Speeding Toward . . .

Quote of the day, courtesy of Dennis Hopper in the movie Speed: "A bomb is made to explode. That's its meaning. Its purpose."

About these notes: Always Monday. Always short. Always free. Always about civil society’s future. At times, interesting. If this was forwarded to you, subscribe here.

In the 1994 movie Speed, innocent passengers are trapped on a bus going at breakneck speed, mowing down innocent bystanders, on a path to blow itself to smithereens. The film – and Sandra Bullock’s breakout performance as the heroic passenger – kept us in suspense for 97 hair-raising minutes.

Today, our entire nation is on an out-of-control bus. A madman is at the wheel, assuring us he’s history’s all-time greatest bus driver. He barks ludicrous tweets into the phone in his left hand. In his right hand, the nuclear codes. His knees do the steering. Front-seat passengers could intervene, but those seats are filled with sycophants who prize their proximity. Sheer horror, with years ahead of us. So how will this bus ride end? Bankruptcy? World War III? A full-fledged dictatorship? All of the above?

Bankruptcy: In 2016, 45/47 assured America that he “would pay off the nation’s $19 trillion debt over a period of eight years.” Today, the national debt stands at $36 trillion. Leaping by $2.50 trillion in 2025 and a stunning $1 trillion in the past two months alone. National debt is quickly reaching the point of no return, with a Commander-In-Chief who bankrupts all he touches.

The Republican Party used to stand for fiscal responsibility. Now they rubber-stamp 45/47’s War of Choice in Iran. They’ll support his demand for a $500 billion increase to the bloated $1 trillion/year Department of Defense budget — while making the worst of these choices:

World War III. Maybe Iran is just one more reckless stop on the ride. But remember the tiny spark that set off World War I. Our driver had no plan — just the need to show the world that he controls the bus. And he smugly draws on his history of retaining his driver’s license despite a litany of serious traffic violations. Perhaps, the film Wag The Dog played a role in launching this war of choice.

Dictatorship. So why would 45/47 pour massive sums into the military? Well, in 2021, he incited a violent attack on the Capitol just because he couldn’t accept defeat. A Democratic Party President in 2029 might prosecute 45/47 for corruption, strip him of assets, and even send him to Federal prison. Anticipating such a fate might prompt someone to turn to the military. Command Pete Hegseth to purge the ranks of anyone unwilling to bend the knee. Shower the military with funding and bombing missions. When push comes to shove, hope the military is on his side, not The Constitution’s.

Like it or not, we’re on a bus far more harrowing than Sandra Bullock’s. If the midterms are fair, the House flips — maybe even the Senate — and the bus might slow down. Then, Impeachment 3.0, futilely hoping enough Republican Senators vote to remove our psychopathic bus driver. Now, though, it’s time to draw inspiration from Speed’s upbeat ending and work to find our inner Sandra Bullock.

Nervously, Ted