Amidst the tyranny among us, let us not forget the terrible toll that SARS-COV-2 is having on the world and the United States. Click on the link for the most current data and information.
Lesson 6: Be wary of paramilitaries.
“When the men with guns who have always claimed to be against the system start wearing uniforms and marching with torches and pictures of a leader, the end is nigh. When the pro-leader paramilitary and the official police and military intermingle, the end has come.”
Timothy Snyder, On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons From the Twentieth Century, 2017.
Believe it or not. Want to believe it or not, in order for state, federal and local governments to freely function, federal, state and local governments must be the only institutions allowed to legally use force. I’m referring here to federal, state and local military, National Guard and police forces. Those organizations which are governed by laws are the forces that makes it possible for political systems to exist and flourish. If organizations outside of government are allowed to wield violence outside the rule of law, the ability to govern by rule of law goes away. You have anarchy. Let me clarify that I’m not referring here to the right of an individual citizen to bear arms as outlined in the Second Amendment to the Constitution. That is legal.
Once again, the Nazi example pops up. The thugs that Hitler hired to clear out opponents at public gatherings became the paramilitaries known as the SA and SS that created fear in the German people leading up to parliamentary elections of 1932-33. The SS went on to run the concentration camps of Eastern Europe in a lawless manner.
Does this sound at all familiar? Our president, as a candidate, ordered his private security to clear opponents from rallies. On top of that, he urged his backers to remove those who disagreed with him. It started with chants of “USA, USA” before the person was forced out of the rally. We, well I, would rant at the television screen when this behavior was publicized. To quote Dr. Snyder, the candidate then said to the crowd: “Isn’t this more fun than a regular boring rally? To me, it’s fun.” In addition, Snyder quotes the candidate as saying at one rally, “There’s a remnant left over. Maybe get the remnant out. Get the remnant out.”
Beware these events. Beware these behaviors. Beware this language.
On January 6, 2021, a large group of the president’s supporters, encouraged and radicalized by the president himself, marched on the Capitol and overran it. They occupied the outside. They walked in and trashed the place. They trashed it like an angry street mob while breaking windows, scattering documents, defacing statues, and stealing . It’s a good thing that the leadership of this mob was so incompetent. If this attempt at overthrowing the United States government had been successful, I would likely not be writing this today.
There must be accountability for this action. The people that participated in this riot are my fellow Americans. I, we, cannot ever forget that. In the words of American hero and true patriot, John McCain, “He may be my opponent, but he is not my enemy.” He said this in the aftermath of an unsuccessful candidacy to become President of the United States. Their behaviors on this day were wrong and illegal and they must be held legally accountable. We are not a country where mob rule wins. Alas, I deviate slightly from my subject for this post. Let’s get back on point.
Other mobs attempted similar actions in select states around the country. How were paramilitary groups involved in these actions? Apparently and thankfully not as much as they could have been. These paramilitaries are out there and they are armed to the teeth. Click on the link to learn more about them.
I found Dr. Snyder’s reminder that government should be the only institution where force can legally be used to be unsettling. But, to allow force to legally be used outside the confines of law and order is even more unsettling. I get it. As I was watching the events unfold at the Capitol this past Tuesday, my legs were shaking.
It is my point in all of these posts about tyranny to use Dr. Snyder’s scholarship on the subject to encourage us to awareness and to facilitate dialogue with those that you agree with and, even more importantly, with those you disagree with.
Bruce, enjoying the series but as you might expect, I view the events of 1/6/21 somewhat differently. The knuckle-heads who crossed Police containment lines and actually entered the Capital Building should be prosecuted. Some have been arrested today and more will be in the coming days. I am a big fan of passive, non-violent, public protest. Register for a Parade Permit and stay in on your designated route. BLM in Southern Oregon protests on Bikes and Skateboards and have not had a single arrest, or indictment so far as I remember. A Church protests abortion every week in downtown Medford by permit. So I would have been livid had I been in DC on 6 January. However, there is significant angst, 83 % within the rank and file GOP about the conduct of the 2020 General Election. The Presidential Election results which have been certified (after challenges) by overwhelming bipartisan judicial review up to and including the Supreme Court. I am Republican but do not count me in the 83%. I am concerned about unsolicited mail in ballots only because that is a large batch of ballots that lay around until they are thrown away or submitted. That is a chain of custody issue in my eyes. A risk of ballot harvesting exists and I want every individual to submit their own ballot. But, it seems to work fine here in Oregon without evidence of major fraud. Along with the Courts I would commend the dedicated work of the professionals at our County Boards of Elections and Voter Registration Offices to include the volunteer ‘Count’ Staff. I have no reason to believe that they would risk their reputations and ‘fix’ the Election. Until evidence is presented to me that meets the legal standard to be accepted by the courts I accepted the results back around the time of the Electoral College ( 14 December ) especially since so many House Republicans won on the same ballot. Most likely this was a huge ‘anti-Trump’ vote, as was the Senate Runoff in Georgia on 5 January. Everyone take a breath, the system worked! On 20 January Biden will be sworn in as President and hopefully be accepted by the vast majority of Americans to include my fellow Republicans. Don’t rant at you TV Bruce ( unless the Dodgers are losing to the Giants ). We have passed the Constitutional Stress Test.
PS// GOD SPEED TOMMY LASORDA.
Without Lasorda, Dodger blue gets a few shades lighter.
By the way, I made a few edits to the text of the Blog that hopefully make my points clearer on the subject of government institutions and the use of force.
Not quite sure how to dialogue with people who despite all evidence refuse to see— people actually believe antifa was responsible for the seditious acts of those on January 6. 2020