This collection addresses "social murder" and "crimes against humanity." It is also about dehumanization-the mental loophole that enables us to ignore or harm others. I have appended the subtitle "July 4, 2026" to an already evocative title to underscore a grim reality: as Americans prepare for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, they are sleepwalking through full-blown state oppression and authoritarianism.

In 2025, President Trump "flooded the zone" with orders and utterances that upended Washington and the global order, increasing-not decreasing-the reach of government and even venturing into "state capitalism." While many of these actions reflected ideas from the MAGA movement and Project 2025, recognizing the influence of the neo-reactionary movement (NRx) that permeates his administration is key to understanding Trump's agenda and its global dangers. Far-right neo-reactionaries are anti-democratic and anti-egalitarian, intent on dismantling what they perceive as collusion among society's progressive elements: academia, mainstream media, the justice system, the administrative state, and the scientific community.

Over the past two decades, this far-right movement has spread globally. It emerged from disillusionment with traditional conservatism during the George W. Bush era, fueled by the Iraq War, the Great Recession, the decline of neoliberalism, the collapse of globalization, and backlash against environmentalism, COVID-19 mandates, and so-called "woke" culture.

I have chronicled these crises over the last twenty years as they unfolded, and I am now publishing some of these observations in the hope that they provide insight into how we arrived here and where we may be headed.