…Then they came for the journalists…
There are dark days ahead, but they won't destroy us if we don't let them. IF we don't let them.
Dictatorships require the elimination of four things: the government, the press, the courts, and the people.
The regime currently hunkered down at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. has got the republican-majority House and Senate completely cowed. Republican lawmakers, state and federal, have abdicated their commitment to the oaths they took for fear of MAGA brown shirts doxing them and their families, attacking their homes, or — heaven forbid — primarying them, which may result in them losing their seats like former reps Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, who both lost their re-elections to MAGA sycophants.
So the government is gone.
Last week’s arrest of federal judge Hannah Dugan for allegedly “misdirecting federal agents away from the subject to be arrested in her courthouse, allowing the subject — an illegal alien — to evade arrest” is attempting to send the message to other judges and lawyers they dare not even think about following this thing called the “rule of law” if it in any way flies in the face of political ideology.
While Hannah Dugan is the first, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt warned the press that arresting Supreme Court justices is not off the table.
And speaking of the press…
We knew it was only a matter of time until arresting journalists would be on the menu.
Just in time for World Press Freedom Day (coincidence?), Attorney General Pam Bondi said in an internal memo Friday the Department of (In)Justice is rescinding the Biden-era “news media guidelines” rule that limits the methods by which Justice Department (DOJ) attorneys can subpoena journalists’ records or testimony, even in cases involving leaks.
That means the federal government can now compel journalists to give up their sources, emails, and phone contacts.
This is not normal.
Repeat: THIS IS NOT NORMAL!
It is an all-out assault on the fourth estate, the only industry explicitly mentioned in the Constitution.
As Gabe Rottman, vice president of policy at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, explained:
The Bondi memo appears to have rescinded a specific provision protecting journalists from Justice Department subpoenas, court orders and search warrants based on the “receipt, possession, or publication” of classified information. This change would make it easier for Justice Department attorneys to pursue journalists to identify confidential sources in reporting that involves leaks — like the Pentagon Papers or Watergate. And that could chill news reporting in the public interest.
Progressive writer Thom Hartmann added:
Bondi’s justification? The Justice Department “will not tolerate unauthorized disclosures that undermine President Trump’s policies, victimize government agencies, and cause harm to the American people.”
Did you catch that? Not disclosures that threaten national security, but those that “undermine President Trump’s policies.” Since when did the President’s policies become sacred and beyond scrutiny? Since when did exposing wrongdoing by our government become a crime against “the American people”?
Throughout our history, ethical government officials who leaked information to the press have been essential to maintaining our democracy. They’ve exposed corruption, illegal wars, and unconstitutional surveillance, and in many cases they’ve paid a heavy price for their courage.
Hartmann continued:
What we’re witnessing is step one in the dictator’s playbook: silence those who tell the truth about your regime. We’ve seen this pattern in Russia, Hungary, Turkey, and countless other countries where democracy has withered into authoritarianism. First, attack the press. Then, criminalize dissent. Intimidate lawmakers, lawyers, and judges. Finally, consolidate power in the hands of a single leader.
While not completely in Goebbels territory yet, the corporate media (owned, of course, by wealthy business executives drooling over the prospect of another massive tax cut) is dancing around the emergency facing our country’s constitutional survival for fear it may lose access to the White House, which a month ago declared it and it alone — not the White House Correspondents’ Corporation — will decide which press organizations and reporters will be admitted into the presidential press pool.
Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski of MSNBC started bending the knee right after the election. ABC followed suit with a $15 million settlement when it likely would have survived a court battle and emerged a hero. 60 Minutes executive producer Bill Owens just resigned as Paramount Global started pushing back on some of the program’s segments critical of the White House.
The press is teetering.
The DOJ’s latest should be another giant flashing red light that we are living in the early stages of a dictatorship.
What’s left?
Us.
The people.
We’re in the streets and will continue to be more frequently as the weather continues to warm.
We are the last line of defense. If we get complacent or the regime figures out a way to quash protest — which is likely if the courts go — we will be in full-on dictatorship.
The benchmark survey Bright Line Watch recently rated the performance of American democracy on a scale from zero for complete dictatorship to 100 for a perfect democracy. Following the November election, scholars issued a rating of 67. Now, 100 days into the felon’s second term, we’re at 55.
There are dark days ahead, but they won’t destroy us if we don’t let them.
If we don't let them.