What this piece captures, with almost uncomfortable precision, is the one truth every power structure forgets: archives have a longer lifespan than regimes.
The messages, the orders, the quiet bureaucratic fingerprints left on every decision will outlive the people who signed them. History has a habit of turning today’s classified folder into tomorrow’s museum exhibit, and the systems that once operated in the shadows eventually become required reading for schoolchildren trying to understand how a country lost its way.
And the part people always underestimate is the solitude.
Institutions act collectively, but accountability arrives individually.
The uniform, the badge, the procedural language…none of it survives the moment when the record becomes public. The reckoning is never cinematic; it’s slow, interior, and merciless. Memory does the work no tribunal can. When the façade collapses, there is no formation to stand in, no line to hide behind. Only the truth, and the person who carried it.
This piece understands that perfectly: the real judgment isn’t theatrical.
This comment is an aside. Steve, I read you regularly and my eyes are open wide. You recently wrote about the Nazi massacre in Lidice, the Czech Republic. I stared for a very long time at the photograph of the children's memorial and could not tear my eyes away. I am, by no means, a world traveler but I did visit Central Europe years ago. A bit of checking let me know that, when I was in Bratislava, I was only 3-1/2 hours away from the ruins of the village. I didn't go because I did not know about it then - the loss of a chance in time and space for which I will never absolve myself.
Remorsefully, I have ordered the three-volume, hardcover edition of The Liberation Trilogy by Rick Atkinson. After studying it, I will donate the books to my local library. Hopefully, others will be able to benefit from my ignorance. Thank you.
I just shared this with Schumer and Jeffries Chiefs of Staff. I hope their emails are good and that they get it. tasia.jackson@mail.house.gov, mike_lynch@schumer.senate.gov Last weekend, I called Pelosi and my members of Congress demanding change in leadership. I have zero hope that it will happen, but I had to try. ps - I just shared it with Pelosi's Chief of Staff. patti.ross@mail.house.gov
Every word is true... As a New Yorker and Brooklynite I have written to Schumer many times about my rage and his weakness. A primary in NYS must throw him out.. Jeffries is popular in his district..but must be removed from his position.. Their weakness and fear of fighting back is infuriating and exasperating..
I'm glad you keep referencing that raid on the Chicago complex. Those children were traumatized. And the feds used a video of that raid to recruit because they want people who will engage in domestic terrorism. According to Google AI, out of the 37 people arrested that night, NONE were prosecuted. The cruelty was the point. And, just in case you didn't know, the New York Times was embedded with them on that lawless event. And if you want to see mainstream news enabling Trump, read their account of that event and contrast it with local news reports of witnesses on the scene.
I'm glad to see the lawsuits filed by the States, but I am wondering what it will take to get us through free and fair November elections.
If we do not call and email ALL our representatives and senators, and include Schumer and Jeffries, then we are done. We cannot allow our elected folks to believe that capitulation is acceptable. They are put there to represent us, let’s make them do it.
I love our country more than I can say. I want Schumer and Jeffries to step down too. I am a lifelong democrat . When they refused to come out and endorse Mamdani I was fit to be tied.
If they would have had a pair, it would have told me they could see the change that is needed. They didn't. As far as the dems going with the gop to WH to tell Trump to stay out of Greenland I don't think that would work. The maniac would never listen to the dems, the party of crime. He hates Zelinsky because he didn't do his bidding in the first term . Hence will never help him with Russia. Same with the dems, he sees them as the enemy. I think if the republican senators and republican congressman went to the WH with the backing of a lot of GOP donors they might get him to stop with Greenland. At this point nothing seems to stop him .. He is a borderline persoanlity disordered maniac .
i loved what you wrote about all there crimes, and that one day they will be taught in schools That what they have done will be in museums . I hope with all my heart this happens. lost in america
I am with you all the way - Here in Chicago, we and the judges drove them out - they'll be back but we have most of our 3 million people ready to continue the fight for freedom and democracy and lives of productivity, civility, kindness and happiness. We are learning that their might will not make right in OUR community of equals. Butter can be stronger than guns..
Righteous and right, these words today. Here’s the thing — you, the man who placed the call for John McCain’s concession — you have entré into the halls of power, into the ears of some of these politicians (and maybe some of them are indeed public servants). I hope and trust that you are as forceful and relentless with each and every connection you have as you are on the page. Take them by the shoulders and shake them. Rub their noses in the acquiescence that brings us here when shutting down the government 10 months ago was the only way. Show them that the ICE gestapo must be stopped in its tracks, that that is more important right now than ACA premiums or inflation or anything else, except perhaps NATO and Ukraine, which are parallel in importance. Preach the Four Freedoms that might well set us free if we will only embrace them from the top down.
Brazilians dealt with an insurrectionist properly - they sent him to jail. Americans re-elected theirs.
A bird with one broken wing cannot fly, but that wing can be healed. With two broken wings, it is useless for its purpose. "Leaders" like Schumer and Jeffries will break the Democratic Party.
Bravo Steve!!! Powerful words backed up by powerful actions. It is not the time to sit on your hands or clutch your pearls. When I type or even the say the word "Nazi" I feel the evil emanating down to my very soul. And that POS ICE Barbie has the NERVE to stand up there behind a podium with a Nazi slogan on it?!!! WTF is wrong with these people?!! It makes me so damn angry!!!
Which is why I do what I do. One of the many reasons. They ALL need to go. We all need to fight like HELL between now and November to make sure we will be putting a check on this evil, lawless regime and begin the even harder work of restoring our precious Republic. Then we can hold these people accountable. MF'ers. Every. Single. One of them. Id love to see Mark Kelly or Elizabeth Warren leading in the Senate and AOC possibly in the House. Someone other than the 2 milquetoasts we have now.
Thank you Steve for another uplifting and encouraging post!! 🙏
The only thing is I don't see Warren or AOC in those leadership roles. They are left of center.. The majority of the party is moderate. I doubt they would get elected . I could definitely see Mark Kelly ,Chris Murphy , Cory Booker .. In the congress Jim Hines Jamie Raskin ... Back to the senate for a minute I love Chris Van Hollen ..
What MILLER said yesterday about ICE agents have immunity and go and "Kill" do not worry. That is a CRIME of INCITEMENT. where does he live? He should be doxxed for certain. But the AG of Virginia? Maryland? D.C. should have him arrested. IMMEDIATELY. And then see the wheels of justice working. ZIP TIE his hands and FEET! Haul him off like a PIG for a ROAST. Please do something. HE has incited 'troops' to commit crimes. That is a CRIME. ARREST HIM. SHOW some spine. If nothing else it will be grounds when (and if) the dems take control of congress. Have the police (city/state) arrest him in PUBLIC. Do it -- now. do not wait!
Another piece of brilliant writing- I now live in Portugal and the thought of living in the USA fills me with terror! This regime is truly Nazi personified/ what a horrific situation!!!!
OK for your edification: The LAW of INCITEMENT - Stevie MILLER fits the CRIME.
The crime of incitement involves intentionally persuading, encouraging, or urging another person to commit a crime, even if the crime doesn't actually happen;
it's an inchoate offense (a step towards a crime) that can be verbal, written, or through actions, but it must involve clear communication and intent to provoke unlawful action, often distinguished from mere advocacy by strict legal tests like the *Brandenburg test* in the U.S..
Key Elements:
1. Persuasion/Urging: The act of encouraging someone to commit an offense.
2. Intent: The person inciting must intend for the other to commit the crime, or at least know it's likely.
3. Communication: There must be a clear message or opportunity for the person to act on the incitement.
4. Inchoate Offense: Punishable even if the underlying crime isn't completed.
How It's Done (Methods)
A. Verbal/Written: Direct requests, threats, promises of reward, or publishing material.
B. Actions/Gestures: Providing tools, instructions, or creating pressure.
Examples:
1. Giving someone detailed instructions and offering help to commit a robbery.
2. Publishing material explicitly urging drug manufacturing.
3. Threatening someone to force them into an assault.
Legal Standards (U.S.):
Freedom of Speech: The First Amendment protects speech, but incitement isn't protected.
Brandenburg Test (1969): Speech is unprotected incitement if it's intended to produce and is likely to produce immediate lawless action.
Solicitation: A related crime (e.g., 18 U.S. Code § 373) for crimes of violence, requiring intent and corroborating circumstances.
Distinction from Solicitation
Incitement: Often involves being present or directly involved; focuses on the act of encouraging.
Solicitation: May not require presence but involves procuring or directing someone to commit a crime.
We need a dealmaker now in the leadership, Warren for schumer and anybody else for Jeffries. Another thing, where are the Dem leaders to point out that Trump trying to strong arm oil companies to invest in Venezuela and we will protect their interests smacks of socialism? Can someone, anyone point that out?
Yes!
What this piece captures, with almost uncomfortable precision, is the one truth every power structure forgets: archives have a longer lifespan than regimes.
The messages, the orders, the quiet bureaucratic fingerprints left on every decision will outlive the people who signed them. History has a habit of turning today’s classified folder into tomorrow’s museum exhibit, and the systems that once operated in the shadows eventually become required reading for schoolchildren trying to understand how a country lost its way.
And the part people always underestimate is the solitude.
Institutions act collectively, but accountability arrives individually.
The uniform, the badge, the procedural language…none of it survives the moment when the record becomes public. The reckoning is never cinematic; it’s slow, interior, and merciless. Memory does the work no tribunal can. When the façade collapses, there is no formation to stand in, no line to hide behind. Only the truth, and the person who carried it.
This piece understands that perfectly: the real judgment isn’t theatrical.
It’s archival.
—Johan
Former foreign service officer
This comment is an aside. Steve, I read you regularly and my eyes are open wide. You recently wrote about the Nazi massacre in Lidice, the Czech Republic. I stared for a very long time at the photograph of the children's memorial and could not tear my eyes away. I am, by no means, a world traveler but I did visit Central Europe years ago. A bit of checking let me know that, when I was in Bratislava, I was only 3-1/2 hours away from the ruins of the village. I didn't go because I did not know about it then - the loss of a chance in time and space for which I will never absolve myself.
Remorsefully, I have ordered the three-volume, hardcover edition of The Liberation Trilogy by Rick Atkinson. After studying it, I will donate the books to my local library. Hopefully, others will be able to benefit from my ignorance. Thank you.
I just shared this with Schumer and Jeffries Chiefs of Staff. I hope their emails are good and that they get it. tasia.jackson@mail.house.gov, mike_lynch@schumer.senate.gov Last weekend, I called Pelosi and my members of Congress demanding change in leadership. I have zero hope that it will happen, but I had to try. ps - I just shared it with Pelosi's Chief of Staff. patti.ross@mail.house.gov
I also shared this with them. Probably get nothing, but who knows. We need to register our fury and demand change.
Excellent, thank you!
Thanks. I wrote to Schumer again at that address.
Awesome - thank you!
Every word is true... As a New Yorker and Brooklynite I have written to Schumer many times about my rage and his weakness. A primary in NYS must throw him out.. Jeffries is popular in his district..but must be removed from his position.. Their weakness and fear of fighting back is infuriating and exasperating..
I'm glad you keep referencing that raid on the Chicago complex. Those children were traumatized. And the feds used a video of that raid to recruit because they want people who will engage in domestic terrorism. According to Google AI, out of the 37 people arrested that night, NONE were prosecuted. The cruelty was the point. And, just in case you didn't know, the New York Times was embedded with them on that lawless event. And if you want to see mainstream news enabling Trump, read their account of that event and contrast it with local news reports of witnesses on the scene.
I'm glad to see the lawsuits filed by the States, but I am wondering what it will take to get us through free and fair November elections.
If we do not call and email ALL our representatives and senators, and include Schumer and Jeffries, then we are done. We cannot allow our elected folks to believe that capitulation is acceptable. They are put there to represent us, let’s make them do it.
I love our country more than I can say. I want Schumer and Jeffries to step down too. I am a lifelong democrat . When they refused to come out and endorse Mamdani I was fit to be tied.
If they would have had a pair, it would have told me they could see the change that is needed. They didn't. As far as the dems going with the gop to WH to tell Trump to stay out of Greenland I don't think that would work. The maniac would never listen to the dems, the party of crime. He hates Zelinsky because he didn't do his bidding in the first term . Hence will never help him with Russia. Same with the dems, he sees them as the enemy. I think if the republican senators and republican congressman went to the WH with the backing of a lot of GOP donors they might get him to stop with Greenland. At this point nothing seems to stop him .. He is a borderline persoanlity disordered maniac .
i loved what you wrote about all there crimes, and that one day they will be taught in schools That what they have done will be in museums . I hope with all my heart this happens. lost in america
ICE cannot be allowed to be expanded and be around for the 2026 midterms. Is it so hard for the Democratic leadership to understand what is going on?
Great commentary Steve:
I am with you all the way - Here in Chicago, we and the judges drove them out - they'll be back but we have most of our 3 million people ready to continue the fight for freedom and democracy and lives of productivity, civility, kindness and happiness. We are learning that their might will not make right in OUR community of equals. Butter can be stronger than guns..
Remember her name Renee Good.
Righteous and right, these words today. Here’s the thing — you, the man who placed the call for John McCain’s concession — you have entré into the halls of power, into the ears of some of these politicians (and maybe some of them are indeed public servants). I hope and trust that you are as forceful and relentless with each and every connection you have as you are on the page. Take them by the shoulders and shake them. Rub their noses in the acquiescence that brings us here when shutting down the government 10 months ago was the only way. Show them that the ICE gestapo must be stopped in its tracks, that that is more important right now than ACA premiums or inflation or anything else, except perhaps NATO and Ukraine, which are parallel in importance. Preach the Four Freedoms that might well set us free if we will only embrace them from the top down.
Brazilians dealt with an insurrectionist properly - they sent him to jail. Americans re-elected theirs.
A bird with one broken wing cannot fly, but that wing can be healed. With two broken wings, it is useless for its purpose. "Leaders" like Schumer and Jeffries will break the Democratic Party.
Agreed. I will be once again reminding my Senators (MN) that appeasement never works. A sternly written letter is insufficient.
Bravo Steve!!! Powerful words backed up by powerful actions. It is not the time to sit on your hands or clutch your pearls. When I type or even the say the word "Nazi" I feel the evil emanating down to my very soul. And that POS ICE Barbie has the NERVE to stand up there behind a podium with a Nazi slogan on it?!!! WTF is wrong with these people?!! It makes me so damn angry!!!
Which is why I do what I do. One of the many reasons. They ALL need to go. We all need to fight like HELL between now and November to make sure we will be putting a check on this evil, lawless regime and begin the even harder work of restoring our precious Republic. Then we can hold these people accountable. MF'ers. Every. Single. One of them. Id love to see Mark Kelly or Elizabeth Warren leading in the Senate and AOC possibly in the House. Someone other than the 2 milquetoasts we have now.
Thank you Steve for another uplifting and encouraging post!! 🙏
The only thing is I don't see Warren or AOC in those leadership roles. They are left of center.. The majority of the party is moderate. I doubt they would get elected . I could definitely see Mark Kelly ,Chris Murphy , Cory Booker .. In the congress Jim Hines Jamie Raskin ... Back to the senate for a minute I love Chris Van Hollen ..
What MILLER said yesterday about ICE agents have immunity and go and "Kill" do not worry. That is a CRIME of INCITEMENT. where does he live? He should be doxxed for certain. But the AG of Virginia? Maryland? D.C. should have him arrested. IMMEDIATELY. And then see the wheels of justice working. ZIP TIE his hands and FEET! Haul him off like a PIG for a ROAST. Please do something. HE has incited 'troops' to commit crimes. That is a CRIME. ARREST HIM. SHOW some spine. If nothing else it will be grounds when (and if) the dems take control of congress. Have the police (city/state) arrest him in PUBLIC. Do it -- now. do not wait!
Bravo, Steve !!!
Another piece of brilliant writing- I now live in Portugal and the thought of living in the USA fills me with terror! This regime is truly Nazi personified/ what a horrific situation!!!!
OK for your edification: The LAW of INCITEMENT - Stevie MILLER fits the CRIME.
The crime of incitement involves intentionally persuading, encouraging, or urging another person to commit a crime, even if the crime doesn't actually happen;
it's an inchoate offense (a step towards a crime) that can be verbal, written, or through actions, but it must involve clear communication and intent to provoke unlawful action, often distinguished from mere advocacy by strict legal tests like the *Brandenburg test* in the U.S..
Key Elements:
1. Persuasion/Urging: The act of encouraging someone to commit an offense.
2. Intent: The person inciting must intend for the other to commit the crime, or at least know it's likely.
3. Communication: There must be a clear message or opportunity for the person to act on the incitement.
4. Inchoate Offense: Punishable even if the underlying crime isn't completed.
How It's Done (Methods)
A. Verbal/Written: Direct requests, threats, promises of reward, or publishing material.
B. Actions/Gestures: Providing tools, instructions, or creating pressure.
Examples:
1. Giving someone detailed instructions and offering help to commit a robbery.
2. Publishing material explicitly urging drug manufacturing.
3. Threatening someone to force them into an assault.
Legal Standards (U.S.):
Freedom of Speech: The First Amendment protects speech, but incitement isn't protected.
Brandenburg Test (1969): Speech is unprotected incitement if it's intended to produce and is likely to produce immediate lawless action.
Solicitation: A related crime (e.g., 18 U.S. Code § 373) for crimes of violence, requiring intent and corroborating circumstances.
Distinction from Solicitation
Incitement: Often involves being present or directly involved; focuses on the act of encouraging.
Solicitation: May not require presence but involves procuring or directing someone to commit a crime.
We need a dealmaker now in the leadership, Warren for schumer and anybody else for Jeffries. Another thing, where are the Dem leaders to point out that Trump trying to strong arm oil companies to invest in Venezuela and we will protect their interests smacks of socialism? Can someone, anyone point that out?