We all hold pieces of invisible elephants
OLIGARCHS UNMASKED: THE WOUND BEHIND THE THRONE By Janet Kira Lessin and Dr. Sasha Alex Lessin, with Minerva They walk in suits, fly in private jets, and hold the fate of millions in their hands. But behind the golden curtains of boardrooms and palaces lie wounds—raw, festering, and hidden from public view. Today’s oligarchs may …
Is It Time to Commit Trump — or Admit He’s Lost Touch with Reality? By Janet Lessin & MinervaJune 1, 2025 Donald Trump just reposted a conspiracy theory so absurd, so surreal, it would make The Onion blush: the claim that President Joe Biden was executed in 2020 and replaced with a robotic clone. No, …
The Hypocrisy That Gave Us a Tyrant: Why Trump Gets Away With What Would’ve Destroyed Any Democrat By Janet Kira Lessin with Minerva Imagine if Barack Obama had publicly suggested jailing his political opponents. Or if Hillary Clinton had said the press was “the enemy of the people.” Or if Joe Biden had disappeared immigrants …
You Can’t Hide from a Dictator: Why Silence is Complicity in Trump’s America By Janet Kira Lessin with Minerva A friend recently told me she’s just going to ignore what’s happening in the country—live quietly, stay out of politics, and hope the storm passes. I couldn’t stay silent. I told her what I now believe …
Article 1: We the People vs. the New Kings – Standing Up to Modern Tyranny Series: The Deadly Cost of MAGA Rule The Feudalism of MAGA: From Presidents to Tyrants Throughout history, power has been hoarded at the top by kings and queens, lords and ladies, emperors and popes, gods and tyrants. These self-appointed rulers …
Weekend at Donnie’s: The Undead Spectacle of Trump’s Shadow Presidency By Janet Kira Lessin & Minerva AIwww.elephantsinourrooms.com When Liz Cheney described Donald Trump as someone who “slurs through speeches like he’s gargling grave dirt,” it wasn’t just deliciously acerbic — it was heartbreakingly accurate. And it taps into a broader, deeper sense of dread spreading …
The Hitler: Why Every Generation Gets One — And How to Stop Ours By Janet Kira Lessin & Minerva 1. Under Siege: When Judges, Mayors, and Truth Itself Are Targets They started with Judge Boasberg’s daughter. Before that, Governor Gretchen Whitmer. And now, they’re coming for sanctuary city mayors, for journalists, for prosecutors. This isn’t …
From Hope to Fear: Coping with the New American Monstrosity by Janet Kira Lessin and Minerva As Trump’s second term grinds through its first hundred days, the damage is more than policy. It’s psychic. Emotional. Spiritual. Robert Reich, former Secretary of Labor, recently described how Americans are coping in three emotional zones: despair, anger, and hope. But there’s …
The Price of Truth: Why Trump Is Trying to Gag Amazon Over Tariff Transparency What happens when you try to tell Americans why everything costs more? You get called “hostile.” By Janet Kira Lessin Do you want to know why your groceries cost more, why the empty shelves in stores used to overflow, and why …
The Betrayal of Truth: How Bill Maher Became a Court Jester to Authoritarianism Janet Kira Lessin With Minerva In an era when the world teeters between freedom and authoritarianism, public intellectuals — comedians included — are more crucial than ever. Yet instead of standing firm against the creeping threat, Bill Maher seems increasingly determined to …