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Twelve months back, the landscape was completely separate. Prior to the national election, reflective citizens could acknowledge America's serious imperfections – its unfairness and imbalance – yet they still could identify it as the United States. A democracy. A place where legal governance meant something. A country headed by a dignified and upright public servant, despite his elderly years and increasing frailty.

Nowadays, this autumn, numerous citizens scarcely know the land we reside in. People suspected of being unauthorized foreigners are rounded up and forced into transport, occasionally blocked from fair treatment. The East Wing of the “people’s house” – is being destroyed for a grotesque ballroom. The president is harassing his political rivals or supposed enemies and requesting federal prosecutors hand over a massive sum of public funds. Armed military personnel are dispatched across metropolitan centers with deceptive justifications. The Pentagon, rebranded the War Department, has effectively liberated itself of routine media oversight as it spends possibly reaching nearly $1tn in public funds. Institutions, legal practices, media outlets are submitting due to presidential intimidation, and rich magnates are regarded as members of the royal family.

“The US, just months before its 250^th birthday as the globe's top democratic nation, has tipped over the brink into autocracy and fascism,” Garrett Graff, commented this past summer. “Finally, faster than I thought feasible, it transpired here.”

One awakes with fresh terrors. It is difficult to grasp – and distressing to accept – just how far gone we are, and how quickly it occurred.

Nevertheless, it is known that Trump was properly voted in. Following his deeply disturbing initial presidency and even after the cautions linked to the awareness of the conservative plan – following the leader directly said publicly he intended to act as an autocrat just on day one – a majority of citizens chose him instead of the other candidate.

Frightening as today's circumstances is, it's more daunting to recognize that we have only been nine months into this administration. What will three more years of this deterioration find us? And what if that timeframe transforms into a more extended duration, as there is nobody to stop this ruler from determining that a third term is necessary, perhaps for national security reasons?

Certainly, there is still hope. We will have congressional elections the coming year that may bring a different balance of power, in case Democrats retake the Senate or House of parliament. There exist public servants who are trying to apply some accountability, like Democratic congressmen currently initiating an inquiry regarding the effort to fund seizure by federal prosecutors.

And a national vote three years from now could initiate our journey to healing just as last year’s election placed us on this regrettable path.

There are millions of Americans demonstrating in the streets throughout communities, like they performed recently during anti-authority protests.

An ex-cabinet member, stated lately that “the great sleeping giant of America is stirring”, similar to past after the Communist witch-hunt era in that decade or during the sixties activism or in the Watergate scandal.

On those occasions, the tilting vessel finally returned to balance.

The author states he recognizes the signs of that resurgence and sees it happening now. For proof, he references the large-scale demonstrations, the broad, bipartisan pushback regarding a broadcaster's firing and the largely united defiance by media to accept military mandates they solely cover authorized information.

“The sleeping giant always remains asleep until certain corruption turns extremely harmful, some action so offensive toward public welfare, certain violence so disruptive, that it has no choice other than to stir.”

It's a hopeful perspective, and I value Reich’s experienced view. Maybe he’ll prove to be right.

Meanwhile, the crucial issues remain: can America return to normalcy? Is it possible to restore its position in the world and its commitment to legal principles?

Or should we recognize that the national endeavor worked for a while, and then – swiftly, totally – ended?

My cynical mind indicates that the latter is true; that everything might be finished. My hopeful heart, however, convinces me that we need to strive, through all methods possible.

Personally, working in journalism analysis, that means encouraging reporters to adhere, more completely, to their duty of overseeing leadership. For some people, it may be engaging with political races, or planning demonstrations, or discovering methods to defend electoral access.

Under twelve months back, we were in a separate situation. A year from now? Or three years from now? The fact is, we don’t know. Our sole course is to strive to not give up.

What Provides Me Hope Now

The interaction I experience in the classroom with new media professionals, who are equally hopeful and practical, {always