It’s all over but the shootings.

dartboard photo by Engin Atyurk via Pixabay

Something has happened since November 5, 2024. A new government has hastily been assembled. A radical shift in policy (dictated by so-called Project 2025) has been implemented by executive fiat rather than Congressional approval. There is evidence that numerous executive orders were signed by a chief executive who had no idea what they contained because he hadn’t read them.

Traditionally, policy and procedures have been settled upon by enactment of laws, frequently proposed by the President, that are drafted in conference between the executive and legislative branches and then voted upon after open debate. So far, the new administration has not used the traditional procedure although it has offered ex post facto legislation to Congress.

Are you with me so far? I am glossing over some of the controversial aspects of this change.

In the wake of the election, some people argued that we were sliding into fascist autocracy, but just where we were on a scale of 1-10 free-unfree was debated. I am beginning to think that this is going to be an 11.

I could ramble on, but that is not the purpose today. I came to excuse the fact that I have not been posting much lately, and to admit that it is because of “an excess of caution”… … …

The fact is that I have become more and more confident in the proposition that we are already in a surveillance state and that technology is likely already being used to rate people on their loyalty levels. The databases they are developing right now are tying together all the information the federal government has about each and every person.

The Supreme Court has allowed DOGE to access information about everyone held in confidential government files. They will soon connect all the dots they have in the form of individual data points about nearly everyone– into a complete picture of each individual, useful for advertising as well as intrusive surveillance. We signed on for this when we allowed commercial exploitation of information collected in the course of the sale of everything from newspapers to houses.

I think that “they” could examine my writings on the public web with artificial intelligence and conclude that I was at least a subversive if not a mole for a hostile government, at least partly due to my respect for actual science. I’ve already condemned myself from my own lips. If I’m already on the list, why bother to shut up? They’ll come for me anyway when it’s time to round up the dissidents.

Thus emboldened by my own defeatism, I offer this warning: “they” have already taken over the government and it’s prompting a lot of dissent which may soon turn violent. Think burning Teslas.

So they are likely to crack down on civil liberties of American citizens like they already did to foreign students. I don’t know how far they will go but in a way it depends on how much resistance there is. So far, I feel that there has been alarmingly little public dissent, which allows people to obey in anticipation (an historic maneuver which doesn’t save you) and minimizes the need for exemplary violence, or even collective punishment.

If, on the other hand, there is extensive, righteous indignation and public resistance, a disproportionate display of military force and cruelty may be the go-to response for these wannabe fascist dictators.

The riots in Los Angeles last weekend suggest there is some hostility to federal government policy among local residents. Tear gas and rubber bullets were deployed, and at least two ride-share cars were burned. We’ll see if they start a manhunt for the subversives who have been paying people to throw rocks at National Guard troops /s.

So keep your head down and try to maintain radio silence.

You may hear from me occasionally but remember that you may also hear from enemy units disguising themselves as me. Don’t take any action without double-checking.