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Twelve months back, the environment was completely different. Prior to the national election, considerate Americans could recognize America's significant faults – its unfairness and disparity – yet they still could identify it as America. A democratic nation. A land where legal governance meant something. A country led by a respectable and upright official, despite his elderly years and increasing frailty.

Currently, this autumn, numerous citizens barely recognize the land we reside in. People suspected of being unauthorized foreigners are collected and shoved into transport, occasionally refused legal rights. The left side of the White House – is being torn down to build a lavish ballroom. The president is harassing his political rivals or perceived antagonists and insisting the justice department surrender an enormous amount of taxpayer money. Soldiers with weapons are deployed into American cities on false pretexts. The military command, renamed the Defense Ministry, has – in effect – rid itself of routine media oversight during its expenditure of possibly reaching close to a trillion USD from citizen taxes. Universities, legal practices, media outlets are yielding from leader's menaces, and rich magnates are treated like members of the royal family.

“The US, just months before its 250^th birthday as the planet's foremost free society, has tipped over the limit into authoritarianism and fascism,” an American historian, stated in August. “In the end, more quickly than I imagined possible, it occurred in America.”

Each day begins with fresh terrors. And it's hard to comprehend – and agonizing to acknowledge – just how far gone our nation is, and the rapid pace with which it unfolded.

However, we know that the president was properly voted in. Despite his profoundly alarming initial presidency and even after the alerts associated with the understanding of the rightwing blueprint – even after the leader directly declared plainly he would be a dictator just on day one – enough Americans selected him rather than the other candidate.

Frightening as the present situation may be, it's more frightening to realize that we’re only three-quarters of a year under this leadership. What will three more years of this downfall leave us? And what if that timeframe turns into an prolonged era, since there is no one to restrain this leader from opting that a third term is essential, possibly for security concerns?

Granted, there is still hope. There are midterm elections next year which might establish an alternate balance of power, in case Democrats retake either chamber of Congress. We have public servants who are trying to exert a degree of oversight, such as Democratic congressmen who are initiating an inquiry concerning the try to cash appropriation by federal prosecutors.

And a leadership election three years from now could initiate our journey to recovery exactly as last year’s election placed us on this unfortunate course.

We see numerous residents demonstrating in the streets across municipalities, like they performed in the past days during anti-authority protests.

An ex-cabinet member, commented this week that “the great sleeping giant of America is awakening”, exactly as before after the Communist witch-hunt era in that decade or throughout the Vietnam war protests or in the seventies crisis.

On those occasions, the tilting vessel eventually was righted.

He claims he understands the indicators of that awakening and sees it happening at present. As evidence, he references the recent massive protests, the broad, multi-faction opposition regarding a television host's removal and the near-unanimous defiance by media to accept military mandates they only publish approved content.

“The slumbering entity consistently stays inactive until certain corruption becomes so noxious, a particular deed so offensive of the common good, specific cruelty so loud, that it is forced other than to stir.”

It's a positive outlook, and I value Reich’s experienced view. Maybe he’ll be validated.

In the meantime, the big questions persist: will the nation regain its footing? Can it reclaim its status globally and its commitment to constitutional order?

Or do we need to admit that the historical project functioned for a period, and then – swiftly, totally – ended?

My negative thoughts suggests that the second option is true; that everything might be gone. My optimistic spirit, nevertheless, advises me that we need to strive, by any means possible.

In my case, as an observer of the press, that means urging journalists to live up, more thoroughly, to their mission of overseeing leadership. For different individuals, it could mean working on election efforts, or coordinating protests, or discovering methods to safeguard ballot privileges.

Under twelve months back, we existed in a separate situation. Twelve months later? Or three years from now? The reality is, we don’t know. Our sole course is try to not give up.

What’s Giving Me Hope Now

The engagement I experience in the classroom with new media professionals, who are both idealistic and grounded, {always