Former Soviet political prisoner Natan Sharansky wrote that there were two kinds of societies—fear and free. He wrote in his book “The Case for Democracy” that “a society is free if people have a right to express their views without fear of arrest, imprisonment, or physical harm.”
A society where dissent is blocked or punished is rooted in tyranny. Sharansky would know. He spent nine years as a political prisoner in the old Soviet Union. After he gained his freedom he moved to Israel where he held a number of positions within the government.
Sharansky’s book was published 21 years ago, but it should serve as a cautionary tale for what is happening now in the United States. President Donald Trump and his power-hungry sycophants are creating a fear society right in our own backyard.
Trump is employing authoritarian tactics to consolidate his power, trample democratic norms and repress opposition through force and intimidation. He is chipping away at constitutional protections and replacing them with his personal whims and vendettas.
The latest example is his politicization of the military. His speech recently to top-ranking generals and admirals was especially chilling. His reference to the U.S. fighting a “war from within” set the table for the military to be dispatched to Democratic-run cities.
One can reasonably argue that some of these cities have failed to control crime and have been overly tolerant of individuals in the country illegally. However, the correct response lies in local and state jurisdictions improving policing. The U.S. military is neither properly trained nor responsible for local law enforcement and should only be dispatched in emergencies.
Thankfully, there is resistance to the overreach. In Oregon, U.S. District Court Judge Karin Immergut blocked Trump’s attempt to send in federalized National Guard members from other states. Immergut, who was appointed by Trump, wrote, “This country has a long-standing and foundational tradition of resistance to government overreach, especially in the form of military intrusion into civilian affairs.”
Pre-Trump, Republicans howled at such federal overreach as Trump is employing. They would quote enthusiastically from the 1878 Posse Comitatus Act that barred federal troops from civilian affairs. Nowadays, they either cheer or sit stoically for fear of falling out of favor with Trump and MAGA.
Trump may simply ignore the courts and invoke the Insurrection Act. If so, then all bets are off. We will have officially shifted into authoritarianism and military control. It is not far-fetched to believe Trump could use that authority to interfere with elections.
Protect Democracy writer and editor Amanda Carpenter wrote that the intimidation of the media and protesters today could be the intimidation of voters tomorrow. “If federal forces can make citizens afraid to exercise their First Amendment rights on the street, they can make them afraid to attend a rally, support an opposing candidate or cast a ballot in upcoming elections,” she wrote.
Our country was founded on the fundamental principle of freedom. The Founders formalized in the Bill of Rights the limitations on government’s ability to erode that freedom. They have stood the test for so long that we take them for granted.
But those limitations are now being stress-tested by autocratic intent. The outcome will determine whether America will remain a free society or become a fear society.