Take Rep. Elise Stefanik for example. She refuses to say the 2020 Election was legal - despite mountains of evidence - and now she's saying she might not certify the 2024 election if she doesn't like the results.

That's traitorous talk in any book. A Congressperson openly warning she won't accept the real results of a presidential election if she doesn't like it. Why isn't she locked up?

House Speaker MAGA Mike calls the description of him as an election denier "nonsense" but he won't say Biden won the 2020 election. As a matter of fact, he was one of the chief drivers of the false elector grift that many GOP members signed on to that year.

Illinois presidential candidates are asked to pledge an oath not to overthrow the government (it's been going on 50 years and is more of a tradition than anything else) and to no one's surprise Trump wouldn't sign it.

Maybe his lawyers told him not to since he's currently being investigated for trying to overthrow the government in 2020.

What's hard to understand is the entire Republican Party is pursuing a fantasy about what a great world it would be to have Trump for president again. Despite his regime being the most corrupt in American history.

Again, facts bear out the toxic chaos that occurred during the Trump administration. We're still paying residuals for allowing his ardent followers to infect our courts and Congress.

There's no deep state, as Republicans claim. There's just a Deep Denial of reality for political purposes to gain power.

I began this year by promising readers I wouldn't write about Trump as much as I did last year. I'm failing already. When I look around for news stories to comment on 80% of them involve Trump in one way or another.

That poses a problem. As a retired newspaper editor and publisher, I'm used to commenting on the events of the day. Ignoring Trump - especially during this election year - is impossible. I just can't do it.

I will try to limit my coverage of the orange orangutan as much as possible. But this is the most critical year of my lifetime - and yours. The republic has never faced a more challenging year. We may sink into a dictatorship this fall if Trump is somehow re-elected.

Democracy is on the line. Listen to what Trump's saying right now. Believe him. He'll bring a scorched earth policy against anyone he deems an enemy and intends to expand presidential powers so that no one, or law, can stop him from ruling like one of the several dictators he currently admires.

As it stands, I never could stand by and ignore corrupt politicians. I exposed them at every opportunity. I guess some things never change.