The president threatens war with a U.S. state, uses racist tropes, and foists Black Hawk helicopters on civilians. A police executive says politicians no longer know where to draw the line
Ordering and execution of dubious military operations against our nation’s citizens, visitors or guests, in their homes and streets of American cities is a crime against our constitution. There can be no doubt, nor any justification, for military leadership and soldiers to engage in illegal activities, regardless of who gives the order.
Consequently, what’s happened and still happening is a serious crime. So, what options and responsibilities do patriotic citizens have when the president, administration, chief enforcement officials and arguably a majority of the three branches of government are criminals?
As a pacifist who finds a new Civil War, under any circumstance thoroughly repugnant, this is vexing. Rekha accurately describes and urges (no surprise there), we not succumb to being lured into a domestic, armed, violent conflict in our cities which would likely trigger an escalation, endangering even more innocent people.
Contemplating state national guard and local police officers facing down regular army and ICE units is a nightmare scenario. But, is this entirely inconceivable? I’m not certain or completely convinced anymore. That’s too sad, scary and depressing to contemplate. What would Patrick Henry, Samuel Adams, Thomas Paine and so many other of our founding fathers think? What would they recommend? I wonder.
trump is a wanna be dictator and is largely succeeding day by day, inch by inch. There are about 300 cases in court that challenge various things he has done, and we, the people are winning many of them. However, if the decisions are being followed through is another matter. Project 2025 was drafted by very smart extreme right wing people, and trump is following that playbook. He’s not smart enough to do all of this on his own. His power play will be diminished if Dem win in 2026, and indeed if there are elections in 2026. Right now, there’s a newly elected House Representative (D) that speaker Johnson is refusing to swear in, because she will tilt the vote to release the Epstein files. Like Benjamin Franklin said “We’ve given you a Republic if you can keep it”. America has never been more threatened than now. Keep leaning on Congress— it’s what we can do .
So much has frayed and unraveled in such a short period of time.
I can remember sitting with my wife in an Austin movie theater waiting for Mindwalk (1990) to begin. A preview of one of the countless hideously violent feature films that Hollywood has poisoned our popular culture with came on the screen. It elicited a chorus of groans of revulsion from the audience.
Who would have thought in 1990 that America and indeed Western civilization could be on the verge of collapse?
Thank you for this, Rekha. I wonder if he has a plan to constantly but slowly attack cities until he reaches NYC for a long stay next year and then forbid an election due to turmoil in US.
Thank you, Rekha. Your words are strong, true, and perfectly measured. Your voice speaks for so many of us. Keep up the good work on behalf of civility.
Thanks, Rekha, for your strong and wise voice. This gets worse and worse. When helicopters and masked, unidentified men with zip ties are rounding up children taken from their bedrooms to be left standing in the night air, and the masked interlopers are screaming “F#*^* those kids!”, we have a problem. The wrongly seized power and senseless cruelty are rampant. We are all needed to stop this illegal horror show.
The Constitution prohibits insurrectionists from being President for a reason. They have no respect for our government or institutions and the drafters of the Amendment knew something like this would happen should they be allowed to hold office. So they prohibited it. And, the Supreme Court and Congress did what to uphold the Constitution? Nothing would be the correct response.
Another problem is when the Senate confirms Supreme Court justices who are clearly lying to them, they write rulings that perpetuate lies. For example, I Like Beer Kavanaugh just wrote a ruling allowing ICE to stop and detain people because they are brown and speak Spanish. He said they would be released immediately if they were US Citizens. Is that what happened in Chicago? Only an idiot would believe that--or, perhaps, he doesn't believe it and never has--he's just a liar.
Living in a racist Border State for five decades, May I say that the thoughtful Hispanic will make the best of a situation. They managed to Chump Trump in his first Term. I call upon Jeffries and Shumer to embrace the power bestowed upon them by the Bigot in Chief. If you deserve the Sombrero and Mustache, you too will subtly Chump the Trump.
Soldiers repelling down ropes from six Blackhawk helicopters in Chicago. How long will it take before someone drops a Molotov cocktail on an unmarked convoy of vehicles carrying masked, assault rifle carrying assholes and gunfights break out? That’s what they want. A reason to declare marshal law and suspend elections indefinitely. Voila. Civil War. L.A. was just a training exercise. Adding multiple cities increases the likelihood of agitating the violence he/they seek. When I was young, long ago, demonstrators would place flowers into the muzzle barrels of guardsmen about the same age as us. Would that be possible today? I wonder.
I can definitely see a situation where vance will agree to using the twenty fifth amendment to remove the president. They will use him as long as they can.But I wouldn't be surprised if there are actions being planned to somehow remove the president whether it's through his incompetence, or some sort of political violence. And then use that as a way to put the country under martial law and install vance in the oval office.... i think it's just a question of when.
I’ll go on a limb here maybe. I think JD is just waiting for the “ right” narrative spin to make it acceptable to followers and the “right” moment to “ reluctantly” agree to 25th. (Plus, he can pardon his boss for this and that as part of the art of that deal.)He’s the tech bros favorite boy, and you better believe they will seize the moment when the moment is just right to install him.
I've heard the opinion -- to be clear, from people who do NOT stand for or support anything Vance believes in -- that Vance in place of Trump would reduce the cult fervency, in a way that could bring some electoral relief. I'm curious to know what you and other readers here think of the broader consequences of Vance in place of Trump.
Sadye, I've thought that myself. Trump has a unique and multilayered hold on his supporters that couldn't be easily replicated. I don't think Vance would have the same following or impact.
The advantage of Vance is he will split the Republican Party and the MAGA base. Many dictatorships around the world have died once the dictator was no longer an issue for whatever reason. Stalin's purges ended when Stalin had a stroke and died. I don't think we will see pickup trucks with Vance flags in the back driving around rural roads in Iowa. I also don't think the likes of Rubio, maybe even Miller or others would hesitate to challenge Vance. When Trump's gone, so is MAGA.
Ordering and execution of dubious military operations against our nation’s citizens, visitors or guests, in their homes and streets of American cities is a crime against our constitution. There can be no doubt, nor any justification, for military leadership and soldiers to engage in illegal activities, regardless of who gives the order.
Consequently, what’s happened and still happening is a serious crime. So, what options and responsibilities do patriotic citizens have when the president, administration, chief enforcement officials and arguably a majority of the three branches of government are criminals?
As a pacifist who finds a new Civil War, under any circumstance thoroughly repugnant, this is vexing. Rekha accurately describes and urges (no surprise there), we not succumb to being lured into a domestic, armed, violent conflict in our cities which would likely trigger an escalation, endangering even more innocent people.
Contemplating state national guard and local police officers facing down regular army and ICE units is a nightmare scenario. But, is this entirely inconceivable? I’m not certain or completely convinced anymore. That’s too sad, scary and depressing to contemplate. What would Patrick Henry, Samuel Adams, Thomas Paine and so many other of our founding fathers think? What would they recommend? I wonder.
trump is a wanna be dictator and is largely succeeding day by day, inch by inch. There are about 300 cases in court that challenge various things he has done, and we, the people are winning many of them. However, if the decisions are being followed through is another matter. Project 2025 was drafted by very smart extreme right wing people, and trump is following that playbook. He’s not smart enough to do all of this on his own. His power play will be diminished if Dem win in 2026, and indeed if there are elections in 2026. Right now, there’s a newly elected House Representative (D) that speaker Johnson is refusing to swear in, because she will tilt the vote to release the Epstein files. Like Benjamin Franklin said “We’ve given you a Republic if you can keep it”. America has never been more threatened than now. Keep leaning on Congress— it’s what we can do .
We are in uncharted waters. Thanks for continuing to sound the alarm. When are enough people going to wake up?
Thanks Dave. Isn't that the million dollar question?
So much has frayed and unraveled in such a short period of time.
I can remember sitting with my wife in an Austin movie theater waiting for Mindwalk (1990) to begin. A preview of one of the countless hideously violent feature films that Hollywood has poisoned our popular culture with came on the screen. It elicited a chorus of groans of revulsion from the audience.
Who would have thought in 1990 that America and indeed Western civilization could be on the verge of collapse?
thank you Rekha - you write the obvious before our eyes - horrendous and dangerous.
Thank you for this, Rekha. I wonder if he has a plan to constantly but slowly attack cities until he reaches NYC for a long stay next year and then forbid an election due to turmoil in US.
Great column. It appears there are no limits on the Trump Administration.
Thank you Rekha! The media has been disturbingly silent about this - I have heard nothing about Chicago on PBS or IPR!!
Thank you for keeping so many of us informed about the truth of the insanty in this nation!
Thank you, Rekha. Your words are strong, true, and perfectly measured. Your voice speaks for so many of us. Keep up the good work on behalf of civility.
Thank you.
Thanks, Rekha, for your strong and wise voice. This gets worse and worse. When helicopters and masked, unidentified men with zip ties are rounding up children taken from their bedrooms to be left standing in the night air, and the masked interlopers are screaming “F#*^* those kids!”, we have a problem. The wrongly seized power and senseless cruelty are rampant. We are all needed to stop this illegal horror show.
The Constitution prohibits insurrectionists from being President for a reason. They have no respect for our government or institutions and the drafters of the Amendment knew something like this would happen should they be allowed to hold office. So they prohibited it. And, the Supreme Court and Congress did what to uphold the Constitution? Nothing would be the correct response.
Another problem is when the Senate confirms Supreme Court justices who are clearly lying to them, they write rulings that perpetuate lies. For example, I Like Beer Kavanaugh just wrote a ruling allowing ICE to stop and detain people because they are brown and speak Spanish. He said they would be released immediately if they were US Citizens. Is that what happened in Chicago? Only an idiot would believe that--or, perhaps, he doesn't believe it and never has--he's just a liar.
Living in a racist Border State for five decades, May I say that the thoughtful Hispanic will make the best of a situation. They managed to Chump Trump in his first Term. I call upon Jeffries and Shumer to embrace the power bestowed upon them by the Bigot in Chief. If you deserve the Sombrero and Mustache, you too will subtly Chump the Trump.
Soldiers repelling down ropes from six Blackhawk helicopters in Chicago. How long will it take before someone drops a Molotov cocktail on an unmarked convoy of vehicles carrying masked, assault rifle carrying assholes and gunfights break out? That’s what they want. A reason to declare marshal law and suspend elections indefinitely. Voila. Civil War. L.A. was just a training exercise. Adding multiple cities increases the likelihood of agitating the violence he/they seek. When I was young, long ago, demonstrators would place flowers into the muzzle barrels of guardsmen about the same age as us. Would that be possible today? I wonder.
I can definitely see a situation where vance will agree to using the twenty fifth amendment to remove the president. They will use him as long as they can.But I wouldn't be surprised if there are actions being planned to somehow remove the president whether it's through his incompetence, or some sort of political violence. And then use that as a way to put the country under martial law and install vance in the oval office.... i think it's just a question of when.
I’ll go on a limb here maybe. I think JD is just waiting for the “ right” narrative spin to make it acceptable to followers and the “right” moment to “ reluctantly” agree to 25th. (Plus, he can pardon his boss for this and that as part of the art of that deal.)He’s the tech bros favorite boy, and you better believe they will seize the moment when the moment is just right to install him.
I’m concerned regardless.
I've heard the opinion -- to be clear, from people who do NOT stand for or support anything Vance believes in -- that Vance in place of Trump would reduce the cult fervency, in a way that could bring some electoral relief. I'm curious to know what you and other readers here think of the broader consequences of Vance in place of Trump.
Sadye, I've thought that myself. Trump has a unique and multilayered hold on his supporters that couldn't be easily replicated. I don't think Vance would have the same following or impact.
The advantage of Vance is he will split the Republican Party and the MAGA base. Many dictatorships around the world have died once the dictator was no longer an issue for whatever reason. Stalin's purges ended when Stalin had a stroke and died. I don't think we will see pickup trucks with Vance flags in the back driving around rural roads in Iowa. I also don't think the likes of Rubio, maybe even Miller or others would hesitate to challenge Vance. When Trump's gone, so is MAGA.