Could some of the retired military officers who oppose this dictatorial president speak out forcefully? Even those currently serving could somehow circumvent these orders—or at least delay the implementation. We must prevent this autocratic move. Keeping hope alive for the ruling by Judge Breyer, maybe as early as Thursday.
This is going to be the Summer of The Trump Insurrection and Takeover. But instead of Insurrection coming from the masses it’s going to come straight from the Top. All the “good” players have been eliminated from the Executive Branch, the Republicans in Congress are all co-conspirators and the Judiciary will simply be ignored to whatever extent necessary.
I’ve been saying this since Trump won the 2024 election; Say Goodbye to Democracy and Hello to The United States of Fascism.
I posted this last night: https://marthature.substack.com/p/how-long-will-the-united-states-last. Pull quote: How long can a political system seek to remake itself before triggering one of two reactions—a devastating backlash from those most threatened by change, or a realization by the change makers that their goals can no longer be realized within the institutions and ideologies of the present order?...In times of severe crisis, institutional elites face a decision point. Do they cling to the system that gives them power, or go forward with the understanding that the ship is sinking?
Especially if the regime is seen to be “losing control over the country and even contact with reality.”...In such an unstable moment, Amalrik said, some sort of major defeat—for example, “a serious eruption of popular discontent in the capital, such as strikes or an armed clash”—would be enough “to topple the regime.”
“Whenever the President considers it necessary to use the militia or the armed forces under this chapter [CH 13, Title 10], he shall by proclamation, immediately order the insurgents to disperse and retire peaceably to their abodes within a limited time.”
THIS MEANS;
The President MUST ISSUE a formal proclamation to disperse BEFORE DEPLOYING troops under
Title 10 §254.
Why is NO ONE reporting this.
This HAS NOT BEEN DONE!
This key fact is immensely important and MANDATORY. Without a proclamation, Trumps deployment of US troops is ILLEGAL.
This is part and parcel of 'flooding the zone'. Through a feeble, gossamer, and subjective interpretation of the limits of Executive power, coupled with the glacial like response required by the judicial system to prevent or mitigate this expanding abuse, we are left with a major U.S. city, which by all objective accounts, was not on the verge of destruction, militarized by an incompetent and questionably cognitive President. To me, what is more distressing is the willingness of the judicial system to allow preemptive considerations for the position of this President. Such deference would be justified under virtually all previous administrations who operated within the guardrails of legal and democratic norms. However, reflective of commercial news outlets, the judiciary cannot adjust to the fact that this administration in neither concerned with nor constrained by legal or Constitutional norms. What previously would have been considered unthinkable aberrant behavior has now been accepted as, 'that's just how the Trump administration operates'. This apparent inability to include ethical principles to bear on their legal rulings, has left the courts with the impossible task of keeping ahead of the legal chaos of this administration. This may well result in the demise of democratic rule and the accompanying freedom is guarantees.
“Whenever the President considers it necessary to use the militia or the armed forces under this chapter [CH 13, Title 10], he shall by proclamation, immediately order the insurgents to disperse and retire peaceably to their abodes within a limited time.”
THIS MEANS;
The President MUST ISSUE a formal proclamation to disperse BEFORE DEPLOYING troops under
Title 10 §254.
Why is NO ONE reporting this.
This HAS NOT BEEN DONE!
This key fact is immensely important and MANDATORY. Without a proclamation, Trumps deployment of US troops is ILLEGAL.
I think he is using Project Homecoming Proclamation signed May 9, 2025.
Point 5 of the Proclamation- It directs a full-scale, aggressive deportation surge, including with an additional 20,000 officers, for illegal aliens who do not depart voluntarily.
He doesn't say what kind of officers, but I don't know that he has to, might be left intentionally vague.
So, where is Congress in any of this??....just sitting this one out and letting their Appropriations be used in any way the Executive wants? 2026 midterms cannot come soon enough, if they happen at all the way things are going.
I wish I could take comfort in your optimistic note that at some point the military might refuse to go along with Trump. My fear is that, as in law enforcement (which was my career), there is very strong conservative leaning to its members. An unofficial estimate of the department for which I worked for over 34 years would put the pro trump supporters at least at 80% and I believe that is an underestimate.
Although Trump hasn't got any regular powers, which ought to be obvious by now, he does have a few superpowers:
1. Keeping his comb-over sufficiently intact to obscure his ever-growing bald spot;
2. Making people forget about his many crimes, pathetic grifting and groveling after increasingly filthy lucre;
3. Exploiting each and every crack, hiccup and whiff of ambiguity in our laws. Oh, Okay, okay, this last is really his legal team's area, so Trump only has two superpowers.
Also, I think he is missing something that might help him as he tries to face down the entire state of California, and that is the ability to foresee the future. If he keeps up with the mass deportation of 'illegal immigrants' we won't have lettuce, tomatoes, avocados, almonds, citrus, and a host of other staple foods to eat. (We will have potatoes, as Idaho is a regulation blue state with presumably white troglodytes aplenty to fork out those tubers.)
Many of us will lose our yard service workers, the taco trucks we rely on for lunch, the Uber drivers we frequent, affordable child care, elder care, domestic help and anybody capable of building housing at a reasonable cost. Also, there won't be many if any meat-packing workers, so hello, veganism. I could go on.
He also THINKS he is Mr. BIg Bad Boss whose word is our command. "Stay home on Saturday, or else!" he threatens. "As if, A-hole!" we reply.
The law is meaningless to Trump, the GOP, and a substantial number of federal judges. The judges who have the integrity to push back are helpless to enforce their orders. Our legal system is based on a naive reliance on norms that mean no more to the GOP than they meant to the Nazi Party in 1933. Even though the GOP has yet to put forward a formal "Enabling Act" they have in fact given Trump carte blanche to do whatever the hell he pleases. And if the Iranians follow through on their threat to activate sleeper cells in the US, Trump and the GOP will surely use it to crackdown on any and all opposition and cement their continued rule.
There is nothing and no one to stop Trump. Mass protests have proven an impotent and ineffective response as Republicans clearly are not concerned there will even be a midterm election. A nationwide strike by a largely sedate populace that includes tens of millions of mindless personality cultists is inconceivable. An armed revolt even more inconceivable. A lifetime Trump presidency is no longer inconceivable.
Please forgive me for writing this here but my email notifications as a paid subscriber to your “TFA” are not working (again).
Not sure if you’ve received my two emails or not…
It’s frustrating in that I receive a plethora of emails, every day, from all the accounts I follow on Substack— including the only other “paid” subscriber account.
I did go to the Substack “help” site as recommended but it was no help.
Just now I “resubscribed” by providing my email (again) and verifying etc etc
If that doesn’t work I suppose there’s nothing left to do but unsubscribe if I can’t to be notified of your work (which I truly savor & appreciate).
In these perilous and dispiriting times, I hope that’s not the case.
Seems your last few Notes for Cafe are not showing up on The Counsel podcast for some reason. I've checked Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and reloaded the RSS link for my YouTube Music podcasts to no avail.
Could some of the retired military officers who oppose this dictatorial president speak out forcefully? Even those currently serving could somehow circumvent these orders—or at least delay the implementation. We must prevent this autocratic move. Keeping hope alive for the ruling by Judge Breyer, maybe as early as Thursday.
Could? Yes. Will? Doubtful....because of the threats against them if they speak up.
And that’s the problem isn’t it.
This is going to be the Summer of The Trump Insurrection and Takeover. But instead of Insurrection coming from the masses it’s going to come straight from the Top. All the “good” players have been eliminated from the Executive Branch, the Republicans in Congress are all co-conspirators and the Judiciary will simply be ignored to whatever extent necessary.
I’ve been saying this since Trump won the 2024 election; Say Goodbye to Democracy and Hello to The United States of Fascism.
"So, it could get worse." Could or WILL? Unfortunately, because it's pooty/miller/orange/vance,johnson, it WILL get worse.
How many peaceful Americans is ge planning on murdering and why are the soldiers who take an oath to the constitution going along with him
As many as Stephen Miller wants dead in the streets. Could be a lot.
It’s impossible to know what laws will be followed as so far laws are not something the current occupant and allies obey.
At some point I sure as heck HOPE the military will refuse his unlawful orders. The alternative doesn't bear thinking about.
I posted this last night: https://marthature.substack.com/p/how-long-will-the-united-states-last. Pull quote: How long can a political system seek to remake itself before triggering one of two reactions—a devastating backlash from those most threatened by change, or a realization by the change makers that their goals can no longer be realized within the institutions and ideologies of the present order?...In times of severe crisis, institutional elites face a decision point. Do they cling to the system that gives them power, or go forward with the understanding that the ship is sinking?
Especially if the regime is seen to be “losing control over the country and even contact with reality.”...In such an unstable moment, Amalrik said, some sort of major defeat—for example, “a serious eruption of popular discontent in the capital, such as strikes or an armed clash”—would be enough “to topple the regime.”
TITLE 10 OF CHAPTER 13, § 254 CLEARLY
“Whenever the President considers it necessary to use the militia or the armed forces under this chapter [CH 13, Title 10], he shall by proclamation, immediately order the insurgents to disperse and retire peaceably to their abodes within a limited time.”
THIS MEANS;
The President MUST ISSUE a formal proclamation to disperse BEFORE DEPLOYING troops under
Title 10 §254.
Why is NO ONE reporting this.
This HAS NOT BEEN DONE!
This key fact is immensely important and MANDATORY. Without a proclamation, Trumps deployment of US troops is ILLEGAL.
This is part and parcel of 'flooding the zone'. Through a feeble, gossamer, and subjective interpretation of the limits of Executive power, coupled with the glacial like response required by the judicial system to prevent or mitigate this expanding abuse, we are left with a major U.S. city, which by all objective accounts, was not on the verge of destruction, militarized by an incompetent and questionably cognitive President. To me, what is more distressing is the willingness of the judicial system to allow preemptive considerations for the position of this President. Such deference would be justified under virtually all previous administrations who operated within the guardrails of legal and democratic norms. However, reflective of commercial news outlets, the judiciary cannot adjust to the fact that this administration in neither concerned with nor constrained by legal or Constitutional norms. What previously would have been considered unthinkable aberrant behavior has now been accepted as, 'that's just how the Trump administration operates'. This apparent inability to include ethical principles to bear on their legal rulings, has left the courts with the impossible task of keeping ahead of the legal chaos of this administration. This may well result in the demise of democratic rule and the accompanying freedom is guarantees.
TITLE 10 OF CHAPTER 13, § 254 CLEARLY
“Whenever the President considers it necessary to use the militia or the armed forces under this chapter [CH 13, Title 10], he shall by proclamation, immediately order the insurgents to disperse and retire peaceably to their abodes within a limited time.”
THIS MEANS;
The President MUST ISSUE a formal proclamation to disperse BEFORE DEPLOYING troops under
Title 10 §254.
Why is NO ONE reporting this.
This HAS NOT BEEN DONE!
This key fact is immensely important and MANDATORY. Without a proclamation, Trumps deployment of US troops is ILLEGAL.
I think he is using Project Homecoming Proclamation signed May 9, 2025.
Point 5 of the Proclamation- It directs a full-scale, aggressive deportation surge, including with an additional 20,000 officers, for illegal aliens who do not depart voluntarily.
He doesn't say what kind of officers, but I don't know that he has to, might be left intentionally vague.
So, where is Congress in any of this??....just sitting this one out and letting their Appropriations be used in any way the Executive wants? 2026 midterms cannot come soon enough, if they happen at all the way things are going.
I wish I could take comfort in your optimistic note that at some point the military might refuse to go along with Trump. My fear is that, as in law enforcement (which was my career), there is very strong conservative leaning to its members. An unofficial estimate of the department for which I worked for over 34 years would put the pro trump supporters at least at 80% and I believe that is an underestimate.
With my experience in the Navy, I concur. In addition, I know for a fact that the police and firemen, where I live, are pro-Trump.
Although Trump hasn't got any regular powers, which ought to be obvious by now, he does have a few superpowers:
1. Keeping his comb-over sufficiently intact to obscure his ever-growing bald spot;
2. Making people forget about his many crimes, pathetic grifting and groveling after increasingly filthy lucre;
3. Exploiting each and every crack, hiccup and whiff of ambiguity in our laws. Oh, Okay, okay, this last is really his legal team's area, so Trump only has two superpowers.
Also, I think he is missing something that might help him as he tries to face down the entire state of California, and that is the ability to foresee the future. If he keeps up with the mass deportation of 'illegal immigrants' we won't have lettuce, tomatoes, avocados, almonds, citrus, and a host of other staple foods to eat. (We will have potatoes, as Idaho is a regulation blue state with presumably white troglodytes aplenty to fork out those tubers.)
Many of us will lose our yard service workers, the taco trucks we rely on for lunch, the Uber drivers we frequent, affordable child care, elder care, domestic help and anybody capable of building housing at a reasonable cost. Also, there won't be many if any meat-packing workers, so hello, veganism. I could go on.
He also THINKS he is Mr. BIg Bad Boss whose word is our command. "Stay home on Saturday, or else!" he threatens. "As if, A-hole!" we reply.
The law is meaningless to Trump, the GOP, and a substantial number of federal judges. The judges who have the integrity to push back are helpless to enforce their orders. Our legal system is based on a naive reliance on norms that mean no more to the GOP than they meant to the Nazi Party in 1933. Even though the GOP has yet to put forward a formal "Enabling Act" they have in fact given Trump carte blanche to do whatever the hell he pleases. And if the Iranians follow through on their threat to activate sleeper cells in the US, Trump and the GOP will surely use it to crackdown on any and all opposition and cement their continued rule.
There is nothing and no one to stop Trump. Mass protests have proven an impotent and ineffective response as Republicans clearly are not concerned there will even be a midterm election. A nationwide strike by a largely sedate populace that includes tens of millions of mindless personality cultists is inconceivable. An armed revolt even more inconceivable. A lifetime Trump presidency is no longer inconceivable.
Hi Asha,
Please forgive me for writing this here but my email notifications as a paid subscriber to your “TFA” are not working (again).
Not sure if you’ve received my two emails or not…
It’s frustrating in that I receive a plethora of emails, every day, from all the accounts I follow on Substack— including the only other “paid” subscriber account.
I did go to the Substack “help” site as recommended but it was no help.
Just now I “resubscribed” by providing my email (again) and verifying etc etc
If that doesn’t work I suppose there’s nothing left to do but unsubscribe if I can’t to be notified of your work (which I truly savor & appreciate).
In these perilous and dispiriting times, I hope that’s not the case.
Best,
Greg
Seems your last few Notes for Cafe are not showing up on The Counsel podcast for some reason. I've checked Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and reloaded the RSS link for my YouTube Music podcasts to no avail.