with me here because it names the pattern before we dress it up with excuses: we delay, we debate, we look away, and then act only when the fire reaches our own doorway. The “jarring gong” is real and some people don’t wake up until consequences become personal. Appreciate ya dropping this here. It's the kind of line that should sit with us all year, not just on these anniversaries.
Your insights are always exceptional, but this one gives me cold chills. I see more of the white wash and how it became cultural truth. I grieve for the futures of my children and grandchildren. I hope change agents can impact the trajectory of history for the better this time.
Thank you so much, Xplisset, for this excellent research and analysis . I’m also a daily reader of HCR- now if only we could get the word out to those who only watch Faux “news”. Of course many just want to preserve their grip on ‘their control of power’ , but I still believe that some are just uninformed and are being duped.
Very very good post. Informative. Appreciate your research. And it shows look. This was all about privilege. They knew they could do that. Cause nobody on that far right would say they are wrong. And it was a thug rally and they were called to go assault and destroy. And that’s exactly what they did. If they were black it would’ve made Kent State look like Disneyland. They had no class. They had no decency. And all of a sudden it was okay to be against Law Enforcement. All of a sudden it was okay to not back blue. See that’s the hypocrisy. The selective backing of law enforcement. But these are the same people that would tell protestors to shut up about Traveon. Yet you assault police officers. You destroy the capital. Now they’re all out of prison and they are trying to whitewash this and gaslight and say it never happened. They were voicing their displeasure in a rigged system. But society all of society the whole nation watched it on T.V. And everyone saw what happened. This was lawlessness on full display. X pieces like this will never allow us to forget.
Dear XVOA, I formally nominate you as a main contributor/writer of Our Project 2028. I trust your reporting and have faith in your getting to the truth. There is a history that you grab and put out for us in your posts that connects the dots. It helps get our heads straight! I think the poster is a teaching tool that should be up on every Democratic Leaderships "must read documents" pin it up in their office! DO NOT LET THE CONFEDERATE FLAG ever in the halls of congress again. Only in a "Dinosaur"museum. Reptiles put 40 to maybe 60 years in their plan to Make America White and Christian Again., their P2025 crap! I'm sure there are brothers and sisters who have worked in opposition for the same amount of time and now have their work disappearing from the shelves in schools and libraries. The work of We the People, journalists, constitutional scholars, and all need collective solidarity to crush the current regime. Turn people toward the light of democracy. I say social democracy. Tax the oligarchs, Government of civil servants and return to our values. Offer the American Dream again. This is our task!
Does the fact I struggled to reply to this honor disqualify me? Lol.
Just keep up the good work. No pressure. I am concerned about the future as many others. I read and listen to many people discuss this regime in charge of our government and military. We have been in upside down opposite reality for years now. IMO ICE shooting a civilian and maybe other injuries and deaths of civilians that are just unfortunate collateral damage. If there are no consequences, quickly, we just keep spiraling to our demise. How confident are any of us that we can stop this madness? Nothing is for certain. Freedom to use substack to explore, learn and vent is not a guarantee. Could end up a paid subscription to nothing. How safe are the nuclear weapons? I'm very concerned...I /or encourage others to protest in the streets...I feel safe to tell you and this community my concerns. We need collective solidarity and OUR PROJECT 2028 but it is probably just a whimsical wish of mine.
Have you listened to Democracy Docket last video interviewing Dahlia Lithwick who has been reporting on the SCOTUS for years? If not, I recommend it. There seems to be little hope for the SCOTUS to be reformed, they are doing shadow dockets with no legal reasoning, just increasing Executive Power to support this POTUS. I always have thought the rule of law and other barriers would stop felon 47. What is happpening with all the power and money going to the top handful of oligarchs is the way this country has always leaned. OMG! What is happening now will not stop, Dahlia was clear, we are all thinking the constitution and other legal/courts/judges will come to save us in America but we are living on a powder keg. IMHO We are going to be stuck with a king/dictator...sorry but the five alarm warning has weakened. It may be all lip service until our freedom of speech is gone too. Oligarchs discuss our fate a Kings Buffet at Man of Lardo. All theater for us and no "turn off switch". In my neck of the woods, people are secure in that they have their weapons if they have to defend themselves and family. Really? My security is that I have less life to give up...I enjoyed living the American Dream. I'm sorry for the loss for my kids/grands though for so many others...
What will save us is their own self inflicted wounds. Stay tuned for my next write up.
Makes me choke up with tears...