There is an iconic meme out there about silence and atrocities… and this example from the timeline of professor Laurence Tribe exquisitely defines it’s meaning in the era of Donald Trump in America and this was almost exactly a year ago from today, July 22, 2020:
But the execrable, faux-human currently occupying the Oval Office has gotten considerably worse in the intervening year.
In the past week, he has unleashed what can only be viewed as his first steps towards authoritarianism and a fucking crown.
He has sent unidentifiable paramilitary forces to snatch US citizens off American streets without warrants and over and above the requests and demands of local leadership in the Portland, Oregon area (including members of the Oregon Congressional Delegation) to remove said forces from their community.
Trump was interviewed on Fox News Sunday by host Chris Wallace on Sunday July 19, 2020 about the pandemic and his polling and lots of other issues. Trump apparently lives in an alternate universe. See the 4 minute version of that interview:
This fucking lunatic is now sending what amounts to a Secret Police force into American cities. This is what Portland, Oregon has looked like lately:
Portland, Oregon Mayor Ted Wheeler on July 14, 2020
Dateline July 18, 2020
U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, Jeff Merkley and Chris Murphy:
It is not hyperbole to say that Trump sees that he is going to beaten on November 3, 2020 and he has decided to do everything he can to prevent that day from arriving.
One of those ways would be to send in the military to quell unrest — except that without Mayors and/or Governors requesting federal aid, he can’t do that. The Posse Comitatus Act prevents that in almost all situations, using the Federal Military on U.S. soil to act as local policing forces.
So he’s done it by sending in unidentifiable paramilitary in camouflage & tactical gear designed to be scary to civilians, and to grab said citizens off the streets without warrants and transport them to unnamed destinations in violation of a whole tranche of civil rights.
Dateline July 19, 2020
Reports say he intends to send these forces to other American cities.
He has said this about it via his latest bobble-head, over-paid Press Secretary:
“White House Backs Sending Federal Agents Into U.S. Cities”
If he can’t win this November with votes, perhaps he can make that vote “like a miracle, just go away”… he can’t of course, but HE MAY WELL BELIEVE THAT HE CAN.