It’s Friday night and I feel a certain sense of dread over what this weekend holds. Yesterday a federal judge listened to Trump’s lawyers fumble about like a blind man punching at people twenty feet away. He quickly issued a decision that control of California’s National Guard was to be returned to Gov. Newsome’s control by noon today. Trump of course appealed. Stunningly yesterday evening the 9th Circuit issued a temporary stay. Ok, that might have been expected. What was NOT was their deciding not to even hold a hearing on the matter until next Tuesday!
What the hell? Yes, courts and especially appellate courts take their sweet-ass time mor often than not. But they can move swiftly when they need to and from where I sit this is a time when we need speed! Lawyers for both sides have until MONDAY to submit briefings. Then oral arguments are set for Tues. afternoon. That’s assuming Trump hasn’t invoked the Insurrection Act over the weekend and shut the courts down. Make no mistake. Trump is looking to do exactly that.
More than ever I hope an article I posted yesterday about Trump’s military parade being cancelled due to storms in DC comes true. It might not matter. The last I saw over 1,500 No King demonstrations are planned around the country. Both in cities and in small towns. You can bet his goons will continue to provoke matters in Los Angeles. Other cities in California and other states too can expect Team Trump to foment violence. That eerie feeling you sense is Erik Prince in the shadows organizing his private troops to infiltrate demonstrations and start real trouble. LE will have to respond to with force.
Trump, if you’ve been paying attention including here on PZ has been blunt. Even PEACEFUL protests are, according to him be met with ‘BIG FORCE’ tomorrow. We can write off his desire to his tissue paper thin ego, in part because it’s true he simply can’t handle criticism. Hell, less than outright worship hurts his fee-fees. However he’s got people who can think clearly to help him use this character flaw to his own ends. There IS a method to the madness, a process Team Trump wants to unfold tomorrow:
- Everyone should celebrate the Army’s Birthday, as in HIS birthday
- Those who don’t, who actually demonstrate against Trump tomorrow are “Un-American” and traitors or insurrectionists.
- Even PEACEFUL protest is “Un-American” and has to be put down by overwhelming force.
- Even peaceful protesters will in some cases have to resist, take action to fend off LE, the Guard or even active duty troops to preserve their physical well-being or even lives.
- That resistance will be used as “proof” of the need to invoke the Insurrection Act, after which Trump will act like any other brutal dictator.
It’s hard to wrap your head around the prospect of this actually happening. To say “It could never happen here” but the fact is there is not just Trump but now powerful people close to him that DO want it to happen here. They’ve not done a very good job of hiding their goal either. Much of it has been happening in plain sight. Americans simply can’t bring themselves to believe an American President would actually try it.
To that I say remember January 6, 2021. Trump knew damn well in advance that an attempt would be made to storm the Capitol, invade the House Chamber and steal/destroy the Electoral Vote Certificates and arrest or even kill Pence, Pelosi and others. The true “strike force” was in position in the crowd and properly armed for once the Capitol Police were overwhelmed. I have not doubt operatives were in the nearby office buildings anyone who escaped the House Chamber might have retreated to. However when it came time to give that final “Go” order Trump lost his nerve.
Back then I’m sure he could think of Barr and others telling him he’d lost fair and square and to get over it. He also didn’t have a compliant set of Joint Chiefs who would obey ILLEGAL orders from him to deploy troops around the country. If you think about it people, not all of them tinfoil hat types have been warning Trump is now better prepared. He sure as hell doesn’t have anyone in his circle who will tell him NO. Hell, they are egging him on! So there will be protests tomorrow, overwhelmingly peaceful and Trump knows it so he’s made it clear he’s not putting up with ANY protest. He’d by god going to meet them with FORCE and provoke the violence himself.
That’s why I’m so disgusted with the 9th Circuit. They SHOULD have ordered any additional briefs based on Thursday’s initial ruling filed by say two p.om on today. (Who cares if people on both side had to pull all-nighters?) A few hours to review them and oral argument for early evening. And a decision before midnight. Trump would then appeal his loss to SCOTUS who I truly believe would have denied accepting the case. Newsome and every other governor would have control of the Guard units tomorrow. And Hegseth would have to ensure active duty military forces went back to and stayed on their bases. Precious time would have been bought.
But no. Judges, especially at the appellate level think they are oh so f**king special. NOBODY is going to rush them they insist. Sitting in their Ivory Towers they feel their August status makes the special. We mere mortals who aren’t amongst their ranks will just have to wait while they demonstrate how special they are. That OUR needs and that of the country take a back seat to them showing just how important they are. They show us by making us wait. Until the deem us and the public good worthy of their attention. F**K THEM and their superior attitude.
I’m not saying for sure it will happen but I’d say there’s a good chance Trump will cap off his birthday celebration tomorrow night signing an Executive Order invoking the Insurrection Act. Only he’ll take things far beyond the worrisomely extensive powers it grants. Between that and SCOUTS “Official Acts” immunity ruling there will be no check on his power. If judges, even SCOTUS rules against him he’ll just brand them traitors and have them locked up. No Habeas Corpus. Starting with if the 9th Circuit even is allowed to hold that hearing Tuesday. Their trying to do so would make a great example for Trump to show everyone else what even talking about standing up to him means.
I hope I’m being alarmist. But here’s what to watch for as the morning unfolds. As I said there are some fifteen hundred or more protests planned tomorrow. Some will be in major cities and attract thousands. I’d be willing to bet orders have already been cut to federallize the Guard in certain states. Blue ones. If Hegseth sends Guard units into those cities starting before noon it’s all over except the shooting. Tell those you need to you love them. If there’s someone to hug do so because by Monday we will be a country in full-on civil war. Bear in mind there are more GUNS than people in this country.
The Rule of Law will be dead. And via the gift of time the haughty arrogance of the 9th Circuit gave to Trump history will rightly and harshly judge them as being the ones who handed Trump the weapon to kill it.
Wow. I hope you’re wrong Denis.
We’ll find out in the next few days.
Since I’m now in a red state, I’m wondering how long it will take them to call out the Guard, especially in the protests downtown. I guess you might say I’m lucky there is a small one up here. Logistics for getting downtown, alone, were exhausting, let alone joining the protests. And I can’t move that fast anymore to be able to get away.
How long before they take down the internet, the food distribution networks, the road crews, and more? I know what the police are like in my town and have NO desire to be anywhere remotely close to them again. If they take over, I have no idea when I’ll even see my in-laws, 2 miles away, let alone my mom at about 1100 miles away. What happens when the power goes down? I’m just cycling through a few things in my head, and I know there is SO much I’m missing. When will the gasoline run dry?
There’s a military base only a few miles from our apartment. No rules of engagement for them.
I’m definitely scared spitless, now even more so than before. If he does this, we are all lost. I won’t be able to communicate with *anyone* and I’ve *been* in that world of no communications, thanks to 9/11. To get even more isolated than that?
What happens when we run out of our meds? Gods above, that’s going to make things even more ugly. This whole insanity will be exponentially worse than Covid. Oh, man. Diseases.
People can say this is stupid, and they will, but how are we going to take care of our pets for an extended amount of time? We’re even going to bring the outdoor stray we’ve been taking care of for years inside because we’ll be damned if we’re going to let someone hurt her.
I’m not at all the religious type, but I’ll be praying tonight.
Also, I wonder if they’ll move the Doomsday Clock. They usually only move it once a year. But Iran and Israel, Russia watching in the background, and martial law? Oh yea, it could move closer. We have nukes too.
We’re at 89 seconds to midnight as it is.
While I live on the Kansas side of the Kansas City Metro, I’m planning to go to the protest on the Plaza which is in Missouri. The MAGA GOP governor of Missouri has already activated his National Guard. I can only hope there won’t be Proud Boys or their ilk trying to stir up trouble at this huge gathering. Some local yahoos were arrested and tried after J6.
Also, I completely concur with your opinion of the 9th Circuit cowardice. We needed the ruling on Friday.
Joyce Vance writes about this decision in her Subsack.
https://joycevance.substack.com/p/the-week-ahead-63b
It’s not the first toin so you’ll need to scroll down. If you get what lookslike a paywall, find a button that says “Keep reading” or the like and click on it.
Joyce is a former DOJ prosecutor She’s my go-to when it comes to legal procesdures, as oposed to the meaning of the laws themselves. She’s good at that too, bot so are others.