So a journalist at Mother Jones is shocked, but did anyone here on HN not predict this strategy long before Trump got his 2nd term?
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States / cities (democrat or republican) sent riot police, which is something they have always done. How they handled protests is worth criticism e.g. I don't like that they use curfews to suddenly make protesters breaking the law. I don't like the use of tear gas on otherwise peaceful protestors. As a note, these are state / city officials not federal guidance typically.
However,
The current administration, Donald Trump, the president of the united states, and the top most members of his cabinet, as a federal, top-down policy will:
- Automatically identify protesters
- Arrest them for simply saying things the admin doesn't like.
- Bypass due-process.
- Will ship them to a gulag outside of the united states.
- Are on track to be found in contempt of court for refusing to bring back a lawful resident.
Both sides are not the same here. Name me a democrat president who has done equal or worse what the trump admin has done.
Except they're cheaper to run and don't physically risk a pilot.
It probably would have been more accurate to say something like "mass extra-judicial assasination/execution of individuals opaquely labelled as 'militants,' including US citizens, in foreign jurisdictions" instead of "drone strikes," but the latter is shorter and I thought would be understood as implying the former.
Because they'd more than likely target those same individuals with less precise weapons if not for the given alternative.
I don't think this is a fruitful debate but I doubt risk & cost are as much a determining factor as you'd like.