Chilling. There are times when I think a military coup might be our best way out of our current situation, especially with the US Supreme Court kow-towing to Trump. This use of ICE really makes horrible sense.
I keep thinking about the destruction of that “drug-carrying” boat in international waters, just north of Venezuela. The boat was so small and open, it’s hard to imagine it trying to travel the 1000 miles to the US. So trump is judge, jury and executioner in an attack that violates international law.
So is he trying to provoke a war with Venezuela so he can be a “war-time” president in the hope that patriotism will push voters to support the republicans or give him an excuse to cancel or “postpone” the elections in ‘26 and ‘28”?
Not far fetched at all. I have been "tweeting" about this. The boat bombing is likely to help bolster Trump's use of the Alien Enemies Act to "rendition" immigrants w/o due process - under the guise of an "invasion by Venezuelan gangs" - is a red herring. In case you missed it, this strategy is right out of Project 2025 - you know, that document Trump claimed (LIED) to know nothing about!
If we really were at war with Venezuela, there would have been B-1 bombers over Caracas by now.
Meanwhile, last I saw the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the "invasion" claim. I assume Trump will appeal to SCOTUS, and who knows what the "Roberts VI" will do.
Anyway, it's not a bad idea to "prepare for the worst, but hope for the best." My gut tells me this might not end well.
My thoughts exactly. War w Venezuela as an emergency, so suspension of civil rights, intimidation at the polls, etc. Plus Putin's order to nix mail-in ballots.
There are almost no job requirements for ICE recruits. No other law enforcement agency would accept them. Therefore, they know that they must exhibit unwavering loyalty to the Trump regime under all circumstances.
Yes, people who would be willing to kill for him. It reminds me of Charles Manson and his clan. Charlie never killed anyone, he just got others to kill for him. tRump is just as deranged as Manson.
I agree. When he took over DC, I said he will turn it into his Green Zone, a security perimeter that he can feel safe within regardless of what might be going on beyond it. Where he can dispatch his goons to conduct operations outside the wire and have them return to base afterwards. It's not about controlling crime. It's about his personal security
tRump is quite paranoid, as were many other authoritarian leaders, like Stalin.
Like most sociopaths, tRump gets criticized a lot due to his unethical behavior. However, since he does not feel that he is abnormal, he can't undrstand all the criticism, so he feels that he is always under attack for no reason. This just adds to his paranoia. His dispatching of goons makes sense to him, but for us, we see fascism at work.
All this has occurred to me since trump was elected the first time; indeed i thought now we can get busy strengthening the laws that protect us instead of relying on “the norms” Obviously opportunities came and went, we had the Mitch McConnells and the kevin Mc Carthy’s to obstruct, and here we are..
This nation had so many opportunities to stop this mess. His mental state should have triggered the 25th Amendment and removal in 2017. Dr Bandy Lee made a valiant effort with her book, "The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump" to warn the nation of his wickedness. The behavioral science community was ignored.
In many ways ICE is already acting very much like Hitlers Gestapo. You can tell that Trump is using them to target people that support Palestine rights. I am sure that Trump will see to it that ICE future hires will be tough cruel people that will be loyal to him.
This is unnerving, Professor, but we need to know. So far he has pushed the boundaries way past any place they’ve been before. ICE is his personal militia to do his personal bidding. Just like you said.
Well the pressure point would be the federal budget. They've mapped it out but they still need to actually allocate it. That's where we come in. Light up those phones and call your electeds!
Thanks for reinforcing this idea that those billions will support a private mafia with no guidelines whatsoever, composed of narcissistic and bullying flunkies from existing forces and the various "militias" out there.
While we cannot currently afford to put up armed resistance, we need to be aware that a well-regulated militia may be required to protect everyday citizens from their lawless activities.
Well, this essay is completely pessimistic and demoralizing. I understand it may be realistic; however, the author appears to offer no way forward. Given the conclusions presented in the guest essay, I sure wish I had Irish heritage and could get out of here.
SCARY! But definitely thought-provoking! May the need for a coup never come to pass, but if it does, nay those who swear loyalty to the Constitution prevail.
I’m beginning to ask myself if I need to start stocking up on rations. No one is sure how this will end.
Chilling. There are times when I think a military coup might be our best way out of our current situation, especially with the US Supreme Court kow-towing to Trump. This use of ICE really makes horrible sense.
I keep thinking about the destruction of that “drug-carrying” boat in international waters, just north of Venezuela. The boat was so small and open, it’s hard to imagine it trying to travel the 1000 miles to the US. So trump is judge, jury and executioner in an attack that violates international law.
So is he trying to provoke a war with Venezuela so he can be a “war-time” president in the hope that patriotism will push voters to support the republicans or give him an excuse to cancel or “postpone” the elections in ‘26 and ‘28”?
I don’t put anything past this guy.
Not far fetched at all. I have been "tweeting" about this. The boat bombing is likely to help bolster Trump's use of the Alien Enemies Act to "rendition" immigrants w/o due process - under the guise of an "invasion by Venezuelan gangs" - is a red herring. In case you missed it, this strategy is right out of Project 2025 - you know, that document Trump claimed (LIED) to know nothing about!
If we really were at war with Venezuela, there would have been B-1 bombers over Caracas by now.
Meanwhile, last I saw the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the "invasion" claim. I assume Trump will appeal to SCOTUS, and who knows what the "Roberts VI" will do.
Anyway, it's not a bad idea to "prepare for the worst, but hope for the best." My gut tells me this might not end well.
I had the same fear, but you put it so articulately and chillingly.
My thoughts exactly. War w Venezuela as an emergency, so suspension of civil rights, intimidation at the polls, etc. Plus Putin's order to nix mail-in ballots.
Good times!
There are almost no job requirements for ICE recruits. No other law enforcement agency would accept them. Therefore, they know that they must exhibit unwavering loyalty to the Trump regime under all circumstances.
Yes, people who would be willing to kill for him. It reminds me of Charles Manson and his clan. Charlie never killed anyone, he just got others to kill for him. tRump is just as deranged as Manson.
I agree. When he took over DC, I said he will turn it into his Green Zone, a security perimeter that he can feel safe within regardless of what might be going on beyond it. Where he can dispatch his goons to conduct operations outside the wire and have them return to base afterwards. It's not about controlling crime. It's about his personal security
Ugh
tRump is quite paranoid, as were many other authoritarian leaders, like Stalin.
Like most sociopaths, tRump gets criticized a lot due to his unethical behavior. However, since he does not feel that he is abnormal, he can't undrstand all the criticism, so he feels that he is always under attack for no reason. This just adds to his paranoia. His dispatching of goons makes sense to him, but for us, we see fascism at work.
All this has occurred to me since trump was elected the first time; indeed i thought now we can get busy strengthening the laws that protect us instead of relying on “the norms” Obviously opportunities came and went, we had the Mitch McConnells and the kevin Mc Carthy’s to obstruct, and here we are..
This nation had so many opportunities to stop this mess. His mental state should have triggered the 25th Amendment and removal in 2017. Dr Bandy Lee made a valiant effort with her book, "The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump" to warn the nation of his wickedness. The behavioral science community was ignored.
In many ways ICE is already acting very much like Hitlers Gestapo. You can tell that Trump is using them to target people that support Palestine rights. I am sure that Trump will see to it that ICE future hires will be tough cruel people that will be loyal to him.
Thank you Ruth, as always a thoughtful, well researched & informed essay.
This is unnerving, Professor, but we need to know. So far he has pushed the boundaries way past any place they’ve been before. ICE is his personal militia to do his personal bidding. Just like you said.
Well the pressure point would be the federal budget. They've mapped it out but they still need to actually allocate it. That's where we come in. Light up those phones and call your electeds!
Thanks for reinforcing this idea that those billions will support a private mafia with no guidelines whatsoever, composed of narcissistic and bullying flunkies from existing forces and the various "militias" out there.
While we cannot currently afford to put up armed resistance, we need to be aware that a well-regulated militia may be required to protect everyday citizens from their lawless activities.
Well, this essay is completely pessimistic and demoralizing. I understand it may be realistic; however, the author appears to offer no way forward. Given the conclusions presented in the guest essay, I sure wish I had Irish heritage and could get out of here.
SCARY! But definitely thought-provoking! May the need for a coup never come to pass, but if it does, nay those who swear loyalty to the Constitution prevail.
"May," not "nay"
To paraphrase from “Jaws”: we’re going to need a bigger coup.
A chlling essay, Ruth.
There’s no question that this is a plan that was started with the Jan 6 insurrection and grown into a dictatorship complete with armed forces.
Strongly, and accurately, worded wake-up-call.
Wake up my US friends because the fellow wandering around in the White House is executing some very dark plans.