The United States' descent into fascism
The United States' descent into fascism
Quote: President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order establishing a presidential commission on religious liberty, openly questioning the separation of church and state in an escalation of the White House’s increasing fervor for Christianity.
“They say separation between church and state … I said, ‘All right, let’s forget about that for one time,’” the president said during a Rose Garden event celebrating National Prayer Day.
The Constitution’s prohibition of a national religion has long been interpreted as a mandatory separation of church and state. Trump is not a regular church-goer but he sees religious conservatives as the base of his political movement.
“They said, really there’s separation. I don’t know. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? I’m not sure, but whether there’s separation or not, you guys are in the White House where you should be, and you’re representing our country, and we’re bringing religion back to our country, and it’s a big deal.”
May 1 2025: Trump, brushing aside separation of church and state, establishes religious liberty commission
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/01/trump-religious-commission-church-state-00321814
Quote: President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order establishing a presidential commission on religious liberty, openly questioning the separation of church and state in an escalation of the White House’s increasing fervor for Christianity.
“They say separation between church and state … I said, ‘All right, let’s forget about that for one time,’” the president said during a Rose Garden event celebrating National Prayer Day.
The Constitution’s prohibition of a national religion has long been interpreted as a mandatory separation of church and state. Trump is not a regular church-goer but he sees religious conservatives as the base of his political movement.
“They said, really there’s separation. I don’t know. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? I’m not sure, but whether there’s separation or not, you guys are in the White House where you should be, and you’re representing our country, and we’re bringing religion back to our country, and it’s a big deal.”
I am sure there are many Christians who think this is wonderful, until they realize their sect is not the one Dear Leader is supporting. I fear the American Orthodox Church, which will probably champion the Prosperity Gospel/Supply Side Jesus, and Super-Sized Misogyny.
Quote:Republicans on the US House of Representatives’ Judiciary Committee universally voted against an amendment on Wednesday that would have prevented Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from using federal funds to detain or deport US citizens.
May 2 2025: US House Republicans vote against blocking ICE from deporting US citizens
https://www.jurist.org/news/2025/05/us-house-republicans-vote-against-blocking-ice-from-deporting-us-citizens/
Quote:Republicans on the US House of Representatives’ Judiciary Committee universally voted against an amendment on Wednesday that would have prevented Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from using federal funds to detain or deport US citizens.
Robert Reich [...]
So what’s next? Will the Supreme Court and lower courts hold the administration in contempt and enforce contempt citations?
Not if the Big Ugly Bill is enacted with the following provision, now hidden in the bill:
Quote:“No court of the United States may use appropriated funds to enforce a contempt citation for failure to comply with an injunction or temporary restraining order if no security was given when the injunction or order was issued….”
Translated: No federal court may enforce a contempt citation.
May 22 2025, The hidden provision in the Big Ugly Bill that makes Trump king by Robert Reich
https://robertreich.substack.com/p/the-hidden-provision-in-the-big-ugly
Robert Reich [...]
So what’s next? Will the Supreme Court and lower courts hold the administration in contempt and enforce contempt citations?
Not if the Big Ugly Bill is enacted with the following provision, now hidden in the bill:
Quote:“No court of the United States may use appropriated funds to enforce a contempt citation for failure to comply with an injunction or temporary restraining order if no security was given when the injunction or order was issued….”
Translated: No federal court may enforce a contempt citation.
May 27 2025: Trump freezes all new student visas pending a social media screening
https://www.the-express.com/news/us-news/173049/trump-freezes-new-student-visas
r/law: https://reddit.com/r/law/comments/1kxhplj/the_trump_administration_has_frozen_new_student/
June 7 2025, Trump deploys 2,000 National Guard members after Los Angeles immigration protests: https://abc7.com/post/protests-erupt-immigration-customs-enforcement-raids-los-angeles-california/16690197/
Australian reporter shot by a rubber bullet on purpose in LA: https://reddit.com/r/Fauxmoi/comments/1l6tmmh/australian_reporter_shot_by_a_rubber_bullet_on/
I think it's possible there are paid agents among the protestors but if they are, it's to stir up shit to justify the militarized presence. There are probably some genuine troublemakers there too, the kind who show up to any demonstration hoping to break and loot shit.
I've seen video that showed police breaking the windshields on their own cars, probably to blame it on protestors. A lot of people online have raised questions about where all the bricks were coming from that were being thrown too. Mostly, I see people sharing scenes of protest and not riot and pointing out that the Trump administration is showing snippets of the very worst moments to represent the whole of what's going on. The city isn't in flames, it isn't a war zone, and the extreme police and military presence isn't needed.
Imo, a decent part of the "TERF" label has been appropriated by right-wing women who think all there is to gender criticism and radical feminism is being anti-trans. People who call themselves TERFs and claim these protests are "paid for" seem to fit in with that category. They remind me of what Possum wrote about tradfems.