Reply To: On Tyranny Lesson 6: Be wary of paramilitaries
Very sorry to hear about your family’s experiences, Libby. That must have been a frightening, chaotic time for them, and so many others. I’m glad they remained safe.
Riots do bring chaos, of course. Tempers and emotions get out of control; coherent authority and direction is often disregarded; some people just can’t wait to let loose and explode all their frustrations on others, or act out their wet dreams of violence and domination. Give them weapons and a feeling of superiority and righteousness, and all manner of destruction can occur. And some leaders use this to their advantage, and aim these followers like guided missiles to vulnerable targets to get what they want. There is often method behind the madness, and that is extremely dangerous. According to the Southern Poverty Law Clinic (SPLC), there were 1,430 hate and anti-government extremist groups identified in the U.S. in 2023 ( https://www.splcenter.org/resources/guides/year-hate-extremism-2023/ ) Many of them are paramilitary and glorify violence. Dirty Civilian, a Tennessee-based group, for example, has a significant following on You Tube, and recently posted a video about killing UN peacekeepers ( https://www.splcenter.org/resources/hate-watch/antigovernment-youtube-channel-depicts-killing-of-un-peacekeeping-soldiers/ ). SPLC has been tracking such groups since 2000, and they show a continued increase in those numbers. There were “only” 599 such groups identified in 2000. DJT gave many of these groups, like Proud Boys, a validation by refusing to brand them for what they were, praising them, and condoning their actions during the attempted coup at the White House and other events. They are already “intermingling.” Warning bells are already sounding. Be wary? Oh, yes. How to combat this? Not sure, except by demanding that our elected officials and law enforcement don’t legitimize and condone their actions when they step outside the law.
