I come bearing comfort. The news these days is so bad it’s good.

I’m not being cute. By electing to install Evil as our pilot, the ship of state was begging to be capsized. That the Nameless One and his fans embody evil is no longer worth arguing. “Look on the bright side” is rubbish – there is no bright side, unless cruelty, turpitude, rapacity, truthlessness, ruthlessness and viciousness are your idea of fun. Whether Americans realized what they were choosing November Fifth – or whether cocky America deserved this comeuppance – are debates for later, assuming conversation is still allowed. If the Nameless One fulfills his promises, America – and civilization – are in for it – a fight to the death – Freedom or Tyranny. The two cannot coexist.

The good news is that the Nameless One didn’t clean up his act with an eye toward Posterity. More than once the Oval Office has proven morally therapeutic to its occupant. Even light-fingered Chester Arthur tried to serve honorably after accidentally entering its hallowed precinct. The Nameless One’s the first who considers Himself more important than his Nation. He didn’t even put his hand on the Bible taking the oath of office. Who’s God by comparison!

That he’s going full bore, piling up jaw-dropping outrages in a hurry, brings democracy’s D-Day closer. Will we the people surrender to this monster? Will we become loathsome in the world’s eyes and our own? Will we give up on the idealism embodied in our foundation and defended by the best of our forebears? My test of our system is whether we hold federal elections in 2026, where the votes are counted as cast. When I first mentioned this, many scoffed – of course we’ll have elections! Fewer are scoffing now.

That our democracy needs fixing is demonstrated by our present fix. On this, the rabid right and somnolent left should agree. That a majority of voters despise their government is not a good sign. Jesus himself couldn’t get elected nowadays – with only Christians voting.

Today’s war is fundamental, not incidental: the Nameless One repudiates the founding tenets of our system in favor of an older, tribal model, where the Big Guy rules and all others either bow or bow out. He means to bend our delicate engine to his will and terrorize us into compliance. He’s a brilliant bully, the best at being worst. Whether avarice, ignorance, or indolence motivate his lucid supporters (though that may be an oxymoron), the result is the same: we are sledding downhill fast, toward a murderous crack-up.

And hurray for that. Education hurts – lessons must be whacked into us. Monsters are persuasive instructors, impossible to ignore or forget. The peace and prosperity of my era owe much to Hitler, who reminded us what values are worth dying for.

If the Nameless One had elected to play nice, sugarcoat his arsenic, relieved onlookers might have relaxed, “Oh, it won’t be that bad.” You still hear some of that especially among plutocrats enjoying the prospect of heftier paychecks. But each day, more and more are waking to “Yikes, our house is burning down – with the baby inside – help!”

I pray for violence. If there’s no violence, it will mean those in charge will have won. The Nameless One would prefer his predation peaceful. America must wake to our horrific mistake – or lose the nation and notion we prize.

Thus, every inept appointment and impudent bone-headed fiat is a step in the right direction. Either we purge ourselves of this pustulence or perish.