The U. S. Constitution outlines the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government. The branches are designed to prevent the concentration and abuse of power, as well as to protect democracy. The executive branch is upholding the MAGA agenda. Congress is protecting the MAGA swamp. And the Judicial Branch? The  MAGA dictator has made sure his minions are in the Right courts to support his plethora of lawsuits. Individually or separately, none have been able to stop the authoritarian desires of trump while we anxiously watch his mayhem and destruction in real time.

Who’s left standing? It is who I’m calling the 4^th branch of government — The People. In a previous Naked Truth column, I coined the phrase "The People as the 4^th Branch.”  That would be us.

We are left to be the ultimate checks and balances in this democracy. The People must assert our power as citizens and as the defenders of democracy. This means challenging those who are stripping us of our constitutional rights and dismantling government as we know it. It may seem unfair to take on the heavy duties of those whose salaries we pay, but these people have proven to be too cowardly, too impotent, too incompetent or too indifferent to fight for us.

We have seen enough abuse of power during this administration. Executive Orders are demolishing governmental agencies overnight. Court orders have been ignored. U.S. citizens are being detained without due process. Concentration camps are being established on domestic soil. The Big Ugly Bill is destined to destroy generational wealth for all but the elite. Any media outlet which doesn’t support the perverted agenda can expect retribution. Universities are being extorted. Republicans shut down the Congress early to avoid a vote on the Epstein files. We have had enough examples that it’s not about the People’s business, it is about one demented man and his delusions for money and power. We can no longer wait to be saved; we are our own saviors.

This is why we must acknowledge and fortify the 4th branch of government. The People seem to be the last guard rail of democracy, and we have the most to lose. It is time to take our organizing efforts to the next level. Mobilizations are important, but they are only an organizing tactic not the destination. Our organizing must be intentional in uniting the broadest, most militant front possible, educating our people about what’s at stake. We must prepare people for the political battles ahead while also holding elected and appointed officials accountable for governance and fiscal diligence.

We are barreling into authoritarianism, and the police and military are the hired guns to keep us in check. ICE is now the largest federal law enforcement agency in the country with latitude and longitude to do whatever it wants to purge the unwanted citizens. We’ve already seen that the ICE cages are not just for violent or undocumented immigrants. They will be for whoever resists the trump agenda.

To have trump at the helm is our problem to deal with, and our complicity to be judged. The 4^th Branch cannot wait to see what irrational, reverberating decision is going to be made. We have seen enough to know what the future trajectory will be. We can no longer be observers of our own demise. We, The People, must become motivators and activators for our future. History tells us that a passive response to fascism does not end well. Let’s write a different chapter that challenges the blatant threats to democracy and changes the course of history.