By Donald A. Collins | 3 September 2025
Church and State
This week will begin a trial against the former Brazilian dictator Bolsonaro, which is likely to lead to his conviction for crimes occurring under his authoritarian leadership. He now remains under house, arrest in his residence and his apparently having health problems.
The history of this dictator and his crimes is well documented, but he is avidly supported by President Trump, who offers us an eerily cognizant view of what is happening in America now.
Since its founding, the specter of authoritarianism has loomed over Brazil. The country has endured more than a dozen coup attempts and spent decades under dictatorships.
But no one in Brazilian history — neither general nor politician — has ever been tried in a courtroom for subverting the will of the people.
Until now.
On Tuesday, former president Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil’s most popular conservative figure, will go on trial before the Federal Supreme Court — charged with attempting to use military force to overthrow democracy following his 2022 electoral loss to leftist Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The roll of defendants also includes a military admiral, three generals and a lieutenant colonel, who has already agreed to a plea deal.
Bolsonaro, the admiral and the generals have denied the charges against them, saying they are victims of political persecution and prosecutorial overreach. Bolsonaro did not respond to a request for comment.
You can read this full history in the September 2 issue of the Washington Post.
In Bolsonaro trial, Brazil confronts Trump — and its authoritarian past https://t.co/wRh4RVKPIj
— Fernando Oliver, Esq. (@Fernand46357857) September 2, 2025
As it’s eloquently reported in the September 2 Washington Post article entitled “Eighty years after World War II’s ended the consensus it forged is crumbling”.
It reports that as Trump encourages American isolationism and withdrawal from world leadership, the history of so doing was eloquently, proved erroneous by the kind of isolation is preached by Charles Lindberg and Joseph Kennedy Senior, which prevailed until the Japanese attack on December 7 at Pearl Harbor.
‘80 yrs after WWII’s end, the consensus it forged is crumbling.’
The end of WW2 launched an era of alliances & free trade. Now memories of the war are fading — & so is the consensus on how to avoid a repeat. via @washingtonpost https://t.co/SP1dzgpaQn— Husain Haqqani (@husainhaqqani) September 3, 2025
In short, the argument can be made eloquently that if we do not engage in a positive way with the world, the world will come to us in ways that will not be favorable.
in short, we are at crossroads and considerably reduced percentages of America’s population are willing to embrace these successful institutions that were established following World War II by leadership that realized we could not ignore and embrace a positive trade and cooperation around the world which is so dramatically denied by the aberrant tariff policies of President Trump which have already greatly damaged our relationships with longtime allies and upset the normal flow of business, which can only hurt our economy and our reputation.
The splattering of our institutions and the conduct of our affairs which Trump has engineered in only six months of his second administration could very rapidly bring us increase prices, which he claimed he would curb, continuing failure to solve the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, and the growing repression involved in confronting the long unsolved problem of illegal immigration.
There are solutions to all of these problems, but they will not be undertaken in a logical and effective manner until we recognize that we must connect with a full world, we must attempt equitable relations in trade, we must continue to support the institutions which were established after World War II such as the UN, and recognize that we are being driven to the old unsuccessful policies that brought us to the brink of disaster which required our response to Hitler and World War II.
Former US Navy officer, banker and venture capitalist, Donald A. Collins, a free lance writer living in Washington, DC, has spent over 60 years working for women’s reproductive health as a board member and/or officer of numerous family planning organizations including Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Guttmacher Institute, Family Health International and Ipas. Yale under graduate, NYU MBA. He is the author of “From the Dissident Left: A Collection of Essays 2004-2013”, “Trump Becoming Macbeth: Will our democracy survive?”, “We Humans Overwhelm Our Earth: 11 or 2 Billion by 2100?”, “What Can Be Done Now to Save Habitable Life on Planet Earth?”, “Vote”, “Can Homo Sapiens Survive?”, “Will Choice and Democracy Win?”, “Can Our U.S. Survive 8 Plus Billion of Us”, “Economic Growth: A Cancer on all Earthly Life”, “On the Precipice of Political Disaster in 2024”, “Democracy at Red State Risk”, “Does Trump Go to Jail or to The Oval Office?”, “Trump: Pardon or Punish?: The Nixon Precedence Was Not A Trump Coup Denied!”, “Common Sense: When will Trump be Impeached, Indicted, and Exited?” and “Trump–unrestrained dangerous liar!”.“What Can Be Done Now to Save Habitable Life on Planet Earth?”: https://t.co/fHuh0CG6JD
“We Humans Overwhelm Our Earth: 11 or 2 Billion by 2100?”: https://t.co/TA4j7cp1tE
“From the Dissident Left: A Collection of Essays 2004-2013”: https://t.co/lkC2t3E1A9 pic.twitter.com/bQsL2mLBcO— Church and State (@ChurchAndStateN) November 1, 2021
Brazil’s top prosecutor says Bolsonaro tried to overthrow democracy • FRANCE 24 English
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