Full Reichstag Fire

[canpakes]

I'll wait.

I think that this is the 13th or 14th time Trump has claimed to have ended that conflict.

[Whiskey]

I'll wait.

I think that this is the 13th or 14th time Trump has claimed to have ended that conflict.

You don't want to wait?

[canpakes]

This seems unnecessarily provocative and fascist-y.

[Moksha]

Are ICE agents former Russian soldiers?

[Chap]

This seems unnecessarily provocative and fascist-y.

This seems unnecessarily deliberately provocative and fascist-y.

Fixed it for you.

The message is basically "Lady, the President has told us we can do what we want. And you know what? If I decide to pull this trigger you will be dead and I shall probably get a medal. Just so you know."

[canpakes]

This seems unnecessarily provocative and fascist-y.

This seems unnecessarily deliberately provocative and fascist-y.

Fixed it for you.

The message is basically "Lady, the President has told us we can do what we want. And you know what? If I decide to pull this trigger you will be dead and I shall probably get a medal. Just so you know."

To be fair, the weapon shown is a pepper ball gun, but at this range, impact can easily draw blood.

[Res Ipsa]

Back to NSPM-7

So far, the memo has fabricated a vast conspiracy on the left: sophisticated campaigns of radicalization, threats and violence. No evidence is offered -- it is just asserted. The next paragraph puts a name to the made up conspiracy: "anti-facism." It also equates "anti-racism" to terrorism.

There are common recurrent motivations and indicia uniting this pattern of violent and terroristic activities under the umbrella of self-described “anti-fascism.” These movements portray foundational American principles (e.g., support for law enforcement and border control) as “fascist” to justify and encourage acts of violent revolution. This “anti-fascist” lie has become the organizing rallying cry used by domestic terrorists to wage a violent assault against democratic institutions, constitutional rights, and fundamental American liberties. Common threads animating this violent conduct include anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism, and anti-Christianity; support for the overthrow of the United States Government; extremism on migration, race, and gender; and hostility towards those who hold traditional American views on family, religion, and morality. As described in the Order of September 22, 2025 (Designating Antifa as a Domestic Terrorist Organization), the groups and entities that perpetuate this extremism have created a movement that embraces and elevates violence to achieve policy outcomes, including justifying additional assassinations. For example, Charlie Kirk’s alleged assassin engraved the bullets used in the murder with so-called “anti-fascist” rhetoric.

First, one finds "foundational American principles" at the time when the nation was founded. Take the Declaration of Independence:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

The foundational principles are the inalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; that government derives its powers from the consent of the governed; and that the people have the right to abolish a form of government that is destructive to those ideals. Not a word about supporting law enforcement or enforcing borders.

The list of grievances against King George shows what the founders thought about support for law enforcement and immigration:

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

...

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.

...

For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

Nothing in there about enforcing borders or supporting law enforcement. Rather, the grievances included restricting immigration to the colonies and the way England was enforcing its laws.

The Bill of Rights is filled with anti-law enforcement rights:

4th amendment: freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures.
5th amendment: requiring grand jury for serious crimes, right against double jeopardy, right against self-incrimination, right to due process of law
6th amendment: right to speedy trial, right to jury trial, right to confront witnesses, right to compel witnesses, right to counsel.

The bill of rights was concerned, not with supporting law enforcement, but with protecting citizens against abuse by law enforcement.

The claim that support for law enforcement and border control are foundational American values is BS. On the other hand, they are foundational principles of authoritarianism. But from this false premise, the order makes an enormous leap to the claim that anti-fascism is waging a "violent assault against democratic institutions, constitutional rights, and fundamental American liberties." That claim is exactly backwards. It is fascism that wages war against those things, and anti-fascists that defend "democratic institutions, constitutional rights, and fundamental American liberties." The technical term for this technique is the "big lie." And we've already seen Trump deploy the big lie with incredible success.

So, false premise supports a big lie. But the order doesn't stop there. It goes on to identify "common threads" that animate the alleged "violent conduct:"

• Anti-Americanism
  anti-capitalism
  anti-Christianity
  support for overthrow of the government
  extremism on migration
  extremism on race
  extremism on gender
  hostility toward those who hold traditional views on family, religion, and morality

What is Anti-Americanism? Well, it's whatever Trump and Miller decide it is. Does it include "unfair" criticism of Trump. Asking rude questions to Bondi or Patel. The term is so vague it can literally apply to any speech or conduct that someone in the government dislikes.

What is Anti-Capitalism? Given that all government regulation is derided by Republican office holders as "socialism" or "communism," any attempt to regulate economic actors or provide public benefits can qualify as "anti-capitalism."

What is Anti-Christianity? Is it Islam? Is it the LDS? Is it criticism of Christianity or Christians? Is it resisting attempts by some Christians to use government to impose their religion on others? Certainly, some comments in this forum could be easily characterized as Anti-Christian.

What is extremism on migration? Anything less harsh than Trump's attempts at mass deportation? Protesting outside an ICE, Homeland Security, or immigrant detention facility?

What is extremism on gender? The government has already told us: identifying as transgender or supporting the rights of transgender people.

What is hostility? Why is hostility toward views common held by Trump supporters and not by those supporters against Trump critics.

This is a helluva wide net. What does the order do with that net? The key phrase is "a movement that embraces and elevates violence to achieve policy outcomes." That is a textbook definition of "terrorism." So, if you fall within any of those categories, you are a terrorist or promoter of terrorism. According to this memo, my transgender daughter is a terrorist or promoter of terrorism simply by identifying as transgender. And I am also for supporting her.

Look over the list of categories and see how easy it will be for the government to decide that you are a terrorist or supporter of terrorism. Next entry, we'll discuss what the order unleashes against anyone who qualifies.

[yellowstone123]

Horst Wessel is smiling from heaven.

Yeah. The fire is more well known, but Horst Wessel is a better analogy.

Yes, Horst Wessel is a good analogy and a good starting point.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horst_Wessel

Notice in the Wikipedia page that the German Communist Party slogan was "Strike the fascists wherever you find them," which is what you basically hear from today's Antifa—many who seem to follow the example of the German Nazis: not allowing speech that differs from their own, using violence, burning buildings. We can also note that there are many circumstances that brought an individual like Hitler to power, which I'll address in future posts. One of which is that the Russian communists were torturing millions of Ukrainians in the early 1930s—men, women, the very young and old—through starvation and likely would have done the same thing in Germany if they had the chance. It also seems to me that these individuals had a different mindset that connected them to the previous 200 years, where antisemitism flourished in the area without any consequences. Also, Napoleon came roaring through the continent in the early 19th century with thoughts of "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity." This concerned the old order of aristocratic landowners—the Junkers who controlled the Prussian military, put conservatives into government to write rules to benefit them, the rich and powerful. But as to how Hitler came into power, I'll try to address that during the following weeks.

[Res Ipsa]

Yeah. The fire is more well known, but Horst Wessel is a better analogy.

Yes, Horst Wessel is a good analogy and a good starting point.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horst_Wessel

Notice in the Wikipedia page that the German Communist Party slogan was "Strike the fascists wherever you find them," which is what you basically hear from today's Antifa—many who seem to follow the example of the German Nazis: not allowing speech that differs from their own, using violence, burning buildings. We can also note that there are many circumstances that brought an individual like Hitler to power, which I'll address in future posts. One of which is that the Russian communists were torturing millions of Ukrainians in the early 1930s—men, women, the very young and old—through starvation and likely would have done the same thing in Germany if they had the chance. It also seems to me that these individuals had a different mindset that connected them to the previous 200 years, where antisemitism flourished in the area without any consequences. Also, Napoleon came roaring through the continent in the early 19th century with thoughts of "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity." This concerned the old order of aristocratic landowners—the Junkers who controlled the Prussian military, put conservatives into government to write rules to benefit them, the rich and powerful. But as to how Hitler came into power, I'll try to address that during the following weeks.

Looking forward to it. I’m reading Timothy Snyder’s book on the Holocaust. Interesting stuff.

[Some Schmo]

Are ICE agents former Russian soldiers?

I wanted to quote this just because... oh Moksha.

He was a funny dude.