What year is it?

October 22, 2025

In the national conversation, it’s often bandied about about “what year is it?”, often used as a comparison to the process that happened in Europe in the 1930s. The analogy isn’t perfect, yet there are parellels like people being grabbed b governmental and governmental-backed forces and being sent to their death or imprisonment, often in places that aren’t their home land, not to normal prisons. We have the historical precedent that people who were picked up in places like Germany and sent to places like Poland, where some of the concentration camps existed, outside of the jurisdiction of the government structures in their homelands. There is a parallel presently of the people who are being grabbed and shipped off to countries like El Salvador, Uganda and Sudan. There are lots of other parallels, but I’m not here to make a list.

But is this the only historical parallel that we can draw? Can we look elsewhere where things were not going well, and the people being oppressed rose up successfully? Today I heard something that I hadn’t really heard before. It might be a better idea to look at the year 1774. (I’m not smart enough about history to come up with this. I got this insight from one of my favorite folks for analysis, Malcolm Nance)

In 1774, we had a similar situation: a leader who was not chosen by the people being governed (or more aptly, ruled). Laws were being passed which were not supported by the majority of the people. The economy was being harmed by people who were completely disconnected from the consequences of their actions. We know how it turned out - the colonies were able to kick the British occupiers back to England. We also know that it didn’t come easily, nor did it come quickly. The current Constitution was not the first drafted attempt at self-governments. There were lots of problems for the first few years.

Even with this hopeful frame, it’s still not going to be easy. It’s a fair statement that the country we have been used to living in is gone. Even if we somehow managed to kick the current regime out the door tomorrow, by whatever means possible, the destruction that has occurred so far to the administrative structures, held in place by people who are knowledgeable and dedicated/devoted to the mission of their jobs is not something that would respond as if just turning on a switch. At least some of the people who have been working in these roles are older, now retired, they’re not going to instantly and readily just come back to their old jobs. Some have gotten new jobs and discovered that the private sector, while not being perfect, also isn’t subject to predictable upheaval every few years.

You also can’t just stand up a large system all at once. Any large system is started as a pilot, kinks are worked out on a small level and then propagated.

I think I like comparing this to 1774. I don’t think I’m going to live to see how this is going to end, in any event. It’s going to take a while, there’s going to be some pain, but it can be done.

Reply via email