AMERICA NEEDS A 12-STEP PROGRAM
Can we admit we have a problem?
It’s the cliché rehab thing to do. Admit you have a problem. Make amends. Do the work.
Well, America, we have a problem.
We’re addicted to political teams. Both of them.
We stopped being citizens and became fans.
And fans don’t hold their team accountable. Fans make excuses. Fans justify anything as long as their team wins.
We’re voting for compromised people because they’re wearing our jersey.
We’re making excuses for evil because it’s “our side” doing it.
We’re attacking the other team’s predators while protecting our own.
That’s not citizenship. That’s addiction.
And like any addiction, recovery requires brutal honesty and consistent work.
Here’s the 12-step program we need.
Step 1: Admit We Have a Problem
The first step is always the hardest.
Admitting you’re not just “passionate” or “engaged.”
You’re addicted.
Signs you’re addicted to your political team:
You make excuses for compromised leaders because they’re “your side.”
You attack the other team’s predators while ignoring yours.
You care more about your team winning than about actual governance.
You’ve lost friendships over politics.
You can’t admit when your side is wrong.
You justify evil if it advances your team’s agenda.
Sound familiar?
Right now, people who hurt children are making policy decisions.
Some wear red jerseys. Some wear blue jerseys.
And we’re protecting the ones wearing our color while screaming about theirs.
That’s addiction. That’s the problem.
Our lives have become unmanageable:
We’re sending soldiers to die based on decisions made by compromised leaders.
We’re excusing predators because they’re on our team.
We’re fighting over whose favorite team is in charge while ALL of them inflict stupidity on the nation.
Step 1: Admit it.
You’re not fighting for principles. You’re fighting for your team.
That’s addiction. And it’s killing the country.
Step 2: Believe That Recovery Is Possible
What if we stopped being fans and started being citizens?
Not Democrats or Republicans. Not conservatives or liberals.
Citizens.
People who vote for integrity over party.
People who hold EVERYONE accountable, regardless of jersey color.
People who care more about children being protected than their team winning.
That’s recovery. That’s sanity. That’s what heroes do.
The Power greater than ourselves?
Truth. Love. Integrity. The divine—however you understand it.
None of these things wear jerseys.
Truth doesn’t change based on who’s in power.
Love doesn’t have a political party.
Integrity doesn’t care about your team affiliation.
Recovery is possible when we submit to something higher than tribal loyalty.
When we stop asking “Is this good for my team?” and start asking “Is this actually right?”
When we stop defending people based on jersey color and start demanding character from everyone.
That’s the power that restores sanity.
Not red. Not blue.
Right.
Steps 3-10: Do the Actual Work
This is where talk becomes action.
Where admitting the problem becomes fixing it.
Stop making excuses for compromised leaders just because they’re “your team.”
If they’re in the Epstein files, you don’t vote for them. Period. Red or blue doesn’t matter.
If they’re corrupt, you don’t defend them. Period. Your side or theirs doesn’t matter.
Demand accountability from YOUR team first, not just theirs.
It’s easy to call out the other side’s evil.
It’s hard to call out your own.
That’s the work.
When your team’s leader is compromised, you say it first. Loudest.
When your side does wrong, you hold them accountable before pointing at theirs.
Make amends for the harm your tribalism caused.
Friendships you destroyed over politics.
Family members, you cut off because they voted differently.
Truth you ignored because it hurt your team.
Own it. Apologize. Make it right.
Take daily inventory:
Did I defend someone today because of their jersey, not their character?
Did I attack someone because of their team, not their actions?
Did I excuse evil because it was my side doing it?
When the answer is yes, admit it immediately.
Not next week. Not when it’s convenient.
Immediately.
Choosing truth over team.
Choosing integrity over winning.
Choosing citizenship over fandom.
Every single day.
Step 11: Seek Wisdom Beyond Your Team
Stop asking “What does my team want me to believe?”
Start asking “What’s actually true? What’s actually right?”
I’m a man of knowing, not faith. The divine, however you understand it and name it, doesn’t wear a jersey.
Love doesn’t have a political party.
Truth doesn’t change based on who’s in power.
Prayer or meditation, whatever form that takes for you, is how you step outside the partisan noise and ask:
“What’s my actual responsibility here?”
“Where am I making excuses because it’s my team?”
“What would I demand if the other side did this?”
This isn’t about “both sides are the same.”
They’re not. Different policies. Different approaches. Different values.
But this is about seeking truth beyond tribal loyalty.
You pray or meditate or sit in silence and ask: “Is this person actually fit to lead, or am I defending them because of their jersey?”
You seek wisdom: “What would I say if the other side did this exact thing?”
You connect to something higher than partisan warfare: “Am I serving truth and love, or am I serving my team?”
Because if you only pray for YOUR team to win, you’re not praying—you’re cheerleading.
What if.
You seek wisdom about what’s actually right, regardless of jersey color?
That’s citizenship. That’s heroism. That’s how you break the addiction.
Daily practice:
Before you share that partisan post—pause. Seek wisdom. Is this true, or just team propaganda?
Before you defend that compromised leader—pause. Seek wisdom. Would you defend this if they wore a different jersey?
Before you attack the other side—pause. Seek wisdom. Is your side clean on this issue?
Let truth guide you. Not tribal loyalty.
Step 12: Spread the Message and Live the Principles
Once you wake up from political addiction, you can’t go back to being a fan.
You’ve seen it. The jersey-wearing blindness. The excuses for evil. The tribal warfare, while predators operate unchecked, on both sides.
You can’t unsee it.
Now you carry the message:
To your friends, still fighting over teams while ignoring the real fight.
To your family, still making excuses for compromised leaders because “at least it’s not them.”
To your community, still treating politics like sports.
You say:
“I don’t care what jersey they wear. If they’re in the Epstein files, I won’t vote for them.”
“I hold my team accountable first, not just theirs.”
“I’m a citizen, not a fan. And citizens demand integrity from everyone.”
This makes you unpopular with both sides.
Yeah, standing in the middle is hard. Do it anyway.
Your team calls you a traitor for not defending compromised leaders.
The other team doesn’t trust you because you’re not on their side either.
Good. You are not supposed to be on a side. You are supposed to be on the side of truth. Stay clear-eyed.
You practice these principles in ALL your affairs:
At work: Integrity over loyalty to corrupt leadership.
If your boss is compromised, you don’t cover for them just because they’re your boss.
You operate with integrity even when it costs you.
On social media: Truth over tribal affiliation.
If someone is making excuses for predators because “they belong to their party,” you speak up.
You build community around shared values, not shared jerseys.
In your home: Teaching kids to think critically, not tribally.
Your kids don’t inherit your political team like they inherit your last name.
You teach them to evaluate character, policy, and truth, not to blindly follow a jersey.
At the ballot box: Character over party, every single time.
You vote for integrity. Period.
If that means your team loses, so be it.
Better to lose with integrity than win with predators.
In your conversations: Speaking truth regardless of who it helps.
If your side is wrong, you say it.
If the other side is right, you acknowledge it.
Truth matters more than winning.
It’s about good vs. evil.
And evil wears every color jersey.
Your job, as a recovered political addict, as a citizen, as a hero, is to call it out everywhere.
Because that’s the hardest step. That’s where recovery becomes real.
That’s where fans become citizens.
That’s where THE story changes.
The Relapse Risk
Here’s the thing about addiction:
Relapse is always one moment away.
One election. One scandal. One moment of fear that “the other side might win.”
And suddenly you’re back to making excuses for compromised leaders because at least they’re your team.
The Promise
If you work these steps—really work them—here’s what changes:
You stop feeling rage every time the other side wins. (Because you’re not fighting for a team anymore.)
You start building actual friendships based on character, not politics.
You teach your kids to think critically instead of tribally.
You vote for people of integrity, not for people who wear your jersey.
You sleep better at night because you’re not defending predators anymore.
You become a citizen again.
Aware. Awake. Ready to do what you’re supposed to be doing.
That’s the promise of political recovery.
Not that your team wins.
That THE story wins.
Good over evil.
Truth over tribalism.
Citizenship over fandom.
The Choice
Stay addicted. Keep defending compromised leaders because they’re your team. Keep excusing evil because it’s your side doing it. Keep being a fan.
Or recover.
Quit the teams. Become a citizen. Demand integrity from everyone. Be the hero who speaks truth regardless of which side it helps or hurts.
Stop being a fan. Be a citizen. Be a hero in THE Story.
Lead With Love,
Doom
Fred “Doom” Dummar is a retired Soldier and combat veteran working to build a life that doesn’t break under pressure—for himself and his family. After seeking new ways to be of service to others in combat’s wake, while also guiding his Special Forces Brother, Ivan (blinded in Iraq), through countless adventures, Fred now strives to help others embrace the transition from service to nation while becoming more compassionate humans and leaders. Fred shares the 8Fs framework as a tool to manage effort while building more authentic and resilient lives. Join him for stories on wellness, human optimization, and service to others here at Guide to Human on Substack.
Your analogy is spot on! This isn't a sports game, it's America and our lives.
If we want things to change, we need to start reclaiming the fundamentals of how our country works:
Repeal Citizens United.
End corporate influence over politicians.
Establish term limits.
Prohibit elected officials from investing while in office.
Right now, on both sides of the aisle, too many people in power are getting rich, double dipping, while the public loses trust.
We also need to insist on a clear separation between religion and government. Both are stronger when they remain independent of each other.
Meanwhile, many of the systems meant to serve us: media, healthcare, and especially our data, have been bought, consolidated, and monetized.
We are losing our global allies, the rest of the world is saying, “America, you’re drunk, go home.”
None of this happened overnight. These problems have been building for MANY years. Real change won’t start in Washington alone, it starts in our communities.
At the very least, we should be able to agree on this: stop making decisions that harm our fellow citizens.
Once again there's a lot to unpack here, too much for the comments but I'm not going to write that post, neither will I hide or apologize for my reactions. Objectivity is the best I can do in my "recovery".
Epstein is dead, Col., and when his name is no longer invoked, he will cease to be. Justice eternal. As for his deeds and the deeds of others - they are the deeds of others, and squarely within jurisdiction of an obviously broken justice system that turns criminals into victims and victims into criminals. Your thoughts and mine on the matter have only the weight of public opinion; we don't know who's on the list, and more than enough time has elapsed to destroy all evidence, save for the survivors.
Regarding incest, pedophilia and child abuse any serious discussion starts and ends with the survivors like any other form of tragedy. The survivors are the only ones qualified to take us places we don't want to go, and many will live in silence because they're places we don't want to go.
Dare raise the issue of incest, pedophilia and child abuse to any of my siblings and they will react violently toward you. It's a life sentence survivors deal with in many ways. My way was to stop the gene pool and break the wheel of abuse, so I fathered no children to abuse, nor take any into my custody. Right or wrong, it was effective.
If you have a sincere desire to understand these behaviors, you'll have to speak directly with people like me. Please don't be angered, but it's a place you're not going to want to be.
Your warrior spirit is acknowledged, now you enter the psychic war in our midst, my war. Welcome brother, it's a good fight.
In the end, when confronted by the righteous to accuse me of deeds I do not commit, I resort to natural law which is objective and favors no one, and close with a prayer, "Christ is within me, since Christ is the son of God, where He goes God will surely be".
And nothing is lost by fighting back.