Michael Reed’s Post

please read carefully.

Its bad form to attempt to assassinate a presidential candidate--even one as loathsome as #Trump--before our electoral and legal processes for keeping him out of power have been exhausted. If Trump attempts another coup via insurrection or other means, it will be up to #Biden or whoever the #DemocraticParty ends up choosing as its contender at the #DemocraticNationalConvention next month to order that he be captured or killed, with due consideration given to his intelligence value as a probable traitor to Russia but also what a serious domestic threat he would remain even if kept in military detention and the difficulty the fascist #RepublicanParty would have replacing their charismatic leader. I hope Biden or his successor doesn't prove squeamish if that highly realistic scenario occurs. Anyone who isn't willing to make that decision, if Trump's actions necessitate it, is not qualified for the presidency. If Trump wins, that initially would make arguments for violent direct action more challenging but he would almost certainly end up taking actions himself that would legitimize violent responses regardless of the legitimacy of his electoral victory. The people who are trying to tell us that political violence is categorically wrong might want to refresh themselves on the American Revolution. #2024election #democracy #authoritarianism

In this election year, Is a civil war in the U.S. possible? Philip Kotler   U.S. politics today is in the worst state since the American Civil War (1860-65). Today’s two political parties, Democrats and Republicans, hardly talk to each other. Every legislative proposal gets killed by the other party. Each party unashamedly charges that the other party will destroy the U.S. Constitution and the U.S. economy. Some state legislators talk about taking their state out of the Union. So far, there is civil unrest and a few occasions of civil strife. There are gang-like groups of male toughs ready to form gun militias. We saw many in the January 6th 2021 insurrection trying to take over the Nation’s Capitol. The protestors set aside the democratic tradition of the rule of law and the peaceful resolution of conflicts. Today we are facing the 2024 Presidential election. I can imagine three events that have the potential to trigger a civil war. The first is the election of Donald Trump. Trump told his followers that he would clean out the swamp and get rid of the vermin. But every action he would take would consolidate Democrats and many politically uncommitted voters to oppose Trump and call for his removal from office. The more extreme Trump’s measures, the stronger the rising opposition. Eventually the Democrats would invade the White House and arrest Donald Trump. The second is the election of Joe Biden. Here Donald Trump would again cry that the election was stolen and call his MAGA supporters and other right-wing extremists and rednecks to take over the Congress and the White House. The third would be the early arrest and jailing of Donald Trump prior to the election. Donald Trump faces several felony counts. In Washington, D.C., he faces four felony counts for trying to overturn the 2020 election. In Georgia, he faces 34 felony counts for paying hush money payments to a porn star. In Florida, he faces 40 felony counts for holding classified documents office and impeding the government’s efforts to retrieve them. Trump’s die-hard followers would undoubtedly take action to free Trump from jail and take actions to harm Trump’s loudest opponents. What makes civil strife more threatening in this age is the presence of so many guns in the hands of extremists. Add the role and speed of the Internet and social media to circulate lies and horror stories about the other side. Note that each political party Is made up of factions that often pursue their own agenda. For a more long-run view of factors starting civil wars, read How Civil Wars Start and How to Stop Them by Barbara F. Walter.

if you don't think trump and his supporters present a problem to our constitutional system, you might want to read this and think again. this is a well presented look at previous language and acts trump has used and tried. with his current state of "mind", the Project 2025 being activated along with the unified executive presidency, do you not think he might just try? not hyperbole, not fear mongering. simply a look at what the man has said and done along with what his handlers have in mind. read. learn. think. #voteharris #votewalz #voteblue https://lnkd.in/dVxbK8HV

Defending Democracy: ADDRESSING THE DANGERS OF ARMED INSURRECTION  - PDF: https://lnkd.in/gWSZpAUt The growing presence of firearms in political spaces in the United States endangers public health, safety, and the functioning of democracy. Far from being an outlier, the January 6th insurrection at the United States Capitol was part of a long line of events in which individuals have sought to use political losses to justify violence or threats of violence to disrupt our government and limit civic engagement. These attacks on our nation and democratic institutions are preventable, but not without taking purposeful action.  This report is both an examination and a warning of the threat that armed insurrectionism poses to democracy in the United States. It also counters the false narrative that the Constitution creates rights to insurrection and the unchecked public carry of firearms, and rejects the notion that violence has any place in our nation’s politics. The report concludes with recommended policy and practice solutions that policymakers and advocates can use to address the dangers of armed insurrectionism.  The First and Second Amendments Do Not Protect a Right to Armed Insurrection  Courts have not recognized the open carry of guns as speech protected under the First Amendment. If anything, the presence of guns at venues where political speech occurs, such as legislative buildings and demonstrations, imperils the exercise of First Amendment rights.  A right to take up arms against the government has not been recognized by courts as a protection within the Second Amendment and is incompatible with our democracy. As evidenced by events like the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing and the January 6th insurrection, individuals deciding for themselves when democracy becomes “tyranny” jeopardizes lives and the foundational civil liberties of free speech and fair elections necessary for democratic governance. Policy and Practice Recommendations  - Regulate the public carry of firearms  - Strengthen existing laws, or increase the enforcement of current laws, to prohibit paramilitary activity  - Prohibit the civilian possession of firearms in locations essential to political participation, such as polling places, legislative buildings, and protests to protect the core functions of government  - Enact and implement Extreme Risk Protection Order laws to temporarily disarm people who pose a high risk of violence  - Repeal or create exceptions for firearm preemption laws to give local governments the ability to create policies to address risks of insurrectionism in their jurisdictions  - Break the insurrectionist permission structure by openly denouncing violence 

Does the Trump “Assassination attempt” change citizens minds about voting for one candidate or another? The debates did not change many minds. Neither should the “assassination attempt,” in my opinion. While a natural inclination maybe to feel sorry for someone after someone else has attempted to take their life, you should dig a little deeper before you solidify your feelings. What party has been the source of violent rhetoric in America? GOP What candidate has been inciting violence, leading violence and threatening political foes lives on a regular basis? Trump. What court has made several additional more aggressive actions favoring violence and more aggressive guns in America? The Trump Biased SCOTUS. Instead of feeling “sorry” for Trump, you should be feeling that our country is excessively violent and the GOP, MAGA, Trump biased (and paid) SCOTUS need to make our country safer and all of us, including Mr Trump. Please recall before you solidify your vote or feelings, one way or other, that there is real data behind PROJECT 2025 and future Dictatorship in America. Why feel “sorry” for a Dictator? After all, GOP, MAGA and Trump and Trump Biased SCOTUS are responsible for the gun control (or lack of control) laws in America. When regular citizens die, they don’t blink or care. When their own Leader is almost assassinated, maybe only now they will pay attention. Violent rhetoric is Karma. And Karma is a bitch. Mr Trump puts negative energy into the world, and that negative energy just raced by his right ear at 1500 feet per second. Let’s see if MAGA, GOP and Trump will tone down their violent rhetoric or will more Karma await? Vote wisely against violence in the USA. Only one party favors peace without violence. 🧐

**TODAY'S THOUGHT EXERCISE** President Biden apparently believes he is a KING rather than an elected public servant with limited powers. For the last ~100 years, various Presidents have tried to impose their will and implement agendas via Executive Orders. I think we need to take a hard look at placing some limits on that. But consider the numbers. There is 1 President, 1 Vice President, 9 Supreme Court Justices, 435 House Members, 100 Senators, and 15 agency/cabinet members. That's 561 people in positions of executive authority, every one of whom is subordinate to the US Constitution. Meanwhile, there are 50 sovereign US States, each with a Governor and a Constitution, with a total of 335 MILLION citizens, about 40% of whom are legal residents and eligible voters. These voters are about 1/3 conservative/GOP, 1/3 independent/unaffiliated and 1/3 Democrat/progressive/liberal. There are no accurate records on how many and what types of firearms are in the US, nor who actually has them. The right "to keep and bear arms" has been in existence since the ratification of the Constitution in 1789. MOST (but not all) persons who have purchased firearms in the last 30 years have had to pass a criminal background check. That is intended to keep firearms out of the hands of people like felons and crazy people. It seems reasonable to me. NOTE: I do not like nor advocate for insurrection, sedition, terrorism, violence or threats of violence. But I do like and advocate for every one of the rights and freedoms in the Constitution. So, here's my point. I truly hope that the nice folks who are trying to stop Texas from enforcing the border will back off of their efforts to suppress American freedoms for American citizens. But if they don't, here is my advice to them...

It should include criminal prosecution.

New Post: Q Toon: D.C. Rider - https://lnkd.in/e3n49WDQ Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson reached across the aisle to cobble together a stop-gap budget deal to keep the U.S. government running until September. The must-pass deal will probably pass the Senate in time to keep the government from shutting down when the last stop-gap budget deal expires at the end of March.Johnson needed Democratic help passing the bill, because — let's be frank here — when it comes to running a government, today's Republicans are utterly incompetent.What else could you expect? Today's Republicans are fundamentally opposed to government, so why would they be good at governing? Most of them hate the government and want to drown it in a bathtub of red ink. They are in Washington to get on TV and own libs and get shares on social media, not to pass budgets and accomplish stuff. They can't even accomplish stuff they claim they want when they have it handed to them all put together and tied up with ribbons and bows, like this year's border security bill.What few Republicans who are actually interested in getting the government to do things are leaving town, and not waiting for the next election. The latest departure is Wisconsin's Mike Gallagher, who has represented the northeast corner of the state since 2017. He has had a 100% vote rating from the National Right to Life Committee and Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, National Association of Manufacturers, Americans for Prosperity, Freedom First Society, and Gun Owners of America.His approval ratings drop to 92% from the National Rifle Association, 82% from the Club for Cancerous Growth, and 79% from the American Conservative Union; but still, he's no middle-of-the-road Republican-In-Name-Only wishy-washy Alexander Throttlebottom.But like Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO), Gallagher simply couldn't wait to get the hell out of Washington, and is leaving Congress before his term ends. Democrats, expecting next month to pick up the seat vacated when George Santos (R-Living Island) was expelled, would then be only two votes shy of the majority. In other words, if only one Republican were to break ranks and votes with all the Democrats, the result would be a tie, enough to defeat any amendment, bill, or impeachment.The previous must-pass stop-gap budget deal only passed because Mike Johnson's predecessor begged for Democratic support, which is why Kevin McCarthy is no longer Speaker of the House. Now Johnson has decided he had no alternative but to follow McCarthy's lead. As if to prove the point that Republicans simply cannot govern, Marjorie Taylor-Greene (R-Through the Looking Glass) wants to call for a vote of no confidence in Johnson.And start the tortuous process of electing a Speaker of the House all over again. Source link