A TRAITOR

Marus Tullius Cicero, a Roman Philosopher said, "A Traitor Rots the Soul of a Nation."

I spent nearly twenty years in Russia, Central Asia, and Ukraine. In this process, I became bi-cultural – a Russian and intimately saw the good and bad of both my homeland and of Russia. I did not celebrate the 4th while in Russia, and rarely celebrated Russian holidays other than New Years and Christmas.

This upcoming holiday is about commemorating the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. It ‘should be’ a special time to remember the last 250 years of our country’s experiment with democracy. Instead, next Saturday will be remembered as a time when one of the greatest countries in the history of mankind has succumbed to the tyranny and despotism of one man and a small group who holds absolute and unrestricted power.

The Roman civilization lasted 2,200 years from its inception. Toward the end of this historical period, Marcus Tullius Cicero (who lived from January 6, 106 BCE to December 7, 43 BCE) said: “A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and carries his banner openly. But the traitor moves amongst those within the gate freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the alleys, heard in the very halls of government itself. For the traitor appears not a traitor; he speaks in accents familiar to his victims, and he wears their face and their arguments, he appeals to the baseness that lies deep in the hearts of all men. He rots the soul of a nation, he works secretly and unknown in the night to undermine the pillars of the city, he infects the body politic so that it can no longer resist. A murderer is less to fear.” He is best known for uncovering a conspiracy against the Roman Republic in 63 BCE.

Our unsettling reality is that many Americans not only doubt Trump is a traitor, but would continue to dispute this claim indefinitely. They are uninformed, unknowing, and clueless. Mark Twain, an American hero, had a “famously complex and humorous relationship with ignorance, frequently using it in his writings and letters to mock arrogance . . .” (Wikipedia) Among his famous thoughts on this subject include: “The Illusion of Certainty.”

Twain is widely attributed with the proverb: “It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.”

America is now led by a traitor, who daily “rots the soul of our nation,” and his reign may end only with his demise. Those of us still clinging to justice and the rule of law should know by now that Mr. Trump is well on his way to be our first dictator. He is quickly transforming our government into a reflection of how the Kremlin operates.

American politics and the ego-driven periods of President Reagan and then President Bush were the first senior leaders to mislead Americans to believe the Cold War ended. On Christmas Day in 1991, Bush formally declared the end of the Cold War - believing the West had won. As I watched this announcement on BBC on my Russian TV from my Moscow apartment - I already knew that the United States was in trouble. Western nations - especially the U.S. - had yielded to Russian deception - unknowingly, but absolutely.

The Cold War did not end in the early 1990’s, but for Russia it was a time of their complete collapse and then their clandestine awakening. Gorbachev was pushed out of office as the USSR collapsed. Yeltsin made his move for the presidency, but with absolute powers, by bombing their DUMA (House of Representatives). His brief time in office was marred by his alcohol dependence, and a country in free-fall. During this uncontrolled descent, factories closed, food was scarce, jobs were lost, and chaos ensued. There were snipers in tall Moscow building windows. Russians wanted stability, and Putin offered constancy and security.

As early as 1991, Vladimir Putin returned from 15 years in Germany working as a KGB spy and quickly became the Vice Mayor of St. Petersburg under Mayor Sobchuk - a pro-democracy politician. At that time, St. Petersburg was often called the most corrupt city in Russia, but it was also Putin’s home town. This is relative because Putin’s ingrained ability to deal with mafia-types became an important strategic component to rule Russia with an iron fist and to destroy the United States - his archenemy since childhood.

With an enormous following of KGB men and women, Putin was the mastermind of an intentionally deceitful grand plan to ‘take Russia back’, rebuild a stronger country expand their borders, and to destroy the United States.

While the West watched Russia struggle and donated billions of dollars for democratization, Putin’s highly ambitious vision was published in 1997 in a 600+ page book called “The Foundations of Geopolitics”. It outlined his presidential goals 3 years before he was elected. This plan clarifies how the FSB replaced the KGB, while westerners were told the KGB was simply cutting back. In response, the CIA reduced their Russian staff by 25%. Unbeknown to the west, Russia increased their FSB staff by 200%. This was all an elaborate hoax - a smokescreen designed for American and NATO countries credulity and consumption. The West was hooked - to an irrational and unshakeable belief despite evidence to the contrary. The media, government employees, and ordinary people all talk about the “end of the Cold War” and no one questions this inaccuracy.

When the USSR/Russia realized it could not defeat the US militarily, it began in earnest a “disinformation and deception" campaign. Russia is the world’s foremost organized propaganda machine and a lavish disinformatin apparatus. Donald Trump fell hard for the Russian-style graciousness, flattery, and empty promises. He also fell hard for beautiful Russian women - all who offer sex and work for the KGB/FSB. As foolish Americans go, he was at the top of the list and in a short period of time became the KGB’s top asset in the U.S. This was verified by Oleg Kalugin, the senior KGB manager in the U.S. for decades. (He was interviewed by Craig Unger.)

American isolationism has prevented Americans and our society from discernable understanding of our world. For hundreds of years, Russians have operated surreptitiously. What Putin brought to the table was nothing new in Russia, but almost unknown in the West.

The American media spotlight is the major source of news and information for most Americans. Our press, ever enthralled by the sensationalism of the moment, and daily captivated by Trump’s stunts/lies and legal issues - has misled the American public and diverted attention from the crucial and overlooked danger that continues to unfold in the United States.

Russia is hell-bent on destroying our country. As the influence of Putin’s strategies quietly attempts to reshape the trajectory of American politics, Americans are misinformed and some simply do not care. And as Craig Unger, a NYT bestselling author of six books has so eloquently and articulately mentioned, “it is happening right before our eyes”.

As of the 2020 US Census, there are over three million Russians in the US. Many belong to the Russian Organized Crime syndicate. They are in almost every US state. Their jobs are to destroy our society through fires/bombings, drug distribution, gambling, cyber-attacks, murder, and so on. In South Carolina, the home of Circuit Court Judge Diane Goodstein was destroyed in a massive fire. She refused to give voter registration information for her state to Trump’s DOJ. A Tennessee ‘munitions’ plant was blown up and 16 people died. This plant sent weapons and ammunitions to Ukraine. In the 2024 presidential election, the state of Georgia received 60 bomb threats at voting locations. Brad Raffensperger, the Secretary of State, traced all these calls to Russian email domains.

My oldest daughter Lize was the bookkeeper at the Beverly Hills nightclub and casino in Moscow. They provided underage prostitution to western men, and yes, Trump visited there more than once. Photos were taken. Today, Donald Trump, a Russian asset, responds to Putin’s wishes so photos of him are not revealed. His attempted coverups of the Epstein Files have included everything from wars - costing over $100 billion dollars to construction of the White House ballroom - current estimated cost is $100 million dollars. During Trump’s first year of his second term, the gross U.S. national debt increased by over $2 trillion dollars. (Wikipedia)

July 4th, 2026 - the 250th anniversary of the United States of America, does not hold the same significance as before. Our independence, justice, and the rule of law have been so badly victimized and abused by Trump and Russians that our government is no longer working for the benefit of the American people. Hard working immigrants have been deported. They provided reasonably priced labor to help for farmers keeping the cost of food down. Escalating tariffs on foreign steel, aluminum, and manufactured parts raised the cost of essential farm equipment and repairs. As a result, thousands of family farmers have left their farms, citing economic fallout from the Trump administration. (Wikipedia) Additionally, rural families are struggling and without health care. Prices for essential food and gasoline have almost doubled in some areas. While Americans suffer, Donald Trump has increased his personal wealth since 2015 by approximately $4 billion dollars. (Wikipedia)

In Russia, the government increasingly influences and nationalizes the agricultural sector. If Trump continues in office past a second term, I can envision him also taking forcible hold of our agriculture and food supplies.

When Putin was elected President of Russia in 2000, he was to legally serve one term of six years. Instead, 26 years later he is still in control of this vast country and the Russian people. I will not be surprised when Trump attempts this same malicious deception in 2028.

As an American who transitioned to a Russian and back, I believe most Americans cannot understand that Mr. Trump is committing treason every day of his life. Our country is losing its battle for ‘liberty and justice for all” unless a miracle happens within the next two years.

To save our country, we need a thunderous uprising of all our citizens. We need to rejuvenate our dedication to the right to choose our elected officials, and these elected men and women must understand their responsibility to the American public - not to one man. Our current Congress has failed our democracy, and many – but not all – elected Republicans vote as Trump wishes due to fear. In Russia, no one in the DUMA or the UPPER House would consider voting against Putin. If they did, their lives or the lives of their family could be threatened.

There were only four Republicans who were brave enough to vote to impeach Mr. Trump in 2021 citing his involvement in the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol. Rep. Anthony Gonzales from Ohio was one of them. He received threatening phone calls saying his children would be brutally murdered. He did not run for re-election and hired 24-hour protection for his family. This is the exact same political force that operates in the Kremlin.

It is called a dictatorship – not a democracy – when the leader rules by instilling fear in elected government officials so they do as he wishes.

Until Republicans in Congress and others recognize the treasonous danger of Donald Trump - we have very little to celebrate on July 4, 2026.