LA Protests and the National Guard

This may offend some of you, and it may cause bigsurkate to lose followers, but after watching what unfolded over the weekend, I can not be silent.

Several of my retired lawyer friends and I discussed whether we should volunteer, but none of us were immigration lawyers, and that is a specialized field. They are going to protests, and I am posting this here as my way of reaching out to people asking all my friends on whatever side of the aisle or wherever you are on the political spectrum to engage in thinking — critical thinking for yourself. Deflection and distraction is the way the current administration deals with loss of face or any loss or challenge, as with Musk, China, Putin, and even the GOP not passing that fascist spending bill immediately as he demanded. It is all getting out of hand for him, so he does what every bully does: escalates matters. Check all claims for accuracy.

“ Trump and his regime still don’t get it. You cannot build a country on fear, deception, and brute force and expect it to last. You can shout about greatness, parade your soldiers through the streets, jail your critics, and bulldoze every institution that stands in your way—but none of it will hold. Because power built on violence is always unstable. Power built on lies always collapses. You can rig the courts, rewrite the rules, and gaslight the people for a while. But eventually the foundation cracks. And then it all falls.” (Brent Molnar, Voice of Reason)

Don’t think it can’t happen here. We are a sanctuary county with a high population of Hispanic workers in our fields and service industries. They are our friends and neighbors and family. Attend the NO KINGS day protest on June 14th. It is a start, but only a start. Protests will be happening all over the country. It will mar the military parade that the orange ego demands. That’s one reason he started these high profile raids and also so he could have a reason to escalate and push federal armed forces to act against its own citizens. Hopefully, our governors will unite and assert sovereignty under the 10th Amendment.

We all need to be informing ourselves and preparing for peaceful protesting every time we get a chance, if necessary. Remember, violence is what he wants so that he can claim his actions are justified. Don’t give him that. Keep it peaceful and encourage others to do so as well. As Joyce Vance says in Civil Discourse: “We are in this together.”