Sarah Kendzoir Warned Us Years Ago
Now she writes about "The Aftermath"
I am reading They Knew1, by Sarah Kendzoir, written in the pandemic years, and first published in September of 2022. I am trying to understand and catch up to her warnings about the dangers of Trump’s autocratic ambitions and his Russian connections. I remember hearing about all these scandals, payoffs to Russian operatives, oligarchs, Saudi connections, and so forth for years. And of course the interference in the 2016 election for which Trump was found guilty on 34 counts and became a convicted felon in May 2024. The quotes below are from her Feb 26 article, Your Questions Answered: We're Already in the Aftermath. Main points include:
Trump has been working closely with Russia and Putin for over 30 years
Trump has ties to organized crime, follow the money,
Many US officials of bothe parties are in on the organized crime schemes one way or another, so such ties are downplayed.
Sarah Kendzoir believes in doing good and helping people directly. She loves her country, is raising with her husband two children, and will never give up on democracy.
Trump’s Kremlin Ties
Despite a surfeit of documentation, most pundits and politicians have been reluctant to pursue Trump’s Kremlin ties seriously because: 1) they do not want to follow the money trail, which leads to donors to both parties 2) Trump’s network includes US allies like Israel and Saudi Arabia 3) and ties to cases like Epstein/Maxwell that highlight lost US sovereignty and decades-long sadistic plots 4) and exposes many US officials, especially in the FBI, as corrupt accomplices. As a result, the focus has been on trivialities, like bot farms, or on rumors like this one. As I wrote in Hiding in Plain Sight, “No one could see the forest for the treason.”2
Shed your delisions, we are in the Aftermath
SK: We lost our representative government: it was infiltrated by organized crime long ago. The last chance to fix it was surrendered by the Biden administration. We have been living in The Aftermath since 2022: it just took Trump’s reinstallation for many to realize it. If that’s a new way of thinking, view this realization not with fear, but with defiant pride that you’ve already survived two years in The Aftermath. And now you are joined by other good people who’ve shed their delusions. We may have driven past the point of no return, but at least we got a carpool going.3
Give money and support to groups helping others
My advice here is do not wait for elections. Do not give money to politicians; give it to groups and people who you know are helping others.4
No easy or obvious way out of the mess we are in
There is no set road map out. We have an unprecedented situation with climate change creating a time limit and digital media altering the notion of reality. So my answer reflects the second part of your question: push the dirt aside and recognize that the people around you are in a shared plight, with their fears buried deep.5
Find your stable routines to get along with this constant chaos
It’s hard to live with constant chaos. The instability aids autocrats because they offer an illusion of control. But it is only an illusion — a lie, a lure. Americans should expect some form of autocracy but never accept it: there is a difference. Find some routine in your life — a hobby, a daily walk, anything — that is the same every day and that no one can take away. It’ll help give you a sense of steadiness during very uncertain times.
So outside I go to see if the rabbits have been eating my primroses. See if the squirrels are eating the daffodil bulbs. See which new babies are being strolled down the street by the new families in our neighborhood. Wave and say hello to neighbors, and hope the little kids come by to climb in the cedars I planted 25 years ago.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59808038-they-knew
Your Questions Answered: We're Already in the Aftermath
On Trump and Russia, defeating the mafia state, and more.
Sarah KendziorFeb 26, 2025
Your Questions Answered: We're Already in the Aftermath
Your Questions Answered: We're Already in the Aftermath
Your Questions Answered: We're Already in the Aftermath