[“Speaking Truth to Empower”]
Benjamin: “Trump’s use of paramilitary agents in Portland can be traced to his use of federal and military soldiers to clear Lafayette Park in the early days of the George Floyd protests.”
Photo: YouTube
America is at a portentous crossroads as Trump’s unidentified secret police in Portland attack Americans under the cover of darkness.
In real-time, we’re witnessing Trump’s dictatorial American dream—where he rules supreme.
Trump’s tyrannical Gestapo tactics are violating the First Amendment rights of Americans protesting police violence and murder. He has made it crystal clear he intends to extend these actions into places like New York City, Chicago, and Oakland.
Imagine, Trump recently complained about the removal of the symbols of segregation and the Confederacy stating it’s a free speech issue. But somehow those calling for the removal of these statues of racists, and who are protesting police abuse, can have their First Amendment rights violated by his racist regime.
It’s up to local governments, and the American people, to protect themselves from this maniac and his minions.
Congress is practically paralyzed in disciplining Trump because craven, corrupt, careerist, Republicans are too busy covering up his crimes. They will say nothing, never mind doing anything, to rein in this monster. Instead, they will deflect and blame Democrats or Antifa for the current situation.
Republican hypocrisy, and their abject failure in defending the Constitution from Trump’s excesses, could not be more obvious than at this perilous moment. For years, they have lectured us about being the party of “small government,” “states’ rights” and the “rule of law.” But now they say nothing as their president sends paramilitary invasion forces into Oregon, where they are not wanted.
Why are Republicans saying nothing about his violation of the “rule of law” in Portland? Why is it alright for Trump to defy the legal authorities in Oregon?
Do Republicans dare defend this blatant governmental overreach while claiming they believe in “states’ rights?” Apparently, since Oregon isn’t a Republican state they don’t seem to care about the State of Oregon’s rights.
We’ve all heard, ad nauseam, about how Republicans supposedly believe in “small government.” Of course, this is always within the context of them opposing any governmental aid aimed at helping the working poor in this country, particularly Black people. We hear this phony “small government” argument when Republicans rail against things like Food Stamps, Welfare, etc.
According to their immoral logic, government should not give a red penny to the poor—but they should give more money to those who already have much more than anybody else. While they complain about the meager funding of social welfare programs, they always fight fervently to give tax breaks to oil companies and big business entities.
In spite of the Republicans’ rhetoric about “small government” and the “rule of law,” we see them now silently complicit in this moment where Trump is trampling and defecating all over the Constitutional rights of Oregonians. But we shouldn’t be surprised by this given how they turned Trump’s impeachment trial into a farce.
Can honest Americans say any Republican, besides Sen. Mitt Romney, really tried to follow the “rule of law” during the impeachment trial? Isn’t it clear Trump should’ve been convicted and kicked out of the White House on his behind?
Instead, what we saw was: Republicans ignoring, and suppressing, an abundance of evidence illustrating Trump’s politically driven extortion of Ukraine. They shielded him from being removed from office and shamefully attacked career civil servants, that they would usually praise. Consequently, Trump now behaves as if he is untouchable.
Therefore, at this perilous moment, it will be up to the American people who have been in the streets since the death of George Floyd to stop this tyrant and his swampy Republican den of liars and thieves who control Congress.
With the specter of losing the November election, Trump’s malevolence will be much more dangerous in the coming weeks and months. His madness should trouble all Americans. When Trump repeatedly brags about passing a dementia test—where you have to identify animals like elephants—we should all be concerned.
As his poll numbers keep tanking, will he try to impose martial law under some contrived excuse? Is Portland a prelude to this?
If any American thinks this is impossible, they haven’t really been paying attention to this sociopath.
Even before he became president, Trump said, “I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and wouldn’t lose any voters, ok? It’s, like, incredible.”
That comment should’ve signaled to Americans Trump’s sick mental state. Who says something like this, especially, when running for president? This statement revealed Trump was already thinking about how he could weaponize those who support him to engage in egregious conduct.
Trump’s scandal-plagued presidency bears testimony to this.
Trump has fired officials who have refused to do his illegal bidding. We don’t have to only look at what he did to government officials former FBI Director Jim Comey, or former Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe —we can also look at what he did to his racist former buddy Jeff Sessions, who was fired because he recused himself from the Russia probe.
Sessions, who was the first high-ranking U.S. senator to endorse Trump, was repeatedly trashed by Trump after that recusal. Sessions didn’t seem to understand that Trump expected him to use his Attorney General post like Bill Barr is now doing: to cover up Trump’s crimes and punish his enemies.
This is the criminally corrupt nature of Donald Trump.
So, now he is threatening to expand his partisan, racist, secret police invasions into other Democratic and minority cites. Since racial fearmongering is his singular political strategy, he is now hoping to create chaos and scare suburban whites.
Trump’s use of paramilitary agents in Portland can be traced to his use of federal and military soldiers to clear Lafayette Park in the early days of the George Floyd protests. Trump basked in his photo-op glory after those peaceful protesters were attacked, teargassed, and removed.
A few days prior to this, on a call with the nation’s governors, Trump said, “You have to dominate, or you’ll look like a bunch of jerks, you have to arrest and try people.” He also said, “You don’t have to be too careful,” and “It’s a movement if you don’t put it down it will get worse and worse.”
So, Trump was clearly saying that he had every intention of dominating peaceful protesters from this movement that he sees growing. After what he obviously saw as a success in removing protesters from Lafayette Park, he is now trying to duplicate it.
Portland is the continuation of this assault on the First Amendment rights of Americans.
There is another problem we must take seriously right now: Trump’s signal that he will not leave the White House when he loses in November. A landslide route where he and his slimy Republican Party lose the White House and Senate will be the best outcome. A marginal win by Joe Biden will have him screaming that he was cheated in a rigged election.
He’s already claiming this—even though he is the incumbent president and Republicans control the Senate.
Americans must turn out en masse and vote this ass out in November. Otherwise, America will morph into the paramilitary portrait that Portland has been turned into. Or, likely something much worse.
