Susu’s poem is not necessarily logical. Not much is now logical internationally, and Trump is anything but consistent. His vision is to go back to the unilateral domination of the world by the US which has been lost. These greedy men, with Trump at the top, want it all. They have a neo-colonial vision. MEGA. Much of the rest of the world is not in agreement. The battle for hegemony goes on, as does the struggle of nations to be sovereign. Trump and Company will not accept that US empire just is not predominant anymore. They think the way to retain their power and control is through a hyper-military, which uses massive amounts of oil/fossil fuel (CO2), and is destroying the planet, that vicious circle.

Trump’s inconsistency whether in foreign or domestic policy is very common. He often says one thing one day and the next day contradicts himself. Or he pardons a drug lord in a US prison while accusing Maduro of drug trafficking and also now attacking the president of Colombia for the same reason. He kept declaring at one time that the targeting of Venezuela was about sending drugs to the United States but immediately after the attack he declares it is all about oil, not drugs. On and on…

The bombing of Venezuela also serves as a distraction from the release of the Epstein files. Whether this timing was planned is unclear, but certainly is at mimimum specious.

Not only are peoples worldwide suffering, the current “ruling elite” and their cronies are attacking us, their own people, to satisfy their greed and their beliefs with their big egos; somehow they think they are superior to others, especially people of color. The evidence is definitely there in the history of the world, including present day ramifications: Genius does not belong to any one race or gender or any one nation. Intelligence does not belong exclusively to any race or gender or nation. Unfortunately, at the same time no race or gender in the history of the world lacks its villains or cruel people who crave and sometimes attain power.

AI

New potential for another aspect of the reign on terror has emerged with AI. It can be used for good but also for evil. On Democracy Now! “Empire of AI”: Karen Hao on How AI Is Threatening Democracy & Creating a New Colonial World explains. Once again the aspect of neo-colonialism across the world rears its ugly head as Karen Hao explains.

On the Democracy Now! January 6, 2026 program Amy Goodman talks with Wall Street Journal reporter David Uberti in a three-part interview. Evidently in the year since Trump took office he has acquired $4 billion dollars for his family through Crypto. That us what is known, There may be more.

Data Centers

On January 6 Amy continues what is a three-part interview with David Uberti of the Wall Street Journal. The third segment is about Data Centers and AI. These Data Centers are being built across the country.

What are they? Google AI: A data center is a physical facility that houses an organization’s critical IT infrastructure, including servers, storage systems, and networking equipment. Essentially, data centers are the hardware backbone, and AI provides the software intelligence to optimize these facilities, creating a symbiotic, high-demand relationship.

Data Centers are controversial across the country because of their high energy use. Another threat is to water; these centers require water to cool them. From Google AI: “Data centers consume massive amounts of water, primarily for cooling servers, with large facilities using millions of gallons daily, comparable to towns of thousands of people, raising concerns in water-stressed areas.”

There are already at least 61 data centers in Minnesota. What is frightening is that several megacenters are being proposed for Minnesota. “With at least 10 planned, these Big Tech projects could consume as much electricity as every home in Minnesota.”

Some communities have succeeded in banning them or putting restrictions on them. Donald Trump is a great supporter of these AI and Data Centers. He is now talking about creating nuclear fusion to power both. While the technology has not yet been developed, he is setting up investments although a usuable product may be decades away. He has now banned individual states from exercising control over Data Centers in their states with an executive order.

Also of concern is their use of water. From Google AI: “Data centers consume massive amounts of water, primarily for cooling servers, with large facilities using millions of gallons daily, comparable to towns of thousands of people, raising concerns in water-stressed areas.”

Minnesota has a lot of water, more than many states. But that does not mean that water should be squandered. It is important to provide drinking water and water for recreation on the Boundary Waters and the many smaller lakes throughout the state, including in Minneapolis. The Mississippi River also starts in northern Minnesota and flows through Minneapolis/St. Paul. It is still an important route for transportation of goods on barges in addition to recreational uses.

David Uberti is predicting that Data Centers will be an important issue in the 2026 election because of their connection to the economy as they can create jobs and boost economies, particularly in rural areas. The question is at what cost to the environment.

Google AI:

  • Proposed National Moratorium: Over 230 environmental groups (including Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth) have called on the U.S. Congress to pass a national moratorium on new data center construction.

Hyper-Militarism

One topic I have touched on but not addressed directly is Trump’s fascination with and glorification of militarism as the solution to everything. The Trump regime’s recent attacks on the boats off Venezula supposedly carrying drugs and the recent bombing and capture of President Maduro proves he can pick on small countries that have limited resources to resist. He can be the bully on the playground. He did not contact Congress, who are supposed by US law to be consulted for approval for all war; instead he contacted the oil barons, Congress is rightfully upset with him: another flagrant violation of the US Constitution.

The Trillion Dollar War MachineTrump started building the military in his first term and has continued with vengeance in his second. Most recent is the passing of the trillion dollar bill for money for the military. Chris Hedges discusses what this means as he interviews veteran military political commentator William Hartung.

Chris Hedges: The historian Arnold Toynbee cites an unchecked rampant militarism as the key factor in the collapse of a civilization. This militarism disembowels a society. It fosters social breakdown, the rise of authoritarian governments and demagogues. It deforms a society until it is unable to respond to existential crises, in our case the climate crisis and a growing social inequality. The ruling elites, Toynbee warns, abandon the common good and become sycophantic appendages of oligarchs and a military machine that functions as a state within a state. The United States now spends nearly a trillion dollars a year on its military.

Trump’s hyper-militarism fits with the strong-man theory on the road to fascism and is related to creating fear.

FEAR

Building fear is one of the main attributes of neo-fascism. Once that fear is built, people look for a strong leader to “save” them. So Trump, although he is personally weak, has to put forth the strong-man image that Stephen Miller has chosen to glorify through hyper-militarism. He is going to Make America Great Again (MEGA). While Trump’s popularity is at an all-time low in the polls, and the myth of MAGA is fading, the reign of terror continues. And it expands after the DOGE cuts of essential jobs and of funding for essential services like FEMA nationally to the cutting of USAID internationally.

On Democracy Now! January 7, 2026 there are several excellent speakers, one addressing the attack on Venezuela and what that means for Latin American countries, especially Colombia. The next speaker discusses Trump’s threats to take over Greenland and what that means, particularly for NATO as Denmark a member., Greenland is a self-governing autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. Another speaker represents the Inuit population of Greenland and their call for sovereignty. The final speaker is the author of a new book about the LA fires.

These informative speakers have a common theme: FEAR. Fear of bringing the world to the brink of and into war in their respective areas of expertise. In the case of Venezuela it has already resulted in a bombing, the dealth of at least 80 Venezuelan people and the abduction of a leader of a sovereign nation to get control of their resources, especially their oil. Each speaker made the connections of their particular topic to what that means nationally and internationally and expressed concern and fear of situations escalating or hampered by lack of resources due to the Trump administration cuts of programs such as FEMA for disaster relief.

Also included is a clip of Stephen Miller, one of Trump’s policy drivers, glorifying US military strength and how the rest of the world fears the US because of it. I don’t know what history books he has read. As far as I can see none, or he would know that ultimately the use of force in the history of the world always eventually leads to disaster. In the meantime it leads to the death of many innocent people as it did during both WWI and WWII and many wars that preceeded them and as it did in Vietnam and has in Ukraine and Palestine/Gaza. Somalia is also periodically bombed by the U.S. Yemen is another example.

Our Rogue governent under Trump is a government of death and destruction. It has not only continued policies that also were part of death and destruction under different US presidents, it has escalated them.

The attack on America, the flagrant violations of the US Constitution, has escalated exponentially from the abolishing of important agencies to the rise of ICE raids, especially in targeted cities, and the deportation of essential immigrant workers who are important to keeping the US economy functioning. That is, of course, part of the current reign of terror and the neo-fascism that characterizes the Trump regime.

We are manipulated into being afraid. For many it is the threatened cuts to social security, the cuts to programs that are essential to many Americans, such as Medicare and Medicaid, as SNAP (food to survive), and now child care for low-income families. If not affected by those cuts many working US citizens are seeing a significant rise in the cost of their healthcare, a doubling and tripling of rates.
All of these actions are part of the Trump regime’s reign of terror inside the United States and directed at US citizens. Trump’s propaganda then blames the Democrats, and targets Democratic states; Minnesota is one. California, also targeted, has many more more Electoral College votes than Minnesota, as well as more representatives in Congress. But it does not have Ilhan Omar, Somali-born representative for the 5th District in Congress, who Trump has consistently attacked for years. Now he is including the whole Somali population in Minnesota (most are naturalized citizens), which is the second largest group of Somalians in the world after Somalia itself. Trump has declared war on Minnesota where large populations of Hmong and Hispanics also live, especially in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul.
As I write this:

ICE in Minneapolis has crossed the line. On January 7, 2026: With Trump sending 2000 more ICE agents into Minnesota, in Minneapolis today a woman was shot and murdered by ICE. Although there has been violence by ICE agents before, no outright arbitrary shootings such as this naked travesty have previously occurred ln Minnesota. The woman was shot in the head through her car window as she was trying to trying to move her car out of the way. Her behavior was at no time violent. 

The outright murder of Renee Nicole Good could be seen as an attempt to create FEAR in Minneapolitans and other Minnesotans if they continue to protest ICE’s presence. As Gov. Walz says in the related video from MeidasTouch below, do not give in to the hope of Trump and Kristi Noem for violence so they can send in the military.

Instead of Democrats vs, Republicans what is at stake is Democracy as Bruce Springsteen describes.Trump and his cronies ignore the Constitution.

Although the US Constitution may not always be perfect, it is still the law of the land and very much better than a fascist state. And so very much better than the reign of terror the Trump regime has inflicted upon US citizens and the world.
Coming back to Democracy Now!, I recommend viewing or listening to the very informative speakers on the January 7 program on democracy now.org or on YouTube, radio,or as a podcast  They are also available individually as videos on YouTube.
Each if us continues what Roger Waters calls ‘steadfast perseverance’ in our own way, as do many around us, to oppose what is happening in the world, in the nation, and closer to home in our own world of Minnesota.
Today (January 10, 2026) I witnessed thousands gather in my neighborhood with NO FEAR even after the murder of Renee Good as we marched down Lake Street in Minneapolis. I drove through the traffic jam that preceeded the march as people gathered. I watched sidewalks full of people walk with determination and in collaboration and solidarity speak out with signs and with their walking bodies on another cold and windy day in Minneapolis.
Actions can speak louder than words. High above them an American flag flew from the Midtown building and as the wind unfurled the flag seemed to say these are my people and I am proud. It was a change from the shame I and others have so often felt when America exercises its neo-colonialism and disregard for so many people of the earth and for our own citizens, while other countries often hate the American flag.
As ICE haunts our streets we stand together in nonviolent protest against a tyrant, a Rogue regime creating a Reign of Terror. As others around the country join in protest of the murder of Renee Good and the invasion of our city and state we also stand with other cities that have been targeted and with our new neighbors who have become part of the fabric of America, We are all immigrants. We took the land from the Native Americans but now stand with them—Standing Rock, the pipelines Line 3 and now Line 5—as they stand with us.
I have always struggled to understand Robert Frost when he said “The land was ours before we were the land’s” from his poem The Gift Outright. But now I understand.
The land was ours before we were the land’s.
She was our land more than a hundred years
Before we were her people. She was ours
In Massachusetts, in Virginia,
But we were England’s, still colonials,
Possessing what we still were unpossessed by,
Possessed by what we now no more possessed.
Something we were withholding made us weak
Until we found out that it was ourselves
We were withholding from our land of living,
And forthwith found salvation in surrender.
Such as we were we gave ourselves outright
(The deed of gift was many deeds of war)
To the land vaguely realizing westward,
But still unstoried, artless, unenhanced,
Such as she was, such as she would become.
Frost recited this poem at John Kennedy’s presidential inauguration. Kennedy asked him to change the word ‘would’ in the last line to ‘will.’
America is still becoming,

Woody Guthrie

This Land is Your Land: Woody Guthrie many years after the American Revolution wrote a new song, what many call a national anthem instread of the Star Spangled Banner’s “bombs bursting in air.” Written during the great depession, it still stands as the land has claimed us.
First Verse
This land is your land, this land is my land
From California to the New York island,
From the redwood forest to the Gulf Stream waters;
This land was made for you and me.
Sixth Verse

As I went walking I saw a sign there,
And on the sign it said “No Trespassing.”
But on the other side it didn’t say nothing.
That side was made for you and me.

Seventh verse

In the shadow of the steeple I saw my people,
By the relief office I seen my people;
As they stood there hungry, I stood there asking
Is this land made for you and me?

Eighth verse

Nobody living can ever stop me,
As I go walking that freedom highway;
Nobody living can ever make me turn back
This land was made for you and me.

 ☮️💟
Sue Ann

RELATED — One of many media responses to the shooting in Minneapolis with filmed clips from Kristi Noem, from a person living in the area, and from members of Congress in Washington DC, along with a response from Gov. Walz.

Trump Faces INSTANT BACKLASH after ICE MURDERS CITIZEN

I have not discussed the role of the media in this Reign of Terror. It is a very important role and of course touches all else I have written here. Here is an revealing commentary from FAIR about the coverage of many mainstream corporate media responses to the video of the death of Renee Good that is a critique of the effect of much of their coverage that illustrates how they operate. They may not lie, but they often waffle the truth.

Think You Saw State-Sanctioned Murder? You Failed Media’s ‘Rorschach Test’ — FAIR

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