An occupying force
Michael Sellers, a former CIA officer:
This call was absolutely batshit crazy. It’s the straw that breaks the camel’s back for me in terms of what I’m about to say. I have been thinking about this for several days and now, after this very disturbing call with the governors (for which there are audio recordings, so there’s no doubt what he said) — I’m going to say it: I am increasingly worried that Trump is laying the groundwork to invoke the Insurrection Act 10 U.S. Code § 252 and declare martial law. This is something he has the power to do, and if he were to do it, civilian rule of law would be suspended. There are many things pointing to the idea that he is at least aware of it and trying to lay groundwork: His attempt to designate Antifa as a “terrorist” organization helps lay that groundwork. More importantly, his efforts to position the governors as incapable of keeping the peace further lays that groundwork. The law states: “Whenever the President considers that unlawful obstructions, combinations, or assemblages, or rebellion against the authority of the United States, make it impracticable to enforce the laws of the United States in any State by the ordinary course of judicial proceedings, he may call into Federal service such of the militia of any State, and use such of the armed forces, as he considers necessary to enforce those laws or to suppress the rebellion.”
Review the contents of the call with the government with that in mind: “You have to dominate or you’ll look like a bunch of jerks, you have to arrest and try people….It’s a movement, if you don’t put it down it will get worse and worse . . .The only time its successful is when you’re weak and most of you are weak.”
And this, which goes directly to the issue of martial law:
“So bad a few nights ago that the people wouldn’t have minded an occupying force . . .I wish we had an occupying force in there.”
…
One thing that may keep him from doing it would be the idea that it makes him look weak — that the only way he could control it was to resort to a military coup of his own government (which is what a declaration of martial law is, more or less). But I’m not at all sure that will stop him from doing it. And if he keeps fanning the flames and making it worse, all that does is heighten the likelihood that he could do it. I hope I’m wrong. I really, truly hope I’m wrong, but keep an eye on this and watch his actions with this in mind.
It’s very very scary.
It’s time for Pence to get Congress together and invoke the 25th amendment, or there needs to be new impeachment articles drawn up, or he needs to resign, any one of these would do. He needs to be gone, he is spectacularly incompetent and dangerously stupid.
Really? I reckon that Trump would think the exact opposite. It would be all of his dreams come true. And if he does mobilize the military to start shooting U.S citizens it will make his base love him more than ever. After all, who would be dying? Black people and liberals, and everybody knows that the only true Americans are white and Republican
I flatly disbelieve that Trump is even dimly aware of such a subtlety. He will see it as reinforcing his idea that he is a ‘strong’ (i.e. authoritarian) leader. The military will dominate whatever and whoever it is pointed at, and since he is in charge of the military, that makes him king.
I wonder where all the ‘small government’ ‘states rights’ ‘don’t tread on me’ types are in all of this. Are they still convinced that Trump is the small government type?
Given the tweets I’ve been reading, I’d say a lot of them are just fine and dandy with it. In fact a lot of them seem to be just absolutely beside themselves with gun fondling glee about it. If you want to see a pulled together thread of documented police (and in some cases informal militia) violence against peaceful protesters, check out Greg Doucette (https://twitter.com/greg_doucette). He also has an excellent thread on Qualified Immunity. He’s a recovering Republican. Seems like a decent bloke despite that (mostly).
Some of the pithiest replies to the MAGAts have been “Rule me Big Government Daddy!” and “You’re supposed to be licking that jackboot, not fellating it.” Not exactly high-brow, but…
twiliter,
It’s the cabinet that can invoke the 25th Amendment. And if there’s any group more full of spineless bootlickers than the Republicans in the Senate, it’s Trump’s cabinet.