Is NO Kings a political movement yet? Yes.

 When does a political organization or spontaneous protest rise to a political movement? Has NO KINGS reached the level of being a movement comparable to and in opposition to MAGA? Yes. It meets the definition and is similar to others in scope and size.  Per Google AI: "A political movement is an organized effort by a group of people to promote, resist, or change political and social conditions." Elements of a political movement include organized action, shared goals, tactics such as protests, demonstrations, boycotts, lobbying, political campaigns, and creating public awareness, and a common identity.  NO KINGS meets the definition, for sure, but how big and how effective are also elements to consider.  My own view is that to be a movement, it must be outside a political party structure, though political parties can participate.  I would add the element of being large enough in size and scope to effect change. NO KINGS is close to meeting that more restrictive definition, as well.

Some of that rise of NO KINGS to a movement status is due to the fact that the established Democratic party has no single voice or even a unified direction to counter MAGA. It has failed the leadership test.  NO KINGS has stepped into the void. A wide variety of organizations are partners in NO KINGS, with the prime leadership by Indivisible and 50501, coordinating and training leadership in peaceful protests and mass demonstrations.. That NO KINGS is primarily a pro-democracy/anti-autocracy movement is their common identity.

 Per some political scientists,, 3.5 % of the population must be engaged in protest to cause regime change.. Seven million turned out in October; around 11 million would be effective enough to effect regime change, and as the midterms for Congress  are still a year away, that is quite possible to show that kind of strength. Americans Continue To Build a Peaceful Mass Movement To Force Trump Administration Changes - Center for American Progress 

Poll: Americans approve NO KINGS protests v MAGA: Americans approve of No Kings protests by 16 points(49-33), Trump approval 39% with 20% approval among Gen-Z: Economist-Yougov : r/fivethirtyeight

  I have been a skeptic that the political science approach to political advocacy is a winner. This is despite the fact that I am motivated by being pro-democracy, anti-autocracy, and a political science major, and a life of political involvement and a junkie with hands-on experience with autocracies and dictatorships. That the concept of democracy under attack would get so many off their couches has surprised me.. I still think, in the very short term, pocketbook affordability issues will be the determining factors in the 2026 midterms.

 However, in the long term, NO KINGS is by far the more important movement. The reason? The people can complain all they want about government policies hurting their ability to live an affordable life, but if they lose democracy and support a dictator or one-party rule that tramples First Amendment rights, they have lost their ability to affect the very pocketbook issues that bug them. Instead of government of, by, and for the people, in an autocracy it becomes a government of, by, and for the autocrat —or one-party rule —and how much they are concerned about those they govern depends on how much people contribute to the autocracy gaining and staying in power. Otherwise, those they govern only get the news that favors the autocracy, and opposition ideas and activists are suppressed by whatever means and power the autocrat has. Once in full control, it is nearly impossible for people to dislodge. So far, MAGA and Trump are not quite there yet.  An autocracy can most easily be stopped early in its efforts to seize control. That is where MAGA is now and why 2026 and 2028 are the last chances for NO KINGS to stop it. Republicans are ridiculing ‘No Kings.’ A striking new poll shows Americans aren’t laughing | CNN Politics

MAGA is definitely an example of a political movement...a few democrats, some independents and and many registered Republicans who are loyal to Trump with near cult like adoration and are devoutly supportive. Whatever Trump says goes, whatever he does is OK if it advances whatever drives those who share his values. In my own view, it is primarily racially driven by the prospect that white domination will soon be replaced by multicultural racial demographics. MAGA is so focused on cleansing the country of "people they do not deem to be like them," manifested by the immigration issue, that it is racial more than any other single issue, pocketbook, or sociological class and peer pressure. In 2024, the racist, "pro-lifers," and homophobes made cultural issues their mantra and won. In 2026 and 2028, that is no longer the top of anyone's political issue list, I have seen in polls. 

Trump did not invent MAGA, other than giving it its name as a political slogan, Make America Great Again ("again" back to which date undefined or openly stated by its members ).  He has, however,  exploited the racist nautre of many for political and personal advantage, from his days of media and TV, from opposing the Central Park Five,  Birtherism against Obama, the Golden Escalator, Charlottesville of some very fine people are neo Nazis, and unleasing paramilitary ICE and Border Control to kick out of the contry more than those who were criminals (other than being undocumented which at best is only a misdemeanor).  The figures are hard to grasp, but somewhere around 60% of those in ICE detention have no criminal record or warrant, and have some degree of legal status; it is quite OK for the MAGA adherents. 

Trump's top advisors are radical extremists and ideologues on immigration policy (Stephen Miller) or in rolling back government to the pre-1930s depression era, wiping out any vestige of the New Deal, social security, food assistance, and medical care with affordable access(Russell Vought). Both are adherents of white Christian nationalism ideology and bent on destroying any governmental priority or reference to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). MUFTIC FORUM BLOG: What if it is true: Trump's got dementia as some claim

There are MAGA voters who are fellow travellers who are not the hard core and maybe "squishy".  There is a segment of GOP adherents who are the business- self-interested side seeking low taxes and deregulation, willing to lend support to the movement, and some others who are traditional Republicans who could never vote for a Democrat, but they are not in the hard core and could be motivated to stay home on election day or actually vote for the Democratic candidate in 2028. tHIS  is the ground where MAGA and NO KINGS will be duking it out to gain or keep political power.

How justified are NO KINGS in opposing Trump's regime as autocratic? One MAGA supporter on another FB site called it "concocted". Here is my FB response:

 This is an extremely important editorial from The New York Times. It cites ten markers of what ends democracy and becomes a country ruled by an "authoritarian"based upon the study and history of authoritarians.. It makes a case of whether we are there already or it is in process. The general gist is that if we are not yet fully there in some markers, but in others, he has already done it. Please take this seriously. I am. I am gifting this for you to read. The 12 markers and reasons for it are graded by whether we are on the way, have started, and to what degree, or are already there. For the reasons and evidence regarding each of these markers, go to the text of the editorial itself: I have gifted it and hope you can access the full text. https://www.nytimes.com/.../trump-autocracy-democracy...? I like this approach because it is based on what Trump has done or tried to do, is devoid of inflammatory language, and is grounded in facts and examples. Here is a summary by marker headings.

Of the markers of Democacy's demise in terms of what markers of authoritarianism Trump has already accomplished are

-persecutes political opponents

-declaress national emergencies on false pretenses

-vilifies marginalized groups

-creates a cult of personality

-uses power for personal profit

Of the authoritarian markers Trump has already started and yet to have fully accomplish:

-stifles dissent and speech

-bypasses the legislature

-issues military for domestic control

-defies the courts

-controls information and the news media

-tries to take over universities

-manipulates the law to stay in power

nytimes.com

Opinion | In Trump’s America, Are We Losing Our Democracy? (Gift Article)

FROM GOOGLE AI:

A political movement is an organized effort by a group of people to promote, resist, or change political and social conditions. These movements are driven by a shared ideology and use collective action to achieve goals like promoting rights, reforming government, or seeking social and political change. Examples include the Civil Rights movement, the women's suffrage movement, or the environmental movement, which use various methods from protest and lobbying to elections and advocacy. 

Key aspects of a political movement

• Organized action: 

  Movements are not random events; they involve people working together with a shared purpose. 
Shared goals: 
The objectives are to either change the status quo or to preserve existing political and social structures. 
Methods: 
Tactics can include protests, demonstrations, boycotts, lobbying, political campaigns, and creating public awareness. 
Collective identity: 
Members of a movement often share a common identity and a belief that they are working to address a common problem. 

Examples of political movements

The Civil Rights Movement: 
A movement that sought to end racial segregation and discrimination against African Americans through nonviolent protests and civil disobedience. 
The women's suffrage movement: 
A movement that fought for women's right to vote. 
The environmental movement: 
A movement that works to address environmental issues such as pollution, climate change, and conservation. 
The LGBTQ+ movement: 
A movement that advocates for the rights and acceptance of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people. 

What those who support the rule of law should fear the most updated to 6/24/25

Update June 24., 2025, Whistleblower: DOJ official "suggested" ignoring court orders".https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/whistleblower-says-top-doj-official-suggested-ignoring-court-orders-de-rcna214763

: June 21, 2025 Alert: a sneak attack on the rule of law. It is bad enough that the Supreme Court gifted immunity to the president from prosecution for criminal conduct. Still, now the GOP Senate has changed this to make it virtually impossible for anyone to sue the federal government and get issued a TRO or injunction, or a temporary restraining order.A provision, first in the House version eliminating the ability of courts to issue contempt charges, and now revised to stop federal courts from issuing temporary restraining orders or preliminary injunctions per the Brennan Center "'On June 13, the Senate Judiciary Committee released a revised version of the budget reconciliation bill that also targets federal courts’ power to restrain the government. The revised provision preserves judges’ contempt authority but forbids courts from issuing temporary restraining orders or preliminary injunctions against the federal government unless the plaintiffs post a bond to cover any damages or costs to the government if the government eventually wins the case. The requirement does not take into account plaintiffs’ ability to pay, which would make it all but impossible to obtain preliminary relief against the government in many cases. Not only that, it would be retroactive to all pending cases. https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/budget-bill-would-gut-federal-courts-ability-enforce-orders#:~:text=Buried%20in%20the%20House 's%20budget,compelling%20compliance%20with%20court%20orders.

This is one more step in the Trump administration's attempt to emasculate the only leg of the separation of power, left standing, turning us into a one-man rule, controlling in the one branch of the government left: the executive branch. The legislative branch, Congress, is little more than a rubber stamp and enabler of the Trump regime's power grab. This is how we become an autocracy that is a dictatorship of one person, by removing any ability of the judicial branch to hold the executive branch accountable. It must be stopped.

This is one more step in the Trump administration's attempt to emasculate the only leg of the separation of power, left standing,  turning us into a one-man rule, controlling in the one branch of the government left: the executive branch. The legislative branch, Congress, is little more than a rubber stamp and enabler of the Trump regime's power grab. This is how we become an autocracy that is a dictatorship of one person, by removing any ability of the judicial branch to hold the executive branch accountable.  It must be stopped.

HAS A NAPOLEON COMPLEX. The difference? Trump is taller. Trump on X 2/26/2025 compared view of law-abiding; he is above it and does not need to comply. He referred to Napoleon, who asserted: “He who saves his country does not violate any Law" as Napolen'ss rationale for doing what he needed to do to be an Emperor. Since then, short people who bully to reach the unsatiated need for power have a Napoleon complex. It is not meant as a compliment but a damnation'. What Trump is implying: he is above the law and has immunity beyond the Supreme Court limiting it to criminal prosecution for what he does in official duties.

What should those who support the rule of law instead of the rule of a person fear the most? What if the Trump regime defies court orders? It is a real possibility.  In fact, he is already doing it: Judge Rules That Trump Administration Defied Order to Unfreeze Billions in Federal Grants - The New York Times and n the USAID shuttering.  The Trump regime ignored the orders and kept the agencies closed. Now what? There are some effective measures brewing to counter this.

https://mufticforumblog.blogspot.com/2025/03/whats-big-deal-about-rule-of-law.html

The red flag was raised as  Trump pushed back on a judge's ruling denying Musk access to the Treasury Department's personal data on nearly everyone in the US. Musk railed against the judge and indicated that no judge should get away with that, as Musk calls for the impeachment of the judge:  “No judge should frankly be allowed to make that kind of a decision.”  https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/vance-and-musk-attack-judicial-authority-as-trumps-agenda-gets-pushback-from-courts    The implication was that when judges make decisions that go against the Trump regime, they should be impeached.  The strongest voices around Trump are telling Trump what he wants to hear. VP J D Vance had already announced earlier he believes Trump can ignore judges's rulings.  https:ld //www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/jd-vance-trump-can-ignore-judges-1235261430/. Now  opines Vance "judges aren't allowed to control the executive's legitimate power," https://www.newsweek.com/jd-vance-comment-questioning-court-authority-sparks-backlash-2028651. The hitch, of course, is what is "legitimate" and who decides that? Per Vance, it is the one grabbing power but not the courts. 

So far, only one institution has been attempting to uphold the rule of law. It is the judicial system, except for the Supreme Court, which ruled that the president is above the law and cannot be prosecuted for crimes committed as part of official duties. Congress has been so co-opted that they seem willing to give up what powers they once had: to hold Trump to the rule of law. Impeachment is a non-starter. Been there, done that anyway.

 Individual lawyers were reminded they also had to abide by the rule of law and due process as well, and the Bar Association would take action. The https://www.mediaite.com/politics/american-bar-association-rips-trump-and-musk-for-acting-contrary-to-the-rule-of-law/  Left unstated was whether the Bar would seek disbarment. There were attorney disbarments in the wake of January 6 and election denial, including Rudi Guiliani.

 The real-life, real-time concern now is that Trump has just ignored our decisions that go against the Trump agenda and continues the forbidden actions as if they never heard the court orders. The rule by presidential executive order is legitimate, claims some powerful voices in the Trump regime. They are defying the part of the Constitution that defines the role of the executive branch's primary role is to" take care that the laws be faithfully executed," meaning it is responsible for carrying out the laws passed by Congress and the power is given to the President to do so. Article II. (per Google AI) 

Some are talking about a class action civil suit against the administration, per Rep. Jamie Raskin. .https://www.msnbc.com/the-weekend/watch/can-you-sue-elon-musk-rep-raskin-lays-out-class-action-lawsuit-theory-after-treasury-data-accessed-231499333877  The Supreme Court's granting immunity to Trump from criminal prosecution, but civil suits were not covered, as of yet.

There is another way, too, per Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Rachel Maddow 2 10 2025. No need to wait fo these cases to get to the Supreme Court. It can happen immediately and in the lower federal courts. Courts can hold the administrator of the agency in contempt and send them to the clinker or fine them.   The lower echelons do not have presidential immunity for criminal behavior nor are they protected from civil liability. Trump appointees may just find themselves personally in legal and financial hot water.  Let's see how that plays out. If the judge rules there was contempt of court and issues a jail sentence as punishment, who escorts the accused to jail? Usually it is done by the marshall's service, but Trump appoints them. There could be appeals filed by the Trump regime as part of their delay game. You can see how this could evolve into the constitutional crisis of our lifetime over the preservation over the rule of law instead of the rule of an autocrat.  This could get ugly. Only pressure from within MAGA and their senator loyalists could convince Trump to back off.

So, ignoring the judicial system and defying rulings is now what is in store for us. The MAGA coup would now be complete, and the bedrock of democracy, the rule of law, would now be the rule of Trump, and we have lost our republic.  The people, the voters, are no longer governing themselves or have the power to shape laws they expect to be obeyed and are now at the mercy of the president.  The very essence of what defines democracy as ruled by the people has been de facto lost and placed in the hands of an aspiring dictator. 

If all else fails, the fallback is the voters themselves. They still have the ability to do it through free and fair elections, and fair and free elections have not been destroyed by MAGA yet. The first chance is in the midterms for Democrats to win back the majority, and the target should be the MAGA congresspeople from purple and blue districts.  Be aware that the billionaires now supporting Trump can buy elections with enough money to drown out the voices of the opposing Democrats.

The 'more sinister' reason behind Musk's attack on consumer protection | Opinion

Deep in the political philosophy weeds for those who seek a perspective to understand why MAGA is such a danger to democracy as we have known it for 250 years.

In a discussion with a grandchild who was so disillusioned with the government that he lapsed into nihilism and embraced anarchy, I countered with some political philosophy on my own. His point was that both Republicans and Democrats were equally corrupt and evil. My response: it's humanity that's the problem. Government can keep the worst of its nature in check. It is those checks that the supporters of Trump and Project 2025 want to tear down and give their lack of morality and their evil designs of greed and lust to rule unlimited.

My answer is that our founders, especially James Madison, believed that humanity was also morally evil, but reason could overcome that. A government, if constructed properly, could help reason and immorality beat down the passions that plague humanity. The problem is humanity itself and the nature of humanity. The tragedy today is that there are forces who want those "passions" unchecked, using a wrecking ball to the constraints provided in the Constitution, removing and destroying checks and balances and, individual rights, and more. 

The political philosophy behind the Constitution recognized man had passions that could be held in check by reason and moral conscience, and government could help that reason and morality keep these passions in bounds.  In simple terms, men have "passions" (basically evil and immoral) that reason can balance out and overcome.   Government can support that reason.  Here are the concepts that Madison's philosophy permeate the form of democracy we have enjoyed for 250 years and what the radical right views want to destroy, reflected in Project 2025.  They want to remove any checks on balances that keep "passions" in check. Princeton educated many of our country's founders and shaped their political beliefs. James Madison in particular took his lessons in philosophy at Princeotn and the Constitution reflects much of it. As a practicing Presbyterian, Princeton was its mothership,  the shaper of its religious preachers, and the views I have reflect the same Scottish philosophers taught by the Scottish professors at Princeton that eventually shaped our country and the form of Madisonian democracy we have today. (My youth pastor was an immigrant Scotsman, and at that time, Presbyterian ministers had to have a Ph.D. from Princeton). Dr. Latham was 100% Scots, born and bred in Scotland, complete with the brogue. Fate somehow found his flock being the First Presbyterian church in Muskkogee, Oklahoma)..

https://paw.princeton.edu/article/essay-witherspoon-madison-moral-philosophy-and-constitution#:~:text=President%20Eisgruber%20'83's%20focus%20on,and%20put%20it%20on%20display.

"So each entity – whether individual or government – has an interest in keeping passions within bounds set by reason and a moral conscience. This is likely the lesson Madison learned from Witherspoon’s lectures on moral philosophy. We see this lesson applied everywhere throughout the Constitution, e.g., checks and balances, separation of powers, Senate veto over the House, presidential veto over Congress, the implied power of judicial review over everyone, indirect election of senators by state legislatures (changed to direct election by the 17th amendment), and indirect election of the president by the Electoral College. We see it also in the Bill of Rights, which is to prevent the trial and conviction of another Socrates, a prophet, or even Jesus himself."

Hush money trial: example of the rule of law at work v the rule of an autocrat

 Update: 5/30/2024 This is the rule of law at work that allows juries of a defendant's peers to make that decision in every criminal case. The hush money trial could have gone either way. Today, Trump's fellow New Yorkers found him guilty of felonies.

This is why the rule of law is important and the key to American democracy. In an autocracy, the rule of law depends on the self-interest and judgment of one, and when the chips are down and the ruler has his appointees in place, the ruling and penalty are nearly always in favor of the ruler. The ruler depends on his power to stay controlled by a judicial system he controls. For how that works, Putin's Russia and how he has treated Navalny and Americans like Brittany Griner being held as hostages hoping to make deals in prisoner exchanges. The form of the rule of law is in Russia, but the use/abuse of it favors the autocrat.

Trump is already behaving like the autocrat he wants to be, refusing to accept any results of elections unless they show him winning, calling all judges and court decisions corrupt and the process rigged if they rule against him; and attempting to get "his" Supreme Court to rule he was immune from criminal protection when and if again he is in office and commits a crime. He has taken over his political party in total in preparation for 2024, requiring all those who think they have a political future to endorse him and to repeat the mantra: the 2020 election was stolen, or to resign or not run for re-election. . The question becomes, will he get away with it?

The warning to everyone else: If you think he was kidding about being a dictator on day one, he is already acting like one and making preparations to turn the entire executive branch into "his," replacing civil servants with loyalists per Project 2025, including the Department of Justice and the Defense Department brass, to use force or the threat of force to put down demonstrations who object to him.

Trump's use of fear backed up with violence has left a long trail leading to this day

 From the beginning of his political career, Trump has been promoting violence to give credibility to his use of fear, which he sees as a powerful tool to get his way. Posting on his social page a photo created  picture of Biden tied up in the back of a pickup truck with Trump's thumbs up in approval truly got attention on March 30. Those who ignore his threats of fear and violence, keep silent, and waive them off as just bloviating are his enablers. They also help unleash the unhinged violent actors and give them cover to carry out the threat on Trump's behalf. Even worse: He gives cover for others who normally would never let exhortation of violence to cross their tongues. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/tom-cotton-s-tweets-about-violence-against-protesters-are-alarming

Trump names and fingers the targets in public of who should be the victims of violence on his behalf, a presiding trial judge's daughter, for example, the day before the vile pickup truck meme. He stands by, or as on January 6, reveling in the TV images of violent acts committed under his banners for hours before calling them off. He calls them patriots and hostages he will release from jail if he gets re-elected. The head of the husband of a political opponent is bashed in with a hammer in his name, and his supporters laugh as he recounts that attack on Nancy Pelosi's husband.  Violent acts committed in his name are not considered crimes, or they are ignored or become a joke, like the recent pickup truck meme. Fear his promise of revenge and retribution if he gets re-elected because he is not kidding, which means more power to a "strong leader" his followers hope he will be.  

One indelible image comes from January 6 of an actual scaffold and hangman's noose standing by.  Pence got the message, yet he bravely refused to perform the coup and will not support Trump in 2024, citing the threat of violence to which he was subjected and blaming Trump for it.  Whichever it is. innate, nurtured, or naturally cunning, this country has never had such a person with this behavior profile in the Oval Office until now, and he is trying to get into power once again now that he has learned why and how he failed the first time. 

Loyalty to Trump means fear of the consequences if you fail to show it in your words or deeds.  Is he just kidding, snarling a threat? Is he just an angry, uncontrolled, unhinged mouth blowing off steam, or is he doing it intentionally to scare an official to behave a certain way or to back off holding himself,  Trump,  accountable for breaking the law? It is both, but it is more one of intent and conscious use of fear as a tool for power and support of violence that gives the threat credibility. Fear as a tool to better power was admitted to Bob Woodward in 2016 and reported by Woodward in his 2028 book "Fear," based on interviews with staff in the White House. He referenced Trump's statement that "Real power is, I don't even want to use the word, fear."  

I particularly relate to threats of violence as a former election official myself. Trump and his minions are still perpetuating the big lie, and it has violent results. It fuels intimidation and attacks on our election processes. It is close to home in Colorado as our secretary of state felt it necessary to go public and the high profile given the recent ballot issue initiated by GOP and independent never-Trumpers.  Here is what it means. It is an attack on democracy itself. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5iMjxrIN-8  Violent threats increase 600%, and she will not be intimidated.  How many profiles of courage like that are out there? Jena Griswold Sees 600 Percent Spike in Threats Since Trump Challenge (rollingstone.com)

For his use of violence as a political tool in Trump's past, and documented,  go to https://mufticforumblog.blogspot.com/2020/08/trump-fans-flames-of-violence-yet-calls.html

Trump uses fear in another way. " Fear what I tell you to fear "even though you probably never met an immigrant, for example, or never was a victim of a crime committed by an immigrant. "You could be" is enough for the paranoid and those hateful of others to fear them.  "They bring disease, will contaminate your blood, and rape your daughters. And they are so foreign they don't speak English or some language..."   These are simple messages that appeal to those who do not indulge in thinking objectively or care about facts and data. (Violent crimes are down under Biden, for example, and cities filled with migrants actually have less crime)  .https://www.thebulwark.com/p/biden-won-the-war-on-crime  in general

The use of law and order to control his threatening, violence-supporting behavior has failed to keep him in check. Law and order are only respected if they serve their purpose.  In MAGAland, killing Blue, who put up the resistance on Jan. 6 by those committing the violence on Trump's behalf, does not count as breaking the law. It just makes them patriots, not perps, in Trump's openly expressed view. Holding up the death of a cop at the hands of an immigrant means all immigrants are like that, so that is an example of fear of them and calls for more law and order. 

 Attempts to hold him accountable for inciting Jan.6 standing by for hours before calling them off are explained away to his followers with judges who rule against him because they hate Trump,  are corrupt, are black women, family members are never Trumpers, etc".It is not just a life-long bully speaking and channeling others' support of violence. He is the instigator, and he knows there always will be those who will pull the trigger or deliver a threatening message in his name.   

 The kind of power wielded by Putin is so admired so often by Trump, and a knot of Putin-loving GOP House members needs to be firmly rejected in November. Democracy is at stake. It is not the soothing kind of dictatorship Orban has constructed in Hungary, the darling of CPAC and entertained last month in Mar-a-Lago by Trump himself.  It is a violent one based on fear of retribution and the use of the executive branch and the Department of Justice as its weapon of implementation.  Political violence is  a Trump's approved and promoted tool of enforcement.   https://mufticforumblog.blogspot.com/2024/03/whats-difference-between-orban.html  It is closer to the Putin model, and alarming is Trump's attempt before the Supreme Court now to get total immunity for any crimes he committed or will commit while in office.   It is that kind of a dictatorship for which he lusts. In his anger over his frustration in trying to overturn the 2020 election, he proposed to rewrite the Constitution. https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4168261-trump-called-for-termination-of-parts-of-constitution-in-december/

Some personal notes:

I have to admit I have a particularly strong revulsion to dictatorships of any kind, fascist or communist. Few have ever had hands-on experience with dictatorship where fear of revenge or retribution backed up by actual physical violence or fear of it permeates all society, but take it from me, I have. Been there and done that firsthand.  It not only affects high-level dissidents like Navalny, it dictates a way of life for ordinary people living daily, watching their tongue, scared to complain about wrongdoing, for fear their co-workers and neighbors will report them, and they will lose the next promotion at best,  a backing for political office or a chance to become a medical student (as it happened to my husband to be when he was a student), or at worse, the knock on the door at night with government operatives searching for a long-gone family member (as experienced by my husband as a teenager). He knew they had the power to cart you off to "interrogation" and conduct a warrantless search while the paddy wagon waited outside. The rule of law or civil rights protections were nonexistent in practice, though they existed, useless, on paper. All arms of government power, legislative, judicial, executive, and police, were dedicated to Drug (Comrade) Tito, and positions were only filled with loyalists.  It is not unlike the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025. https://mufticforumblog.blogspot.com/2024/03/why-trump-only-needs-to-be-dictator-on.html  Ideology is different, but the result is the same: control of the levers of power

 A true story about how fear works and a true trauma. 1972, Yugoslavia, Split Airport. Dictator Tito was still following much of the Stalinist governing model, though moderating a bit, so we had taken a chance to visit my husband's mother, whom he had left behind nearly 15 years before, and introduce her to the grandchildren.  He was an emigre from that dictator-run Communist country; we met in Berlin during my junior year abroad, and he was now a US citizen, an MD in private practice,  residing in the US.  As we were on the plane to leave after a happy visit, my husband was yanked off the plane with three wailing children, and an equally frightened me were left in their seats as our bags were searched on the tarmac. They found nothing threatening. Safely back in Italy, my husband had a nightmare in which the police gave him the choice of being shot in the front or in the back.  Fear is a powerful emotion.

 I fear in my soul that some ignorant fools want to trade democracy in for an "autocracy" as a way to get their agenda implemented.

https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2024-03-29/trump-posts-video-with-an-image-of-a-hog-tied-biden-drawing-a-rebuke-from-democrats-campaign

 https://siepr.stanford.edu/news/mythical-tie-between-immigration-and-crime  

https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/15/us/border-migrants-crime-cec/index.html

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trumps-claims-crime-rates-clash-police-data-rcna145353

https://mufticforumblog.blogspot.com/2024/03/after-four-futile-years-of-trying-to.html

 https://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/article/trump-paul-pelosi-gop-18404812.php

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2024-03-29/da-suggests-donald-trump-violated-gag-order-with-post-about-daughter-of-hush-money-trial-judge