By the Dawn's Early Gaslight

“And since the preservation of the sacred fire of liberty, and the destiny of the Republican model of Government, are justly considered as deeply, perhaps as finally staked, on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people.” -President George Washington, First Inaugural Address, April 30, 1789

The Democratic Party’s radical far-left wing does not believe in the laws and sovereignty of the United States, simply because they do not believe in its founding principles or even continued existence. They are hellbent on nothing less than destroying this nation for their anarcho-globalist ambitions, intending to fundamentally transform it by the unwitting consent of the ignorant. Their festering duplicity is a growing threat to our constitutional republic if allowed to continue unabated into the mainstream among those who may harbor similar beliefs and ideas. Given that Democrats are the descendant party of tories and secessionists who also sought our country’s demise - particularly in its infancy when kings were lauded rather than protested - this is hardly surprising and obvious to anyone remotely paying attention. Even so, there has to be accountability, if not a reckoning, for acts that increasingly border on sedition if not outright treason against the United States.

Every new day brings more revelations of Democrats’ nefarious activities to bring about this plan. Fraud schemes, rigged voting, paid agitators - these are only a handful of the latest to be revealed. Yet, they maintain the facade by way of delusional projection that their actions are meant to save our democracy against those who are the true villains - namely anyone opposed to them and standing in the way. All the while, they sustain this by advocating for and representing illegal aliens over the interests of legal citizens whose American birthright has been paid in full through relentless progress and bloodied sacrifice. In doing so, violent rhetoric has translated into violent action time and again by their lunatic followers who have been lied to and manipulated into believing the worst about political foes. They have chosen to embrace this path of fanaticism and extremism to fulfill an agenda more aligned with America’s enemies than with our common interests.

Democrats present themselves as upholding American ideals while simultaneously holding those virtues in contempt for a more global outlook that conflicts with them. That they continue to double-down on the narrative and pursue this defeatist agenda is truly disturbing, as they downplay the consequences by assailing opponents as the real culprits. A majority of their supporters are simply either blind to or unconcerned about this situation, undoubtedly because they are single issue voters with no critical understanding of the overall ramifications and no platform from other parties - namely Republicans - that offers an alternative path for their warped mindset. What is most concerning, though, are those adherents who are absolutely onboard as true believers with the direction that Democrats have chosen not only for the party but also the country. While leadership may be composed of fools, it is even more foolish to unquestionably follow them into the abyss.

As the United States commemorates 250 years, we absolutely have to maintain, if not increase, our vigilance and guard against those not celebrating its continued existence and the principles for which it stands. Same as in 1776, and again in 1861, internal destabilization efforts are mounting that evermore pose a threat as any external ones. In their dereliction and malfeasance aligning with these forces, Democrats once more find themselves on the wrong side of history in their quest to erase it in order to portray themselves as the saviors of the republic. Citizens - native and naturalized - properly educated in American civics and history that prepares them to appreciate and uphold our founding principles and values is at the core of the latest birthright citizenship discussion. This is sorely lacking due to a failing education system, in combination with a broken immigration one, that has prioritized agenda over curriculum that does not include teaching these critical thinking skills.

We, as a nation, have been on such a precipice before, yet modern challenges have arisen that seek to chip away and erode the safeguards. Heeding Thomas Paine’s words in The American Crisis (1777), “[t]hose who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must...undergo the fatigue of supporting it,” another generation is summoned to bear this burden in the longstanding struggle to ensure the survival of future ones.

©2026 Steve Sagarra

To Utter With Care, For Good or Ill

There comes a moment when constantly having to pick yourself up - fighting any urge to simply quit the effort - becomes exhaustive to the point of futility that makes it no longer worthwhile. Assuredly while this can apply to individuals practically on a routine basis, numerous civilizations as a whole have faced this existential crossroads during their existence throughout recorded history - with the United States no exception. From the Revolutionary War (1775-83) to the Civil War (1861-65), demoralizing losses, strategic miscalculations and outright treachery nearly extinguished the American experiment. Both conflicts bookended rapid and unprecedented coast-to-coast expansion across the continent, lending itself to the idea of a manifested destiny that nevertheless was not guaranteed to succeed.

Like clockwork, Americans yet again face the possibility of our imminent demise from innumerable manufactured, narrative-driven crises - that is, according to the perpetually online social media crowd. While everyone in the real world continues on with their daily lives unaware, these keyboard warriors of the digital space rage nonstop into the abyss to the equally dissociated virtual mob. Of course, it does not help matters when the subjects of their nonsensical tirades continually give them disruptive fodder to maintain this neverending grievance cycle. Unquestionably, and consequently, certain fearmongering individuals and their base indisputably benefit from this situation, especially by manipulating corporate mainstream media to portray their opinions as representing those of the majority.

Differences in ideology aside, this widening imbalance of perception is a truly dangerous and growing threat to democracy. "A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is still putting on its shoes," is a quote often attributed to Mark Twain. This is a germane irony, since it is a false attribution with an unknown origin. Due to the proliferation of various online networking platforms, misinformation can be disseminated instantly around the entire globe nowadays before truth can even find its socks. Proper discourse is near impossible when it wreaks of vacuous hypocrisy alone, yet made even worse tainted by compulsive dishonesty. One has the choice to either shut out the noise by shutting off the distractions or drown in its overflowing minutiae of baseless absurdities.

For obvious reasons, dialogue between opposing sides can, and often will, be contentious given human nature, but it also must be constructive for unified advancement and understanding. Yet, faithful discussion cannot happen when the conversation devolves into absolutist, and most often unhinged, vitriol offering zero room for compromise in disagreements. Impulsive outrage has displaced composed rationalism, creating an environment of unrelenting hostility - feigned or otherwise - whenever anyone feels even slightly aggrieved by a differing worldview. In this acrimonious and divisive climate, we, the people, can either give up or persevere; we must chose the latter, at any cost, to honor sacrifices made by previous generations in ensuring our survival as an indivisible nation moving forward.

©2026 Steve Sagarra