Pascal R. Politano’s latest book could be considered a companion to or a second volume of his last survey of the state of our Union. It expands on certain matters covered more briefly in As Darkness Falls and reaffirms others that are worthy of reexamination. As he points out in this latest treatise, he takes us on a ramble through the current state of the Union in its domestic and foreign aff airs; our relations with Russia, China, North and South Korea, Japan, Afghanistan, Iran, and more recently, Ukraine. In a word, the author addresses the crises we face in more detail, and suggests possible solutions to resolve them. With gut-wrenching candor and descriptive language, Politano tells us why racism still exists in this country for reasons that transcend skin color and the societal prejudices that have existed in this country for centuries, and he returns to the threat of global climate change and the urgent need for Constitutional change throughout the book. As the book’s subtitle implies, Politano explains how avarice, cupidity, the overweening, unquenchable striving for wealth and power in both the public and private sectors in America, domestically and abroad, is in great part responsible for the precarious position of our “Great Experiment in Democracy” today. And as a leitmotiv, a dominant recurring theme throughout the book, and somewhere given in his esteemed Latin: Too much freedom debases us (Omnes deteriores sumus licentia). In a recent interview, the author revealed that his greatest concern now is that during this time of such disarray in our sociopolitical aff airs domestically, the United States is in no condition to engage in a major war, either conventional or even worse, a nuclear one. Politano feels that should China actually invade and ultimately repossess Taiwan, and at the same time conclude a pact with Russia, and perhaps even Iran, victory for the Ukrainians would become a forlorn hope. Adding to our domestic problems, he sees the virtually endless, bipartisan, legal wrangling between our “so-called Department of Justice” and former President Trump, his enablers, and the millions of deluded citizens who blindly support him, even as evidence of his criminal acts while in and out of office continues to grow. He fi nds it inconceivable that newscasters still speak of Trump as a potential candidate for the Presidency in 2024. Pascal R. Politano served twenty years in the United States Army in a variety of fields such as intelligence, R&D, psychological operations, political warfare, nuclear weapons employment, and special operations. He was selected for the Distinguished Instructor Award at the JFK Institute for Military Assistance. He was also the U.S. Senior Advisor to the Republic of Vietnam Political Warfare College. Following his retirement, he lectured for eight years in English and Political Science for the University of Maryland in Europe. He was selected as intra-European faculty speaker on Political Warfare and also was a member of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. He has lived in the Far East, Germany, Italy, and France, and has traveled extensively throughout the Middle East, North Africa and South and Central America. He now resides in a remote area in the foothills of the Adirondacks where he continues to write fiction, non-fiction, and poetry.