Reply To: On Tyranny Lesson 6: Be wary of paramilitaries
I’m sure there are quite a few groups in the US, but I have limited knowledge. I was shocked with Kyle Rittenhouse being celebrated by right-wing media and tRump. A teenager who fired at protestors and killed two people should not be given the limelight, it was shocking enough that he was acquitted. The same applies to all of the J6 protestors, among them the Proud Boys. There definitely is a “government” connection to the group via Roger Stone and their involvement in J6. That they were all acquitted by tRump signals what Snyder warns of in this chapter — “people and parties who wish to undermine democracy and the rule of law create and fund violent organizations that involve themselves in politics.” This event was a so-called “spontaneous citizens’ initiative,” but I’m sure there are darker links to it having been organized in advance. My American friends may be able to shed more light on this.
Also, there are troubling signs that the takeover of the police and military is already underway. There’s the new Department of Defence head Peter Hegseth. People have mentioned that his tattoos are associated with militant Christianity/Christian nationalism. There has been the firing of the heads of the military and the JAG lawyers. This shows a desire to break down the leadership and undermine the rules from within. And there are the new powers for ICE and the privatized detention centres, who are already using violence and fear tactics to intimidate immigrants and racial groups. To me, all indicators are that the US is in step two of what Snyder outlines—first challenge, then penetrate, then transform the police and military.
