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Twelve months back, the environment was utterly different. Before the American presidential vote, considerate citizens could acknowledge the country's significant faults – its unfairness and imbalance – but they could still see it as the United States. A free society. A place where constitutional order held significance. A country led by a dignified and upright official, even with his elderly years and declining health.

Nowadays, this autumn, many of us barely recognize the country we live in. Individuals alleged as illegal immigrants are rounded up and forced into vehicles, at times denied due process. The left side of the “people’s house” – is undergoing demolition for a grotesque dance hall. The president is persecuting his political rivals or alleged foes and requesting federal prosecutors hand over a huge total of citizen dollars. Armed military personnel are being sent to US urban areas on false pretexts. The military command, relabeled the War Department, has – in effect – liberated itself of day-to-day journalistic scrutiny during its expenditure of possibly reaching close to a trillion USD of taxpayer money. Colleges, legal practices, journalism organizations are buckling under the president’s threats, and billionaires are regarded as nobility.

“America, shortly prior to its quarter-millennium anniversary as the world’s leading democracy, has crossed the brink into autocracy and totalitarianism,” a noted author, commented in August. “In the end, faster than I believed likely, it transpired in this country.”

Each day begins amid recent atrocities. And it is difficult to grasp – and painful to realize – just how far gone our nation is, and the rapid pace with which it has happened.

Nevertheless, we know that the leader was duly elected. Despite his highly troubling initial presidency and even after the alerts associated with the knowledge of Project 2025 – despite the president personally said publicly he planned to be a dictator only on the first day – a majority of citizens elected him over the other candidate.

As terrifying as the present situation is, it’s even scarier to realize that we’re only three-quarters of a year into this presidential term. Where will an additional three years of this downfall position us? And suppose the three years transforms into a more extended duration, since there is nobody to limit this president from deciding that another term is essential, perhaps for security concerns?

Certainly, all is not lost. We will have midterm elections the coming year which might create a new governmental control, if Democrats retake one or both houses of Congress. There are elected officials who are trying to exert some accountability, for example representatives that are initiating an inquiry regarding the effort to fund seizure by federal prosecutors.

And a leadership election in 2028 could begin our journey to healing exactly as last year’s election put us on this unfortunate course.

There exist countless citizens protesting in public spaces of their cities, as they did last weekend at democracy demonstrations.

An ex-cabinet member, wrote recently that “the great sleeping giant of the nation is rising”, exactly as before following the Red Scare in that decade or throughout the sixties activism or during the Watergate scandal.

In those instances, the unstable nation eventually was righted.

The author states he understands the signals of that revival and observes it occurring now. As support, he cites the recent massive protests, the extensive, multi-faction opposition against a television host's removal and the largely united refusal by journalists to sign military mandates they report only authorized information.

“The sleeping giant consistently stays dormant till specific greed turns extremely harmful, some action so offensive toward public welfare, specific cruelty so loud, that it has no choice but to awaken.”

It’s an optimistic take, and I appreciate the author's seasoned opinion. Perhaps he will turn out correct.

Meanwhile, the major inquiries remain: can America ever recover? Can it retrieve its standing globally and its adherence to the rule of law?

Or must we acknowledge that the 250-year-old experiment succeeded temporarily, and then – swiftly, totally – ended?

My negative thoughts tells me that the second option is accurate; that everything might be lost. My positive feelings, nevertheless, advises me that we must try, through all methods we can.

Personally, as an observer of the press, that’s about urging journalists to commit, more fully, to their duty of overseeing leadership. For some people, it could mean engaging with election efforts, or planning demonstrations, or finding ways to safeguard ballot privileges.

Less than a year ago, we were in an alternate reality. Twelve months later? Or three years from now? The truth is, we are uncertain. Our sole course is to attempt to persevere.

What Offers Me Encouragement Today

The contact I have in the classroom with new media professionals, that are simultaneously visionary and grounded, {always