Just Answering Questions: The Answers!

Welcome to the first newsletter Q & A! “Just Answering Questions” is a new feature in which paying subscribers submit questions and I answer them — all of them, and there were a lot! Thank you very much to all who participated.

If you’d like to submit a question in the future, become a paying subscriber. You can do that here:

The Q & A is free for all to read! With no further ado, here we go…

Michael: Dangerous Trump admin officials are still in key places in several departments and institutions. Thoughts on why? It’s not like they were selected due to their vast subject matter expertise.

SK: The retention of dangerous Trump officials — Chris Wray, Louis DeJoy, Charles Flynn — in top positions, along with the hiring of nefarious operatives from prior admins (Rahm Emanuel, Michael Chertoff, Jamie Gorelick, etc) was an early red flag for the Biden admin. These officials are corrupt institutionalists whose loyalty to corrupt institutions transcends that to the public or even to the US.

There are exceptions — Louis DeJoy is new to bureaucracy and was installed to torpedo elections and the USPS — but that’s the main commonality. I’ve referred to Biden as a “placeholder president” meant to fill the gap between two terms of Trump. Those terrible hires serve that aim. Now that Biden isn’t running, it’s possible that Harris may become president but pass terrible Trump policies, much as Biden did (as described here) as well as fulfill neocon war aims. Harris is far better on social issues like LGBT rights, reproductive rights, and SCOTUS selections.

Jack: Assuming Harris wins, will she go after Trump and his many crimes and his associates? Or will she only “look forward” and let Jack Smith play out whatever case he will still have going. Garland I would hope will be relieved of duty. The whole affair just stinks to high heaven. The mayor of NYC has the same symptoms, corruption, bribery, foreign money influence.

SK: It is unlikely Harris will do anything about Trump or his criminal cohort. The Trump admin was a crime syndicate masquerading as a government, and the Biden admin is a government masking the crime syndicate. Her slogan of “Forward” and mantra of mandated joy signal a willingness to ignore entrenched corruption and the mafia ties that structure fiscal and foreign policy. Harris may get rid of Garland for optics’ sake, but I doubt his replacement will be better. Garland has refused to crack down on the most dangerous Trump officials, or on corruption in general. Though he’ll occasionally do so if the criminal is Black.

Unless Harris pleasantly surprises us with a 180 upon taking office, we are looking at a conservative admin with institutions rife with corruption. One useful thing Harris could do is work to expand SCOTUS and oust corrupt justices like Clarence Thomas, but she appears to have little interest in that.

Chris: I so appreciate your research and writing and would like to know what got you interested in the subject of kleptocracy.

SK: I’ve always been interested in government crime, but the concept of kleptocracy as the dominant system of rule — as opposed to the “democracy vs fascism” construct — came from studying former Soviet Central Asian authoritarian states, especially Uzbekistan. These are mafia state kleptocracies. I started studying them as a graduate student in 2004 and immediately saw parallels with the US. This is one reason I saw the threat of Trump coming early, as I wrote in this March 2016 article.

David H: I’m often concerned about your safety. Are you or your family and friends concerned, and do you take any measures to make sure you are safe?

SK: Everyone close to me is concerned for my safety and I’m concerned for the safety of everyone close to me. It’s a difficult situation. I’ve received threats from a variety of parties. Sometimes I had to have a bodyguard and armed security at public events. But I cannot afford that level of protection, so I just live my life. I do take precautions, but if I listed them here, they wouldn’t work very well!

Victoria: Thanks for taking questions! I can’t quite wrap my mind around the U.S. genociding and bombing Palestinians and Lebanon (and who knows what after). I understand the military industrial complex, greed, corruption, endless U.S. wars, money laundering, and the Second Coming. But I still can’t grasp how or why it is going this far with the murder of children and civilians. What is the end goal in your opinion?

SK: This question merits a separate article that I am afraid to write because this topic inspires the death threats mentioned above. But I worry open discussion of Israel will, within a year or so, be censored under law, so I’ll risk it.

There is no precedent for the Israeli military’s targeted mass murder of children. Murdering children is a universal taboo. Even the most brutal dictatorships will try to hide or deny abuse of children — but Israel flaunts it. Their murder of children is different than the tragic killing of children you see in other violent conflicts, where they are among the casualties of a broader war. Here, Palestinian elementary school students are being shot in the head by Israeli snipers.  

I wish other scholars of autocracy would weigh in. Given that there is no precedent, one would think this would be widely studied in the social sciences, but it is largely ignored. The Israeli government’s actions are genocidal. Some believe the focus on killing kids is to eliminate future generations of Palestinians. But soldiers are also torturing and raping kids and dressing up in their murdered parents’ clothing and taunting them. I’ve never seen such sadism. And I’ve never heard such silence.

As for the rationale, there are many issues at play — organized crime, messianic beliefs, greed — but the one book I wish everyone would read is Robert Friedman’s 1990 book on Kahanism, “The False Prophet.” The Kahanist presence in the Israeli parliament is one of the most underreported aspects of this conflict. Originally the Kahanists were banned as terrorists by both Israel and the US, but in 2022, Biden took them off the terrorism list. Soon they were running Israel along with the criminal Netanyahu. Anyway, Friedman’s book, though 34 years old, explains a lot. It’s out of print but available online.

Janine: Much is made of you being the “Cassandra” (I disagree because you are believed by many of us but I get the analogy!). My question is how do you characterize and experience and cope with your ability to see things “ahead” of when many others see them?

SK: The first article calling me Cassandra came out in 2016: “A Cassandra of Trumpland”. I got upgraded in 2019 to “The Prophet of Flyover Country.” It’s a bit ridiculous: I don’t think I have any powers beyond a flair for the obvious.

Folks call me Cassandra because I call out state crimes that are not being solved and structural flaws that are not being remedied, and I do it in real time. I don’t “save it for the book.” This pisses off powerful people, and so they take pains to discredit me. They make me an example to others of what happens if you tell the truth too early. I’m not alone in seeing these developments coming, but many writers are afraid to speak out and be ostracized. They covet things meant to be lures but sound to me like punishment, like access to the White House. I live in Missouri. What the hell are they gonna bribe me with, fried Oreos and float trips?

Anyway, as to my mystical powers, I am a very thorough researcher. When you know the background of an individual, you can anticipate how they will behave in a given context. I knew Merrick Garland was not going to do anything about Trump within a month of his appointment, because I vetted him and Jamie Gorelick. But I got death threats for years for pointing out this out. The death threats came from Democrats.

Lately I’ve grown quieter about the things I see coming, because they are grim. Many of my essays focus on the quiet miracles of life. I try to temper dark revelations with appreciation of what we still have. I loathe savior syndrome, this idea that some powerbroker is going to rescue us, but I love the world and will fight for it.

Gail: I’m very concerned about the forces in play after the election, whichever way it goes. Do you have any thoughts on the possible scenarios that seem to be “standing back and standing by”? Nina: We know about all manner of election interference efforts underway, and ofc a tight vote count could lead to the winner being decided by the Supreme Court. Or, If it goes like 2020, and Kamala clearly wins, I anticipate the Big Lie 2.0 and violence. Do you? What do you predict as to the how/when/what will most likely go down between November and the end of January?

SK: As I wrote in this article, “Harris may win the election but that does not mean she will get to be president.” I wrote that in mid-August and was hoping the government would have a plan for “Coup 2: Now with Legal Precedent” by then. Instead, they are even more reticent to address it.

I don’t think Trump actually wants to be president, but he also doesn’t want to lose. He is a battering ram for other forces. The most likely scenario is that he will be used to stoke civil war “Lost Cause”-style by claiming (yet again) that the election was stolen, creating a mass domestic crisis, while the Biden/Harris admin brings the US deeper into war in the Middle East.

At this point, it’s likely that Harris will become president, but there will be violence, and MAGA militancy will continue throughout her term — as it did under Biden. The DOJ refuses to put a stop to it. To end it would involve indicting not low-level operators like the pawns who stormed the Capitol, but wealthy organized crime operatives, many of which are linked to the Trump campaign, to the Israeli and Russian governments, to the FBI, to powerful corporations, to the Heritage Foundation, and to other entities this government has no interest in combatting.

It is also possible that the election will be decided by SCOTUS, like in 2000. It depends whether powerful actors feel a Harris neocon presidency with Trump-stoked civil unrest is more useful than a Trump mafia state kleptocracy with an extremist right-wing agenda.

That sounds conspiratorial, but that’s because there are conspiracies that have been in play for decades, and the candidates are vessels for implementing these long-term plans. (Project 2025 is one example; Israel’s wars are another.) This is why it is important to vote in local and state elections because you will need the best bulwark against these forces you can get.

Carl: 1) Do you see St. Louis and its problems as a microcosm of the United States as a whole? SK: Yes. Wrote on it in HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT.
2) Is the constant negative coverage of St. Louis warranted, or is it more a reflection of lazy outsiders latching on to headlines and crime statistics? SK: Lazy outsiders.
3) What are your thoughts on toasted ravioli and Imo’s Pizza? Have you experienced the wonderful Afghani food in St. Louis? SK: I love our Afghan food! I will have mantu any day. I will also take mantu over Imo’s. I’d express my opinion on Imo’s pizza, but I’ll be expelled from the city. I love toasted ravioli — it’s the mantu of St. Louis!
4) Regarding the X Files, do you prefer the monster episodes or the mystery/conspiracy episodes? SK: Mostly conspiracy, but I did have a life-size poster of the Flukeman in my freshman dorm in college. My roommate moved out.

Vickie: What do you have to say about the process of voters passing legislation amendments etc., and then the legislature deciding that voters did not understand what they were voting on and undo it thru the legislative process. I ask this as a Missouri voter, but I know this happens in other states. Also, why do voters keep reelecting the same state senators and representatives when this happens.

SK: I’m sick of our legislators disregarding the results of our ballot initiatives (Clean Missouri) or trying to keep us from voting on them (reproductive rights, which they tried to shut down). I am also concerned about the language, and I think if we had a functional local news industry this confusion could be avoided. We just lost another local paper, The Riverfront Times, that could have deciphered the ballot. But your point that the ballot should not need to be deciphered at all is an important one!

Kim R: Sarah, have you ever been to Strataca Underground Salt Museum in Hutchinson, KS? It’s geologically fascinating in addition to being a complete tourist trap. Really great in the summer heat.

SK: Not yet, but I plan on it! I have a brochure of the “Wonders of Kansas” and I believe that is on it. And the Giant Twine Ball isn’t, so it must be pretty amazing!

James: Will you be doing a book tour for The Last American Road Trip and if so, can you add a stop in Maine? Sythys: I also am wondering about a potential The Last American Road Trip book tour and whether it would include stop at Powell’s in Portland OR.

SK: I will release book tour information as it comes. I would love to go to both Portlands: Maine and Oregon! The best shot at getting me there is to preorder the book from your local stores, express your interest, and spread the word. If preorder sales are strong, I’m more likely to get a big tour. You can preorder THE LAST AMERICAN ROAD TRIP here: The Last American Road Trip (macmillan.com)

Peter: Sarah, l’ve learned so much from since reading “Hiding” several years ago; also loved you on the podcast! (What happened?) My Q: For all that you knew and wrote about in “Hiding”, does anything surprise you about the extreme desire for fascism he exhibits, and the blind adoration of so many “intelligent” people?

SK: I’m not surprised that people flock to Trump as a demagogue, though I think his base has always been smaller than it’s been portrayed, and I think it’s shrinking even more because the novelty has worn off. I’m also not sure people adore him so much as they are afraid that he will threaten them, so they feign admiration.

I see Trump as much more of a mafia state operative than a fascist. A fascist has loyalty to the state and wants to embody and expand it; Trump seeks to strip down the US and sell it for parts. This is not his own plan (though he is its financial beneficiary) but the agenda of the mafiosos with whom he has surrounded himself for 50 years. Trump’s ties to organized crime are overlooked in favor of portraying him as a strongman in the Hitler/Stalin vein. This is a mistake and one of the reasons he has not been defeated. You can’t vote out the mafia.

David P: My child, Jess, wants to know if you’ve read The Auctioneer by Joan Samson. She remembers you are a Stephen King fan.

SK: I haven’t but I’ll check it out! Say hi to Jess from me!

Arete: In your articles, you show how you reset your mental health by going on road trips and kayaking and so forth. Is there anything you’d recommend for the chronically ill? Sometimes it seems like doomscrolling or binge watching is all that’s available for me. Being ill during a scary time is really challenging. Thanks.

SK: This is a great question, especially with so many developing long covid or wanting to limit their activity to avoid covid exposure. I don’t know the nature of your illness so I can’t offer precise advice. But I’ve had to have several surgeries that left me bedridden for months, so I have some sense of limits. Indoor hobbies I’ve enjoyed while unable to move much: embroidery (or any needlework), listening to music, painting or paint-by-number (for when you don’t want to think), reading books, Duolingo. When I was well enough to go outside but not well enough to walk, my husband drove me around Missouri, and I took photos out the window. Sometimes I’d sit on a bench and wait for birds. Sometimes it was enough. I wish you the best.

John: If you and I were talking face to face, first thing I would ask you is how you find the places in the US that you choose to visit, and how you find out the histories behind them.

SK: I write a lot about this in THE LAST AMERICAN ROAD TRIP, but it’s often happenstance. A lot of my travel decisions are not decisions but circumstances — when I don’t have money, I go to free museums and natural sites, and from there the adventure begins! Also, my family is scattered all over the country, and I prefer to drive. So, for example, I know all the cool shit one can see between St. Louis and Dallas, because I’ve driven that route many times and try to see something new each trip. I take paper brochures because it’s different than the advice you find online. (Especially with AI.) It’s getting harder to find out histories of obscure places due to poor search engine quality, so if I’m somewhere interesting, and a local author wrote a book about it and is selling it at a flea market or gas station, I’ll buy it.

Frances: Can you recommend five essential authors or books which explain the American story (in essence: how the hell we got where we are today)? Thanks, Sarah!

SK: I always go blank on questions like this. Mark Twain, James Baldwin, F Scott Fitzgerald, and Stephen King, for sure. I’m thinking of like 100 people for the other option, all wildly different, so my advice is read broadly! I also think American music is as important as American literature. A lot of our best poetry are lyrics and they tell the American story better than books. You feel America in your soul with American music.

Mag: You have alluded previously to your views about 9/11 and I am curious what they are. If you are ready to share. William: I am glad to see I am not the only person who wants to hear about 9/11. I say you can draw a straight line from 9/11 to Gaza. They involve the same entities, the same interests, the same impulses, the same absence of moral scruple, and probably some of the same actors. 9/11 taught “them” that they can get away with anything.

SK: This is another question that could be its own article. There’s a lot I want to say, but for the sake of brevity: I do not buy the official story of 9/11. I write about this in depth in THEY KNEW and somewhat in HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT. The US government knew the attacks were looming — that’s not disputed, though saying it in 2001 got you labeled a traitor — and either enabled or let them happen.

I do not think there is one culprit or motivation. The attacks advanced many agendas, and to imagine who is behind them/let them happen, look at who benefited. This includes Saudi Arabia (whose involvement was supposed to be investigated by the 9/11 commission, but was blocked, and I recommend Peter Lance’s Triple Cross on why); the Russian mafia (who were dropped as an object of FBI inquiry despite being linked to Al Qaeda; read Robert Friedman on this); the petro dynasties and Iraq hawks of the US government (the Bush family and many admin members); and Israel, particularly hard-right factions, who were openly pleased: Netanyahu proclaimed the attacks “very good” on September 12, 2001. There is evidence indicating Israeli government foreknowledge and possible involvement; I have a brief thread on it with direct quotes and primary sources. I could write an epic, but I’d get banned.

At any rate, I do not think any one country or non-state actor is unilaterally responsible, but I do think 9/11 should be reexamined in light of how Netanyahu has operated in Gaza and Lebanon. I also believe the truth about the attacks has been used as leverage to control politicians. This passage of mine gets quoted a lot: “There are a lot of ways to blackmail a government. Not all of it has to do with individuals and their personal secrets. You could expose horrific prior actions a government did against its own people, for example. Unspeakable things.”

Make of it what you will.

Philip G: Ms. Kendzior – Did you ever get a chance to read any of the magazines which I gave you when we met in October 2022 at the Richmond Heights Library? Did you see any material in there which is relevant to the current political situation? Thank you!

SK: Hi Philip! I’ve got the Steamshovel Press in a special bookshelf for unusual documents. The Casolaro article caught my eye first, but all of it was interesting. I look at it and think about how essential it is that work on these topics stays in print, since digital articles are too easily censored or destroyed.

Donald: Who was your most influential role model, especially with regards to your amazing EMPATHY?

SK: Thanks! I don’t have any role models. “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you”, that’s it.

Pierre: I would be interested in your comparisons of countries with centuries of being autocracies e.g. China and newer or renewed autocracies e.g. Hungary.

SK: The rightward lurch of the US is in keeping with a global shift toward authoritarianism, particularly mafia state kleptocracy. Hungary is a depressing case. I visited it in 1998 when it was a new democracy, and people were hopeful and excited to be free of the Soviet grip. I went back in 2017 and watched Hungarians weep about the freedoms lost under Orban. Hungary should be analyzed closely because its bureaucratic maneuvers are a model for how the US far right wants to implement its agenda. China should also be watched closely, but for other reasons: it’s a technocratic surveillance state, with a panopticon government controlling your options in life through digital tracking. That scares me greatly and I think some of China’s methods will be implemented regardless who is president.

Douglas: How does music fit in/inspire your writing? Do you try to keep up with what’s current? I have fallen into kind of a holding pattern; when I fire up Apple Music it’s probably to revisit my favorites from the 70’s and 80’s. Jannice C: What was your playlist on the new book you’re finishing up?

SK: I listen to music constantly. When writing, I have playlists that have a Pavlovian effect. After enough replays, I go into a trance and am able to work in a way I cannot without that particular playlist. This unfortunately ruins the songs for the future! My taste is largely from the 1960s-1990s, but it’s very expansive in terms of genre.

As for what’s on the LAST AMERICAN ROAD TRIP play list, I’m still proofing galleys, so maybe I’ll post it after it’s out — I don’t want to jinx anything! But these were the three main songs for my last three books. I think each book kind of “sounds” like the song:

HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT: “Then Came the Last Days of May,” Blue Oyster Cult
THEY KNEW: “All She Wants to Do Is Dance,” Don Henley
THE LAST AMERICAN ROAD TRIP: “The End of the World,” Skeeter Davis

If I hear any of these songs, I start involuntarily editing in my mind…

Beverley: Hi Sarah! Big admirer of your work from Canada. Are you aware of any links between our Conservative Party and the Trump Republicans? They appear to be operating from the same playbook (hence Maple MAGA) Our largely American-hedge-fund owned media is making a concerted effort to drum Trudeau out of office and while giving Polievre a pass on everything. Any insights?

SK: Trump is part of a sprawling organized crime apparatus as well as a sprawling rightwing apparatus, so I have no doubt there are links. Back when I worked for the Globe and Mail, I knew them more intimately. Unfortunately, I’ve been too consumed by the downfall of my own country to keep up!

Paul: We are usually in agreement. What do you think should happen w Israel? I cannot find a landing place for my views. Bill R: What can be done by ordinary citizens to loosen the stranglehold Israel and the Jewish lobby has on our ME politics? Would like to see more of you and your truth-telling in the media.

SK: First, let’s be clear this is an Israeli lobby, not a “Jewish lobby.” Jewish-American activists have been among the most stalwart opponents of Israel’s genocide and fascism, and have taken a tremendous amount of heat for it. When we talk about Israel, we should refer to specific names and organizations. For example, I think AIPAC should have to register as a foreign agent and should be banned from funding elections. I also think the US should end military aid to Israel immediately and should refuse to participate in Israel’s regional wars in any way beyond providing humanitarian aid. That this is now considered a radical view, instead of a common-sense humane view, disturbs me.

Paul: What news source(s) and/or which news person(s) do you generally trust?

SK: None at this point. They are garbled, paywalled, defunded. That doesn’t mean I inherently don’t trust them. It means I judge each report and article on a case-by-case basis.

Brian: Two questions: How did a former Fangoria writer become interested in authoritarian regimes? — What are your three favorite Don Henley (solo) songs? (Curious if any of them match mine. 🙂

SK: My interest in both Fangoria and authoritarian regimes can be traced back to the same source: A Wrinkle in Time, which set off a lifelong interest in horror and authoritarianism when I was seven years old. Fave Don Henley solo: “The Boys of Summer”, “Dirty Laundry”, “You Don’t Know Me at All” (had to remove his Iran Contra tribute because of THEY KNEW overplay!)

Bethany: Which particular qualities do you look for (or especially appreciate) in close friends and safe relationships in this era?

SK: Honesty and compassion.

Ms Wong: What led you to leave the Gaslit Nation podcast, and what has the experience taught you about living your ethics? Please be as detailed as you can muster, because so many of us need to find the courage to sever relationships or remove ourselves from situations that betray us somehow, and we could be taking action, making a better world, versus wasting time on things that maintain an unhealthy — even destructive — status quo.

I understand if you don’t want to talk about this at all, and maybe it’s an inappropriate question. Please know I’m not asking for gossipy tea spilling, but trying to navigate living consciously in an unconscious culture, and one of the things I admire most about you is your ability to do just that.

SK: I can’t get into specifics, because I signed a legal document when dissolving the LLC. A couple things I can say: I wanted to get back to writing essays regularly. I was never interested in being a pundit and certainly not interested in being a cheerleader for a political party.

Jeff: Sarah your writing is so amazing and on point. My question is how can we break this cycle of a what it seems to me to be a well-coordinated attack on our collective sanity? Now they are just outwardly saying things that would have ended careers a scant ten years ago and it washes over like a wave into the next day with even more crazy talk.

SK: I wish I knew! One frustration is that popularity used to be determined by human beings, but now oligarchs have the capacity to censor or boost with algorithms so the most inflammatory content rises to the top. Politicians have followed suit, seeing political office as a route to commit crimes without punishment or to launch entertainment careers. It does feel like an attack on our sanity. One thing I recommend is: do not boost bullshit even if you are critiquing it. Criticize without spreading the inflammatory content. Be proactive, not reactive. Create the works you wish someone else would write.

Mark: Why isn’t the Powell Memo and the DARK MONEY BILLIONAIRES who started the HERITAGE Foundation, ALEC, FEDERALIST SOCIETY called out for their decades long attack on our democracy? Aren’t they akin to a TERRORIST organization, taking over the Supreme Court who are supporting the very laws and regulations that the DARK MONEY BILLIONAIRES are fighting for? Isn’t DARK MONEY in our politics eventually going to be the downfall of democracy globally.

SK: David Sirota at The Lever has a new podcast on this, “Master Plan”, which you should check out.

Pete: Who used the fake umlauts better, Blue Öyster Cult, Motörhead or Mötley Crüe?

SK: The correct answer is Spın̈al Tap!

Cristin: Do you have an idea for what your next book would be about? What’s your writing process like? What led you to decide to start a Substack? (so glad you did!) How do you keep working in this total chaos of a world? Any practices or tips?

SK: I never talk about the next book until the latest one is out, which is in April 2025. I want to take the lay of the land before diving into anything. I wanted to start a newsletter because I missed the beauty and release of writing. I never set out to be a podcaster. Gaslit Nation was an unexpected hit, but my heart was always with my written work. I also wanted to branch out in terms of topics, and I’m very glad I did!

Amy: I’m never getting over you blowing up a sleepover because of Iran-Contra. And I have always admired how much you love what you love without apology. Have you always known who you are and trusted yourself the way it seems like you do?

SK: I have not changed at all, to the chagrin of those around me! To prove it, here are some excerpts from my fifth-grade diary: