This new blog is devoted to substantive opposition to Donald Trump and the Republicans in Congress who support him.

In his ignorance and unwillingness to learn, his instinct to destroy his adversaries, his admiration for dictators, and his need for constant adulation, Donald Trump as president represents an existential threat to our republic. Either uninterested in nuance or incapable of mastering policy, he has surrounded himself by single-minded and dangerous extremists. We must not accept his lack of respect for women, for Americans of other races, religions, or sexual orientations, his mockery of the handicapped, or his encouragement of hate and violence toward minorities. His identification of minority groups for pursuit and deportation and his stated intention to bar entry to immigrants based on religion or region of origin defies the principles and values upon which our country was built. His encouragement of violence at mass rallies, undermining of confidence in a free press, and repeated reliance on lies are hallmarks of the violent dictatorships that collapsed in ruins in the last century.

I will post original essays and selected pieces from other sources, sharing material with Facebook and encouraging readers to share at will. I will respond to comments and questions as necessary but I will avoid being drawn into endless arguments.

This site will be vigilant against the signs of fascism, including attacks on the free press and judiciary, politization of the security services and the military, and actions to concentrate power in fewer hands.

As a veteran journalist, I will call out inaccuracy, slanted journalism, outright lies, and other forms of propaganda, clearly distinguishing factual reporting from opinion or analysis. I will support our American values of honesty, decency, respect and tolerance.

I will strive to avoid name-calling, disrespect and poor taste. But equally I will avoid normalizing behavior that is beyond the bounds of respect and decency.

And finally I will refuse to get into line or join the pack in response to faulty premises, the phenomenon known in Germany as gleichschaltung.