My Substack now has a page, accessible from the navigation bar, with all my posts comparing our time period to past historical eras. It includes my latest post contemplating the possibility of Civil War II (which some might say we are already in). stevebarrera.substack.com/p/shades-of-...

Latest Substack drop. My thoughts on a troubling subject. stevebarrera.substack.com/p/a-house-di...

The Supreme Court:

My latest post on Substack. There's a lot of entertainment out there that is on the darker side. Why our obsession with the underside of human life? It's something about the darkness of these times... open.substack.com/pub/stevebar...

Countless articles over the past year quoted hundreds of employers stating that Latino-American workers who are citizens are afraid to show up to job sites for fear of being profiled and detained. If they are afraid to go to work, they damn sure won’t go to vote with ICE there.

Suck it, MAGA!

Another game of Castles of Mad King Ludwig from @beziergames.bsky.social this week! This is the Windy J Castle.

If you're looking for a good period show to binge watch, I recommend the Netflix miniseries "Death by Lightning," about the short-lived Garfield administration, and how it triggered reform of the U.S. civil service. See my blog for more. stevebarrera.com/a-perfect-li...

I repost @vermontgmg.bsky.social - journalist and historian - *a lot* so shout out to his excellent reporting and thoughtful analysis. You should follow him here and subscribe to his journal, Doomsday Scenario.

The problem of ICE/CBP reform is we have a monster rampaging through our democracy and are trying to restrict *which* cities it can pillage and *how many* civilians it can eat. The problem isn’t the restrictions on the monster; the problem is the monster. www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/six-ways-t...

Whenever I play Castles of Mad King Ludwig from @beziergames.bsky.social I always name my castle at the end of the game. This one from yesterday I call The Go to Ground Castle.

This cannot be something a civilian law enforcement agent is allowed to wear in the US — and an agency that has a culture that tolerates this cannot be saved.

In Springfield, Ohio, people are preparing in advance of a “large deportation” promised by the president. To all appearances, the city is two or three days from a federal ethnic cleansing, grounded in a hate campaign organized by the vice-president and American Nazis.

This week's Substack post. I find the resistance to ICE heartening, but how broadly national is it? Could this really be the Solidarity movement that brings this country trogether? stevebarrera.substack.com/p/americas-s...

There is no reason any of these men need any of this gear. This entire situation is not only dangerous and illegal. It is absurd and stupid. www.nytimes.com/video/us/100...

This week's post on Substack. stevebarrera.substack.com/p/what-happe...

We're stuck at home today, buried in snow, so playing a game I Kickstarted last year. Above and Below: Haunted from Red Raven Games.

Imagine how inhumanely you must view these people in order to be part of a team that separates this five-year-old and then ships him parentless to Texas within hours. This is not about law enforcement.

This week's Substack post, offering a simple explanation for the insanity of U.S. leadership. stevebarrera.substack.com/p/the-gonzo-...

Even in these hell times, one must indulge one's fancies. Playing a game of Tiny Towns with @happymomster.bsky.social .

I hope this turns out to be true.

This is not a sane use of US federal law enforcement resources.

Kleptocracy, plain and simple. He realizes no one will hold him accountable.

It goes without saying that in the US you’re not supposed to have a masked secret police that snatches people off the streets without knowing if they’ve committed a crime. That’s about as basic a requirement for a democracy as exists.

This pinpoints MAGA's goal: to carve out a separate legal sphere and reality for regime loyalists at the expense of the rights and the lives of the rest of us. Not hypocrisy, but an Orwellian undertaking to sow disarray and seize power through brute force. exoprophet.substack.com/p/maga-is-no...

“Nice Federal Reserve you got there. Would be a shame if anything happened to it.” — the GOP’s official talking point.

This Monday's Substack post. An administration wages war on a peaceful people. stevebarrera.substack.com/p/trump-vs-t...

The message from the White House this morning is that, once again, it falls on ordinary American citizens to remain calm and professional when dealing with the heavily armed agents of the government because they are very emotional and might fly off into a murderous rage at the slightest insult.

Christ, this reads like a bad horror film.

A second Substack article this week. My take on the oil grab, which was exactly in line with our President's understanding of the nature of power and purpose of government. stevebarrera.substack.com/p/the-pentag...

We should send more presidents to prison. In the five years since January 6th, two other democracies both faced their own version of insurrectionists attempting to overturn elections. Both countries handled it better — and more definitively — than we did. www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/five-ways-...

Eventful year so far, and not even a week in. My first 2026 post on Substack. stevebarrera.substack.com/p/welcome-to...

The dawn of a new era in government.

My final Substack post of the year - a 2025 retrospective in light of all that's changed. Chins up, folks, the darkness will lift eventually. See you in 2026! stevebarrera.substack.com/p/what-trump...

My 2025 in books, make of it what you will.

Glad to be getting the chance to play some Magic over the holidays. Embracing the chaos here playing demons vs. witches. Witches won, BTW.

Look back on the year and count the victories. Hold hands with someone you love and recharge. Anything can be rebuilt. Can we fix it? Yes we can. Together.

NORAD Santa tracker is Woke

Warmest Holiday Greetings! My latest post on Substack takes a break from doom posting to focus on the season. stevebarrera.substack.com/p/keeping-up...

I interviewed @paulrosenberg.bsky.social about the roots of liberalism: the wars over religion in Europe and the recovery from that trauma. Bottom line: rightwingers want to return to that period of trauma. Liberalism is our way back out. www.editorialboard.com/liberalism-c...

I've done it! Now to achieve some stretch goals.

This week's Substack post, on our Future is Past yearning for a new Golden Age. stevebarrera.substack.com/p/back-to-th...

Seven conclusions about what we've learned about Trumpism and the resilience of American democracy across 2025 — the big one: Donald Trump is losing. www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/donald-tru...

Almost there! Just gotta get through the super busy holiday season and still find time to read!

Been enjoying the new Ken Burns documentary. It is available on the web, no account needed. I like that it recognizes that the Revolutionary War was a civil war within the colonies, as well as a war with Britain. You can see how it presaged the French Revolution. www.pbs.org/kenburns/the...

This week's Substack post. Key point: Gilded Age = FAKE Golden Age. stevebarrera.substack.com/p/are-we-in-...

New Substack post. On finding the path to a better future. stevebarrera.substack.com/p/which-way-...

My latest on Substack, subject: America's terrible healthcare system. Please subscribe on Subtack if you would like to read more of my work. Thank you! stevebarrera.substack.com/p/the-high-c...

This week's Substack article. stevebarrera.substack.com/p/turning-an...

Another Substack post this week, looking at the periodic revolutionary transformation of the political order in the United States. We're doing it right now! It's scary, too! stevebarrera.substack.com/p/this-lates...