High Altitude Line - July 20, 2026

Turkey is adrift in a sea of despair, where the rule of law has been abandoned in favor of the rule of wealth, and the cost of living has become unbearable. The author laments that "our laws have no connection to law. In our lands, it is not the laws, but Karun (a symbol of immense wealth) that dictates."

Economic woes are compounded by what appears to be a growing influence of religious conservatism. The appointment of a trustee to the Şişli Municipality to allocate buses for the Menzil sect's travel is cited as an example. "When the train of the Republic and secularism derailed, obscurantism began to dispatch buses," the author writes, expressing dismay.

The piece also touches on political tensions, noting that the ruling AKP's slow approach to a "process" is angering Bahçeli, a key coalition partner. President Erdoğan is quoted with a wry apology: "Although we have mentioned the PROCESS, please forgive us!"

Concerns are raised about the judiciary, which the author suggests has become entirely politicized, leading to a call for renaming high courts to reflect this shift. The media is accused of fabricating heroes and engaging in "national and local s-plagues" of perception management. The author criticizes humor that avoids challenging the status quo, stating that "watery humor that doesn't touch soap or water carries water to the ruling party's mill."

Furthermore, the article points to a troubling trend of intolerance towards freedom of expression and humor, even within the left-wing political spectrum, which is dubbed "SUSocial democracy." The piece concludes with a cynical observation about how "cleaning comes from IBAN," implying that financial transactions, rather than genuine effort, are now the source of progress.