Trump has long admired dictators who weaponize civilian gangs to crush dissent. Will his next chapter involve unleashing his own militias to terrorize the American public?
I've been thinking the same thing--that pardoning the Jan 6 rioters would give Trump his own little army.
I'd like to add Nicaragua to your list of countries whose authoritarian leaders use private militias to do violence and intimidate their enemies. My friend was a political prisoner in Nicaragua and his family was subjected to graffiti, threats and intimidation. Large gangs of motorcycles would come roaring past their house at 2 in the morning. Their house was painted with slogans supporting the government and threatening them. For the moment they are safe in the US. We'll see what happens next.
Right-wingers are by nature suspicious of people in general, and the most extreme of them resort to heavy-handed policing, spying, and violence against people who merely disagree with them. Their hate is a projection of their fear.
Someone reported that conservatives have very active amygdalas. A study concluded that conservatives have a strong need for authority, hierarchy (the opposite of anarchy), and purity (nothing disgusting is allowed). Some conservatives don't cut the mustard on all three.
Which "supporting" group would be trustworthy enough against another once one gets scratched from the approved list in favor of another? (ie the polygon of loyalty, trust and reward)
His record of retaliation must be a concern for those pledging their own involvement to his chaotic venture.
Yes, he will use them, maybe even in rounding up immigrants. And people will die. I fear more the emboldened vigilante who will spy on us and report us to whoever for whatever, maybe someone we know. I am already sensing this. Last night a friend thought I was exposing myself with my blog and what I do now, here. Also on Facebook, where I have a private political page. In short, he was suggesting I keep quiet. I told him that was not going to happen.
Yes, the Rump will pardon the jan 6 criminals. After all they are HIS criminals. Then, they will become his brown shirts and his SS. They will kill prople and help subdue the American citizenry. Many blind souls without a soul will join these "killers for trump" to terrorize society. After all is said and done tbe catholoc supremw court will give them all immunity. After that the far right catholic church will srart the American Inquisition. Welcome to modern American immitating Spain circa 1450. And, just think it has been brought to you by the catholic supreme court, citizens united, and bought by the rich like the foreigner Musk and the fascist "there is good on both sides" German infiltrator Drumph and Hitler loving new president.
They came for the homosexuals and I did not respond because I was not a homosexual. Then they came for the immigrants and I did nothing. I was not an immigrant.... then they came for me and there was no-one left to respond...
Pro Publica just published an article, "The Militia and the Mole", which paints a terrifying picture of how widespread these militias appear to be. If it is accurate they have really infiltrated a substantial number of law enforcement organizations. It doesn't seem like it would take much for them to be organized into a national civilian army.
In Germany the example of the Freikorps as a transitional militia to Nazi control of the state comes to mind. Hitler eventually turned on them as being too erratic and uncontrollable, which Trump could do in time (after all, he betrays everybody who trusts him). But meanwhile to take the German example again they and the SA ("Brownshirts") were very useful for terrorizing opponents and promising to bring "order" to the country. And you know most people just go along with what doesn't directly affect them.
It is difficult to look at the history of dictators and not see a grown-up, insecure, narcissistic, bully. All bullies are cowards - President-elect Bone Spurs is no exception. They have an insatiable need for power because they have an insatiable need to feel secure. The more power they amass, the more vulberable they feel. Of course, they will deny that and probably have one of their thugs beat you up to prove it. LOL. It is difficult to see these militia as insecure too. Being a member of a gang of vigilantes surely protects them from feeling vulnerable, even if it is a delusion.
Oh, he'll use these crazy, right-wing, groups...do not doubt it for a minute! He needs to consolidate his power as fast as possible, so he'll hit the ground running to accomplish this and damn the law and the Constitution! His taking the oath of office is a travesty to this country and the American people, especially the cult that voted him back into office...wait until their Medicare and Social Security is reduced or taken away from them! Do you think they'll blame him or the Biden administration!
Time to hope for the best and plan for the worst. Time to stock up on ammo, better that than being defenseless against a bunch of Proud Boys in my back yard! With so many weapons here in the US (unlike other countries mentioned), this could turn into a blood bath pretty quick.
The right-wing here will win a gun fight more easily than it won against the leftists in 1919-1920 Germany. They are better organized, better trained, and better equipped than I and my leftist buddies are. Some movements will crumble if their leaders are taken down.
It will be interesting to see how the mainstream media will normalize and sane wash these crazies once Trumsk pardons them. It is guaranteed that Trumsk's congressional enablers will be mute when it happens.
Dems will need to scream how far the Republican party, the party that loves to say they support the "rule of law", has abandoned that principle.
Awesome rundown. It will be much worse much quicker. As resources dwindle, armageddon is nigh. It’s getting late to prepare. At this time a military coup against Trump is needed. The Pentagon should round them all up.
That should be Biden's order. Round up the criminals. Oh and by the way Trump did not win the election. Why do you think they got into the voting machines? To learn how to manipulate them.
Here in Baghdad By the Sea we have a history of crime gangs playing "king of the hill." Since 1960, dozens of political murders remain unsolved. Most of it relates to Cuba. For many years, the CIA encouraged some of these groups to undemine the Castro regime. Even today, private militias train in the Everglades waiting for the day we send an armada against Cuba. Many voters think Trump will authorize it. They had expected it the last time but....
In 2020, Trump said in a debate: "Proud Boys, stand back and stand by, but I'll tell you what, I'll tell you what, somebody's got to do something about antifa and the left, because this is not a right-wing problem."Shortly after, Joe Biggs, one of the Proud Boys organizers, shared through his Parler social media account a logo with the president's words "Stand back" and "Stand by"
On the anniversary of the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, Tarrio asked for a pardon. Tarrio is among 15 arrested from South Florida. Among them is Barbie Balmaseda. Screenshots from court documents track her movements at the Capitol with another former Miami Proud Boy, Gabriel Garcia, who was sentenced to a year in prison last month. Balmaseda, a former intern for Sen. Marco Rubio, turned down a plea deal. She is scheduled for trial in March.
Kenneth Bonawitz, 58, of Pompano Beach, and a member of the Miami chapter of the Proud Boys, was sentenced to 60 months in prison, 36 months of supervised release, and ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution and fines by U.S. District Court Judge Jia M. Cobb. Bonawitz pleaded guilty to three felony charges, including one count of civil disorder and two counts of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers. https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/florida-proud-boy-sentenced-prison-assaulting-law-enforcement-and-other-charges-during
IMHO the Proud Boys have infiltrated other militia groups.
I'm afraid that things here will soonn go from bad to worse.
I think we are already seeing the trump effect. The threats to public figures and violent texts to people. I'm sure the orange wind bag will have a ready made army with the parsons he gives out
There is certainly no reason to think that Trump is not planning to unleash a private militia against those who oppose him. We better get ready: 1) Devise systems for "spot protests" organized with secrecy protections much in the manner of guerilla warfare, BUT 2) In complete
nonviolence because any violent pushback will be used as an excuse for mass arrests of progressives. I know it is hard, but the strategy of nonviolence is that the public puts the blame on the perpetrator and sees the victims as what the are--victims.
Thom: You threw me for a loop with this statement: Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro’s paramilitary rightwing thugs are a group called the Colectivos, famous for assaulting people in broad daylight, kidnappings, and even burning people out of their homes.
Here is why and correct my recapping of the situation.
Venezela was economically struggle, though it sat atop the worlds largest oil reserve, because that oil reserve belonged to Exxon Mobil. So he nationalized the oil, kicked out Exxon Mobil and that is when the troubles began. Exxon Mobill, used it's immense resources namely
Largest shareholders include Vanguard Group Inc, BlackRock, Inc., State Street Corp, Fmr Llc, VTSMX - Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund Investor Shares, VFINX - Vanguard 500 Index Fund Investor Shares, Geode Capital Management, Llc, Jpmorgan Chase & Co, XLE - The Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund, and Morgan Stanley ...
which also own most of the corporate media, insurance, health care, chemical, defense industries to try and overthrow Chavez and install a corporate satrap.
Chavez defeated these coup attempts, and the corporations using our State Dept, CIA and DOD have been trying ever since, finally resulting to sanctions, and thus forcing Venezuela into an alliance with our enemies.
By my lights, Maduro is left wing, not right wing, and the word Collectiva's bolsters that.
Given that. I remember when Daniel Ortega and his Sandinista's were left wing, waging a war against the right wing, corporate and government supported Anastasio Somoza Debayle
Somoza was indeed a ruthless, thieving dictator, and Trump is Somoza reincarnated. When I was in Nicaragua the peasants lived in poverty, and illiteracy was the norm (I couldn't find a person who could read a map much less a poster)
The Sandinstas finally got their government, were elected to office, and Ortega has turned out to be a petty, Trumpian , Putinish dictator.
So why you call the Collectivas a right wing paramilitary group, you probably mean that dictators, though starting with a leftist populism, eventually wind up a right wing dictatorship, much like the Bolsheviks and Castro.
It does seem that the straight line ideological spectrum of left vs right, eventualy gets turned into a horseshoe were left meets and becomes right.
We have seen it in America with Pro HAMAS groups standing on one side of a quadrangle and Proud Boys on the opposite, both shouting Fuck Biden.
The word is KAKISTOCRACY. I would really love to see this word become the become the ultimate defining word to refer to tRump's administration - the tRump Kakistocracy. Repeat it far and wide.
Looking at the fires in Los Angeles they seem complete like someone poured and accelerant in the area if this is true the war against minorities and the left has started. The fire is an actual attack. be aware of your surroundings the right is a violent mob of hate I think I'm living with people that maybe and I said maybe capable of this kind of behavior they definitely are supporter in spirit, be prepared for random violence
I've been thinking the same thing--that pardoning the Jan 6 rioters would give Trump his own little army.
I'd like to add Nicaragua to your list of countries whose authoritarian leaders use private militias to do violence and intimidate their enemies. My friend was a political prisoner in Nicaragua and his family was subjected to graffiti, threats and intimidation. Large gangs of motorcycles would come roaring past their house at 2 in the morning. Their house was painted with slogans supporting the government and threatening them. For the moment they are safe in the US. We'll see what happens next.
True -- including some of our other "alles".
Right-wingers are by nature suspicious of people in general, and the most extreme of them resort to heavy-handed policing, spying, and violence against people who merely disagree with them. Their hate is a projection of their fear.
Someone reported that conservatives have very active amygdalas. A study concluded that conservatives have a strong need for authority, hierarchy (the opposite of anarchy), and purity (nothing disgusting is allowed). Some conservatives don't cut the mustard on all three.
Which "supporting" group would be trustworthy enough against another once one gets scratched from the approved list in favor of another? (ie the polygon of loyalty, trust and reward)
His record of retaliation must be a concern for those pledging their own involvement to his chaotic venture.
Yes, he will use them, maybe even in rounding up immigrants. And people will die. I fear more the emboldened vigilante who will spy on us and report us to whoever for whatever, maybe someone we know. I am already sensing this. Last night a friend thought I was exposing myself with my blog and what I do now, here. Also on Facebook, where I have a private political page. In short, he was suggesting I keep quiet. I told him that was not going to happen.
I’ve been told the same. Can’t help myself.
What is it that Elie Wiesel said? Something about silence that most emboldens the tormentor, not the tormented..?
Yes, the Rump will pardon the jan 6 criminals. After all they are HIS criminals. Then, they will become his brown shirts and his SS. They will kill prople and help subdue the American citizenry. Many blind souls without a soul will join these "killers for trump" to terrorize society. After all is said and done tbe catholoc supremw court will give them all immunity. After that the far right catholic church will srart the American Inquisition. Welcome to modern American immitating Spain circa 1450. And, just think it has been brought to you by the catholic supreme court, citizens united, and bought by the rich like the foreigner Musk and the fascist "there is good on both sides" German infiltrator Drumph and Hitler loving new president.
I say “Trumpler.” Tagged him 9 years and 7 months ago.
They came for the homosexuals and I did not respond because I was not a homosexual. Then they came for the immigrants and I did nothing. I was not an immigrant.... then they came for me and there was no-one left to respond...
Exactly- we must stand together against authoritarian dictators and their “armies”.
It might be desirable for Democratic “leadership” to make note of this information and respond accordingly.
Pro Publica just published an article, "The Militia and the Mole", which paints a terrifying picture of how widespread these militias appear to be. If it is accurate they have really infiltrated a substantial number of law enforcement organizations. It doesn't seem like it would take much for them to be organized into a national civilian army.
In Germany the example of the Freikorps as a transitional militia to Nazi control of the state comes to mind. Hitler eventually turned on them as being too erratic and uncontrollable, which Trump could do in time (after all, he betrays everybody who trusts him). But meanwhile to take the German example again they and the SA ("Brownshirts") were very useful for terrorizing opponents and promising to bring "order" to the country. And you know most people just go along with what doesn't directly affect them.
It is difficult to look at the history of dictators and not see a grown-up, insecure, narcissistic, bully. All bullies are cowards - President-elect Bone Spurs is no exception. They have an insatiable need for power because they have an insatiable need to feel secure. The more power they amass, the more vulberable they feel. Of course, they will deny that and probably have one of their thugs beat you up to prove it. LOL. It is difficult to see these militia as insecure too. Being a member of a gang of vigilantes surely protects them from feeling vulnerable, even if it is a delusion.
Oh, he'll use these crazy, right-wing, groups...do not doubt it for a minute! He needs to consolidate his power as fast as possible, so he'll hit the ground running to accomplish this and damn the law and the Constitution! His taking the oath of office is a travesty to this country and the American people, especially the cult that voted him back into office...wait until their Medicare and Social Security is reduced or taken away from them! Do you think they'll blame him or the Biden administration!
IMHO they'll pile on because hate Trumps logic.
Time to hope for the best and plan for the worst. Time to stock up on ammo, better that than being defenseless against a bunch of Proud Boys in my back yard! With so many weapons here in the US (unlike other countries mentioned), this could turn into a blood bath pretty quick.
The right-wing here will win a gun fight more easily than it won against the leftists in 1919-1920 Germany. They are better organized, better trained, and better equipped than I and my leftist buddies are. Some movements will crumble if their leaders are taken down.
It will be interesting to see how the mainstream media will normalize and sane wash these crazies once Trumsk pardons them. It is guaranteed that Trumsk's congressional enablers will be mute when it happens.
Dems will need to scream how far the Republican party, the party that loves to say they support the "rule of law", has abandoned that principle.
He’s been releasing terror on us for nearly a decade.
Awesome rundown. It will be much worse much quicker. As resources dwindle, armageddon is nigh. It’s getting late to prepare. At this time a military coup against Trump is needed. The Pentagon should round them all up.
That should be Biden's order. Round up the criminals. Oh and by the way Trump did not win the election. Why do you think they got into the voting machines? To learn how to manipulate them.
Here in Baghdad By the Sea we have a history of crime gangs playing "king of the hill." Since 1960, dozens of political murders remain unsolved. Most of it relates to Cuba. For many years, the CIA encouraged some of these groups to undemine the Castro regime. Even today, private militias train in the Everglades waiting for the day we send an armada against Cuba. Many voters think Trump will authorize it. They had expected it the last time but....
The Proud Boys are the latest group. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proud_Boys They have become officials within the Republican Party. https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/former-proud-boy-secures-miami-dade-republican-party-post-21076999 https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/news-columns-blogs/fabiola-santiago/article262065077.html
In 2020, Trump said in a debate: "Proud Boys, stand back and stand by, but I'll tell you what, I'll tell you what, somebody's got to do something about antifa and the left, because this is not a right-wing problem."Shortly after, Joe Biggs, one of the Proud Boys organizers, shared through his Parler social media account a logo with the president's words "Stand back" and "Stand by"
Several Proud Boy members were part of the Jan 6 insurrection, and some were convicted. Among those is Enrique Tarrio, a Cuban American, who was sentenced to 22 y ears in prison. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/proud-boys-leader-sentenced-22-years-prison-seditious-conspiracy-and-other-charges-related
On the anniversary of the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, Tarrio asked for a pardon. Tarrio is among 15 arrested from South Florida. Among them is Barbie Balmaseda. Screenshots from court documents track her movements at the Capitol with another former Miami Proud Boy, Gabriel Garcia, who was sentenced to a year in prison last month. Balmaseda, a former intern for Sen. Marco Rubio, turned down a plea deal. She is scheduled for trial in March.
Kenneth Bonawitz, 58, of Pompano Beach, and a member of the Miami chapter of the Proud Boys, was sentenced to 60 months in prison, 36 months of supervised release, and ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution and fines by U.S. District Court Judge Jia M. Cobb. Bonawitz pleaded guilty to three felony charges, including one count of civil disorder and two counts of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers. https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/florida-proud-boy-sentenced-prison-assaulting-law-enforcement-and-other-charges-during
IMHO the Proud Boys have infiltrated other militia groups.
I'm afraid that things here will soonn go from bad to worse.
What will Trump say when one of them injures or kills somebody and gets arrested?
Oh, please, he'll blame it on the victim
As # 45, he egged them on and falsely blamed BLM and Antifa, even after right wingers like the Boogaloo Boys murdered people.
I think we are already seeing the trump effect. The threats to public figures and violent texts to people. I'm sure the orange wind bag will have a ready made army with the parsons he gives out
There is certainly no reason to think that Trump is not planning to unleash a private militia against those who oppose him. We better get ready: 1) Devise systems for "spot protests" organized with secrecy protections much in the manner of guerilla warfare, BUT 2) In complete
nonviolence because any violent pushback will be used as an excuse for mass arrests of progressives. I know it is hard, but the strategy of nonviolence is that the public puts the blame on the perpetrator and sees the victims as what the are--victims.
Thom: You threw me for a loop with this statement: Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro’s paramilitary rightwing thugs are a group called the Colectivos, famous for assaulting people in broad daylight, kidnappings, and even burning people out of their homes.
Here is why and correct my recapping of the situation.
Venezela was economically struggle, though it sat atop the worlds largest oil reserve, because that oil reserve belonged to Exxon Mobil. So he nationalized the oil, kicked out Exxon Mobil and that is when the troubles began. Exxon Mobill, used it's immense resources namely
Largest shareholders include Vanguard Group Inc, BlackRock, Inc., State Street Corp, Fmr Llc, VTSMX - Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund Investor Shares, VFINX - Vanguard 500 Index Fund Investor Shares, Geode Capital Management, Llc, Jpmorgan Chase & Co, XLE - The Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund, and Morgan Stanley ...
which also own most of the corporate media, insurance, health care, chemical, defense industries to try and overthrow Chavez and install a corporate satrap.
Chavez defeated these coup attempts, and the corporations using our State Dept, CIA and DOD have been trying ever since, finally resulting to sanctions, and thus forcing Venezuela into an alliance with our enemies.
By my lights, Maduro is left wing, not right wing, and the word Collectiva's bolsters that.
Given that. I remember when Daniel Ortega and his Sandinista's were left wing, waging a war against the right wing, corporate and government supported Anastasio Somoza Debayle
Somoza was indeed a ruthless, thieving dictator, and Trump is Somoza reincarnated. When I was in Nicaragua the peasants lived in poverty, and illiteracy was the norm (I couldn't find a person who could read a map much less a poster)
The Sandinstas finally got their government, were elected to office, and Ortega has turned out to be a petty, Trumpian , Putinish dictator.
So why you call the Collectivas a right wing paramilitary group, you probably mean that dictators, though starting with a leftist populism, eventually wind up a right wing dictatorship, much like the Bolsheviks and Castro.
It does seem that the straight line ideological spectrum of left vs right, eventualy gets turned into a horseshoe were left meets and becomes right.
We have seen it in America with Pro HAMAS groups standing on one side of a quadrangle and Proud Boys on the opposite, both shouting Fuck Biden.
The word is KAKISTOCRACY. I would really love to see this word become the become the ultimate defining word to refer to tRump's administration - the tRump Kakistocracy. Repeat it far and wide.
Authoritarian kleptocratic kakistocracy- Trumpler & wealthy bloodsuckers
Looking at the fires in Los Angeles they seem complete like someone poured and accelerant in the area if this is true the war against minorities and the left has started. The fire is an actual attack. be aware of your surroundings the right is a violent mob of hate I think I'm living with people that maybe and I said maybe capable of this kind of behavior they definitely are supporter in spirit, be prepared for random violence
I've been thinking exactly that myself. They planted accelerants all over the place and then started a fire. These folks are terrorists.