What the Rittenhouse Case Means For Our Future--- Or, Where The Media Won't Go
"Brutality is respected...The People need wholesome fear, they want to fear something. They want something to frighten them and make them shudderingly submissive. Haven't you seen everywhere that after the Beer Hall battles, those who have been beaten are the first to join the Party as new members? Why babble about brutality and get indignant about tortures? They need something that will give them a thrill of Horror."---
----Adolf Hitler to Herman Goering on using violence as the path to power, 1927
The Strategic Issue At Hand--
Earlier this year there was a several week period during March and April in which there was a nationwide pattern of mass shootings by white supremacists or otherwise mentally ill indviduals which was far more pronounced than was previous. For the most part, this was met with the usual media effort to couch these events within a kind of controlled debate of "this vs. that". Do we need more gun control, more mental health treatment, more armed security, more legal cases against the "gun lobby", and so forth.
The media coverage of the Rittenhouse case has for the most part been equally superficial. It has been diversionary, and a transparent attempt to manage public perception, rather than spelling out for their viewership the full implications. The rare exceptions have been interviews and comments by various Civil Rights leaders who have a deeper understanding of this because of their connection to their own history.
I too have a connection to history and therefore will not do you the disservice of presenting watered down platitudes or tired retreats into "single-issueism" as a way of trying to"manage" your thought process. Likewise I refuse to avoid what is most substantial on the grounds that it may be disturbing, and therefore unpopular. Up until now you have been reading in the Media about arguments and counterarguments regarding "self defense", the supposedly poor job done by the prosecutors, the corrupt decisions of the sitting Judge, gun laws, and Rittenhouse's personality disorder, or his fight with his ex-lawyer Lin Wood over his 2 million dollar bail money. To call this a pile of fluff is not adequate to describe how shallow and useless this coverage has been.
Consider the following important facts, which have little to do with anything that transpired in the legalistic features of the trial or the courtroom drama aspect. The very moment that Rittenhouse was indicted, his legal defense team was surrounded by a Documentary film crew from Fox's Tucker Carlson, and he was made a hero to the Alt-Right terrorist base of the Trump machine. On the day of the acquittal Rittenhouse was the featured interviewee on Carlson's show. The day after, Rittenhouse was jetted for a visit to America's "Berghof," (Hitler's Mountain retreat in the Alps) Mar-a-Lago for a personal meeting with Trump, where he was honored by the acting pretend President as a national hero and fine young man. Think hard about the implications here.
This, my friends is the point in our narrative where I am first going to look backward, and then forward to provide some perspective which hopefully enables us to "see through the fog of war," and to grasp the full picture so to speak.
Here is a quote from my aforementioned article of April 17, 2021 on the subject of the mass shootings.
["In the course of the last thirty days, we have seen a wave of what have been termed "mass shootings" throughout the US, which have been carried out by largely individual White Men, acting alone, who have been profiled as racist, mostly suicidal, and so-called "gun nuts".
These events have each precipitated widespread partisan conflict between Americans over the issue of reform of gun laws to mitigate what is being characterized as a national wave of "gun violence".
Notwithstanding my hope to see the corrupt and morally disgusting fascist idiots of the National Rifle Association (NRA) bankrupted, and the political whores who take their money destroyed and humiliated, this is a misguided and ineffective response to a problem which I believe most Americans are afraid to confront or recognize. It fails to take into account the continuing resonating impact of the "Biggest Lies" of Donald Trump, which have set into motion the events of the last five months, none of which pertain directly to the issue of gun laws.
I'll state right here that my recommendation for addressing this wave of violence is emphatically not to try to take up some protracted and fruitless campaign to pass gun control legislation which will wind up being ignored by the states and thrown out as unconstitutional by the majority pro- Fascist Supreme Court. Instead, I'll say that what would have an impact is televised public trials, convictions, and long jail terms for the leading conspirators behind the Fascist Coup attack on our Capitol on January 6th, which includes the former president, his fellow rally speakers, (including Don Jr.) the "Stop The Steal" march organizers and funders, (including the wife of SCOTUS Justice Clarence Thomas, Ginny) militia leaders and insurrectionists themselves, the congressional leaders who collaborated, the administration officials who stripped the Capitol security, and the police who aided and abetted the attempt at Insurrection. All of them. As soon as possible.
You are asking how that will impact the national wave of gun violence. "Don't we need to get these 'weapons of war' off of the streets? Don't we need to reform Law Enforcement?" Well yes, of course. But to do that, Donald Trump and his Cult must be politically and legally put on trial and destroyed, in much the same fashion as the victorious allies did after WWII which began the task of De-Nazification. I'll make my case for this here briefly.
I'll start with basic principles. Methodologically, Donald Trump, his movement, political ideology, tactics, strategy, and closest collaborators, are in fact fascist, in every sense of the word. Their political platform, issues, their religious and social belief structure are utterly synthetic and created for purposes of unleashing violent conflict while cloaked in the garb of "Americanism and family values". Secondly, Donald Trump personally embodies and resembles a carbon copy of the psychological profile of Adolf Hitler, though his crimes and expressed Anti-Semitism have been somewhat constrained by the institutional remnants of American political traditions, narrowly defined. In terms of his mental map, including his extreme paranoia, Oedipally driven rage, obsession, victimization, megalomania, malignant narcissism, sociopathic lying, and general proclivity to manipulate others through division, he is a virtual duplicate of Hitler. For further background, I recommend Mary Trump's book and others in that genre, and the writings of Dr. Walter Langer of the Wartime OSS in his psychological profile of Hitler for FDR.
In short, the energy and growth of Trump's movement is dependent upon and thrives on violence. Violence is the drug which feeds the addiction of Trump's fascist allies and political/religious base. If you need proof of this, do an internet search of every campaign speech given by Trump during his 2016 and 2020 campaigns, then compare it to his speech on January 6th. Read his vitriol against Muslims and Mexicans, liberals and Socialists, BLM and the virtually non-existent Antifa. They are all incitements to violence, through and through."]
Frankly, anyone among our readership here who has followed the political situation in the US since January 6th, and thought about it in a serious way is not going to argue with the above statement. We are fighting an evident, overarching and spreading social cancer which has created a climate of fear and terror, as is manifest by the hundreds or more of Trump's opponents who are currently forced to hire extra security for themselves and their families.
To address this and have some kind of strategy for an effective opposition, it is in looking forward that we will see the most resistance from the general public, as it is likely that most thinking people have already seen a glimpse of the future, and have recoiled from it in a visceral attempt to block it out. The media has been the facilitator for such blocking and avoidance, by consciously refusing to draw out the greater implications and consequences of the Rittenhouse case. What, you may ask is their motivation for doing so? We will get to that.
Let's start with the reality of that which you are already aware, but consciously avoid thinking about for very long because you don't want your day ruined by despair, fear, or negativity. Or because you feel powerless to affect it, you adopt the maxim "only worry about things you can control." Most of us do that to some extent. To do so now in this regard would, in my view, be fatal for both ourselves and our Democracy.
What The Future Holds... Maybe--
In November of 2022, the GOP will win majorities in both the Senate and the House. To hope for any other result is an act of self-delusion, a fear reaction in which we suspend judgment, and hope for some "Deus Ex Machina" intervention by Jesus, Santa, the Tooth Fairy, or Harvey the Rabbit who falls from the sky to come down to fix everything, and "make the bad men go away, Mommy". I'm sorry, but it has to be said.
There is a strong possibility that when this occurs, The House Republicans will elect Donald Trump as Speaker of the House. This puts him into the line of succession of the US Presidency. (There is no constitutional requirement for a House Speaker to be an actual elected member of Congress). Additionally as an immediate priority, Members of the January 6th "Auschwitz Caucus" (you know who they are.The so called "Freedom Caucus" as in Arbeit Macht Frei) will be restored and/or elevated to leadership positions in Congressional committees, bringing the worst of them to the forefront of Trump's Nazified GOP.
Their first order of business will be to initiate Impeachment proceedings against President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris. Depending upon how much damage is done by the elections to the Democratic Senate Caucus, there is a chance this could succeed, clearing the way for a legal Coup which reinstalls Trump to the Presidency. I am not saying this will happen. I am saying that they want it to happen, as Trump would much prefer to retake the Presidency through a legal Coup than have to raise and spend the money to run for re-election and chance losing in a humiliating fashion. To rule this scenario out as a possibility is not only a brutal failure of vision and planning, and a totally irresponsible abdication of responsibility, but it is exactly what they are counting on to make it work.
Consequently, the Trump GOP will take a wide variety of actions to obstruct the Presidency in the meantime, blocking implementation of previously passed legislation, holding up nominations, (including possibly the Supreme Court) and in general reducing the US Congress to a 24/7 Circus Geek show which will make the 2020 Trump Covid task force press events look like the deliberations of a MENSA conference in comparison. Kyle Rittenhouse himself will be awarded the highest possible civilian award, the Congressional Medal of Freedom. The House Podium will become a pulpit for Trump and his clown car of QAnon crazies, Cawthorn, Gohmert, Taylor-Greene, Gosar, Gaetz (who I predict will not resign or be disciplined after his indictment) Jordan, Boebert, etc. Certainly the House Select Committee on January 6th will be dismantled and scattered to the four winds. Anyone in the GOP who is not "with the program" such as the 13 who voted for the Infrastructure Bill will be purged or crushed, because that is what fascists do.
Had enough yet? Are you about to throw up? I sure am, just having had to write this. And for all of this, we have Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema to thank for the above. Their corporate sponsors and personal corruption have stood in the way of the Voting Rights and Economic package which could have headed off this coming disaster. A disaster which will likely mean the end as we know it of Medicare, Social Security, and other life sustaining aspects of the social safety net. The greed and ambition of these two borderline psychotic and lying individuals has been the main factor in defending the fillibuster, which by necessity has to be overturned or reformed to accomplish an economic recovery program and keep our Democracy intact.
This did not have to be. Also culpable in this impending disaster are the President and his trusted Centrist advisers, who deluded themselves for the better part of a year that they could deal with the Trump GOP, stubbornly refusing to recognize the power of the threat of violence wielded personally by Trump against anyone in his Party who defied him or diverged from his personal agenda. Biden thought he could negotiate with people operating under both huge financial inducements, or conversly a reign of terror.
Unfortunately the Trump agenda has been aided by even the liberal wing of mainstream media resulting from their denialism and deliberate underplaying of the Trump threat, in part because of the stealth influence of corporations such as ATT and Facebook in enabling his machine. Also, more independent writers have to adjust for editorial boards and are afraid that if they speak too frankly they will be "spiked". Finally, not inconsequential in this is that most media figures either have no solution to offer, or an ineffective one, or are reticent to give up their pretense at objectivity in any case. There are exceptions, but not enough of them.
Now, what does the Rittenhouse verdict mean in this context? Even assuming that Trump's 2023 Coup is unsuccessful, and there is another election in 2024, we KNOW that it will not be a free election, given the current state of affairs. The degree of extreme Gerrymandering, voter suppression laws, and legislation allowing GOP majority legislatures to overturn election results is going to virtually guarantee a less than favorable result.
Therefore I can say with relative certainty that there will be large scale protests throughout the US in opposition to this impending massive vote theft and fascist takeover. They will be led by African Americans and other minorities, Women, Youth, POC's, and constituencies most directly affected by the expressed policies of the Trump GOP.
Whether Trump returns to power through a Coup or stolen election, or not, these protests will be met with force. There will be blood. Trump State Governors will deploy their State Police and National Guard to "restore order". We know what that looks like from the actions taken against protesters in the Summer of 2020. We also know that local law enforcement supports and welcomes the backup of these armed groups and will give them free reign. Conversely, If Trump does return to power through some means, he will try to use the Army (which he will purge) under the 1807 Act, and repeat his actions carried out in Portland during that period, but in larger scale.
Now, in the aftermath of the Rittenhouse decision, it will be very different and much worse. Because of this decision, Governors, State Attorneys General, and legislators will have Carte Blanche to deploy Goon Squads in large numbers, whether Law Enforcement, Deputized "private citizens", or fascist vigilantes and heavily armed Militia groups to conduct a reign of terror and violence. Such groups have been given a "hunting license" by the Rittenhouse decision to use armed force to put down peaceful protest, and to call it self defense or citizen's arrests. Demonstrators will be branded "Antifa" terrorists, and accused of Insurrection and Sedition, as did Trump and his AG William Barr during the "long hot Summer" of 2020. Vigilantes will be given non-prosecution guarantees, as is already the case in states where its now legal to run over protesters with cars if they are in the streets.
Not to be discounted as well is that there will be countergang violence coming from the so-called Left, provocations which the fascists will use to justify their own violence for propaganda purposes. We should not kid ourselves about that.
If this scenario plays out while Biden is still President, he will have to use Federal Law Enforcement to protect Americans from mobs of armed vigilantes, especially in States where Concealed Carry regulations are being jettisoned and any whacked out "deplorables" can carry publicly. That brings us to the danger of civil war, with Federal Troops fighting both Trump supporting vigilante groups and State Law enforcement in States run by Trump acolytes.
So, in the interest of facing reality, I'm not predicting anything. I am not a doomsayer. I am inisting however that Americans ask themselves certain questions now and decide for themselves whether they are happy with the answers. For example, in what universe do we see elections being stolen and overturned in large scale, and expect that there will not be mass demonstrations? What do you think will be the response of Trump State Governors, or Trump himself if he is in power?
In such circumstances, consider again the haste and emphasis of Trump personally meeting with Rittenhouse at Mar-a-Lago immediately after the acquittal, and what message that sends to his radicalized supporters. And ask if this is reminscent of Trump's virtual endorsement of the Michigan Militia kidnapping and murder attempt against Governor Whitmer last year, or his call for the fascist "Proud Boys" to "stand back and stand by" after the election and prior to January 6th.
We can also ask ourselves whether we want to continue to believe that our Trump problem and the cycle of political violence will fade away because of a few of his court cases still pending, without a thorough accounting for all involved in the violent Coup attempt on January 6th. Do we believe in the Tooth Fairy? Then, based on your own answers, form your own judgments.
As for myself, I am completely focused on mobilizing to influence the President and Merrick Garland to use Presidential power to clean out the January 6th rat's nest, and to make a radical shift in orientation, quickly. I would suggest that others join in that effort. Business as usual electoral efforts alone will not in my view accomplish what we want. Leaving this in the hands of the House Select Committee will not give us the decisive victory we need. This has to come from the White House, where "the Buck still stops".
We are dealing with the political equivalent of the "Ultimate Evil". Our greatest failure to this point is the continued denial and self-delusion in which we choose to believe otherwise, and underestimate the lengths to which our enemy will go to seize and maintain power.
The simple truth, as was faced by the followers of Gandhi in India, and by the African Americans who fought Jim Crow in the South, and as with today in Russia and Belarus, is that non-violent mass political action will and must happen for us to make America a Democratic Nation. (Notice I didn't say "again") And that means having a movement that will take mass casualties. There is no way around that, I'm also sorry to say. We recite the Gettysburg address on special occasions. Do we know what it means, and do we live by it?
"The fault, dear Brutus, lies not in the Stars, but in ourselves" ---Shakespeare, Julius Caesar
