When fiction becomes warning—and warning becomes prophecy
Dear Readers,
If you’re a fan of classic science fiction, you’ve probably heard of the Crazy Years.
Robert A. Heinlein coined the term in his Future History timeline to describe a period of rising irrationality and chaos in American society—a cultural breakdown where logic was optional and extremism became normalized. The Crazy Years paved the way for a religious dictator named Nehemiah Scudder to take power—ending American democracy in favor of a theocratic autocracy.
At the time, it read like satire. A warning wrapped in wild speculation.
But now?
It reads like the morning news.
What Heinlein Got Right
Scudder wasn’t elected in a landslide. He rose to power by taking advantage of fear. Of uncertainty. Of a population tired of nuance and complexity. He didn’t seize the nation in one night—he chipped away at democratic norms, used media as a weapon, and leveraged faith and patriotism as tools of control.
Heinlein once called Scudder “a backwoods evangelist turned politician” who rose to power by offering simple answers to complex problems. He was fictional—until he wasn’t.
In Project 2025, we see a real-world roadmap for turning democracy into something else entirely.
- A loyalty-based civil service.
- Erasure of LGBTQIA+ rights.
- Criminalization of dissent.
- Replacement of institutional expertise with ideological control.
- Suppression of free media and education.
And now, with Trump’s recent actions—economic sabotage, weaponized tariffs, purges of cultural programs, and threats toward states that won’t comply—we’re watching the Scudder playbook in motion.
We’re Not at Martial Law. Yet.
But we’re closer than we want to admit.
Here’s what we’re seeing in real time:
- Declare a national emergency.
- Trump’s new tariffs were justified on the basis of an “emergency.” What kind? Undefined. But that declaration gives him expanded powers—real, legal powers that bypass Congress.
- Use chaos as leverage.
- The stock market tanks. Layoffs spike. International relations implode. And what does Trump say? “The patient is healing.” It’s shock doctrine economics—break the system, then demand obedience in exchange for “fixing” it.
- Gut federal institutions.
- The CDC, FEMA, IMLS, NEH, and even Social Security administration systems in Maine—slashed or sabotaged. No public debate. No legislative process. Just executive orders and fiat.
- Force states to comply or suffer.
- Governor says no? Cut their funding. Make it harder for babies to get SSNs. Withhold food assistance. This isn’t governance. It’s extortion.
- Punish dissent. Reward loyalty.
- Museums, libraries, and schools lose funding. Law firms and universities get blacklisted. But if you build what Trump wants—if you make the deals—your tariffs get lifted, your projects greenlit.
This isn’t hypothetical. This is now.
What Happens Next (Fictionalized... For Now)
Washington, 2026.
A third national emergency is declared—this time in response to “information warfare” allegedly being conducted by hostile domestic elements. Social media companies are nationalized. Independent journalism is labeled “enemy communication.”Congress, paralyzed by partisan deadlock and fear of retaliation, does not act.FEMA is absorbed into a new Department of National Resilience. The Department of Education is folded into the Department of Faith and Family.The 2028 election is postponed, “pending investigation.”The Supreme Court, packed and cowed, does not intervene.The flag still waves. The anthem still plays.But the Constitution is dead.
This is the road we’re walking.
And the worst part?
It's not one decision that ends a democracy.
It's a thousand small ones. Most of them legal. Most of them quiet.
Until one day, you're living under Scudder.
And wondering when it happened.
So What Can We Do?
Tell the truth.
Write the stories that warn, that remember, that refuse to forget.
Resist the normalization of corruption and cruelty. Call it what it is.
Organize. Protest. Vote, while we still can.
And keep your eyes open.
Because we’re not in a dystopia yet.
But the warning lights are flashing.
And it’s not fiction anymore.
Stay aware. Stay angry. Stay ready.
— A writer who’s read this book before