Maybe We'd Like a Dictator...

Trump announced a few days ago that he will bring the military into “War-Ravaged” Portland. I was just in Portland last week, and posted on Facebook that in reality, Portland remains a beautiful — peaceful — city. Almost immediately, I had people jumping into the comments to contradict me, telling me that Portland was a “hellhole.” They pointed out the problems Portland has with homeless people, drugs, tent cities — all real problems, and also all problems in virtually every American city. I think for many of these folks, that means that Trump should send the military into every city — or at least into every city run by Democrats. Somehow, actual violence at the ICE center in Dallas doesn’t warrant calling in the troops, of course.

Not that anybody in MAGA seems to care, but the President is not supposed to use the military as a domestic police force. Aside from being illegal, you would think in a country that is supposed to be of laws, not of men, people would have a visceral revulsion to the use of military force against those the president thinks are against him. I certainly do. But some people have been so blinded by tribalism and hatred that they think Trump declaring war on American cities is a good idea! Or at least somehow justified because we live in such dangerous times.

Of course, we are in dangerous times, but not because of crime, anti-ICE protests, the “woke agenda,” or trans people owning guns. It’s because a huge portion of the population seems to have decided that adhering to the law — indeed to the Constitution itself — is optional for this president and this administration. If you are not alarmed by what is going on, you simply are not paying attention. I highly recommend you read Robert Tracinski’s new book Dictator From Day One. Like me, Tracinski is no leftist — his opposition to Trump comes entirely from his devotion to liberty. If you consider yourself an Objectivist or libertarian, you need to read this book. Even I, who try to keep up with this administration’s encroachments on our liberty, was stunned by how much they’ve been able to erode the foundations of a free society in fewer than ten months.

Since we have free will (sorry, Sam Harris, but we do), it is always possible for people to correct their errors. Those who still support Trump even as he eviscerates our constitutional republic could realize that he has led the country down a very dangerous path. But in reality, most won’t. What Carl Sagan once wrote is true: “One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we’ve been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We’re no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has captured us. It’s simply too painful to acknowledge, even to ourselves, that we’ve been taken. Once you give a charlatan power over you, you almost never get it back.”

Unfortunately, I don’t have a cure for today’s tribalism. But I do think I have a diagnostic tool, for any still honest enough to use it. When evaluating an action (or a statement) coming from Trump, just imagine what your response would be if it had come from Biden (or Harris, or Obama — pick your favorite Leftist bogeyman). For example, since I already mentioned Dallas, would you still be in favor of bringing in the military if Harris were President and that was her response to the recent shootings there?

I do this exercise with myself all the time. That’s why I was able to praise Trump’s actions in bombing the Iranian nuclear sites (although his failure to follow through by obliterating the regime is disappointing). Government overreach remains unacceptable no matter which party perpetrates it. It’s lonely not to be part of a tribe, to realize that you don’t belong with either of the “sides” in this cultural and political war. But in truth, the only side worth supporting is the one that recognizes the reality of individual rights and the necessity of using reason supported by facts. Can those still supporting Trump claim that he is on that side, when he posts an AI video promoting entirely fictional “medbeds?” Or when he urges pregnant women to not take Tylenol, based on one questionable study? Or when he openly urges his minions to use the power of government to go after his enemies? Or when he threatens to withdraw the broadcast licenses of those who are “against” him?

This is no longer a question of should you have voted for Harris or for Trump. That is ancient history at this point. It doesn’t matter. The only question now is: do you want to live in a constitutional republic or in the whim-driven world of a fragile, vapid man who is sliding into senility? Those who still value the American system we all grew up with need to look at the reality of where we are and start actively supporting a return to the rule of law — to being a nation of laws, not of men. Speak up now, because if Trump has his way, you may not be able to for much longer.