Fighting Autocracy
Essays on duty, democracy, and the moral courage to defend them.
America is not guaranteed. It survives only when ordinary people choose responsibility over resignation, community over cynicism, and truth over manipulation. This site is a space for reflection, clarity, and the shared work of rebuilding democratic culture from the ground up.
Democracy is not a spectator sport.
Explore the Core Themes
Civic Renewal
Rebuilding the habits, norms, and shared responsibilities that make democracy resilient — one act of courage, one conversation, one community at a time.
Community Engagement
Stories and strategies for restoring trust, strengthening local ties, and reclaiming our shared responsibility for one another.
The Autocrat’s Playbook
How modern authoritarians manipulate fear, identity, and information — and how citizens can recognize the tactics before they take hold.
Essays & Commentary
Reflections on culture, politics, and the moral challenges of our time — grounded in clarity, history, and democratic dignity.
Start with These
What We’ve Lost — and What We Must Not Surrender
A reflection on the civic, cultural, and moral foundations that once held American communities together — and the urgent responsibility we share to protect what remains. This essay grounds the reader in memory, meaning, and the stakes of democratic life.
The Broken Contract: How Government Abandoned Its People
A clear-eyed examination of how the social contract frayed — not suddenly, but through decades of neglect, disinvestment, and political abandonment. This piece frames civic renewal as both a moral duty and a democratic necessity.
The Myth of the Lone Strongman
A dismantling of the seductive but dangerous belief that a single leader can rescue a nation. This essay exposes the deeper authoritarian pattern — and reminds readers that democracy depends on collective courage, not charismatic power.
Latest Essays
- From Redcoats to ICE: The Return of the Internal Security StateFor most of American history, Americans have imagined the threat to our liberty as something that originated from a foreign entity. An invading army, a hostile ideology, perhaps a distant tyrant like Adolph Hitler or Putin. But our founders feared something closer to home: a government that would turn its power inward, using surveillance, force,… Read more: From Redcoats to ICE: The Return of the Internal Security State
- The Violence Comes From ICE, and It’s Increasingly Deadly← Back to Democratic Backsliding & Authoritarian Drift Over the past twelve months, a pattern has emerged across the United States, a pattern that is stark, consistent, and deadly. From Colorado to California, from Maryland to Minnesota, ICE agents have shot, wounded, and killed civilians with increasing frequency. This can only be described as an… Read more: The Violence Comes From ICE, and It’s Increasingly Deadly
- ICE on Steroids: The New Face of Federal Violence← Back to Democratic Backsliding & Authoritarian Drift The New Normal of ICE Violence We’re all watching something dangerous take shape in real time. ICE is no longer acting like a federal law enforcement agency that has to follow professional rules or answer to the public. It’s behaving like a force that’s been given a… Read more: ICE on Steroids: The New Face of Federal Violence
- ICE’s Nationalistic Enforcement Culture Was Built Under Bush← Back to Democratic Backsliding & Authoritarian Drift The Bush Years ICE hasn’t really changed since it was created. The agency you see today is the same one that came into being in 2003, and it goes after its goals with the same fire it had back then. If you’re looking for a single thread… Read more: ICE’s Nationalistic Enforcement Culture Was Built Under Bush
About This Project
Fighting Autocracy grew out of my own frustration with how quickly the country I grew up believing in has drifted toward something smaller, meaner, and less honest. I started this project because I needed a place to sort through what’s happening — and to offer others the clarity, courage, and community I wish I’d had sooner. This work isn’t academic for me. It’s personal. It’s about protecting the democratic values that shaped my life and refusing to look away while they’re being dismantled.
Stay Connected. Stay Engaged
If this project speaks to you, I’d be honored to share new essays, reflections, and updates as they’re published. Democracy is a long fight — and none of us should face it alone.
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