US Border Patrol in cloud of tear gas - Portland, Oregon, July 2020
In January, I wrote about Biden’s Forays into Fascism. In this article, I expressed my concern with the following as reported by the Wall Street Journal, “Mr. Biden has said he plans to make a priority of passing a law against domestic terrorism, and he has been urged to create a White House post overseeing the fight against ideologically inspired violent extremists and increasing funding to combat them.” My fears are now becoming reality as we see the Biden administration moving forward on a new National Strategy for Countering Domestic Terrorism. What follows are a few of the most fascistic elements of this new strategy.
In a teleconference on June 14th, someone only identified in the official press release as “Senior Administration Official” said the following:
And on that, I would just note that one of the things we’re talking about is the need to do something in this space, like the “See something” — “If you see something, say something” concept that has been promulgated previously by DHS. This involves creating contexts in which those who are family members or friends or co-workers know that there are pathways and avenues to raise concerns and seek help for those who they have perceived to be radicalizing and potentially radicalizing towards violence.
This is reminiscent of Nazi Germany and the Gestapo’s use of informants and collaborators to turn in Jews, communists, and anti-Nazis. It is not enough that the National Security Administration (NSA) is already spying on us, they want us to turn in our neighbors now. There is already two million dollars set aside in Joe Biden’s budget for ICE to use to pay off informants on illegal immigrants. Will there soon be bounties for turning in your neighbors too?
Who exactly are these domestic terrorists that we’re supposed to turn in? The administration has helpfully defined them for us in the strategy document (italics added):
Another key component of the threat comes from anti–government or anti–authority violent extremists. This significant component of today’s threat includes self–proclaimed “militias” and militia violent extremists who take steps to violently resist government authority or facilitate the overthrow of the U.S. Government based on perceived overreach; anarchist violent extremists, who violently oppose all forms of capitalism, corporate globalization, and governing institutions, which they perceive as harmful to society; sovereign citizen violent extremists, who believe they are immune from government authority and laws; or any other National Strategy for Countering Domestic Terrorism individual or group who engages in violence – or incites imminent violence – in opposition to legislative, regulatory, or other actions taken by the government. Other domestic terrorists may be motivated to violence by single–issue ideologies related to abortion–, animal rights–, environmental–, or involuntary celibate–violent extremism, as well as other grievances – or a combination of ideological influences.
I want to highlight the part that says “or incites imminent violence” because this is an incredibly broad statement that could be used to justify arresting any protestor who fits into their categories, whether the violent or not. Now we have justification for armed government agents to respond to anti-capitalists, environmentalists, and animal rights activists as domestic terrorists. I fear that the violent state suppression against the water protectors seen at Standing Rock and Enbridge Line 3 protests is just the beginning. Welcome to a new era of 21st century fascism.
The strategy document tries to write this off as a non-partisan attempt to deter domestic terrorism:
The definition of “domestic terrorism” in our law makes no distinction based on political views – left, right, or center – and neither should we.
But in reality, this is not the case. The police let the far right in on January 6, while they responded with massive force against BLM protests last summer. The police were created to protect and serve the capitalist system, not the working class. If you go to any counter protest against the far right, the police cordon will be facing the leftists and protecting the right. This is even though white supremacist violence is the number one threat of domestic terrorism. The letter of the law may not make a distinction between left and right, but the law enforcement certainly does.
The Biden administration is increasing funding for ICE to continue to detain immigrants at a rate of 30,000 people per day. The flow of military equipment to the police has increased during the first quarter of 2021 for a total of 33.5 million dollars worth transferred, greater than the average during the Trump presidency of 30 million dollars. Biden has called for an increase in the military budget to 753 billion dollars. He also is calling for 300 million dollars more funding for the controversial COPS program, even while movement leaders are calling to defund the police. This is what funding the global police state looks like.
Both Republicans and Democrats support the fascist police state. Obama suspended the right of habeas corpus in the 2012 NDAA, allowing for the indefinite suspension of US citizens. Under Trump, the consequences of that were seen when protestors were abducted by the state into unmarked vans in Portland. Current events in Minneapolis show that the violent state suppression of protests is only going to continue under the Biden administration.
A recent Intercept article shows socialists, anarchists, and neo-nazis being lumped together in a Naval counter terrorism training document. This document asks the question, “Anarchists, socialists and neo-nazis represent which terrorist ideological category?” The answer is “political terrorists.” According to the US Navy, my desire for the working class to own the means of production now makes me a political terrorist.
To continue with the strategy document:
It means setting a tone from the highest ranks National Strategy for Countering Domestic Terrorism of government that every American deserves the life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness that our Declaration of Independence recognizes as unalienable rights. And it means ensuring that there is simply no governmental tolerance – and instead denunciation and rejection – of violence as an acceptable mode of seeking political or social change
This is a fascinating statement. What happened after the Declaration of Independence was signed? Violence seeking political or social change. To quote directly from the Declaration of Independence:
That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
The capitalist oligarchy that controls the United States Government is in fact destructive of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. The lack of a universal healthcare system is directly responsible for the deaths of 68,000 people per year. The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world. The capitalist system has led to a culture of despair.
It is the peak of hypocrisy for a government that has been at war for 226 out of 244 of the years of its existence to denounce and reject violence as an acceptable mode of seeking political or social change. The entire history of the United States has been violence seeking political or social change. Yet this government thrives on hypocrisy. Just last week, Joe Biden gave the following statement:
This completely ignored that the US is the top when it comes to interfering with elections directly and everyone knows it. The United States is a terrorist state and now they want to expand this terrorism even more directly toward their domestic population.
No livable minimum wage is terrorism
No universal healthcare is terrorism
Student debt is terrorism
Fossil fuel subsidies while the world burns is terrorism
Poverty is terrorism
Union busting is terrorism
Police violence is terrorism
Structural racism is terrorism
Capitalism is terrorism
But I guess I’m the terrorist because I’m a revolutionary socialist. Feel free to call the Department of Homeland Security and let them know that I am sitting here radicalizing.