FINAL DISPATCH FROM THE TRENCHES OF CW II

Final Dispatch from Bill Strong, Reporting from the Trenches of Civil War II

This is Bill Strong, signing off for the last time. From the trenches of this conflict—though perhaps calling it a conflict is too generous, as it feels more like a rout—I deliver my final words, heavy with sorrow and disbelief. The delusionals, against all odds and reason, have claimed victory. The Rationales, to whom I have devoted my allegiance and pen, have been defeated, not by the strength of their enemies, but by their unwillingness to seize the decisive moment.

General Biden, the man we trusted to hold the line, has chosen not to act. He has refused to invoke the powers at his disposal, the powers of law, history, and justice, to declare Trump ineligible under the Constitution he swore to defend. Perhaps he believes in some greater strategy, or perhaps he is simply too bound by the chains of decorum and tradition to leap that history demands. Either way, his inaction now appears final, and the Rationales, my people, are left stranded, leaderless, and lost.

In January, Trump will stride into the halls of power, not as a president but as a conqueror. What remains of the United States—the ideals we cherished, the Constitution we revered—will crumble under his iron will. The land of the free and the home of the brave will be no more. We will become subjects, not citizens, under a regime built on lies and fueled by fear.

And what of us, the Rationales? What of those who clung to truth when it became unfashionable, who fought for reason when the world turned its back? Our options are grim. Some will flee to distant shores, seeking refuge where democracy still breathes freely. Others will try to hide, to survive under the oppressive shadow of the delusionals’ rule. And some—perhaps too many—will simply give in, adopting the salute and the slogans of the enemy just to get by.

As for me, I will fade away quietly and with dignity, I hope. This is not the world I fought for, nor is it one I can thrive in. I have no more words left to give, or battles left to fight. I leave that to the younger ones if they find it in themselves to resist when so much seems lost.

But before I go, let me say this: we Rationalists were not wrong. We believed in something real—something good. We stood for facts, science, and the power of empathy and reason. We fought for a nation where all could live with dignity and fairness. We fought for the America we were taught to believe in. America is gone now, but that does not mean we were wrong to fight for it.

This is Bill Strong, signing off for the last time. I will retreat into the quiet, into whatever future remains for those who once dared to hope. But I will carry the knowledge that we stood for what was right, even as the world crumbled around us.

May history remember us kindly. May the Rationales’ dream of a better world find life again in some distant tomorrow.

Goodbye, and good luck.

—Bill Strong