It looks like Trump now has his Stormtroopers (Stoßtruppen)

The police state is now here. The military will now be sent out to quell protests.

www.stripes.com/theaters/us/2025-08-25/trump-hegseth-national-guard-18876673.html

I have just informed my pen-pal in S Carolina that she will soon be honoured with their presence. We seem to get the news before she does! I have advised her not to get too sunburnt in what remains of the Summer, just in case...

Here we go. The National Guard is being placed in 19 different states.

www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-national-guard-military-states-cities-b2812837.html

Apparently it wasnt just illegal migration that bothers him. How many times have I heard, if they just come here legally. These 55 million did, so I guess it is about racism after all.

Which surprises no one.

www.huffpost.com/entry/ap-us-trump-deportations-us-visas-deportable-violations_n_68a76d66e4b03a473eb1c9e8

She has been at it for 24+ hours. Good for her.

"The majority of the Democrats complied with the law enforcement escort, showing reporters what they called “permission slips” they received to leave the House floor and pointing to the officers escorting them around the Capitol.

But Collier refused to enter into that agreement and has been confined to the House floor since returning. She can only leave the floor to return to her office under the watch of a law enforcement officer, an aide said, and cannot leave the state Capitol unless she agrees to outside supervision."

amp.cnn.com/cnn/2025/08/19/politics/nicole-collier-confined-texas-state-capitol-house-redistricting

www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/nicole-collier-protest-texas-democrats-b2810142.html

I went and looked at the story in the Independent.

Texas Republicans are forcing Democrats to sign something that says they will return to the Capital and forcing a police escort on them to keep them on task.

She is not a criminal to be brought to court by the police or else. She is an elected official and they are trying to limit her personal freedoms in order to force her to do what they want her to do.

Good for her for taking a stand and raising awareness to what Republicans resort to to get their way. It is authoritarian and not acceptable.

That's not the story the independent are carrying about it.

Just popping on to share how it's going in the US right now. Sigh.

I’m wondering if this demographic is particularly different from the rest of us (i.e uk older demographics)?

We have a fair representation of authoritarians on this site and I recall a lot of admiration for Johnson’s rule breaking to ‘get things done’.
We’ve some Trump admirers, too.
And those who are convinced that Farage would cut to the chase with some strong man solutions to the nation’s problems.

I’d be interested to see how the rest of us (30+ yr olds) would do if polled with the same questions.

There not their

My guess is that they feel democracy hasn't worked for them. My guess is when they say they would like authoritarianism they mean an authoritarian regime which they agree with and reflects their beliefs, their is a tendency in all of us I think to be attracted to that.

imaround

You didn't. It is realistic and I feel the same way. Some days I let myself wallow, but that is fewer and fewer. We are all targets eventually.

He sent masked and armed Border Patrol agents to Gavin Newsome's press conference today. Nothing like an authoritarian show of force.

I wonder if this decent into authoritarianism is becoming inevitable😡

There is a poll today in U.K. showing that over 30% of young people would prefer authoritarianism over democracy.

What on earth is going wrong?

I keep recalling the rumours that the Russians have tapes of Trump’s behaviour in Russia, giving them power over him

You didn't. It is realistic and I feel the same way. Some days I let myself wallow, but that is fewer and fewer. We are all targets eventually.

He sent masked and armed Border Patrol agents to Gavin Newsome's press conference today. Nothing like an authoritarian show of force.

Sorry imaround. I didn't mean to sound depressing. Just know you are in my thought and, I imagine, many others on here.

imaround

Honestly, I have had to take a step back and try to live as "normal" of a life as I can and tell myself that the World has survived dictators before. I can see where we are headed, but cant change anything. I worry about my children's futures as they are not white males. At least 22 states that my oldest shouldn't live in because she has no rights, including the right to life if she has a miscarriage.

My youngest has only about 5 states he can live in because he is LGBTQ.

This is not the world I promised my children.

Oh, and gay marriage is about to be overturned. We are actually going backwards.

I was just learning about the same sex marriage issues. First those identify as trans now those who identify as gay. Next those who see it as their right to have control over their fertility perhaps?

Two things really strike me. First, this sounds like "First they came" and that ends with the author/reader being taken as,

"... there was no one left
To speak out for me"

This seems to suggest that, although you may look askance at other groups beware; your time may well come. But even more that all the groups I have ever seen called out have all always existed (read about ancient Rome and Greece if you don't believe me) but yet again we are seeing them turned on - by other groups - meeting the needs of those searching for total power.

I expect everyone has these or similar thoughts but why do we never learn?

I am beginning to wonder what he has got in mind with Putin. I’ve a terrible sinking feeling that they intend to stitch Europe up and carve Greenland up between them.

He is slowly rolling out the military in Democratic Cities around the country. He mentioned he would like to take over NYC and Chicago next.

www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/trump-military-crackdown-get-worse-1235406382/

Honestly, I have had to take a step back and try to live as "normal" of a life as I can and tell myself that the World has survived dictators before. I can see where we are headed, but cant change anything. I worry about my children's futures as they are not white males. At least 22 states that my oldest shouldn't live in because she has no rights, including the right to life if she has a miscarriage.

My youngest has only about 5 states he can live in because he is LGBTQ.

This is not the world I promised my children.

Oh, and gay marriage is about to be overturned. We are actually going backwards.

I do hope you are looking after yourself imaround, some of what you are reporting on must be hard for you to hsve to think about. Thank you so much for your posts.

WASHINGTON — A recent report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) confirms what immigrant advocates have long warned: ICE has deported American citizens.

Between 2015 and 2020, ICE deported at least 70 people who were U.S. citizens, according to the GAO. That’s not just a bureaucratic mistake — it’s a constitutional violation.

U.S. citizens cannot be deported under civil immigration law. Yet GAO found that ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) lack the records to even know how many people they may have deported in error.

migrantinsider.com/p/ice-has-deported-at-least-70-us-citizens

Another legal migrants being held, along with her 6 year old son. I pray they haven't been separated.

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/aug/13/new-zealand-woman-six-year-old-son-ice-detention-us-ntwnfb

Maxwell went from a Maximum Security Prison to Work Release. Just in the last 2 weeks. After Trump's personal lawyer met with her for hours.

Hmm...

www.rawstory.com/amp/ghislaine-maxwell-2673878542-2673878542

Just read this

“This is all right out of the authoritarian playbook: manufacture a crisis, use it to consolidate power, and normalise the removal of rights. It’s not hyperbole to compare this to the tactics of a certain 1930’s dictator”