You get the same sense of disorientation from the United States’ latest war against Iran, which has lasted either 47 years or 38 days, depending on who’s counting and which constitutional deadlines they’re worried about. If, indeed, there even is a war, as the Vice President recently mused aloud during an unusually hair-splitting press conference. In any case, it was certainly started by Iran, which has been inches away from a nuclear weapon since 1992. Oceania has always been at war with Eastasia.

Calling Trump a “fascist” might be a bit generous, as it suggests a certain level of competence and coherence. But he would probably like to be one. One of the genetic features of fascism—as Umberto Eco, an Italian philosopher who grew up under Mussolini pointed out—is a commitment to constant violence and struggle. “Pacifism is trafficking with the enemy,” Eco wrote. “It is bad because life is permanent warfare.”

That explains why this administration has such an erotic fixation on cruelty. There’s something almost pornographic about the way the “Department of War” revels in blowing up Colombian fishing boats and unarmed Iranian ships. George W. Bush committed his share of war crimes, but at least he had the modesty to cover them up properly. Chelsea Manning spent seven years in jail for leaking an airstrike on a group of reporters; Hegseth would have probably shown the video on Fox News.

Speaking of Fox News—there’s a talking head segment of Starship Troopers that could have come straight from the Murdoch network, complete with the constant interruptions. “Brain bugs?” scoffs an obnoxious host, in an exquisite Tucker Carlson impression. (He even has a bow tie.) “Frankly, I find the idea of a bug that thinks offensive!”

Its the perfect metaphor because the bugs are swarming at our borders and we have nowhere left to hide! Right?..