By Peter Brown
When I picture American troops being deployed with the authorisation of “full force,” my mind conjures images of Vietnam or Europe – war zones where the rules of engagement were fundamentally different from those of a civil society. I do not picture the streets of Portland, Oregon. Yet, that is the terrifying new reality sanctioned by the White House, and every American, regardless of party, should be deeply alarmed.
The deployment of federal officers against the wishes of a city’s mayor and state’s governor, under the pretext of protecting federal property, is a dangerous escalation. It is not a show of strength, but a show of force against American citizens exercising their constitutional rights. President Trump’s characterisation of Portland as “war ravaged” is not just a gross exaggeration; it is a deliberate fabrication used to justify an authoritarian power grab. The real story here is not the protest – it is the President’s chilling attempt to normalise the use of military might for political theatre.
What we are witnessing follows a classic authoritarian playbook.
First, create an enemy. By labeling peaceful protesters, Antifa, and even violent agitators as “terrorists” and describing an American city as a war zone, the President seeks to dehumanise citizens and justify a disproportionate response. This rhetoric is designed to frighten his base into accepting actions they would never tolerate if taken by a political opponent.
Second, bypass local authority. The most fundamental principle of American governance is federalism. By sending in forces over the explicit objections of local and state officials, the administration is shredding that principle. It sends a clear message: your local democracy is irrelevant if it contradicts the President’s narrative.
Third, escalate to create a pretext. As numerous videos have shown, the tactics of these unidentified federal officers – grabbing people off the streets in unmarked vans – are themselves acts of provocation. They are not de-escalating; they are inciting further chaos to “prove” their initial justification for being there. This is the very definition of a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Some will argue that property damage is a serious crime and that federal buildings must be protected. This is true. But there are laws and a justice system for that. Portland has police, it has courts, and it has due process. The answer to vandalism is not to declare war on your own populace. The tools of war are blunt, brutal, and utterly incompatible with the delicate work of policing a free society. When you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail; when a president authorises “full force,” every protester starts to look like an enemy combatant.
The ramifications are huge. If this stands unchallenged, what stops a president from sending federal troops into any city that hosts a protest he dislikes? New Orleans? Detroit? The precedent being set is that the executive branch can militarise any domestic situation for political gain.
Therefore, a response must be swift and clear. Congress must assert its authority, launching immediate investigations and passing legislation to curb such abuses of power. The media must continue to shine a light on these tactics, refusing to be cowed. And citizens must voice our outrage to their representatives. This is not a partisan issue of left versus right; it is an American issue of liberty versus authoritarianism.
The soldiers of the United States are patriots who sign up to defend their country and Constitution from enemies foreign and domestic. They should not be used as a partisan pawn in the president’s re-election campaign. Using them to patrol American streets against the will of the American people living there is a betrayal of their mission and a stain on their democracy.
The battlefields are abroad, Mr. Trump. Stop creating them at home.
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The cancerous political, social, economic imperious USA, a pox on us now, cannot be retained as a friendly nation fit for leadership, being not even trustworthy, admirable, capable, under Trump and his maggotty mob. No manners, brains, control, decency, perspective, modesty, leadership.
Trump works to bypass norms and conventions, unwritten rules by which we organise our societies.
Convention in the US as in Australia would dictate that the federal authorities would only mobilise federal troops to enter a sovereign state at the request and invitation of the state Governor.
Trump delights in bypassing these societal norms and conventions because he can, as in Portland Oregon, create a situation of civil strife. It’s part of his game plan to undermine Democrat governed states and cities.
Cynical and devious but within his scope of power.
Unfortunately USA’s politics are constantly adversarial and groomed by polarised media interests. Trump is damned if he does and damned if he doesn’t. Regardless, cities will burn.
When you use spurious bullshit phrases like “war-ravaged” you give yourself the means and reasons to send in the combat troops. The Orange Dictator and cronies are far from finished, we can expect to see what has occurred in Washington and Portland flow onto other Democrat run cities.