The Battle for Los Angeles and American Democracy

America has moved closer to accepting and normalizing Trump's reign of terror as MAGA is celebrating the militarized crackdown on protests in LA, which is simply a test case for future cities.

Before the election, Donald Trump quoted Hitler (again) and said he would send the National Guard and the military against “the enemy from within.”

The enemies don’t include violent insurrectionists with MAGA shirts, Trump hats, and Confederate flags who stormed the US Capitol on January 6th, attacked cops, and tried to overthrow a free and fair election. Those criminals were deemed freedom fighters, patriots, and political prisoners by Trump and MAGA. All 1,600 of them, including members of violent militias and individuals with a violent criminal record, were pardoned by Trump, who has also said he is open to compensating them for their acts of terror. Americans have already given $5 million to the family of one such insurrectionist, Ashli Babbitt, who was radicalized by the QAnon conspiracy and incited by Trump to attack the US Capitol and break the law.

The enemies, according to MAGA, include any and every American who resists Trump’s authoritarian impulses. They also apparently include anyone who makes the mistake of existing while being brown, Black, Muslim, a legal immigrant, or LGBTQ in America.

Perhaps the perverse lesson for the hundreds of overwhelmingly peaceful protestors in Los Angeles right now is to replace their Mexican flags with MAGA flags and wear a red MAGA hat. If you can commit crimes with that uniform, surely you can exercise your freedoms by engaging in a peaceful assembly against masked ICE agents terrorizing your city, right? The 2,000 members of the National Guard would probably think twice before cracking down on people. The masked ICE agents who are behaving like a modern-day Gestappo probably would hesitate before driving their SUVs over protestors, threatening to kidnap children from elementary school, or arresting federal officers and union leaders. Trump, Stephen Miller, Pete Hegseth, and right-wing media wouldn’t use inflammatory words like “insurrection,” “rebellion,” and “riots” to describe community members who are protesting ICE’s terror.

Sadly, that’s just a thought experiment. What the world is witnessing right now is a giant step towards authoritarian rule and a test case for normalizing military presence and crackdowns in Blue cities and states. The Overtown window has officially shifted yet again at the expense of our collective rights and freedoms. The tragic reality is that the USA has chosen to destroy itself due to fear, hate, and misinformation. The twin sins of greed and racism were never truly confronted and uprooted, and now they are unleashed in the form of Trump, MAGA, and corporate America that is perfectly fine profiting off the collective pain, suffering, and misery of the country. This right-wing authoritarian playbook is being implemented across the world, especially in Israel, as the extremist Netanyahu government is continuing its genocide of Palestinians in Gaza and last night detained Greta Thunberg and other activists who were on a flotilla bringing humanitarian aid.

In the end, fascists come for everyone. The suffering and pain will eventually end up on your doorstep unless you do something to stop it.

In today’s episode of Democracy-Ish, Danielle and I don’t mince words about Trump’s reign of terror and those who remain complicit and cowardly as Republicans plunge us deeper into authoritarianism.