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One year ago, the situation was utterly separate. Before the national election, thoughtful citizens could recognize America's deep flaws – its unfairness and imbalance – yet they could still identify it as the United States. A democratic nation. A place where the rule of law meant something. A state guided by a dignified and decent leader, notwithstanding his advanced age and growing weakness.

Nowadays, this autumn, numerous citizens barely recognize the land we inhabit. Individuals suspected of being unauthorized foreigners are rounded up and shoved into transport, occasionally blocked from fair treatment. The eastern section of the “people’s house” – is undergoing demolition for an obscene ballroom. The leader is targeting his political rivals or perceived antagonists and demanding federal prosecutors hand over a massive sum of citizen dollars. Armed military personnel are being sent across metropolitan centers under fabricated reasons. The Pentagon, relabeled the Department of War, has effectively liberated itself of routine media oversight during its expenditure of potentially totaling almost one trillion dollars from citizen taxes. Universities, legal practices, journalism organizations are yielding due to presidential intimidation, and billionaires are treated like nobility.

“America, only a few months ahead of its quarter-millennium anniversary as the globe's top democratic nation, has fallen over the brink toward dictatorship and extremism,” a noted author, stated in August. “In the end, more quickly than I believed likely, it did happen in this country.”

Each day begins with fresh terrors. And it's challenging to understand – and painful to realize – how severely declined we are, and the rapid pace with which it occurred.

Nevertheless, it is known that the president was properly voted in. Despite his highly troubling previous administration and even after the warnings associated with the awareness of the conservative plan – despite the leader directly said publicly he intended to act as an autocrat solely at the start – enough Americans elected him rather than his Democratic opponent.

Frightening as the current reality may be, it's more frightening to realize that we have only been three-quarters of a year under this leadership. What will another 36 months of this decline leave us? And suppose that period turns into something even longer, since there is nobody to stop this president from opting that another term is necessary, perhaps for defense purposes?

Certainly, all is not lost. There are legislative votes the coming year that could create a new balance of power, in case Democrats regain the Senate or House of Congress. We have elected officials who are trying to apply a degree of oversight, for example lawmakers currently launching an investigation regarding the effort to money grab from legal authorities.

And a leadership election three years from now could start our journey to recovery just as the previous vote set us on this regrettable path.

There exist millions of Americans marching in urban areas of their cities, like they performed in the past days at democracy demonstrations.

Robert Reich, commented this week that “the great sleeping giant of the nation is stirring”, similar to past following the Red Scare in the 1950s or during the Vietnam war protests or during the Watergate scandal.

During those times, the tilting vessel finally returned to balance.

Reich says he recognizes the indicators of that awakening and notices it unfolding now. As evidence, he references the recent massive protests, the extensive, bipartisan pushback regarding a personality's dismissal and the near-unanimous rejection by reporters to sign military mandates they only publish approved content.

“The slumbering entity perpetually exists inactive before specific greed turns extremely harmful, a particular deed so offensive toward public welfare, some brutality so loud, that he is compelled but to awaken.”

It's a positive outlook, and I value the author's seasoned opinion. Perhaps he will turn out correct.

At the same time, the major inquiries endure: can America return to normalcy? Is it possible to restore its standing globally and its commitment to the rule of law?

Or must we acknowledge that the 250-year-old experiment worked for a while, and then – suddenly, utterly – failed?

My cynical mind tells me that the second option is correct; that all may indeed be lost. My hopeful heart, nevertheless, tells me that we have to attempt, by any means available.

Personally, as an observer of the press, that involves encouraging reporters to adhere, more fully, to their purpose of holding power to account. For others, it could mean participating in political races, or coordinating protests, or developing approaches to defend electoral access.

Under twelve months back, we existed in an alternate reality. In the future? Or three years from now? The truth is, we don’t know. The only option is try to not give up.

What’s Giving Me Hope Now

The contact I encounter in the classroom with aspiring reporters, who are both idealistic and grounded, {always