This is not a rhetorical question. It is now a rational and sensible one.
Trump is one step away from making America a full blown fascist state. If his latest actions are not stopped by the Supreme Court, — if Trump then ignores the Supreme Court, then institutionally the U.S. Government under the Constitution of the United States, no longer exists.
So what are democracies options?
As has been seen in other countries, general strike is likely the least dangerous of citizen’s options. To simply stop doing anything that makes a country function. Don’t go to work, strike, and protest non-violently by blocking all forms of service. No planes, no trains, no buses, no government offices, no services.
By removing the ability for Government to function, it would grind the government and the nation to a standstill. Block Congress and every street in the Capital, while appealing to the military, the police, the National Guard to stand down until such time as the President and his administration leave office and agree to free and fair elections.
The risks to such action are obvious. If the National Guard or the military, or for that matter, the police, support the administration, there is the possibility of violence. It is essential that if a national strike day is called, that the opposition needs to be both united and strong, both in numbers and in influence. It would require the support of the Supreme Court in a decision, members of Congress and, a majority of the electorate.
If that were not the case, and a national strike were effectively ignored, then without a Constitution, or Congress, the government would be de facto illegal. Which would leave the public and the opposition with few options. Revolt, or staging a coup with the help of an armed entity, be it the National Guard or the Military might well be the only option.
Armed insurrections if resisted by the government, may well lead to civil war, a state where the United States would fail to actually exist. Large scale internal political violence within America would constitute Civil War, and it’s anyone’s guess as to how it would end. It would require the complete capitulation, or elimination of one side, which would likely only occur after immense loss, destruction and death.
And yet, America is literally on the cusp of that reality. The only other action that is likely possible is assassination, but even then it begs the question, would the Vice President be any less dictatorial, and would he continue the same actions of his predecessor?
There is no doubt that America is devolving into camps. There is no need to arm those camps as America is already swimming in weapons. The question is whether the armed forces or National Guard were to take a side and become involved defending the government against the insurrection, or in supporting the government, illegal or not.
The key to replacing an illegal government is not to resort to violence. Demand civic action, maintain the rule of law and commit to non-violence, for if violence breaks free, it may rapidly escalate without end until civil war is in full effect. At that point reigning in the warring factions will be almost impossible.
America is already an illiberal ‘democracy’. Using the word democracy actually makes a mockery of the terminology. The people are in the throes of losing all levers of democratic institutions necessary to effectually control their own government.
And what is to come, is likely the most dangerous time in American history.
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