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Warnings from our retired military leaders this week are a signal of how dangerous the situation in our country has become, with the prospects growing for escalated government abuses of power against the people. The stunningly direct rebuke of Donald Trump by his former Secretary of Defense, Gen. James Mattis, is especially striking, given the high esteem in which Mattis is held not only within the military community but also among the general public, both at home and abroad. Military leaders are notoriously reticent, and they rarely, if ever, comment on political matters. That they are speaking out now should alert us to the real peril facing our democracy. We ought to listen. —Evan McMullin
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1. When Mattis talks, people listen
And did he ever talk last night. The former defense secretary has kept studiously silent since he resigned in December 2018 over President Trump's Syria policy. Until last night, this is. In an extraordinary broadside, he defended the Americans protesting the mistreatment of African Americans by law enforcement, and excoriated the use of the military against them. He also wrote, "Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people—does not even pretend to try. Instead he tries to divide us. We are witnessing the consequences of three years of this deliberate effort. We are witnessing the consequences of three years without mature leadership. We can unite without him, drawing on the strengths inherent in our civil society. This will not be easy, as the past few days have shown, but we owe it to our fellow citizens; to past generations that bled to defend our promise; and to our children." Preach, General. —The Atlantic
- — Who are these guys? Unmarked federal law enforcement officers, dressed in paramilitary uniforms and wearing no identifying insignia, have quickly spread among protesters marching through Washington, D.C.'s streets this week. In some locations, they have refused to identify themselves to journalists and protesters who asked which agency sent them, answering only that they worked for the federal government. Some carried rifles, or were equipped with body armor, riot shields, and pepper spray canisters. —Defense One
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- — The House wants answers. Multiple House committee chairs are inquiring about the Trump Administration's decision to use tear gas and rubber bullets to remove peaceful protesters near the White House on Monday. They also want to know who ordered the action, even though the 7 p.m. curfew was still a half-hour away. "We want to be clear: the use of federal personnel to prevent American citizens from exercising their Constitutional right to peaceably assemble represents a direct threat to our democracy," the committee chairs wrote. —Politico
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- — Back off, Boogaloo. Federal prosecutors in Las Vegas have charged three alleged members of the far-right extremist "Boogaloo" movement with multiple state and federal violations of conspiracy to cause destruction. The three men were arrested on Saturday on a state criminal complaint alleging conspiracy to commit an act of terrorism and multiple explosives violations. They were all previously brought to the attention of the FBI by a confidential source. —NBC News
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- — It's about time. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam plans to order the removal of the Robert E. Lee statue in Richmond, while Mayor Levar Stoney also proposed the removal of additional Confederate monuments from the state capital. "Richmond is no longer the capital of the Confederacy—it is filled with diversity and love for all—and we need to demonstrate that," Stoney said. —The New York Times
More: Ahmaud Arbery was hit with a truck before he died, and his killer allegedly used a racial slur, investigator testifies (CNN)
9. Applebaum: History will judge the complicit
"In due course, historians will write the story of our era and draw lessons from it, just as we write the history of the 1930s, or of the 1940s. The Miłoszes and the Hoffmanns of the future will make their judgments with the clarity of hindsight. They will see, more clearly than we can, the path that led the U.S. into a historic loss of international influence, into economic catastrophe, into political chaos of a kind we haven’t experienced since the years leading up to the Civil War. Then maybe [Sen. Lindsey] Graham—along with Pence, Pompeo, McConnell, and a whole host of lesser figures—will understand what he has enabled." —The Atlantic
More: Boot: The entire Republican Party is complicit in the assault on Lafayette Square (The Washington Post)
10. An American Story: The cure for a ruff day
Ezra, a four-year-old Golden Retriever, works as a comfort dog at Lutheran Church Charities in Toledo, Ohio, to help victims of crime. While the pandemic has hindered Ezra's work, he is still finding ways to virtually connect with people all over the country, including many working on the frontlines.
- — "At first, he didn't get it. He would hear people but he couldn't figure out where they were. He has gotten a lot better with that. Now he'll sit, stare at the screen, and focus," said Nancy Borders, one of Ezra's caregivers.
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- — As well as helping victims of crime, who are frequently children, Ezra also provides comfort to victims during interviews and trials.
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- — Ezra frequents the courthouse, local nursing homes, and hospitals. His handlers hope he will be able to return to the courthouse later this month. Good boy, Ezra! —ABC News
Ed. Note: We are spotlighting ways that Americans are helping each other through the coronavirus crisis and recent unrest. Would you like to suggest an "American Story" from your local news? If so, please forward a link to the story to [email protected]. Thank you!
I witnessed firsthand yesterday evening the density and diversity of security personnel stationed throughout our nation's capital in support of the president's vow to "dominate" protesters. The only consistent element was the National Guard units in regular uniforms with ID patches, rank indicators, and unit insignia. Capitol Police were easily identified as well, but there were enormous numbers of "irregulars" wearing combat helmets and body armor but with no visible identifying markings. It looked like a mall ninja convention.
For reference, see here:
News outlets say that President Trump has pulled in law enforcement officers from across the spectrum of federal agencies, so presumably that's who I saw, but we should all be deeply alarmed by this because it has the potential to go disastrously wrong.
On the one hand: with no way to identify individual officers, accountability is severely limited. If a BOP officer accustomed to handling hardened convicts beats up my 120-lb. daughter, how are we to identify who he was and prosecute him?
On the other hand: since they have no official identifiers proclaiming them to be law enforcement officers, anyone can dress up in combat gear and pass themselves off as a federal officer. If you don't have a badge or patch claiming you're an officer, and don't say you're an officer, it's not a crime.
We've already got a multitude of documented incidents of violent agitators infiltrating peaceful protests to create chaos. We've seen "protesters" turn out with guns and body armor to oppose COVID-19 restrictions. Now Trump has set the stage for anyone in combat gear to be able to blend in with law enforcement officers and turn peaceful protests violent.
There's a small but determined minority of modern anarchists and other self-styled revolutionaries lurking in the dark corners of the Internet (search for "boogaloo"/"big Igloo"/"Big Luau" to learn more) who are looking for an opportunity to start a civil war. I fear that the president has just served one up on a golden platter.
I urge all of us to contact our elected representatives and demand emergency legislation requiring that federal officers on-duty in public bear conspicuous identification of their agency and badge number. —Mike A., Maryland
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