America is in Grave Danger
I believe that the United States is in Grave Danger. Graver than anyone realizes, but the signs are all there.
Who are Trump’s Supporters
Contrary to what Right Wing Media would have us believe, it isn’t half the country that supports Trump, its less than a quarter of the US population. And only 30% of the adult voting age population. It is a tyrannical and hyper-violent minority desperate to cling to power, and willing, by any means necessary, to hold on to it.
This is not meant to paint all Trump supporters as terrorists, but they all pose a danger to others and the nation. Who are the Trump supporters and why do all of them pose a danger to the nation? They can be split into two groups; bad faith actors and the mentally unstable.
Bad Faith Actors
Some of them are without a doubt, bad faith actors; White Supremacists and bigots hostile to anyone outside of their in-group; anyone who isn’t white, Christian, and heterosexual. Within their ranks are members of law enforcement and the US military. Still others are bad faith actors in right wing media and elected officials who support insurrection and the establishment of a white Republican dictatorship. Others are religious fanatics who rabidly support the installation of a theocratic dictatorship.
All of those in these groups are well aware that everything that Trump has said regarding the 2020 election is false and untrue. It is a ruse to justify insurrection, violence, treason, and an attempted coup. And while some will try to deny this, they’re lying. They supported all of this right up until it looked like they might be held personally responsible for their propaganda, election lies, and incitements to violent overthrow of the government.
Because it is not just about Trump and what he stands for to many of them (the re-ascendance of Evangelical White Superiority in America). It is also about an entire culture of deep seated hatred, prejudice, bigotry, and savagery towards any perceived ‘other.’ It is about those so heavily invested in their identity that nothing can convince them to coexist peacefully with those unlike themselves.
Mentally Unstable
In the second group are the mentally unstable. I do not use this term lightly, nor as an attempt at denigration, but to illustrate a danger. Those in this group are not necessarily by nature fascists, white supremacists, violent insurrectionists, or domestic terrorists. But, their inability to differentiate between reality and fantasy in spite of overwhelming evidence and facts, makes them just as dangerous as any other person with a serious mental instability who loses all touch with reality, such as schizophrenics or those with severe bipolar disorder, particularly when they’re distorted reality incites them to violently challenge democracy and the nation. Similarly, there are those who’s support for Trump mirrors the support shown for Cult leaders.
These are people who voted for this man twice; even after his horrid past, his bigotry, his penchant for violence and degrading others, and his abysmal handling of the coronavirus and its cause for hundreds of thousands of American deaths. None of that matters to them. They do not, nor have they likely ever cared about any of it.
These are people who have committed themselves fully to Trumpism. These are people who have invested so much of themselves into this alternative reality that pulling them back from it would take years. They have said that they are willing to die for Trump. And, after the siege on the Capitol it appears they aren’t bluffing.
And while many in this second group may not have been involved in the violence and insurrection that took place at the Federal Capitol and State capitals around the country, the slightest push in their fevered minds is enough to set off a violent outburst that could lead to devastating carnage and deaths. This is what makes them an ongoing threat to others and the nation, their inability to be dissuaded from their delusions and they’re willingness to be pushed to the edge.
Both of these groups pose a significant and ongoing threat to the stability of the nation. Willing to storm the nation’s seat of government, violently assault and kill law enforcement officers, and wreck havoc without shame, remorse, or concern for repercussions shows that these people are far more dangerous than anyone is noticing. It is only by sheer luck that no elected officials were murdered that day.
Nor has this been a just a bunch of Boomers with left over bigotry from the 1960s. No, Trump supporters are made up primarily of middle aged and young white males. This shows that the problem of bigoted violence in the US is far from being resolved and isn’t likely to be anytime soon.
Why they are Still Dangerous
The events that took place on the Nation’s Capitol and other capitals around the nation have been a shock to the entire country. And while it may all have initially seemed a bit ridiculous; fur wearing half naked men in face paint and good ole’ boys taking selfies; the truth is that it not only could have been far more dangerous and violent, but that it was intended to be. As more videos and information have poured in since Wednesday we’ve seen that many of those who participated were there specifically to cause harm to others and to kill people. They brought zip ties, countless guns, bombs, and Molotov cocktails. It is the closest the nation has come to a coup by a hostile domestic force.
Nor has the threat passed. Soon after the attack on the Capitol, radical right wing Trump supporters could be found on social media sites already planning their next assault. These people will continue to fight tooth and nail; as viciously and violently as many whites did against desegregation. These are an increasingly desperate people who want civil war and are fully planning on ramping up their violence to bring it about. They have already shown that they are willing to assault and murder law enforcement officers, politicians, and innocent Americans they perceive as enemies, including members of their own political party.
Nor will it stop after Biden’s inauguration. This will continue for the next four years and on, and every election at every local, state, and federal level from here on out will be a continual battle to keep the nation out of their hands. Voter suppression will continue. Voter intimidation will continue. Dis/misinformation will continue. Political violence will continue. The American people will have no peace.
The Problem with Punishing Trump
Unfortunately, anything that is done to Trump at this point; whether impeachment, removal from office, or as is more deserved; imprisonment, will only incite his supporters to even further violence and even greater acts of atrocity. The chasm that divided them momentarily over taking personal credit versus blaming Antifa was short-lived as was their anger at Trump for ‘abandoning’ them.
At this point nothing will deter them from their support for Trump. To punish Trump will be to make him a Martyr to his people. And punishment will of course lead to retaliation and ever more violent acts of opposition.
The Threat of Civil War and Invasion from North Korea and/or Russia
And it isn’t just the Trump supporters that we should be worried about. The siege on the Capitol ignited a powder keg on both sides of the divide. The takeover of the nations seat of government was in and of itself enough to set many on the Left into what can be called preparation for war (because they know Trump supporters are only going to escalate- one need only scroll through right wing social media to see this). But, after seeing the way that domestic terrorists were AGAIN treated with kid gloves compared to black people, even while attempting to overthrow the US government, was the final straw for many (again, one needs only scroll through social media to see the anger).
It doesn’t take a behavioral specialist, a data analyst, an academic, or intelligence personnel to see that the nation may well and truly be on the brink of Civil War, all hyperbole aside. If the Trump supporters plan to ramp up their efforts, especially on inauguration day, we can likely expect just as many, if not more, Left wing supporters of Biden, as well as members of BLM, Antifa, and other groups. Bear in mind, this could happen anytime between now and the inauguration, but that seems the most likely day.
There won’t be enough police to stop the whole thing, particularly when law enforcement themselves are divided, with some in full support of Trump and white supremacy; and we have no idea which ones, but we know there are some at every level of law enforcement, including the military.
Do we really want to see another Civil War, this one with likely millions more American deaths? A Civil War during a global pandemic? A Civil War that will invite Russian invasion (they’ve already hacked our entire security network) or North Korea who seems to be itching for a fight? Divide and conquer is a strategy that America will find itself on the receiving end of. It seems incredibly foolish and oblivious to the peril surrounding the nation at this moment.
What’s to be done?
So, if Trump cannot be punished without making a Martyr of him, thus driving his supporters to ever worsening acts of domestic terrorism where no American will be safe, what can be done?
The quickest solution and least violent solution seems to be to give them what they want. More specifically, exile The Trumps and those supporters of his who would care to join him to Florida. The Trump family had already made plans to relocate to Florida after the election. Let them, the Trumps and their millions of supporters all move to Florida and start there own Evangelical ethno-state if that is what they so desperately want.
Let Trump be their Dictator if that is what they wish. Let his family become their Divine Right ascendants to the ‘throne’ if that is what they want. Let them have mask-less rallies every day of the week if they want. Let them have boat rallies until their hearts’ content. Let them not wear masks in public if they don’t want or address climate change, or make sacrifices for the greater good if they don’t want to. Let them all run around armed to the teeth. But their choices, both good and bad, will be confined to Florida and its people. And they will be confined to Florida.
De-State Florida and treat it exactly as a US territory. Let them make whatever laws they wish (within the confines of human rights) to govern within their territory, but with the same limited rights of States, in that they may not engage in any dealings with foreign nations, nor will they have elected Representatives in the US government at any level.
And while many people’s immediate reaction to this idea will likely be indignation and outrage- repulsed by the very idea of Trump and his supporters “getting away with” treason against the United States of America.
What is the alternative? Attempt to get the slippery Trump punished in a corrupted Senate? Track down and test every Trump supporter to see if they’re mentally ill and if so how dangerous are they and do they need to be in a mental institution? Outlaw militia groups and then track down every one of them and attempt to bring them to justice? Attempt to purge law enforcement and the armed forces of Trump supporters who support a coup? Constantly monitor any and all social media sites with the nation’s intelligence agencies for the foreseeable future to assure Trump supporters and white supremacists aren’t planning some other national nightmare? Fight and push for higher voter turnout at every local, state, and federal election in an effort to ensure that no white supremacists, religious fanatics, domestic terrorists, conspiracy theorists, authoritarians, traitors and insurrectionists, or dangerously mentally ill people ever hold public office again?
All of this is simply unfeasible and unjust to ask of law-abiding American people. How many more bigoted hatred mass shootings at schools, religious institutions, grocery stores, and public gatherings are the American people supposed to be subjected to? How many more black people must be murdered by racist police who support Trump and share his supporters thirst for white supremacy, and are willing to overthrow the Capitol? How many more innocent people have to be victims of hate crimes? How much longer are the American people supposed to tolerate being threatened, bullied, intimidated, and violently attacked and killed by these people? Is no place in America beyond one’s own home safe anymore?
Would it not be better to resolve the issue permanently rather than spend the next incalculable years fighting this internal and irreconcilable division? Any talk of ‘healing,’ ‘bridging divides,’ or ‘coming together as a nation’ is naive at best and criminally stupid at worst. This has been and will continue to be an ongoing problem in the US. There can be no compromise between two diametrically opposed visions for the future of America if one side is not only disingenuous, but whose vision for the future of the nation involves the subjugation, disenfranchisement, oppression, and violence against any deemed an enemy or the ‘other.’ A theocratic white supremacist male dictatorship is simply incompatible with a multi-pluralistic society. No one in America is safe so long as they remain.
Think of it as exile. Without material or financial support from the US federal government, they will be on their own to best decide how to run their state.
How to convince them to go?
Even were the US to accept this solution, getting Trump and his supporters to agree to go may seem a difficult proposition, but it needn’t be. Criminal charges, economic shutout, and Trump’s ego can all be used as incentives.
Criminal charges
For many of them, including Trump and his family, GOP enablers, and supporters, they already face numerous criminal charge; many of which are serious. So too could the Trump family, GOP enablers, Right Wing Media, and supporters be charged with any number of serious offenses; sedition, insurrection, treason for their role in the failed coup on the United States.
Economic shutout
Beyond criminal charges, another incitement to get them to move is the knowledge that Trump, GOP enablers, and supporters are already being economically locked out of the country. Lost jobs, lost donors and advertisers, de-platforming. That anyone who has now or continues to identify with this movement will be able to easily find work in America ever again is highly unlikely. I would highly suggest those in the GOP who supported Trump over the past four years go along as well. They’ve no future in America.
Trump’s ego
The offer to let Trump go be “King of Florida” would also likely get him to agree to leave office immediately and decamp to Florida, his supporters following behind. For Trump does not care to be president, he never has. His entire presidency began as nothing more than revenge against President Barack Obama and has since become merely a source of undying adulation, something his ego desperately needs.
Allowing him to flee to Florida allows him to have what he really wants from a presidency, people to worship him, nothing more. So let him and his followers have it. In Florida, far away from the powers of Congress, the Senate, and the Presidency.
And for Trump supporters. I say this to you. Compromise. One get out of jail free card. You’ve got what you want. Be realistic, we cannot remove millions of Jews, black people, those of Asian descent, Latin Americans, LGBTQ persons, atheists, progressives, Liberals, Muslims, Sikhs, Arabs and everyone else you dislike from the country. It’s simply impossible and unrealistic. The future of America is multi-pluralistic.
The better option is to go and form your own theocratic ethno-State in Florida.
Funding
Funding, both for Trump supporters who wish to move to Florida, as well as non-Trump supporters who wish to move out of Florida could be divided up between government funding, charity, philanthropic giving, and donations. Let the Trumps put up another fundraiser and fund themselves and their supporters.
Conclusion
I know this suggestion sounds absolutely off the wall. I know it sounds ridiculous on its face. But I’m not joking when I say that I think this is only going to get much worse and lots of people are going to get hurt and murdered. As absurd an idea as it may be, it may be the only thing that saves the nation.
These people aren’t going to stop.
