I woke up this morning and turned on the radio just in time for the BBC news.

After weeks of whiplash 180s, Trump announced he plans to get out of Iran no matter what happens in the Strait of Hormuz or how much our allies in Europe, Asia, or the MidEast are suffering from bombardment or inability to ship or receive petroleum. Our oil blockade of Cuba obviously doesn’t apply to Putin’s tankers, Venezuela is still run by a Communist dictatorship and we are getting out of NATO because it hasn’t obediently jumped to help us in a war we started without even consulting them. And tonight, he plans to speak to the nation with “a very important message”.

In the background, our President seems to be feverishly maneuvering to gain access to state election records so he can determine every American’s political affiliation, and he is desperately trying to abolish birthright citizenship so he can decide who is and isn’t a REAL American, regardless of how long their ancestors have been here. Being a “brown-eyed handsome man” with foreign-born grandparents, I can see that carrying my passport with me every time I leave the house may soon not be enough to keep me from being deported.

The whole nation is suddenly one toke over the line, sweet Jesus. I’m checking out of the Zone, permanently, and I suggest we all do the same. It is no longer safe to speak out publicly without picking your words very carefully. To paraphrase Hemingway, fascism is like bankruptcy: it happens gradually, then all at once. Adios muchachos.

I hope our astronauts come home safely, and I hope they still have a country when they get back.