Dead Country Walking

by Philip A. Farruggio / January 10th, 2026

Chris Hedges just wrote a powerful column on the great ScheerPost site entitled “Grand Illusion.“ He calls America, our nation, a dying empire, similar to what transpired in most past empires. He mentions the vast Roman Empire and the 20th-century Nazi Germany. The use of indiscriminate state violence and the attacks and occupations of sovereign nations became as natural as grabbing and crushing a summer evening firefly… just like that.

In a prison, they call those awaiting the executioner ‘ Dead Men Walking’. Well, only a damned fool would not see what this Trump-led government has been doing since January 2025. If this writer must list the endless affronts against rationale and tolerance, along with the duplicitous bleeding of our constitution like a roasted pig, well, where were you sleeping, fellow citizens? The cuts in safety net funding, shutting of federal agencies, firing of millions of government employees and public servants… let me go on: The tax cut gifts to the super rich, tariffs that are basically consumer taxes, orchestrating a new SA or SS to oppress our citizens ( this time instead of Jews and Slavs it’s the undocumented with mostly brown faces), blowing up speedboats in open waters and calling the dead ‘ Narco terrorists’, along with kidnapping a president of a sovereign nation with his wife and calling them ditto, holding Venezuelans hostage to this tyranny while looking to engulf Greenland, Colombia, Mexico and Cuba… NO, this is NOT a Woody Allen script!

China makes deals with a multitude of nations to build infrastructure while engaging in real trade. Trump, like his predecessors Biden and Obama, calls China our adversary. China is not the adversary of American businesses or our citizens. No! It is the adversary of the bankers, here and in the City of London and other European mega banks. As long as Trump, through his advisors, plays at being King of the World, the Chinese Yuan will become the planet’s #1 currency for trade. And why is this occurring? Because the fools in our Congress, our media, and the MAGA faithful won’t push away from this horror and demand that this cognitive failing hustler and his minions just go away!

We are a Dead Country Walking that has plenty of military power and ammunition with absolutely NO MORAL COMPASS!

Philip A Farruggio is regular columnist on Its the empire stupid website. He is the son and grandson of Brooklyn NYC longshoremen and a graduate of Brooklyn College, class of 1974. Since the 2000 election debacle Philip has written over 500 columns on the Military Industrial Empire and other facets of life in an upside down America. He is also host of the It’s the Empire… Stupid radio show, co produced by Chuck Gregory. Philip can be reached at paf1222@bellsouth.net. Read other articles by Philip.