Darkness Descents On Washington

The Caesars of ancient Rome used "Bread and Circuses" to keep the populace satisfied and peaceful. They would fill their bellies and keep them entertained, and the people would follow anything the Caesars desired. They would march away to distant lands to conquer; they would endure massive corruption that made the ruling class rich; they would even endure hardship and hunger when the Caesars' economy faltered.

It's a picture that's not that different from modern-day Rome or the United States of America. After all, we are the wealthiest, most powerful nation on earth, just like the Rome of two millennia ago. There are even some who claim that the world is at peace because of "Pax Americana," an apparent reference to America as the modern world's empire.

Which raises the question: are we being kept satisfied with a modern version of "bread and circuses"

Of the first part of that equation, as long as our stomach is full, and our future economic outlook reasonably positive, think retirement account and stock market, any government we elect will continue to have our support. In this colorful way, James Carvel put it: "It's the economy, stupid," when speaking of Bill Clinton's trek to the Presidency. It was as accurate then as it is now.

While their way of life is of utmost concern for American citizens, it makes little or no difference to our elites, the Caesars of today - those who actually run the country. While it is said that the average Joe or Jane Q. Public is one or two paychecks away from utter disaster, the oligarchs have amassed the wealth that only a very few in history ever achieved. Many of our leaders have accumulated wealth equivalent to that of an entire country – thus, "want" is the least of their worries.

For American elites, wealth and influence drive their ambition. And they are well on their way to achieving a level of control and influence over the US populace that is unparalleled. Utilizing new technologies, these American Oligarchs have shaped the nation's goals and objectives, often through controlled conflicts that only a US President can unleash—all the while ensuring that everyday Americans have the necessities they need to remain satisfied and supporting their objectives.

These same technological advances have also provided the military strength on which we rely for battlefield dominance. A review of the past year's military engagements reveals how central these are to our elites.

The year began with two ongoing conflicts that could only continue with American support. When sworn in on January 20, 2025, there was some question whether the newly reelected Donald Trump would continue supporting the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine. He had campaigned on a pledge to end the war in Ukraine in a day and curtail all overseas war, which presumably included the conflict in Gaza.

For one brief moment, peace was in the air, and many looked forward to a time when all these wars would come to an end.

Regretfully, this hope faded quickly. In less than two weeks as President, Donald Trump initiated his first of what would be 114 bombing raids in Somalia, all of which targeted the Islamic State. A month later, Trump ordered the bombing of Iraq's Anbar province, killing ISIS leader al-Rafai.

Just two days after the raid in Iraq, the Commander-in-Chief orders an attack on the Houthis located in Yemen. For 53 days, the American Air Force bombed this nation with some of the most potent and expensive munitions in the US arsenal.
A month and a half later, on June 22, 2025, Operation Midnight Hammer commenced. This long-distance and daring raid aimed at taking out the nuclear capability of Iran was over in a night. However, the impact of this raid lingers to this day, with several rumors circulating that the President is poised to do it all over again with another raid aimed at "protecting" Iranian demonstrators.

On September 2, 2025, Trump ordered what would ultimately become "the largest armada ever assembled in the history of South America."

https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2025/12/31/a-year-of-strikes-us-military-operations-surge-under-trump/

The conflict with Venezuela began with the destruction of several small vessels offshore from the South American Country. Americans were informed that these vessels were loaded with drugs headed to the United States. Weeks later, on January 3, 2026 a joint taskforce of US Marines, Navy, Army, and Air Force captured President Nicolas Maduro on January 3, 2026, in what was labeled a "police" action.

The final two operations for 2025 were bombing raids—the first on December 19th against ISIS targets across Syria. And the final raid, on Christmas Day, was aimed at ISIS targets in Nigeria. Historically, Christmas has been a day when fighting would stop, but not for this President.

Altogether, President Trump had ordered 626 airstrikes across the globe, on average, more than 1 ½ strikes per day all year long. For the record, Donald Trump ordered 71 more airstrikes in just a year than his predecessor, Joe Biden, had in all four years of his term (Biden ordered 555 in four years).

In addition to the International deployments, President Trump also ordered US troops to four US cities in September 2025. The four cities were Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Memphis, and Portland.

Clearly, this is a long list of engagements, but what is most remarkable is how these actions fly in the face of both Trump's campaign for the Presidency and his campaign for the Nobel Peace Prize. It's hard to see how anyone in their right mind could tell the American Public that he is going to be the "peace President" and later tell the Nobel Committee that he deserves the Peace Prize, while at the same time launching this many hostile military strikes.

It's in that contradiction that lies the reality of this Dark Government, for it's no longer the government "of the people," today it's a Government of a small elite with suroptitious objectives, hidden from us. It's become clear that most Americans are either staunchly opposed to these actions or unaware of their ramifications.

A YouGov poll taken immediately after the Modero capture revealed that fewer than one-third of the American public supported the action. In contrast, one-third hadn't followed the event and, therefore, had no opinion. While the final one-third actively opposed the actions in Venezuela. In such a divided country, it is easy to ignore public opinion, and, for now, that's just what the Trump Government is doing: ignoring those who oppose its warlike policies.

https://today.yougov.com/politics/articles/53813-americans-are-divided-on-us-military-action-in-venezuela

Today, the United States, under the current Administration, is engaging in foreign military actions at a rate exceeding that of all previous US Administrations by 400%. On average, every day, somewhere in the world, the US is bombing an overseas target.

Something is dreadfully wrong with this picture.

In President Trump, Americans received the quintessential Roman Bread and Circuses candidate- someone who could command a stage of Republican contenders, and overwhelm them with his wit and put-downs, who could tell Hillary Clinton that he's put her in jail, and get away with it. He could even tell America that he was for peace, and then wage the most significant number of individual airstrikes that we've ever seen.

Yes, there's plenty of circus in this former reality television and worldwide wrestling star, and yet there's plenty of dark also. Something is dreadfully wrong when a country's leader sends his military against not only nations around the world, but also his own people. Trump is at war with the whole world, and therein lies the darkness of his government.


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