Protection: Our democracy, our Constitution

When faced with so much evil meanness mindless endless cruelty—what to do? Certainly protest. Speak up! But that seems not enough. The killing, the torture, the corruption of government, the stealing just gets worse. Our democracy, our Constitution—Jane Addams knew this told us this—is designed to protect us from the demagogues, the rule by greedy fools, the madmen and the dictators. Jane...Jane tell us what to do now!

Jane Addams speaking to a crowd July 22, 1915
[source: Wikimedia Commons. American Memory Collections is available from the United States Library of Congress's National Digital Library Program under the digital ID ichicdn.n064814]

WAR!!!

War!! This is why foolish people, people who command armies, love war. War gives everyone something to do. War means that you follow ‘orders’. And always, the promise: QUICK VICTORY! The hated, hateful enemy (in comparison to our virtuous selves) will be destroyed!!!

And all that happens? People die. Soldiers die. Civilians die. Mothers die. Children die. If only it were short! Human arrogance coupled with real destructive power will kill many, leave no one better off. Survival is the goal.

Thousands marching, thousands watching Our National Army, Michigan Avenue,Chicago. August 4, 1917.
[source]: Public domain

Help us, Jane, to find and remember what good government is

What do you do when evil people, mean people, ignorant people have taken over the reins of power? It doesn’t end well. They know no history, nothing of Stalin or Mussolini. We must learn from history. Help us, Jane! Help us find and remember what good government is—with service to the people—rather than stealing from them.

The Guardian US live news editor Chris Michael takes us through the six most controversial members, and what their appointments could mean for the country.
[Source: The Guardian "Trump’s most controversial cabinet picks: what do they mean for the future of the US? – video". March 4, 2025]

Half-length portrait of the infamous con artist ‘Yellow Kid’ Weil sitting in a room in Chicago, Illinois. 

[Source: Chicago Daily News negatives collection, Chicago Historical Society. Reproduction Number: DN-0070628 Digital ID: ichicdn n070628]