Youth Advocacy
📝 Part 1:
Review and Announcements
The Long War Against the Machine
In this week’s brief, we dissect the absolute depth of this regime’s institutional graft and expose the loyal sycophants sustaining it.
We must discard the dangerous illusion that Donald Trump is an isolated aberration. He is merely the figurehead of a deeply entrenched, calculated apparatus. This machine thrives on a terrifying coalition: compromised congressional leaders, a captured Supreme Court majority, and Christian Nationalist extremists who cloak raw political greed in divine mandate.
Dismantling this architecture will not happen at a single ballot box. It is the work of decades. As we confront the dual threats of authoritarian governance and automated, corporate AI oversight, our charge is clear: we must engineer durable, human-centered systems capable of shielding our youth and defending democracy against the rise of the new plutocracy.
Stay connected to the frontlines. Subscribe to the deep-dives on Substack and join the daily resistance on Bluesky and Facebook.*
🎨 Part 2: Visual Stories
Exposing "The Banality of Evil"
Our featured multimedia piece this week takes aim at the psychological floor of modern authoritarianism.
Inspired by Hannah Arendt's profound concepts, “The Banality of Evil” examines the terrifying cognitive laziness of those who actively enable this regime. It uncovers a grim truth: there is virtually no level of cruelty, graft, or systemic degradation these followers will not tolerate—so long as their own biases are coddled and their grievances are weaponized. Tyranny does not always arrive with a roar; often, it creeps in through quiet compliance.
Watch the Visual Story: Experience the stark, urgent music video directly on YouTube.
Support Independent Protest Art: Own the track by purchasing it directly from the Communities of Trust Digital Store. Your purchases directly fund independent youth advocacy and anti-authoritarian research.
👤
Dr. Jerry Goebel (He/Him/His)
Youth Advocate, Author, & Engagement Consultant
Communities of Trust
Central Hub: linktr.ee/docjerr
Web: communitiesoftrust-jerrygoebel.com
Video: YouTube Channel
Connect: goebeljerry@me.com | (52) 999 645 8105
🏳️🌈 Love is an awful thing to hate.
Articles and Commentary
28.07.2026 | Source: Reason
How Trump's Tariffs Undermine US Trustworthiness and Credibility—and What Can Be Done to Stop it
Ilya Somin, a Professor of Law at George Mason University, quotes from an article by economist David Hebert examining the long-lasting damage of this President’s tariffs on the United States and the global economy. There is no doubt these tariffs are as illegal as the first ones that Trump arbitrarily implemented, but there is an additional insult accompanying this batch of policies. Here’s how Hebert puts it in his article: “So in the span of a week, the White House effectively told Canada, our closest trading partner and ally, that America's word means nothing and then told them that they are complicit in forced labor.”
It is not just our closest allies that have experienced Trump’s malignant ignorance, but also Mexico, the United Kingdom, and the European Union. The Supreme Court could do something about this, Somin points out, as could Congress, but their solutions are long-term, months away, and do not address the immediate damage done to international relations from a rogue regime that these partners find deceitful. There are also internal consequences from businesses unable to plan strategies with a president that changes policies on a capricious whim.
There’s no doubt this administration is in panic mode. Midterms are coming and the economy is in terrible shape. The President’s war-of-choice in Iran continues to appear unresolvable—and indeed—seems to be escalating. Even the GOP is doubting this President’s credibility—and thus, their electability.
Project 2025 may not have seen what a failure their policies (and their pet orange troll) would be. And yet, clearly, their goal was not to improve the U.S. economy, but to 1) create a plutocracy that would favor the wealthy and 2) an autocracy that would lock out opponents.
We must remember, Trump is not in this alone. He is surrounded and protected by his MAGA faithful, his administration, by a Republican Congress, and at the voting booths. Pointing the finger at one man is easy, but deceptive. The sickness is much deeper; therefore, the surgery to rid ourselves of this cancer must be more significant. Democracy has been threatened to the core, and therefore, core changes must be made. Just like the fix to restore trust after these tariffs may be decades in coming—so will the fix to restore our democracy. It must involve concretizing protections for democracy’s future, for freedom of the press, for the protection of Americans when a hostile administration creates its own police force, and for the public’s ability to demand change when a president goes rogue and takes a Congress and Supreme Court with him (or, hopefully, in the future, her). Make no doubt about it, this is regime change. The depth of this evil is deep, its depravity widespread. The roots lie in millions of banal minions who prefer authority to democracy. The solution lies in laying bare the cost of giving up freedom for the comfort of an authoritarian to take over decision-making.
27.07.2026 | Source: Huffington Post
‘Vertical Morality’ Might Describe Why MAGA Christians Seem So Unchristian
I have a very hard time understanding why anyone would vote for Donald Trump and an even harder time understanding why so many “Christians” support him—to the point that some have said that he was “sent by God” to lead the United States. This article by Caroline Bologna is very helpful in that understanding. She describes what author Tia Levings calls “Vertical Morality.” A deep-seated belief that being a good Christian comes from the top-down (authority figure to earthly recipient) as opposed to “Horizontal Morality” where goodness comes from the way we treat each other.
Vertical Morality not only describes how these people view their religion, but also their politics. In essence, it is better to be compliant than it is to be moral and morality is based upon doing what the authority says instead of how we treat the people and the world around us. It goes farther than that; even defining those who seek social justice as immoral because they distract from compliance with authority. Thus, “those people” are woke, they are communists, they are evil.
This helps me understand a little more (not accept, but understand) how some people around me can profess a faith in Christ, who said in Matthew 25:35-40:
"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me."
"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'"
"The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”
They can justify the inhumane treatment of human beings in ICE prisons, the bombing of children in Iran, and the shooting of people in the U.S., because the authority figure (Donald—Appointed-by-God—Trump) commanded it.
While this theory aids in my understanding of such lunacy, it doesn’t lead me to be more lenient. Their beliefs have allowed an authoritarian to break the law, to steal from the globe, rob the nation, and even to rape children. Forgiveness of beliefs does not extend to excusing behavioral consequences.
Our hope right now lies in enough Republicans listening to Donald Trump and staying home from the election (because “why vote?”) and enough Democrats showing up to resoundingly defeat Republicans across the nation.
24.07.2026 | Source: Heather Cox Richardson, Letters from an American
Once again, Heather Cox Richardson gives us an important historical viewpoint; this time into funding wars. She begins by reflecting on a speech given by Dwight Eisenhower, shortly after he took office in 1953. Eisenhower reminded people of the real costs of war to the citizens of the country: “Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed.”
This is a preamble for Cox Richardson, who goes on to discuss the request this week by Pete Hegseth to approve an additional $67 billion to fund the President’s war in Iran. There still is no congressional support for this war. This is primarily on Trump, but now also supported by a Republican-led Senate that refuses to vote to stop it.
It is quite obvious this administration is lying both about the casualties and the costs of the war. As the historian points out: “While Hegseth told Congress the war has cost $37.5 billion so far, Gordon Lubold, Mosheh Gains, and Courtney Kube of NBC News reported on July 14 that the internal Pentagon estimate of the cost is about $100 billion.”
But Cox Richardson also looks at the wider cost of this administration’s budgeting to the people of the USA, quoting Steve Rattner of MSNOW who said, “[u]nder Trump, the debt held by the federal government has surpassed 100% of GDP. By 2030, it’ll shoot past its all-time record from WWII.”
Are we nearing an end to this incursion (or whatever it is called)? According to the author, we can’t be sure. We surely can’t rely on the president to clarify what is occurring in this war of choice. Some inside sources say he is preparing to commit troops to a ground war (where costs and body counts will escalate exponentially). The blogger quotes Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, who said, “Iranian policy is ‘an eye for an eye’ and added: ‘The president’s policy is a head for an eye. I mean, honestly, that’s what it’s going to be. I mean, they will pay a very heavy price for the things they do.’” (This administration likes to riff on Bible quotes with their own take thrown in—as if that somehow justifies their current criminal policy of attacking civilian targets.)
Cox Richardson closes by quoting Representative Jason Crow (D-CO), a former paratrooper and Army Ranger who serves on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Armed Services Committee: “The impulse to resort to war as the only answer to threats led to ‘twenty-plus years’ of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, trillions of dollars, and thousands of American lives lost for wars that ended poorly. Americans are done with an endless cycle of conflict in the Middle East. When I was in Afghanistan, our adversaries, the enemies that we fought, would often say, ‘Americans have all the clocks, but we have all the time.’ They simply want to wait us out, knowing that we’ll just spend more money, have more combat deployments, and will just continue to do it, year after year, until we wear out.’”
Senate Republicans still refuse to pass a joint resolution to oppose this undeclared war by a margin of 47 - 49. That’s right, two votes! One of which was turncoat John Fetterman, who seems comfortably ensconced in Trump’s back pocket.
Are you tired of watching our debt skyrocket under this administration while gas and grocery prices become unsustainable? Then, vote them out! Come November, tell this Republican, Trump-led party goodbye. Show up and vote; it could well be our last opportunity to freely decide if we will have a democracy in 2027 and beyond.
23.07.2026 | Source: NPR
'New York Times' alleges White House abuses legal system to intimidate reporters
This article by NPR reporter, David Fokenflik, highlights this administration’s attempt to harass journalists who write reports that Trump and his cronies find unfavorable (essentially any article reporting the truth). It has been the tendency since the beginning of Trump’s second term to subpoena (or sue) any journalist (or media outlet) that writes an article that might highlight this regime in a negative light. But now, this regime has gone a step further, and the FBI (personally overseen by minion-in-chief, Kash Patel) is sending agents to the homes of reporters and serving subpoenas not just to journalists, but to their family members as well.
Fokenflik points to a filing by David A. O'Neil of Debevoise & Plimpton, in which they stated: “The Government's actions violate the most basic First Amendment protections for newsgathering activity. They represent the latest salvo in an escalating series of attacks on journalists to intimidate them from engaging in reporting that the Trump Administration openly detests."
The cases will be heard by U.S. District Court Judge Arun Subramanian, and the attorneys representing journalists hope to “quash the subpoenas at the hearing, which will be in his Manhattan federal courthouse.”
Freedom of the press is a key to democracy, and one of the first things authoritarian regimes seek is to silence the press.
It is not unusual for the press to have an adversarial relationship with politicians; one might even say it is necessary. But silencing the press is different than disagreeing with the press. We need a press that is relentless in seeking the truth; even when that upsets or inconveniences an administration.
There has been no doubt that the press’s freedom has been a target of the Trump regime since Project 2025 began creating its plans to undermine democracy in the United States. We can stop these endeavors by voting overwhelmingly to end this regime in November.
22.07.2026 | Source: The Guardian
Opinion | Three speeches on a single day signaled a dying American democracy
https://apple.news/A28oPGnMgQsKnrPCwFlwpMg
This article by Robert B. Shpiner looks at the prognosis for a cancer currently eating the United States. He is uniquely qualified to diagnose it as he is a clinical professor of medicine in pulmonary and critical care at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Geffen’s major point is that we’re being distracted. The major news outlets focused on the degrading, rambling speech of the president on July 16th, 2026. But that wasn’t the real warning about the death of constitutional democracy. While Trump used that speech to discuss anything but his war in Iran or the economy. The real nails in democracy’s coffin were the speeches of underlings: Marco Rubio and Stephen Miller.
Shpiner’s family left Russia in 1917 (and other relatives left Germany) when they heard similar rhetoric spouted by their governments at the time, giving him additional gravitas in his diagnosis.
Shpiner’s diagnosis is dramatic: “I have watched teams run to the dramatic patient while the quiet one, the one not crying out, exsanguinates behind a curtain. The most dangerous words spoken in Washington on Thursday were not spoken in primetime. They were spoken before lunch, to more than 60 countries. The official transcript records the applause.”
Both Rubio and Miller seek to distract from the November election; they seek to “Pre-Distract.” They seek to undermine confidence in the election results before the election occurs. There’s only one reason why they would do that: they know they are going to be trounced. Eventually, both of these men may face criminal charges: Rubio for war crimes and Miller for his role in the death of U.S. citizens while acting as the driving force in Trump’s white, Christian, nationalistic cleansing of U.S. soil. Both of them have a lot to lose by letting democracy take its course. Here is how Dr. Shpiner puts it: “The move is old and reliable: discredit the second opinion in advance.”
Will you let this bait-and-switch stop you from showing up at the polls? It is apparent that this administration will pull out every stop to prevent you from 1) voting, and 2) trusting the vote once they’ve lost. Do not let them continue to undermine democracy; Vote Them Out!
21.07.2026 | Source: Common Dreams
In New Corruption Report, Senate Democrats Shine Light on ‘Eye-Popping’ Trump Profiteering
In this article, Common Dreams journalist Brad Reed examines a new report released by Democratic senators examining the corruption in the Trump administration. Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) sums up the report with this statement: “Trump is without question the most corrupt president in American history. Trump has betrayed the American people by using our highest office not for the good of the country, but to pad his own bank account, at the expense of working families.”
Reed points out that “The report is part of a broader initiative by Senate Democrats to hold the Trump White House accountable, which will include an anti-corruption working group composed of Schumer along with Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), and Andy Kim (D-NJ).”
These are the fundamental findings necessary to lay the groundwork for legal proceedings against Trump and his family. It is my hope that he lives long enough to be subjected to these hearings and to see everything—everything—that he has created be dismantled. That he is able to see his supporters jailed and that he spends time in jail himself. This report is a necessary foundation required for those legal proceedings.
In a previous administration, President Gerald Ford was deeply wrong in pardoning Richard Nixon; consequences are a necessary part of healing. To allow this administration to experience no ramifications for their illegal and immoral behavior would be to support and encourage it in the future. When Ford pardoned Nixon (September 8, 1974), he said it was to “heal the nation.” Every child should learn that part of seeking forgiveness is accepting the consequences of your behavior. I doubt that we will ever see regret from anyone in this administration and will continue their behavior if there are no punishments for their crimes. But they are no doubt too steeped in their ideology to see the damage they have done. Our national healing can begin at the upcoming November elections when we tell congressional supporters of this administration they are no longer trusted. Let’s replace them with public servants, not Trump vassals. Let’s demand Congress begin the prosecutions that these findings inevitably lead to.
