Trump the Terrorist

Terrorism: The systematic use of terror (violence or the threat of violence) as a  means of intimidation or coercion.
Terrorist: One who uses terror as a means of intimidation or coercion.

Donald Trump is a terrorist.

He does not lead. He controls by instilling fear: fear of job loss or demotion, fear of loss of access, fear of public denunciation.

He has so cowed the Republican Party that even Archdemon Mitch McConnell kowtows to him.

In 2018 alone he threatened other nations with military attacks, including the use of nuclear weapons, nine times.

Even before his election he raised the specter of violence with his inflammatory comments about immigrants and his open pandering to hate groups.

He has directly threatened American citizens with military action if they don't cease and desist protesting. As we all know, "Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent."¹

Donald Trump is a tyrant.

He routinely ignores any law that he considers inconvenient, including elements of the Constitution.

He has tried to deny First Amendment rights to news organizations and social media platforms, even while insisting they respect his rights under the amendment.

He has threatened to stop civil disobedience by invading states with the Army, over several governors' protests.

He has acted unilaterally in cases that required approval by Congress or other oversight. Here is a link to a month-by-month list (January, 2017-April, 2019) of his violations of protocol: https://indivisible.org/resource/donald-trump-national-security-risk-here%E2%80%99s-current-trumpthreatlevel 

18 U.S. Code § 2339, "Harboring or concealing terrorists," makes "Whoever harbors or conceals any person who he knows, or has reasonable grounds to believe, has committed, or is about to commit" certain acts of terrorism, is subject to a fine and up to ten years' imprisonment.

Ordering an armed military attack on unarmed American citizens in the process of exercising their rights is not one of those "certain acts," but it should certainly be taken as an act of terrorism. It should be possible to say that the Executive Branch of the U. S. Government is harboring a terrorist, who should be arrested.

Here's the dilemma: The president is, God help us, the head of the executive branch, so the harboring and acting are being done by the same person. Moreover, it is an open legal question whether a sitting president can be arrested for anything. Seriously.

"American democracy" should not become an oxymoron.


--- Diogenes, 6/3/2020


¹ Isaac Asimov, Foundation. London, Panther Books, 1960.