Brookings resident Carl Kline is an ordained clergyman, part-time teacher and occasional blogger.

If someone had told me even last year that our democracy was at risk, I would have had my doubts. And even with the return to power of Trump and MAGA, and his promise of being dictator on day one, I believed at least the Congress or the courts would save our tripartite system. Now I’m of the opinion we are seeing the death throes of democracy, as a dictator and an oligarchy swallows it whole.

We used to have a Congress that debated issues. There was an accepted understanding that neither side, Republican or Democrat, had the whole truth. Debate and negotiation were the tools to discover the best results for the American people. Serving constituents was the goal, and even partisan power was to be used in their best interests.

Now, one party draws up a legislative agenda without debate or consultation, then brings it forward at the last minute under threat of government shutdown. Take your pick, Democrats: adopt our Republican agenda or shut down the government. Of course, that’s the other priority item on a Trump agenda, to shut down the government; so he can wield his dictatorial powers, planting those loyal to him and firing the others. The smaller the administration, the better it can be controlled.

What about the courts? So far we’ve seen mixed results. One federal court ruling allows for DEI changes to continue. Another says the administration exceeded its regulatory authority with some budget cuts, but the cuts already made can continue. And if an issue reaches a packed Supreme Court, the court is unlikely to turn against their packer. After all, the president has “immunity,” which seems to be the province of all dictators.

The other problem is the court system takes time. One doesn’t get results quickly. Administrative actions happen, the damage is done, before one even begins the judicial process. The Trump administration is making good use of this time lapse. It is still not clear if they will follow rulings against them, especially if there is the possibility of appeal (and more delay).

It is also becoming clearer that certain political persuasions are not welcome in this country. Two international students have been arrested protesting the war Israel has been waging against the Palestinians. Both are students at Columbia University, a higher education institution under threat of no government funding, as the university administration apparently believes in freedom of speech. One student has been imprisoned in Louisiana as his pregnant wife worries about him back in New York City.

All of our colleges and universities should be on notice, as research grants are questioned and political correctness becomes the mark of survival. Keep your students quiet in the classroom and off the streets or face the consequences. And as the culture wars continue to rage and are fueled by the Trump administration, education in all its forms faces cut backs and political oversight.

In a recent speech at the Justice Department, President Trump suggested that his political enemies (“scum”), those who were part of his prosecution and those who denied his re-election in 2020, should be put in jail. His Department of Justice is now run by those who have served him as lawyers through all of his past trials. We should understand, it is not uncommon in authoritarian societies for political enemies to find themselves in prison, or worse.

We seem to be moving toward a “justice” model like they have in some other countries, like Russia; fast becoming our number one ally. Our president admires the world’s most visible dictators; Putin and Kim Jong Un. At the same time those allies of the past are falling away.

We are at war with our two major neighbors and trading partners, and rapidly withdrawing from other relationships in NATO, the U.N. and the international community; usually on the pretext that they have been “using” us and not doing their fair share. It’s also hard to understand why Greenland and Panama should be subject to U.S. annexation, except to serve the needs and ego of a tyrant.

If things begin to get troubled; if elements of the population begin to revolt; there are always the Proud Boys and other “patriots” from January 6th. whom the president pardoned, and who will carry out his threats and dirty work.

All of this is troubling enough, but my walk today was windy, unusually so. In Texas and other southern states people are dying from a series of tornadoes. The East Coast will get their share as this major storm front moves on. All over the globe people are dying and being displaced by floods and famine, fruit of a fast changing climate that this president calls a “hoax.”

Trump is the “hoax” and the sooner he is impeached and removed the better.