Sometimes it is best to judge a nation by its worst moments, not its best. Only through trials do we learn the strength of its commitment to law, its character, and its compassion for healing. My nation is only beginning that test.

After the conviction of Trump’s campaign manager and new accusations by his personal lawyer, the end is coming quickly. As a wannabe mafioso, Trump has always surrounded himself with gangsters. While none of them wanted to be the first to “rat” to the authorities, there will now be a rush to not be the last. It’s typical behavior, and we can expect it.

Lost in all of this is the future of our Republic. How will we get through this? What will come after our darkest hour? Like all history not yet written, it’s up to us. But make no mistake – history, and the world, is watching.

Park Geun-hye, former President of South Korea.

Park Guen-hye was elected President of South Korea in 2012 on a platform of reform and reconciliation with North Korea. The election was close, and as the first woman to hold the position there were many questions as to how South Korea was changing. But she had popular support as the nation rallied around her.

By 2016, a scandal enveloped her administration involving donations to foundations under her personal direction. Between this and an apparent inability to deliver on her platform, the public turned on her. The corruption proved to be her undoing, and in 2017 she was impeached and removed from office. She is now in jail after a conviction on corruption charges in 2018.

This is important because while this was traumatic for South Korea, it was not the end of their democratic republic. Their constitution, only 36 years old, had never been tested before. It was the commitment to the rule of law and the strength of their nation which saw them through.

South Koreans are often embarrassed by the whole event, but they should not be. It was, in the end, a proud moment. Little else could have proven how strong their nation is.

Say, does that star-spangled banner still wave over the land of the free and the home of the brave?

Something similar to this is going to have to happen in the United States for us to survive. There is still a steady feed of propaganda to the part of the nation which supports Trump that states that none of this is “justice” at all. Their support is likely to be eroded as the arguments make less and less sense, and change constantly, but there will still be support. Many people will go through this believing they were robbed.

In the election coming up we will have our first test. If the Democrats do not take the House and advance in the Senate, we will have a situation which is considerably worse. As it becomes more and more obvious by the day that we are captive to a gangster world, we could wind up lacking any ability to deal with it. That would be the worst possible scenario. In that sense, everything is riding on this election.

Today’s so-called “conservatives,” who are nothing of the kind, are deeply entrenched in the gangster mentality themselves. They value winning above all else, as shown by their continued obsession with Hillary Clinton. Losing, especially losing big, will change the dynamic dramatically. They will proclaim it rigged at first, but those in power will likely run away from the “loser” to protect themselves. It is the only thing which can put a stop to the spin machine.

This is what is necessary for us to not only remove the threat to our democratic republic and the rule of law, but to get past this episode and heal. What is coming is a dark hour that will test us like nothing since reconstruction.

We will be judged by what is coming up shortly. Be prepared for it.