Sunday, December 31, 2017

Conspiracy Theories R Us

Let's end the year with wild flights of paranoia. I'm not says any of this will happen, only that I wouldn't be surprised if one or two did happen.

The FBI Purge
Republicans love for all things Russian Soviet has led to their openly using the word "purge" when talking about what they want to do to America's law enforcement. Between 1937 and 1939, Stalin purged the Russian army of three of their five highest ranking generals, eight of nine admirals, and almost all of the corps and divisional commanders. The result was gutting the Red Army just before Hitler's invasion of Russia. Stalin believed the army was insufficiently loyal to him personally and wanted an army that, while incompetent, was totally submissive to him.

Trump and his minions want to purge the FBI leadership. That will lead to easy pickings for Russian, Chinese, and North Korean spies. Organized crime will be able to run roughshod over the country. And terrorists will be able to plot their actions with impunity. But the FBI will be personally loyal to Trump.
There will be televised show trials of FBI leadership to display the extent of their disloyalty.

War
As Republicans face a crushing electoral defeat in 2018 they will need something to completely change the political climate. War with North Korea is that something. Armchair generals will predict a swift war with an easy victory, remember the 2003 Iraq War was only going to last five weeks. The reality will be a long, bloody slog against a huge seven million person Korean army in hardened defensive positions that has been preparing for this war for over half a century.

Sedition Laws
Lots of people will oppose the new Korean War. When the war is not swiftly won blame will be thrown at those opponents of the Great Cause. Trump will sign "laws" not passed by the Senate outlawing opposition to the war or the government.

Mass Arrest of Democrats
Democratic candidates, and even sitting Democratic legislators, will be arrested for violation of the sedition laws. There is historic precedence for this in America. In 1918, socialist Eugene V. Debs was arrested for violating the World War I sedition act. He ran for president in 1920 from prison. Congressman Matthew Lyon of Vermont was arrested for violating the 1798 sedition act. He ran for reelection in 1800 from his cell and won.

By arresting scores of Democratic candidates and outlawing criticism of the Trump government, Republicans insure their victory in the midterm elections even gaining a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate allowing for even more radical legislation including finally opening the long expected

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