This Memorial Day, Trump Kills Liberty

This Memorial Day, Trump and his enablers desecrate the meaning of honor as they gut the rule of law, dismantle judicial power, and pave the way for full-blown authoritarianism in America.

Guest post by Michael Cohen

There was a time when Memorial Day meant something in this country. A time when we paused, if only briefly, to honor the men and women who gave their lives not just for the flag, but for the ideals stitched into its fabric: liberty, justice, the rule of law. I remember standing in cemeteries as a kid, watching old vets salute with trembling hands, tears pooling in the corners of their eyes as taps rang out over the graves of the fallen. Those moments were sacred. They were real.

Fast-forward to 2025, and we’re living in a goddamn parody. This Memorial Day, the so-called Commander-in-Chief—President Trump—the same draft-dodging egomaniac who once called fallen soldiers “suckers” and “losers,” stood with his bloated chest puffed out, pretending to understand what honor means. Spoiler alert: he doesn’t. He never has. And what’s worse, he’s now surrounded by a cabal of yes-men and ideological extremists who are hell-bent on dismantling the very system those fallen heroes died to protect.

Let’s start with the rule of law—what Trump and his lackeys treat like toilet paper. Since slithering back into power, Trump has shown us all that he doesn't give a flying fuck about the Constitution, checks and balances, or the judiciary’s role in keeping executive power in line. The man thinks Article II means he can do “whatever I want as president.” That’s not leadership; that’s dictatorship lite, and JD Vance, his ventriloquist dummy turned Vice President, is working overtime to make that delusion a reality.

Vance recently suggested that the courts shouldn’t even have the authority to check Trump. Read that again. The man who’s a heartbeat away from the presidency—God help us—openly questions whether the judiciary should be allowed to stop the President from breaking the law. And in case you think this is just empty rhetoric, let me remind you that Vance also called Chief Justice John Roberts—no one’s idea of a liberal firebrand—“profoundly wrong” for asserting that the courts play a vital role in checking executive overreach.

What we’re witnessing isn’t just another scandal; it’s a judicial coup. Trump and his cronies are actively trying to neutralize the courts—delegitimizing judges, ignoring rulings, and turning public sentiment against the very idea of legal accountability. These guys are turning every courtroom into a battlefield in their war on democracy. And you better believe they’re asking themselves one question: Are we willing to defy court orders to stay in power?

Let me answer that for you: Yes. Yes, and yes… they are.

They’ve already made it clear. When judges issue rulings that go against Trump—on immigration, executive privilege, gag orders, you name it—he lashes out like a toddler denied a toy. Only, this toddler commands the U.S. military and has a legion of fanatic followers who believe the Constitution is whatever Donald Trump says it is.

This isn’t just about rhetoric anymore. It’s about the transformation of our entire system of government. Through executive orders, gutting agencies, and weaponizing the DOJ against political enemies, Trump is building an imperial presidency with no leash, no law, and no consequences. The judiciary? Just another speed bump on the road to authoritarianism, if they have their way.

Think I’m being dramatic? Then you haven’t been paying attention. They’re not hiding it anymore. They're rewriting the rules while waving the flag in your face, daring you to say something, counting on your silence, your cynicism, your fatigue.

So here we are on Memorial Day, a holiday meant to honor sacrifice, and the most corrupt, lawless president in our history stands at a podium pretending he gives a damn about anyone but himself. It’s not just offensive; it’s obscene. Trump doesn’t understand honor. He doesn’t understand service. And he damn sure doesn’t understand sacrifice.

He only understands loyalty—to him. Not to country, not to Constitution, not to anything resembling democratic norms. And as he and his goons like Vance continue to hollow out the institutions we once thought were unbreakable, the message to the American people is clear: Obey, or be crushed.

To every Gold Star family, every veteran, every active-duty service member who took an oath to defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic: you’re watching, in real time, those enemies gather power right here at home. And they’re wearing red MAGA hats, holding executive pens, and stacking courts with ideological hacks who think Trump is the law.

So no, I won’t stand by and pretend this Memorial Day means what it used to. Not while the guy who called war heroes “losers” is torching everything they died for. You want to honor the fallen? Stand up. Speak out. Defend the rule of law before there’s nothing left to defend.

Because once Trump finishes his war on the courts, the Constitution won’t be worth the paper it’s printed on. And all those flags we fly today? They’ll just be decorations for a funeral procession marking the death of American democracy.

Have a reflective Memorial Day, America. Now, it’s time to wake the hell up.

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THIS IS AN IMPORTANT “MEMORIAL DAY” PERSONAL NOTE:
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