GUEST COLUMN, J. Basil Dannebohm
Earlier this summer I wrote a piece entitled, “We are in dangerous, uncharted waters. Goodnight, and good luck." (Available to revisit at www.dannebohm.com.) It addressed the Los Angeles ICE raids and the military deployment in response to the ensuing protests.
I cautioned that the language used by the Trump administration, specifically the use of the words: "insurrection," "invasion," "obstructing," and "abdicated," combined with the overall tone and approach toward the situation, was not coincidental. Rather, it suggested the regime was laying groundwork to justify and declare martial law.
I further surmised that the synchronized legal language and well-orchestrated response to the situation in California suggested the GOP were almost certainly being coached by the very constitutional lawyers who were the architects of Project 2025.
Since then, a similar military takeover has occurred in my backyard – Washington, D.C. Mr. Trump claims this latest show of force is intended to combat homelessness and high crime.
While there is a significant homeless population in our nation’s capital, it’s no higher than any other major metropolitan area. To be honest, I was accosted by more mentally unstable transients living in Lawrence, Kansas than in Washington. Besides, a military takeover won’t solve homelessness. As economist Robert Reich recently pointed out, the cost to operate public housing for D.C.’s entire homeless population would be $169,226 per day. The cost for a national guard deployment in Washington is $424,000 per day.
Similarly, while there is certainly crime in D.C., it’s no higher than in many other metropolitan areas. In fact, it’s statistically lower than some cities in several red states. Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, and Missouri -- four red states that have sent troops to Washington -- boast some of the highest murder rates in the U.S.
Again, speaking from personal experience, I witnessed more violent crimes on the streets of Cleveland, Ohio than within the beltway. Yet members of the Ohio National Guard are marching on DuPont Circle in Washington, not Tower City Center in the “Buckeye State.”
On Aug. 20, J.D. Vance, Stephen Miller, and Pete Hegseth took a trip to D.C.’s Union Station. The visit was a made-for-television moment designed to reinforce a narrative aimed at red-state audiences. As Vance schlepped hamburgers to troops, Miller heckled nearby protestors, referring to them as “stupid, elderly, white, communist hippies.”
“And by the way, most of the citizens who live in Washington, D.C., are Black,” Miller continued, saying the quiet part out loud.
Such divisive language leads me to believe that just like Los Angeles, the regime’s march on Washington is aimed at something more nefarious: Martial Law isn’t enough. They want an all-out civil war.
And they just might get their wish.
Eight score, 1 year, and 9 months ago, our nation was bitterly divided. An eerily reminiscent sting of division is again infecting our nation, permeating communities, families, and friends.
Heckling those opposed to the party in power is hardly statesmanship. Yet it comes as no surprise considering the GOP seems less concerned with governing for “all people,” focused instead on unmitigated cruelty and degradation.
It’s all deliberate and aimed at inciting rebellion.
Though they maintain a fierce grip on power, Republicans fear losing their majority so much that gerrymandering simply isn’t enough. To retain control, conservatives believe they need to stoke fear and pit neighbor against neighbor.
First come the military takeovers of blue cities. Consequently, the citizens push back against the troops. The regime then declares Martial Law. Opponents take to the streets in a show of force. In response, the regime calls on its supporters to stand against the opposition, inciting a civil war.
Sounds crazy, right?
Yet just a few weeks ago, Mr. Trump quipped that if the nation were engaged in a brutal war at the end of his term, he believed he could remain in office.
The President claims those who oppose his movement “hate our country.”
The same could be said of many within his movement. Time and again, Mr. Bannon and other MAGA lieutenants have called for “burning it all down.”
Though I don’t think reducing our nation to ashes is exactly prudent, for over a decade now I've said that democracy, at least as we know it, is little more than a guise aimed at making us believe we are free and secure. In fact, we're more controlled and vulnerable than most of us could probably fathom.
An authentic democracy would require a complete overhaul of an antiquated, corrupt establishment.
Contrary to what MAGA believes, the Trump administration isn’t looking to restore democracy. They’re hell bent on installing an oligarchy.
J. Basil Dannebohm is a writer, speaker, consultant, former Kansas legislator and intelligencer. His website is www.dannebohm.com. Mr. Dannebohm is a member of the Virginia Press Association and the National Society of Newspaper Columnists. He writes from the Washington DC metro in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
