Drifting towards authoritarianism
President Donald Trump has created his own “Board of Peace,” composed largely of oligarchic and authoritarian governments, with a $1 billion entry fee.
He alone holds veto power and even selects his successor. It raises obvious concerns about where the money goes, who controls it and what the real purpose is. The first announced project — rebuilding Gaza — clearly won’t be for the benefit of Palestinians. After everything that has unfolded this past year, I genuinely wonder how many still support Trump. To me, he behaves like a con man who should be removed from office and held accountable under the law.
Equally troubling is a May 12, 2025, Department of Homeland Security memo, signed by acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement director Todd Lyons, claiming federal agents no longer need a judge’s warrant to enter private homes. This appears to sidestep the Fourth Amendment’s explicit protections against unreasonable searches and seizures. If federal agencies cannot operate within constitutional limits, they should not be allowed to proceed. This looks like an attempt to intimidate citizens.
In Minnesota, protesters have remained peaceful even as federal agents seem intent on provoking confrontation to justify force. Demonstrators are responding with calm resistance and documentation for future accountability.
How much more evidence do we need before recognizing that elements of our federal government are drifting toward authoritarianism? Americans of every political background must stand up now. If this trajectory continues into the next election, we might find ourselves reacting too late, finding canceled elections and left with the current administration indefinitely.
-Rick Young, Aberdeen
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United States of Fascists?
The USA became a fascist country on Jan 20, 2025.
While some expected this before the 2024 election, many are now beginning to see the new direction. The No Kings demonstrations and protests against ICE show that people are waking up to how bad life will be under the MAGA regime. Many thousands of citizens and non-citizens will die or be killed needlessly:
ICE is now terrorizing and murdering immigrants, protesters and bystanders on the streets.
- Hundreds, maybe thousands, of non-citizens and citizens will die in domestic internment camps and inhumane prisons abroad.
- Lone extremists and right-wing groups will assassinate more politicians, judges and resistance leaders.
- Thousands will die from the lack of affordable health insurance and medical care.
- Thousands, particularly children, will die from the lack of immunizations.
- Relaxed air, water and food standards will shorten lifespans.
- Research into cancers and other fatal diseases has stopped.
- And soldiers and civilians will die in attacks on countries, such as Venezuela, Mexico, Cuba, Greenland, Syria and Iran.
None of this needs to happen. There is a small group of people in Washington, D.C., that could make this all go away. They are the 272 Republican members of Congress and six conservative Supreme Court justices. This group is controlled by the wealthy and is so afraid of losing its power and wealth that it ignores the citizens it represents. Or maybe those folks believe in fascism and not the U.S Constitution that they swore to uphold.
Right now, Iranian citizens are attempting to overthrow their Islamic republic government. Already thousands of protesters have been killed or arrested. How many more
-Allen Walter, Groton
