It may be old news to some — Bill Maher’s “slow moving coup” theory — but it was new to me when I saw his show this weekend. And it was one of the more alarming assessments of Trump’s intentions that I’ve seen to date. Sure, it may be just paranoid speculation. But that’s been said before about Trump’s intentions. Before they came to be.
Meanwhile, a more immediate concern is the increasing number of National Guard troops that Trump has ordered into Washington DC, said troops now authorized to openly carry weapons. That in addition to his announced plan to order the same in Chicago, and after that, possibly New York City. Baltimore and Oakland have also been mentioned. As noted today by Illinois Governor Pritzker, such policing activities are “unprecedented, unwarranted, and illegal.” And, not surprisingly, they are happening in blue cities in blue states and so far, in cities with black mayors.
Supposedly such troop deployments can only last for 30 days, but a joint resolution from Congress can extend that time. Trump has already said he will ask for “long-term extensions.” And the Supreme Court has given him virtual carte blanche for his actions as president.
Slow moving coup? In what form? Maher’s suggested power grab in Washington after the next election? Or a military takeover of most of the country? Either way, it’s about an increasingly demented Trump retaining power.
But hey, what, me worry?
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Header image: Television comedian, commentator, host Bill Maher
hmmm
hmmm indeed
You won’t get a single hmmm from me – just much nodding of my head and a continuously enraged expression.
Well, for sure we can’t feign surprise at anything he does.
But a warning from my dear departed mom: If you keep making that face, your face will freeze that way.
[grin]
I looked up what Wikipedia has to say about this. Wiki notes that it reflects an editor’s opinion, which I agree with.
“The separation of military and police roles is the principle by which the military and law enforcement perform clearly differentiated duties and do not interfere with each other’s areas of discipline. Whereas the military’s purpose is to fight wars, law enforcement is meant to enforce domestic law. Neither is trained specifically to do the other’s job. Military and law enforcement differ, sometimes fundamentally, in areas such as source of authority, training in use of force, training in investigation and prosecution, and training in enforcing laws and ensuring civil liberties.
“Even “gray area” threats like drug trafficking, organized crime or terrorism will require sophisticated investigative skills and adherence to procedures for building a case as well as close collaboration with prosecutorial and judicial authorities. These are arguably traits solely attributed to law enforcement officers. Military personnel, on the other hand, are trained to defend the national territory from foreign military threats and are equipped with weapons designed to kill the enemy, rather than to stun or disable.[1]: 25 The presence of a heavily armed military standing in for the law enforcement personnel may reassure anxious civilians or not, but it should at best be partial and short-term.”
In short, military means fighting war and war means the suspension of normal rules of society in order to defeat an enemy. The use of military force in policing is thus a threat to democracy.
Oh absolutely it’s a threat. The military is trained for war. Police are trained for law enforcement among civilians. It’s frightening enough that Trump would order the National Guard into DC and take over the local police department, but even worse is having National Guard from 6 other states coming in or being sent in to bolster the takeover. I’m not sure if those states were red states whose governors voluntarily sent in reinforcements or whether Trump commandeered them. But it’s all very concerning and I don’t expect Congress to stand up to him.
Going to be interesting to see what happens in Chicago …