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.

There are many militant groups throughout the US who are just waiting to be called to arms. They each have their own group agenda but all have the common thread of hate for the government. Be it the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, Boogaloo Bois or others, all they need is for the government to tell them to act and they will happily come. I feel the republican administration is waiting for any excuse to declare a state of emergency. Once that is done he can turn the military against the people. I fear we might see the military attacking peaceful protestors any time now.

I learned from the events in Kenosha, WI where Kyle Rittenhouse pretended to be a paramedic, marched the streets like his own little private militia, and killed innocent citizens how these things get out of hand. Militant groups are brought in to turn peaceful marches into destructive, violent riots in a matter of minutes. They are well disciplined, have specific strategies for distracting the police and create havoc in minutes. Fires were set in store buildings with apartments upstairs. The rioters hid in the bushes and ambushed the firemen who came to put out the fires and rescue those in the apartments. Now the police had to come to every fire call and secure the area before the firemen could safely fight the fires. Thus preventing them from securing the riots in other neighborhoods. My daughter’s home was threatened and they had to evacuate to my house for their safety. Neighborhood watch men, turned militants, drove around the streets with their guns trying to protect their neighborhoods. The problem was you had no way of knowing who was the bad guy and who was there to protect you. All it takes is a few minutes, evil minds, lots of anger, and your world is on fire and bodies are laying in the streets. tRump dreams of bringing in his army to save the day. That’s the day when democracy has truly lost. The day the military backs the devil. The day democracy dies!!

Libby, your account is truly chilling. I share your concern about the administration using peaceful protests as an excuse to mobilize the U.S. military against the American people. I hope our courts and other elected leaders are going to be up to the task of responding to that possibility.

This administration has effectively ended the work of the FBI and DHS to identify and monitor domestic terrorist groups and to prosecute acts of domestic terrorism. Their blanket pardon of those convicted for their activities on January 6, 2020 clearly empowers these groups and any individual’s so inclined to establish themselves as enforcers of the law as they see it.

“On Tyranny” was published in 2017, years before the events Libby references or that we see unfolding in the U.S. now. This chapter is unquestionably the most concerning so far. I wish it ended with a prescription for the path forward.

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.

Libby, I’m also so sorry that you and your family had such a terrifying experience.

With the constant threat of annexation, Canadians are worried, scared and angry. But I also feel a deep sadness and concern for our American friends who are living in fear daily with so many threats from so many different sources. I share your fear Libby, of what may happen during peaceful protests. We must remember what tactics have been used in the past because I worry that the administration will not hesitate in using as much force as possible. There was a post about a general strike – I wonder if our American friends can comment on whether this would this be effective? Is this a viable way to protest? It seems so much safer for everyone.

What is the path forward? Many solutions to current problems seem to be more long term calls to action. Things that will take years to organize and implement. There are some very obvious factors that have been involved in creating the problems we currently face, but none of the problems will be quick or easy to fix.

For now, some of the things that have been suggested as things we should do are: to connect and grow our communities, to organize, to educate ourselves and others around us, and to take whatever actions we can to resist, supporting one another as we resist together.