One more step towards authoritarianism…

… with the military’s plan to create a “Domestic Civil Disturbance Quick Reaction Force”, composed of hundreds of National Guard troops tasked with rapidly deploying into American cities facing protests or other unrest.

The plan calls for 600 troops to be on standby at all times so they can deploy in as little as one hour. They would be split into two groups of 300 and stationed at military bases in Alabama and Arizona, with purview of regions east and west of the Mississippi River, respectively. This is in complete violation of the purpose of military troops.

The litmus test is Washington DC, where National Guards have just been deployed. I’ve not gone downtown yet to see what that might look like but have seen photos from friends of protests against that uncalled for “occupation.” So far, the military hasn’t intervened in the protests.

I don’t know what to say anymore. On the one hand, life in the suburbs where I live just outside DC is going on as if nothing had changed. On the other hand, there is a constant tension in the air as if, at any moment, our world would collapse. Unreal…