Let’s be clear: this isn’t a celebration; it’s a spectacle of power wrapped in patriotism to justify the militarization of our streets. President Trump isn’t just showing off tanks and flyovers; he’s deploying troops in Los Angeles and threatening force against parade protesters.

No differentiation. No nuance.

Just blanket justification for overwhelming force.

NORTHCOM reported about 2,800 service members deployed to the greater Los Angeles area on June 11, with another roughly 2,000 Guard members still to be identified.

That’s not defense; that’s occupation.

What are they “stopping,” exactly? ABC’s own footage shows protesters self-policing, peacefully assembling, and being met with armed soldiers and ICE raids. The governor didn’t request troops. The people didn’t ask for this. But the president insists on it, because this isn’t about public safety, it’s about control.

He’s invoking the language of invasion against his own people. The same man who called January 6 “a lovefest” now labels peaceful demonstrators as enemies of the state. The parade falls on his birthday, which is also the Army’s founding anniversary. The political spectacle is the choice I’m criticizing, not the date’s military history.

Let’s talk estimated cost:
• About $134 million for a planned 60-day military deployment in Los Angeles
• An estimated $25 million to $45 million for the Army’s 250th-birthday celebration, including its parade, on Trump’s birthday

Meanwhile, Americans are still rationing insulin, working two jobs to survive, and watching civil liberties erode in real time.

You don’t need tanks and rocket launchers for unity. You don’t need Marines on the streets to honor the Army’s anniversary. And you damn sure don’t need to treat dissent like a battlefield.

This is what authoritarianism looks like in plain daylight: wrapped in a flag, backed by tanks, and cheered by those too blinded by the show to see the consequences.

So no, we’re not making peace with authoritarianism.

We’re calling it out. Loudly. Peacefully. With our voices, our votes, and our truth.

No kings. No tanks in the streets. Just democracy, if we can keep it.

Executive Dysfunction Weekly

https://youtu.be/vSjSVL0s8oQ?si=iLWu1aSXhPZbl9Js

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