“Better to be a dog in times of tranquility than a human in times of chaos,” wrote Chinese philosopher Feng Menglong in 1627, a line apparently later mangled by late-19th century radical British politician Joseph Chamberlain into the more hexing “May you live in interesting times,” as a parting shot to those who reap the chaos they’ve sown. The original is kind of dull, inert, and only a little more wise and insightful as “It is what it is.” Like no shit a dog remains blissfully unaware of the complexities of human conflict and disaster. That doesn’t mean they never suffer what is wrought in “interesting times.” The monkeys and parrots and other animals drowned at a zoo in Ukraine earlier this month didn’t spend their last moments contemplating the geopolitical complexities that led the Russians to destroy the Nova Kharkova Dam, sending a wall of water into their enclosures, but they drowned all the same. “Interesting times” come for you whether you know it or not.

And what an interesting time it was when National Zero was born three years ago on this very day, amid a pandemic, racial strife, an apocalyptic presidential campaign, and the really stupid shit like that Trump campaign ad above. We’ve already written this site’s autobiography on the second birthday, laid out how a crucial editorial decision was made just shy of the halfway mark of our existence thus far, and how the outlook has improved marginally since that ugly first stretch.

This one’s for 2020 (and much of 2021).

Times Square, New York City, circa 7:00 PM on March 30th, 2020.

Even at a remove it can be hard to appreciate how fucked up things were back then, from the onset of the pandemic to when it petered out gradually over the course of 2021. Just before then early in the year we had the Republican-majority US Senate giving disgraced now-former President Trump a blank check to do whatever the fuck he wanted by acquitting him in his first impeachment trial. Almost immediately after that the truly “interesting times” began as he insisted the virus would just go away like a miracle, suggested people inject disinfectants to cure the virus, and just utterly failed to lead through a crisis in so many other unique ways as tens of thousands of Americans got sick and died. In a moment of panic over his precious economy cratering Trump literally encouraged civil unrest against lockdowns, knowing that a recovery was his only ticket to reelection.

And that was all before George Floyd was murdered by four Minneapolis police officers on May 25th, 2020, spurring a massive wave of protests and racial recriminations nationwide. Thousands of people were arrested, millions in property destroyed, and at least 25 people were killed, many of them by Boogaloo “accelerationists” and racist vigilantes like Kyle Rittenhouse and Daniel Perry.

As you’re well aware, it was in that crucible National Zero was born to chronicle the second half of the year going into that all-important election to decide whether we would continue to survive as a democracy or if the forces of darkness and anarchy would engulf what still remains.

With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history. It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 30, 2020

It wasn’t always looking good. There was the ever-present possibility that something even more fucked up would happen. A full blown civil war was never especially realistic, but we probably got closer to it than we ever had in generations. That, to say the least, was a hell of a time to be starting a political news blog and a situation that shaped our editorial philosophy.

We don’t suffer this “both sides” bullshit. We don’t give a fuck about accusations of “bias.” We don’t fucking care about “TDS” because fat former President Trump remains a unique and centrifugal threat to American democracy. The other guys are fascists and only being as ruthless and cruel – while still remaining true to virtues of honesty and optimism – can we cover their malevolence effectively. That’s what covering the nightmare of 2020 and into 2021 burned into us: We will not give any quarter to the right wing nationalists that have no bottom in their depravity.

You saw it with your own eyes on these pages that year and into 2021. There was little they would not try to protect their Orange God Emperor’s regime and to keep the interesting times going to maintain their power. When faced with an enemy that makes everything existential and absurd all the same, we have no choice but to keep up the pace – while having fun doing it, of course.

John F Kennedy was often quoted as saying “The Chinese word for crisis and opportunity is the same,” which is also an apocryphal misconception. It still feels true. The crises of 2020 subsided but much of the political and economic danger created still remains – as does the opportunity to cover it in which National Zero was created. There’s going to be a rough two years (or more) ahead and only with your support and readership can we continue to chronicle the ongoing aftermath of that bad year in which we were born. We’re nothing without you, so let’s keep this going together. Click here to shoot us a birthday gift if you can spare the change, stay tuned either way if not.