Reichstag Fire Moment, Continued

Reichstag Fire

 It has been almost a month since I asked whether the Charlie Kirk assassination was our Reichstag Fire moment.  Since then I have been too paralyzed with fear to write any more.  And the answer appears to be that there are some very disturbing developments taking place below the surface, although most have not yet sprung into view.

The ICE blitz in Chicago actually began the day before the Charlie Kirk assassination and National Guard deployments have been delayed, so the most visible aspects of Trump's crackdown seem unrelated (though no less alarming for that).

Plans are being laid in Washington that sound very much like an attempt to shut down all opposition organizations, though it is not yet clear when this will come into view or how far it will go.  Stephen Miller is spearheading an integrated attempt to shut down donors and organizations the Administration defines as "terrorist" or "Antifa."  Naturally, anonymous officials insist that they are not targeting activities protected by the First Amendment, but Team Trump seems to regard the First Amendment as protecting only speech it approves of and treats all criticism as criminal incitement.  ICE is beginning to be directed to surveil opponents as well as immigrants.

Officials in the article cited deny targeting any specific organizations.  However the IRS has been given a list of specific organizations and individuals to target.  Ordering the IRS to target specific individuals or organizations has been a felony since the 1970's.  This is very much a thing I feared from the start.  I just misjudged how long it would take to implement.

ICE has been given a massive spyware contract that will allow it to bypass any warrant requirements on spying and go through tech companies instead.  It is hiring contractors to look into “individuals who pose a danger to national security, risk public safety or otherwise meet ICE enforcement priorities.”  In other words, it is being turned into a true secret police with powers to spy on political opponents.

And Ted Cruz -- who, to his credit, condemned government attempts to force Jimmy Kimmel off the air -- is calling for anti-Trump protests to be prosecuted as RICO violations.  In fact, Republicans all across the board were denouncing the No Kings protests as terrorists acts by Antifa.  (Once the protests finished without violence, Republicans are dismissing them as a bunch of out-of-touch old white guys).

These things are all in early stages.  But collectively, they look like an attempt to shut down the Democratic Party and all its donors and supporting non-profits.  In other words, to create a one party state.  

I will also note that within a month of the Reichstag Fire, the German parliament voted itself out of existence.  Given the importance of Congress's power of the purse strings, I would dismiss that out of hand here, except that Mike Johnson seems to be doing his utmost to prevent Congress from ever convening again.

Buckle up.