The Universe of Discourse

Leopards, faces, etc.

I expect we in the United States are about to see a wave of domestic terrorism unprecendented since the 1870s. In the wake of the Civil War, white Southerners used systematic terrorism to continue white supremacy. If a black person became too prosperous, masked thugs would come in the night to burn down their house. If a white person was seen helping a black one, the thugs would arrive, and might let them off lightly for a first offense, and administer only a severe beating, or a tar-and-feathering. If a black man voted, masked thugs would come to murder him perhaps by night, or perhaps in broad daylight and publicly. Blacks in the reconstruction South were met at polling places by armed mobs.

Local law enforcement ignored these lawless acts, and in many cases the terrorists were the local law enforcement: sheriffs, police, judges. The terrorism continued for decades, and the terrorists were restrained, to the extent they were restrained, only by federal enforcement of the anti-Klan acts.

A few weeks ago I hoped Trump might forget about the imprisoned January 6 rioters. Trump discards anyone for whom he has no use, I thought, and he has no more use for them. I was wrong. His pardon of hundreds of rioters sends a clear signal, to his followers and to his enemies, that political terrorism is now supported or at least condoned by the Federal executive branch. The federal executive will not enforce antiterrorism laws unless the terrorists are politically opposed to Trump.

Don't count on anyone to restrain Trump. If a judge rules the wrong way, they may be assaulted by masked thugs. If a congressperson becomes troublesome, their house may burn down in the night. If a newspaper reporter writes an article critical of Trump, masked thugs may kill them, perhaps gun them down in the street.

Nothing will be done. The FBI will shrug. Trump will call it fake news or will blame immigrants, Muslims, or Antifa.

And if you were one of the people cheering for Luigi Mangione last month, remember that that's what you were cheering for, a country where it's okay to gun down people in the street, as long as you hate them enough.

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