Dakota Beacon

What is a police state? Wikipedia describes it as “a state whose government institutions exercise an extreme level of control over civil society and liberties. There is typically little or no distinction between the law and the exercise of political power by the executive… Deployment of internal security and police forces play a heightened role in governance. A police state is characteristic of authoritarian, totalitarian, and illiberal regimes… police-state-level of control may emerge in multi-party systems as well.”

What is a conspiracy theory? Call upon Wikipedia again. “A conspiracy theory is an explanation for an event or situation that asserts the existence of a conspiracy by powerful and sinister groups, often political in motivation, when other explanations are more probable… The appeal of a conspiracy theory is based in prejudice, emotional conviction, or insufficient evidence.”

So be it. Take these two definitions at face value and evaluate America’s drift from the 1930s onward. Take into consideration the following:

The outrageous persecution of the January 6th protesters, many of whom were senior citizens and former military personnel merely demonstrating against what they believed was an unfair election. As of September 12, 2023, some 1,146 people (male and female) representing all 50 states have been charged. The Department of Justice (DOJ) stated that 623 have been sentenced in some cases ranging to 17 years in prison. Trials are still taking place. So much for a speedy justice system.

The brazen government censorship of free speech and academic freedom from both the left and the right under the guise of stopping disinformation. This includes the DOJ branding of parents as “domestic terrorists” for speaking out against bad decisions of school boards.

The weaponization (I hate that term) of federal intelligence and law enforcement agencies. As an example, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced he has established a “Homeland Intelligence Experts Group.” Included are two recognizable names -- John Brennan and James Clapper. These career bureaucrats previously used their power for partisan purposes and lied to Congress about it. DHS has assured the public that this group will make Americans safer from “domestic violent extremists, cyber criminals, and drug-trafficking cartels.” Brennan established the FBI team to use corrupt means to investigate Trump’s presidential campaign based upon fake charges of Russian collusion. James Clapper conceded in 2017 that he had no knowledge about alleged Russian collusion and then in 2019 accused President Trump of being a “Russian asset.”

The egregious abuse of presidential executive orders and emergency declarations. A recent example occurred on September 19 when President Biden spoke at the United Nations and emphasized the “urgent” need to brandish government authority against anyone who fails to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. On September 20, with a stroke of a pen, Biden proclaimed, without legislative action, a new $20 billion initiative to wit: an executive action involving the creation of The American Climate Corps to implement “environmental justice.”

One may reckon that an American police state is no longer a hypothetical possibility but an increasingly indisputable reality. No conspiracy theory here. No prejudice, emotional conviction, or insufficient evidence. Just observable facts.

The emergence of America as a fledgling police state, while imperceptible, evolved over many decades. September 11, 2001, significantly accelerated this evolution. More importantly, the Covid 19 pandemic markedly increased the momentum toward a police state. Once people are terrorized it is easy to impose a police state on them.

Now that the United States exists as an administrative state with few legislative checks, the administrators can simply invoke fearmongering with every new extreme initiative. All they need is the Sirens hypnotic song that “government will save you.” We feel safe that radical policies will never be enacted because they seem too extreme. Unfortunately, the vision of a national consensus is now so obsolete that it poses no obstacle to government initiatives. Our Executive Branch now acts on its own without legislative mandate. Extremism is no obstacle to government policy.

It is no surprise that the U.S. as part of a “global community” speaks so little about inalienable rights and freedoms and so much about hate speech, disinformation, climate change, and COVID. Speaking about liberty reminds common people that there are limits to the powers of any legitimate government. Inventing new things for people to fear clouds their judgement just enough to steal their rights away.

The only system that truly values "the will of the people" is one that recognizes inalienable rights. These rights belong exclusively to each individual and are immune from government infringement regardless of the reasons. Any form of government that treats rights and freedoms as mere "privileges" that can be thinned out during times of emergency is, in fact, just another dictatorial system run by a "ruling class" of elites. It matters little if you live within a so-called "democracy" if you remain a slave inside the government's cage.

Wherever tyranny takes hold, movements for freedom grow powerful. No matter how much government suppresses, people will eventually have their say.

Dennis M. Patrick can be contacted at (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).