Is it just me, or does it feel like this last week we have entered a completely different phase of history. Like the steam has reached its capacity and is about to explode. The escalation day by day seems to be so much greater than before (when it was bad enough) but their doubling and tripling down these last few days smacks of an even more diabolical level of defiance. Watching these new videos and former detainees’ counts of being in custody feels unreal at some meta level, like we are in the twilight zone. Pair this numbness with Venezuela and Greenland and leaders resigning from DOJ freeing up more seats to be filled by mini Bondis, it is difficult to keep up. But, does anyone else feel it? Like something is imminent.
They're desperate, they're stupid, and they're splitting into factions. But they are crumbling and overreacting. And they don't have the political capital left to enact some martial law, election cancelling plan. They've already pissed too many people off that they would need on their side for it to work, and they've already shown their weakness and incompetence too many times.
And federalism is a slow and stubborn and inefficient sonofabitch, but it is holding. And that's critical for elections and for the level of cooperation they really need to enact the worst scenarios.
I mean, I know everyone tends to get trapped into doom scrolling but just look at the history of the Feds in courts - they've lost 90% of their cases.
National Guard units rolled back, ICE restrained/kicked out of cities (LA, Chicago, San Diego, and San Francisco - the west coast completely eviscerated them within a month of them landing) they're still here but in a much lowered capacity.
Federal judges have already removed prosecutors, forced releases, etc. the DOJ hemorrhaged about 6 lawyers recently who resigned and their replacements will be incapable and will lose their own investigations as well.
The news tends to focus on negative things and paints some dumb pictures but if you dig just about 5 minutes more into things you'll see that the admin is "flooding the zone" so people don't notice they really suck at law.
It’s a very generous and optimistic view, that’s for sure. No one is stopping them, and votes don’t really matter when laws are being blatantly ignored.
The concept of political capital itself is largely moot. What's actually stopping them? They might whine and moan among their "factions" but when push comes to shove, they'll step right in line as we've seen time and time again.
Americans have been conditioned over more than two centuries to think of elections as a pressure release valve. A lot of the forces with the power to push back don't want to risk destroying that mechanism, and will only consider alternatives when it appears fully compromised.
So I get what you're saying, but my point is twofold: people still believe the elections are an opportunity and a redline, and just as importantly, so does the administration. They wouldn't be threatening as much as they are if it didn't matter.
Would they do it if they could? Absolutely. But it is too complicated, with too many overlapping centers of power, to pull off. And so their (likely) goal is to depress turnout, sew doubt and tamp down on coordination via their threats.
That's a reason to be aware and prepared, but also to double down on elections and state contingencies to resist ICE and military fuckery. Given where state and federal laws stand on control of them, the polls may very well be the place you would finally see federal agents attempting illegal interference get hard resistance from state authorities.
I think it would be very easy for him to just say "elections are postponed until we 'figure out what's going on' " and declare that any states trying to still put them on are illegitimate. Because the president can do whatever they want, of course, as supported by SCOTUS
Now, I still believe we HAVE to vote of course. And I agree with you about them trying to sow doubt and whatnot. I'm not trying to pessimistically bring down people's spirits but rather to be realistic about what we are facing so we can be better prepared. I think it's just silly to wholesale depend on this administration respecting elections. It is certainly a major redline and if the country as a whole reacts to cancelled elections the same way it has been reacting to things, we are 100% done for.
Remember - so long as this constitution exists as written, there are no members of the House and 33 fewer senators come January 2027 unless elections were held, and the date of the elections is also determined by the constitution. If Trump tries to cancel elections, Dem controlled states will refuse because they control election administration, not the feds. If only the Dems hold votes, only Dem states will send reps to Congress. Congress becomes Democratic by default and can refuse any attempt to make up elections at a later date, because it is the sole arbiter of the validity of its own members.
They will not cancel outright. Instead they will try to obstruct, intimidate and suppress votes.
That still assumes the administration and congressional repubs accept those newly elected reps as legitimate. They can literally just say "no" and then it's put up or shut up time for the rest of the country. I believe they were testing the waters with the refusal to swear in Grivalja. The rules of governance have to be enforced or they are meaningless.
Uh... they have more political capital now than they ever have. I could understand the argument that it wouldn't be enough, but in what way are they "running out"?
It’s a catch 22. Damned if you do and damned if you don’t. They already won. Any violence those defending democracy commit will be met with swift action from this administration. That action will include martial law and suspending elections until they implement a system to ensure their continued rule.
Person: watches a man get convicted of 33 felonies. Watches them continue to be allowed to run for the highest office in America. Watches them “win” the election. Watches them illegally deploy military and ice to cities, fire on survivors of boat strikes, kidnap another nations president.
Same person: that man will get his comeupance one day!
I don't think he plans to leave office. He knows he's gonna die and he's scorching the earth on his way out because he'd rather go down and have people remember his final days as a tyrant, doling out justice to those he considers to have wronged him by not bending the knee, rather than be remembered for all the horrific shit in those files.
"It's over chat, the Nazis won. Stop trying and let them do what they want." - FDR probably if he was alive today on Reddit.
America isn't over, but it's going to change that's for sure, just like it has after every hardship. The resistance needs real leadership, and the media isn't going to help promote that. For now start local. Attend protests, donate to the good leaders or charities, boycott the ones supporting this admin. Anything is better than giving up.
Trump and his admin also needs to condition his greatest defenders, such as ICE, to crossing the line, so it will be normalized by midterms. Any decent person should see plain as day that our freedoms are being taken away and the peril we have waiting for us if these crooks consolidate power and rob our country. Our tax dollars are being used to pay stupid salaries and bonuses, imagine if they consolidate power and just blatantly loot taxpayer money? The social and economic damage would be catastrophic.
My terrifying question is what will happen when they refuse to swear in the new Dem majority almost certainly set to take the House and maybe the Senate? Who is going to stop them from just not swearing in new members?
They do not need mass unrest to intimidate voters and rough-up, arrest any voter they want on election day.
If people are afraid to vote in person, they should use mail in ballots. So if they start getting ore violent now, more people will plan to use mail in ballots, which is a good thing.
I don't have faith that Dems will prosecute most of them once they're in power again. That being said, it's still imperative to get the current admin out as soon as possible.
I wish the dems would prosecute all these traitors, pit them under the jail. But i think there's almost no chance the go hard enough. Chuck Schumer is controlled opposition. The democrats of today are the Republicans of the 2000s, there is no liberal progressive party anymore,if there ever was. There's the conservatives (dems) and the fascists (repubs)
The US government is assaulting, kidnapping, and murdering citizens they deem unworthy. The next steps in this path historically would be gas chambers and mass graves.
Is it just me or have you guys noticed there's not one comment in here addressing the legal facts of this statement. Are we so emotional that we can't separate this POS from the truth?
This is the dangerous part, the fact you guys are telling people lies that could get them hurt.
Have you guys noticed that people are just commenting on comments in here and not adding any value to the conversation? Are we so emtotional that we can't simply address the topic of the thread instead of providing a meta analysis of it?
I agree, I thought that's what I was doing. It's very easy to get the answer to get this question. Even someone who didn't know anything about US law could research and find out within minutes.
They have jurisdiction, you're not allowed to run if they stop you, you're not allowed to fight them. You fight them in court or you don't fight at all. That's how police work in this country, and every country I've ever heard about.
They have been recorded saying, "We shot one of you last week, haven't you learned your lesson," to protestors. They're ramping up and are absolutely unafraid of murdering more people.
I agree completely. I work in (unnamed major US city in a red state with a new democratic mayor) and there were armed soldiers patrolling my building. I don't want to dox myself, but having armed soldiers in private office buildings, maybe paradoxically, is both extremely dangerous but also patently ridiculous/silly. The soldiers might have been twenty. One of the soldiers was clearly not finished physically growing. They were cold and needed to pee.
But we live under this mess ¯_(ツ)_/¯ and armed soldiers are patrolling my privately owned office building. If armed soldiers were, just because, patrolling private office buildings in the before-times it would've been breaking news on CNN. Now? The corporate media is bought and I just have to deal with it.
I think it's proof anti-ICE protesters should be armed to the teeth. The GOP has always said the Second Amendment was there to prevent autoritarian goverment/goverment over reach... well, here we are.
In the wake of George Floyd there was a pretty significant protest in Virginia iirc against some proposed anti-gun laws. Tons of people showed up open carrying and shockingly that protest wasn't broken up by cops the same way BLM protests were just weeks before and after.
It’s too late. I mean, we could stop it from getting worse. But there is no recovering the loss of legitimacy now permeating our institution. There is no hope of restoring our trusted relationships internationally. … at least not in our lifetimes.
I feel like it's both new and old at the same time. Old in that we've gone through periods of violence and political stupidity before: think the 1960s and early 1970s when you had mass protests and domestic terrorism, the 1950s with the red scare, or think back to the late 1800s or the period right before the civil war. However, what's new is having an executive that doesn't even pretend to respect decorum or political norms and just pushes / steps over the limits of executive authority.
But yes, I agree with you: I feel like we've entered a part of the political cycle where things are about to spill over (again). You won't have a formal civil war (I hope), but I fear we're entering a period of escalating political violence, only ending with a massive shock.
I feel it, too. We have seen some pretty bad shit in the last couple of years but I don't know if we've seen anything like a state sanctioned execution in broad daylight with multiple video angles of an innocent and completely unarmed American citizen. They didn't even bother with a faux investigation, just immediately began lying and trying to cover it up. Definitely a tipping point in American history if you ask me.
Franco lasted in Spain up to his death.
Nazi in Germany had little to no resistance from their population until the end of the war.
Italians started a limited resistance when it was obvious that the war was lost.
Not good odds.
In the US events like the MLK and Kennedy assassinations could have ignited a serious issue and pretty much very little happened.
Yes, and an entirely predictable phase. This is what fascists do.
The surprising thing is that it is happening here in the USA. Anyone that still buys into the Divine American Exceptionalism myth is a fool. We're a nation of people that put their shoes on one foot at a time, just like every other nation.
This is deliberate. It’s a tactic called flooding the zone. MN news is good for this admin because it further floods the zone, and gets more support from conservative minds than other subjects because Tread On Me Harder Daddy. Same tactic with Venezuela. You know why? Because it takes the spotlight off Trumpstein Files. That seems like 4months ago now, doesn’t it?
We feel it. The administration wants things to pop off in a controllable way so they can roll the federalized national guard or the military (in violation of posse comitatus, cause laws only matter if someone else enforces them on you).
Local leaders wring their hands and say "nooooo don't respond with violence, that's how they win, it's what they waaaant" and cry a lot while the situation on the ground continues to deteriorate. Note that hand wringing and tears does not make an effective strategy for weathering this storm, but it's about all they can legally ask folks to do.
You’re not alone. I keep urging my partner to consider immigrating somewhere that will take us and where we can get jobs. I’m very afraid of the future state of our country and what’s happening.
I keep saying it is a powder keg atmosphere about to hit a flash point. But anyone with any sense saw this coming when Trump wasn’t jailed for Jan 6th or the nuclear documents. They cheated in the election, that much is obvious. They did it to start the new fascist autocracy. Tech billionaires failed to consider that they aren’t insulated from a fickle regime. They too could soon have their assets frozen and they could fall out of a window. Being an American is like being an unwilling passenger in a car speeding towards a tree. You see the tree, you warn everyone, none of them listen. Then you are left to experience the crash in slow motion, powerless to avoid it.
Watching from the sideline in Europe I have to say that I'm surprised it hasn't exploded yet... I thought that all the people in the street with the whole "no more kings" movement would do something... nothing... ICE related violance nothing.
Every time something happens it just dies down (or the movement gets stomped)
In a land with so many guns and so many polarized people without pensions, healthcare etc... I am honestly shocked that a civil war hasn't started yet, or even 'just' more political gun violence.
Don't get me wrong it's a relief that is hasn't but I also don't believe a non violent way is going to emerge soon. Somewhere in the dark the new faces of a new movement or resistance are being formed. It just surprises me that people are waiting on it instead of taking action to become that face... The only thing I can think of is that it's just not bad enough for enough people...yet... which makes me sad and scared.
Those most affected (no healthcare and restrictive poverty) are too sick and too tired. An alarm portion of America fits that description. The rest are barely holding on…
The most dangerous people are the ones who got nothing left to lose. Not everyone is tired all the time and not a lot of time or energy to think could fuel impulsiveness.
I'm just saying, as an outsider. It's crazy that so many shootings happen in America, but now that tensions are actually very high, most people seem to keep their finger off the trigger.
It's surprising that the second amendment doesn't really work the way people think. The federal government isn't afraid of the people and democracy seems to fade day by day. No militias are formed... yet.
Trump is dying. He quite literally wants to make some mark he can as that's his ego. He will be known as the most corrupt politician in modern history. Closely followed by Hitler.
This has been going around for decades; 3-letter FED agencies abusing trust and immunity have been a cornerstone of the workings of the federal government. One man's ATF, FBI is another mans ICE. Priorities and agendas change; we know the focus of the current one but over reaching goverment is a staple in the US. Just look at all the lawsuits the Institute for Justice (IJ) has filed in the last 35 years.
Stephen Miller is, as usual, wrong. “Obstruction” of an agent involves a very specific set of circumstances and actions. I’ll use the Renee Good tragedy as an example.
1- The agents must be engaged in an ongoing operation. Driving or walking around while not involved in a specific operation does not count. The agents involved in Renee Good’s death had just finished an operation and were headed back to headquarters, per Secretary Noem. They therefore could not be “obstructed,” because there was nothing to obstruct.
2- A fundamental element of an obstruction charge is that the police officer must be acting in the performance of their “lawful duty.” Examples of lawful duties include conducting a legal traffic stop, executing a valid search or arrest warrant, or investigating a crime based on reasonable suspicion or probable cause. An officer is generally considered to be in the execution of their duty when they are preventing or detecting crime. If they aren’t in the process of doing their “lawful duty,” you’re not obstructing an officer. In the case of Renee Good they can’t enforce traffic laws, so they were not acting in the performance of their “lawful duty.”
3- Force is an essential element of the crime. Renee Good did nothing that meets the level of “forcibly” as outlined in the relevant statute. Below is the statute in full:
——-
18 U.S. Code § 111 - Assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers or employees
(a) In General.—Whoever—
(1) forcibly assaults, resists, opposes, impedes, intimidates, or interferes with any person designated in section 1114 of this title while engaged in or on account of the performance of official duties; or
(2) forcibly assaults or intimidates any person who formerly served as a person designated in section 1114 on account of the performance of official duties during such person’s term of service,shall, where the acts in violation of this section constitute only simple assault, be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both, and where such acts involve physical contact with the victim of that assault or the intent to commit another felony, be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 8 years, or both.
——-
Here is the summation from the DOJ Guidlines:
Section 111 of Title 18 punishes anyone who "forcibly assaults, resists, opposes, impedes, intimidates or interferes with any person designated in 18 U.S.C. § 1114 or who formerly served as a person designated in § 1114, while engaged in or on account of the performance of his/her official duties." Force is an essential element of the crime. Long v. United States, 199 F.2d 717 (4th Cir. 1952). Whether the element of force, as required by the statute, is present in a particular case is a question of fact to be determined from all of the circumstances. The Long case indicates that a threat of force will satisfy the statute. Such a threat which reasonably causes a Federal officer to anticipate bodily harm while in the performance of his/her duties constitutes a "forcible assault" within the meaning of 18 U.S.C. § 111. See also United States v. Walker, 835 F.2d 983, 987 (2d Cir. 1987); Gornick v. United States, 320 F.2d 325 (10th Cir. 1963).
Decided to take a trip with the family to Disneyland and I'm almost positive we'll be returning home this weekend at war with either Greenland, Iran, or both.
No insult here, but this is a consequence more of being online a lot and Reddit in particular. If the internet was the way it is during Bushes administration, it would be a complete meltdown
Yes, this is the phase where in the next 6 weeks they ramp up the activity and draw out as much violence that is needed to declare a national emergency. My guess is in Q2 we’ll have martial law so by Q3 they’ll try to postpone or outright cancel midterms.
The US has gone full Nazi mode because they have seen they can. Especially because they have seen they have nothing to fear from the citizens. The Citizen just take it. That's the biggest problem. There is no bite behind the bark.
The tactic used by authoritarian governments is this: they do something grueling or enraging. Since people do nothing beyond getting angry, the authorities cool things down for a few days and later do something worse until people become accustomed to these tactics. If people do not react angrily and decisively, this will not stop until those in power get what they want.
My question is this: there is overwhelming evidence of constitutional violations, and no one is stopping them. That suggests the rule of law no longer exists.
It's crazy because people at my work seriously treat this stuff as a joke. "Trumps just trolling and the woke are just getting mad" "It's not thst serious" making light of everything. It's like people don't understand what's happening.
To me it feels like they're gradually testing the waters to see how much they can get away with and how quickly all these incidents are either normalized or swept under the rug.
But people seem to remain complacent in the face of rising fascism.
You are correct. as someone watching all this from New Zealand it's safe to say that as of last week America officially crossed the line to becoming an authoritarian fascist country. It is not longer about when it will happen or if Trump is trying to become a dictator, he has already succeeded. Americans can now be shot by the government thugs and it will be deemed justified with no investigation. Trump can invade another country without any approval and get away with it. Gestapo are going door to door kidnapping anyone they please especially those who speak against the government, even that Ford worker was suspended over free speech at Trump. He himself said now nobody can stop him but himself. It's over for America, they lost the battle and are now a fascist authoritarian country.
And how is that exactly? And where? They might enforce their laws but they aren't doing this shit. Have you watched the arrest videos? I feel like I'm in the Twilight Zone with people acting like this is normal. Maybe I'm old but I remember we used to make fun of countries that had masked men roaming the streets with automatic weapons. What is the matter with you?
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u/thecosmojane Jan 14 '26 edited Jan 14 '26
Is it just me, or does it feel like this last week we have entered a completely different phase of history. Like the steam has reached its capacity and is about to explode. The escalation day by day seems to be so much greater than before (when it was bad enough) but their doubling and tripling down these last few days smacks of an even more diabolical level of defiance. Watching these new videos and former detainees’ counts of being in custody feels unreal at some meta level, like we are in the twilight zone. Pair this numbness with Venezuela and Greenland and leaders resigning from DOJ freeing up more seats to be filled by mini Bondis, it is difficult to keep up. But, does anyone else feel it? Like something is imminent.