Exhausted seems to be the word of the day, or week, or the past year.  Reporters are exhausted following all the shiny objects launched by the Trump White House.  Minnesotans are exhausted by the ICE occupation of their cities, which has resulted in the shooting deaths of two American citizens so far, and Mainers may not be far behind.  Global leaders are exhausted by the Trump brand of threats and saber-rattling against nations that have been our allies for more than 80 years.  Our immigrant neighbors are exhausted by the cat-and-mouse games instigated by Secretary Noem and her thuggish agents.  It appears that the only people not exhausted are the ICE agents who travel in packs, and Donald Trump, who seems to use the chaos he causes as an energy drink. 

Trust, or lack of trust, is the other word of the day and week, as trust has been ripped apart during the first year of the second Trump administration. Our global allies are questioning whether they can trust the United States.  Americans are questioning whether they can trust the government institutions they have relied on for generations. When I was growing up, parents and teachers often reminded teens that respectable reputations can take years to develop but can be destroyed overnight. Now we’ve seen that destruction, on a global scale.  More than two centuries of American reputation has been destroyed in a year by Donald Trump.        

 To be fair, alliances are subject to change.  World events affect response; personality traits of global leaders affect participation (remember Charles DeGaulle’s imperious approach that pulled France out of NATO’s military command structure?); fledgling democracies struggle to find footing amid histories of royalty and dictators.  The membership of NATO has expanded from 12 founding countries in 1949 to 32 nations today. NATO allies jointly responded to the Cold War, the Berlin Wall, the Cuban Missile Crisis and, ultimately, the 9/11 attacks on the United States. Weapons are different today.  Communications are different today.  Markets and trade are different today.  But the basic foundation of trust is not different today, which is why Mr. Trump’s rambling and aggressive posture toward our allies is so shocking.  Regardless of the outcome to his lust for Greenland’s real estate, it will take years, perhaps more than a generation, to rebuild and regain the trust of our European allies.

Fear is a strong emotion, and fear is being used by the Trump Administration as a cudgel against allies, immigrants, access to health care, LGBTQ+, and anyone and anything targeted by the White House. People are scared – for themselves, their family, their neighbors.  American 

citizens are wondering what kinds of identification they need to carry just in case they get caught in an ICE enforcement action, or just to vote.  At a recent meeting in Fairfax County, attendees asked for clarification from a guest speaker, Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano, who cautioned that you can observe, peacefully protest, and film actions by government agents but should always be mindful of your own safety and that of others. Most ordinary forms of ID – drivers’ licenses with the black star of Real ID, American passports, student and military badges – are issued to citizens and some non-citizens, so they are not necessarily proof of citizenship. Have we reached a point where we must carry a birth certificate on our person?  And if we do, will ICE and Homeland Security even care?  Do you know where your birth certificate is? No wonder everyone is exhausted!