Good News/Bad News

First the good news.

If Biden wins, there will be violence. 

The savagery will be instigated by a sociopathic, shameless, twice divorced, twice impeached, p——y grabbing electoral vote deficient lying sore loser. Imagine a combination of the January 6th, 2021 attempted coup and the riotous Black Lives Matter demonstrations with a greater loss of life and injuries. A result of severe lead poisoning from Trump’s followers brandishing AR-15 rifles and assorted firearms. The battles will be mostly one sided since Democrats aren’t exactly Dirty Harry or Rambo. (See below).

In essence, the end product will be a political pogrom. 

• Republicans and Republican-leaning independents are more than twice as likely as Democrats and Democratic leaners to say they personally own a gun (45% vs. 20%). Source Pew Research September 2023. 

Eventually the rioting will be quelled by the National Guard and local law enforcement agencies. That is if they don’t take sides. 

OY! Jeffy! If that’s the good news! What’s the bad news?

If Trump wins there will be violent purges with longer lasting affects. These purges will make Hitler’s “Night of the Long Knives” seem like a pajama party in comparison. 

For further explanation please read: 

https://www.britannica.com/event/Night-of-the-Long-Knives

However if you believe purges could never happen in America, here’s a lesson from an amateur historian. (That’s me!)

Good Ol’ Honest Abe suspended the writ of habeas corpus while rounding up potential Confederate collaborators. Source: Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History 

Lincoln initially suspended habeas corpus in the volatile border state of Maryland in 1861 in order to try large numbers of civilian rioters in military courts and to prevent the movement of Confederate troops on Washington. The order was eventually extended in response to different threats. In the summer of 1862, President Lincoln had called up the state militias, leading to increased opposition to the Civil War within the Union. By General Orders No. 141, September 25, 1862, Lincoln subjected protestors to martial law and the suspension of habeas corpus.

During Woodrow Wilson’s World War I administration, the incarcerations began in earnest. (Including the imprisonment of Eugene Debs, a former presidential candidate who in 1912 garnered 6% of the popular vote). Shame on Wilson. (Then again what can you expect from a president who green-lighted the segregation of the Departments of the Treasury, Commerce, Navy and Post Office.) 

From the National Constitution Center:

 During World War I, President Woodrow Wilson pushed for new laws that criminalized core First Amendment speech.  Congress passed the Espionage Act shortly after the U.S. entered the war. The Act made it a crime to convey information intended to interfere with the war effort.  Later, the Sedition Act imposed harsh penalties for a wide range of dissenting speech, including speech abusing the U.S. government, the flag, the Constitution, and the military.  These laws were directed at socialists, pacifists, and other anti-war activists.  The Wilson Administration argued that these Acts were essential to the war effort and prosecuted thousands of anti-war activists under their various provisions.  While modern scholars view these Acts as violating core free speech protections, the Supreme Court at the time upheld these convictions.

One more example: Let’s not forget the Uber purge of American history. FDR’s inexcusable Executive Order 9066. Another War related civil rights atrocity in which 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry were forcibly removed from their homes and shipped to distant “internment camps.” About 80,000 were Japanese-Americans. These citizens were deemed possible subversives due to their last names and the shape of their eyes. In a 6-3 decision the Supreme Court went along with this racial injustice. (Komatsu vs. US).

For further reading, here’s my take from a visit to the Manzanar Japanese Internment Camp in California:

https://jeffsambur.blogspot.com/2018/03/manzanar-revisited.html

I’ve now historically established purges do and can occur in  the “Land of the Free.”

I began this post with a comparison of Trump to Hitler for a reason. Since America’s descent into the Age of Trumpism, political pundits (and me) have seen alarming similarities between the two. All the verbal and physical threats, intimidations, scapegoating, dismissals of the Rule of Law and their respective Constitutions, an admiration of fellow autocrats, and an aversion to facts mired in a deeply Nationalistic vibe. None of this bodes well for the US, since it didn’t work out too well for Germany either. As in Germany there will be many innocent victims.

In Trump’s own words: “ revenge, retribution, fight like hell, terminate the Constitution, suckers and losers, vermin, poisoning the blood of our country, enemies of the people, dictator on Day 1, American carnage“ 

 “Now, if I don’t get elected, it’s going to be a blood bath for the whole — that’s going to be the least of it. It’s going to be a blood bath for the country.” March 16, 2024. Vandalia, OH.

Not exactly “We the People” words or a return to a Woodstock Nation. Is it? 

Trump’s deplorable toadies are already on the sidelines…waiting.

Instead of Hermann Goring (influential leader of the Nazi Party) there’s Mark Meadows.

Hitler had Nazi propagandist Joesph Goebbels. Trump has Steven Cheung (former head of communications of Ultimate Fighting Championship) and Steve Bannon (former head of alt-right Breitbart News) and Stephen Miller (co-author with Bannon of the infamous 2017 inaugural speech. “This American carnage stops right here and stops right now”) 

Stephen Miller is another Jew who apparently slept through his US/World History classes. 

As far as muscle goes, Hitler had the Gestapo, the paramilitary SA and SS plus those unlovable teenagers in the Hitler Youth League. Trump has the Oath Keepers, the Proud Boys and the Three Percenters many of whom will be pardoned if their political False Messiah regains the White House.

If you believe checks and balances will come to the rescue. Fuhgettaboudit! The Heritage Foundation will hand Trump a list of political appointees whose main attribute is the ability to suck a watermelon through a PVC pipe. In other words, total ass kissers and sycophants with unquestioning loyalty to the Con Man in Chief.  https://www.heritage.org/conservatism/commentary/project-2025

And the purges and violence will begin.

If you still believe, “that could never happen here.” I’ll respond this way. A Nation which protects the rights of gun ownership over the rights of children to attain adulthood (Uvalde, Parkland, Aurora, Newtown) has already set a morally low bar. It’ll take more then  “sending thoughts and prayers” to fix America’s misaligned priorities. Yes, bad stuff will happen again with Trump in charge. 

In America’s history there has been 45 peaceful presidential transfers of power. (Sure Hays vs. Tilden and Bush vs. Gore were glitches, but civil decency eventually prevailed). On January 6th, 2021 this 224 year string of Democratic correctness came to a sudden and violent halt. The aberration that is Trump cannot and will not abide by the rules or laws.  Trump is spending so much time in courtrooms, he might as well purchase a Laz Y Boy recliner to fume in. 

Who knows? Maybe a disciple will organize a GoFundMe to offset the expense. 

Folks, the coming election is a simple choice. The continuation of Democracy or the descent into Dictatorship. All the other issues (the economy, the Gaza War, immigration and “wokeness”) are small lumps of tasteless tofu in comparison. 

“And by the way, I can’t believe I have to say this, but ‘Are you going to be a dictator?’ is not a normal question you should have to ask a presidential candidate. If you have to ask your babysitter, ‘Are you going to eat my kids?’, it doesn’t matter what their answer is. The fact that you needed to ask them means you should get another babysitter.” — CHARLAMAGNE THA GOD

Trump is a predatory Beast. When backed into a corner (with the possibility of jail time) he’ll become even more unhinged and  dangerous. 

Beware. The next eight months will make the election cycle of 2016 and 2020 seem like a Buddhist Yoga Retreat.

Lastly, I found a Trump quote that’s not a lie. In his own words. 

“The gravest threats to our civilization are not from abroad, but from within.” Nov. 15, 2022, Palm Beach, Fla.

Wake up! Pay Attention! Because you never know how deep a purge can go.