The Constitution Is in Crisis
Fascism Is No Longer a Mere Threat—It’s Taking Hold
Three separate voices—David Pakman, Robert Reich, and Rick Wilson—sounded the same alarm this week:
The American police state is no longer a theoretical danger. It is here.
And the most chilling part? Each one is pointing to a different part of the machine already in motion.
This is not politics-as-usual. This is the suspension of democracy under the guise of “order,” “security,” and “emergency.”
1. David Pakman: From Protest to ‘Rebellion’
In a recent broadcast, David Pakman starkly declared that the Trump police state has begun.
ICE is conducting mass raids at Home Depot locations, reminiscent of Operation Wetback in the 1950s.
National Guard units are patrolling Los Angeles in armored vehicles “like it’s Fallujah.”
There are rumors of Marines being deployed domestically—the same military Trump once referred to as “his own.”
Pakman offers historical reminders:
When Mussolini consolidated power, he called protestors “terrorists” and sent Blackshirts into the streets.
When Hitler blamed the Reichstag fire on political enemies, he suspended civil liberties “for public safety.”
When Pinochet seized Chile, stadiums were filled with dissidents—also for “national security.”
Each authoritarian claimed it was temporary.
Each insisted it was to protect the country.
And each used the resulting fear and confusion to solidify power.
Trump is now declaring that anyone protesting immigration raids is participating in a rebellion against the United States government.
This isn’t governance—it’s political theater designed to provoke overreactions and justify escalating emergency powers.
2. Robert Reich: The Infrastructure of Authoritarianism
Writing in The Guardian, Robert Reich warns that the scaffolding of a police state is being rapidly constructed, step by step:
Declare a phony emergency—in this case, a “rebellion.”
Deploy federal force (ICE, DEA, FBI, and the National Guard) against civilians.
Allow warrantless arrests, abductions, and indefinite detention.
Expand detention space through temporary camps and private contracts.
Declare martial law when "civilian authority proves inadequate.”
Reich is clear:
“Once the infrastructure is in place, it doesn’t stay within its original scope. It metastasizes. It spreads. And then it turns inward.”
He continues:
“The dictatorship entrenches itself by fomenting fear and anger on both sides. The more divided the people become, the more easily the autocrat consolidates power.”
3. Rick Wilson: Force Used Against the Senate
This week, Rick Wilson of the Lincoln Project put perspective on the jarring news release that:
A sitting U.S. Senator, Alex Padilla, was physically assaulted and removed from a public hearing—on orders from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, a member of Trump’s Cabinet.
This is not just abuse of power.
This is executive force being used against the legislative branch.
This is an authoritarian executive using violence to silence co-equal government.
There’s no spin that makes this normal.
No democratic precedent that excuses it.
This is raw, public contempt for the rule of law.
The Constitution Is in Crisis
What do we call a government where:
Federal agents operate with impunity against civilians?
Elected lawmakers are assaulted on orders from the executive branch?
Dissent is framed as “rebellion” and treated as treason?
We call it a police state.
We call it fascism in motion.
What we are seeing is not accidental.
It is coordinated.
It is accelerating.
And it is working.
Fascism Is No Longer a Mere Threat
For years, we warned that Trump’s rhetoric mirrored authoritarian strongmen.
Now, we’re seeing the methods:
Raids. Militarization. Arrests. Censorship. Fear.
The structure is being built not in secret, but in plain sight.
And too many are still debating “tone” while the foundation of American democracy is being pulled out from under us.
This is the moment where we must stop asking whether this is normal.
It isn’t.
It’s fascism.
And it’s here.
What This Means for Active Measures
This post stands as a declaration: the old order is collapsing. A new one—authoritarian, repressive, militarized—is arriving.
Future posts will explore the possible consequences of this change. What happens to speech? To voting? To education? To conscience?
But most importantly, we’ll move beyond diagnosis.
We will get about the work of active measures:
What must be done.
What can be done.
And how not to play into their hands.
This is not just about sounding the alarm.
It’s about preparing the resistance.
No respect for Rick Wilson or the Guardian at all. Both are terrible sources to me. Totally biased.