All protestors will be branded as terrorists, and then we can really shoot 'em, boys, no more of this merciful beanbag or pepper spray bullshit. SLASH "S". But yeah that does seem like the plan.
You are not wrong. If you can label a poorly-defined word as a special target for extra-judicial treatment, then you paper anybody and any action with that label, and deny them their American rights. It's what this government does: build a box with no lid, throw a bunch of people into that box, and then throw the box away. The same model was used to force people back to work. The government declared the state of emergency for COVID as "over", and the virus "under control", so the government could force the costs of business closures back onto the States. After all, if the federal government says it's safe to go back to work, and you stay closed, that's YOUR problem now; you are no longer eligible for federal funds. It's Gaslighting 101. And the Republicans are fucking masters of the art.
While I acknowledge that America punishes optimism, I don't think a "red and black scare" is going to happen. I mean, even the NYT is calling bullshit. The FBI is uninterested enough that Christopher Wray had to make himself a wingnut punching bag shooting down Ted Cruz back when that was his obsession.
Trump’s always had issues with delivery on promises, through whatever avenue, agree. But this is now Trump with at least Bill Barr, apparently a sleeper fanatical, and both are in a very, very empowered, very bullish assault on almost everything standing in between Trump and actual dictatorship. The usual 5-4 Supreme court split has already likely managed to deflect Trump's tax records and other important issues of note until after the election. The thing about Barr is that, even though what he's done so far is mind-bendingly lapdoggish and intolerable (imo: Roger Stone, Mike Flynn, Mueller Report interpretation), it's what he could be prepared to do to help Trump stay in power. The same can be said of every GOP congressperson, really. Somehow the terrible ends justify the terrible means, and we're cranking terrible to 11. Obvz, I don't share your optimism, but to each their own. I hated the headliner pic selection, btw, with the hammer and sickle, which has (I think?) nothing to do with mainstream antifa symbols. Caption: “The antifa symbol can be seen on the shields, which can’t be seen”. No further comment, but not your fault.
Well, you’re right. But I also don’t think this was meant to be a legal declaration. It’s a political statement, it empowers his base to further incite violence against protestors.
On the other hand. while I didn't go out for this round because the nearest city to me has been very calm and mostly just black protestors saying "hey, we don't want to be murdered", at every protest I've been to since Charlottesville we've had things like church ladies bringing red-and-black cupcakes to the anarchists and aged WWII vets needing to be convinced that the black bloc kids could handle 4chan nazis and they don't need to break a hip helping. I'm not willing to predict a left turn in US politics, especially after the Democratic primary had the most depressing outcome possible, but I don't think a hard turn to the right is likely either.
Yeah, except a car did run over protestors in my city yesterday...so...
"Antifa" has been a favorite target/scapegoat of the alt-right for awhile. That it's not actually an organized group just makes that easier, because boogeymen are more effective when they're amorphous. In the short-term, I question the extent to which this will make any real difference. But it does set a longer-term precedent of using "terrorist organization" to get rid of a group that is politically opposed.