Mar 08 , 2025
The demise of our Democracy starts with the smallest permissions! NPR news just published a comprehensive article base on the Associated Press release (see below) outlining the elimination of images and text deemed objectionable by President Trump.
This action is not economic reform.
The term is damnatio memoriae, a Latin phrase meaning “condemnation of memory.” Historically, this referred to the practice of erasing individuals from official records and public memory, effectively pretending they never existed. While originating in ancient Rome, the concept applies to any systematic attempt to remove traces of specific people or events from history.
The demise of our democracy will start with the smallest permissions—subtle shifts that often go unnoticed until they become systemic. History has shown that democratic erosion does not usually happen overnight; rather, it occurs incrementally as individuals, institutions, and societies allow small compromises in democratic norms.
It begins with minor restrictions on free speech—perhaps a book is banned, a journalist is silenced, or a political opponent is discredited through misinformation. These may seem like isolated incidents, but they set precedents. When tolerated, they become the foundation for larger erosions of rights.
Elected officials begin to consolidate power, often under the guise of “protecting” the nation—whether from misinformation, external threats, or even from its own people. Checks and balances weaken as lawmakers and courts fail to hold leaders accountable. Transparency fades as secrecy becomes justified in the name of national security or public order.
The public, either out of complacency, fear, or partisan loyalty, accepts these shifts, believing they are temporary or justified. But democracy is not lost in a single, dramatic moment. It is lost when people stop questioning authority, when they dismiss small injustices as inconsequential, and when they trade civil liberties for the illusion of stability.
History warns us that even the most robust democracies can fall—not through military coups, but through the gradual erosion of freedoms that were once considered untouchable. If we do not remain vigilant, the smallest permissions—once given—can become the stepping stones to authoritarian rule.
Write your Congressman, Senator and local news paper public forums to cover this story and not let this issue die.
Here is the article ... please read it a take action now!
https://www.npr.org/2025/03/07/nx-s1-5321003/pentagon-images-flagged-removal-dei-purge-trump