Trump’s 'Insurrection Act' Threat Sparks Warnings, Not Prosecutions
Newsweek, like much of mainstream media, breathlessly reports on criticisms of Donald Trump's rhetorical jabs at possibly using the Insurrection Act to quell dissent. The article recycles quotes about the dangers of weaponizing government, a sentiment that mysteriously evaporates when applied to protestors who faced actual federal charges and lengthy sentences for January 6th. (Remember the 'armed
encampment' at the Capitol? We're still waiting for those specifics.) One might wonder where these 'dire warnings' were when activists protesting pipeline projects or economic injustice faced militarized police forces, often with the full backing of state governors and, implicitly, federal agencies. The media's selective outrage paints a clear picture: threats of government overreach are only
truly terrifying when voiced by someone they've already deemed problematic, not when the actual mechanisms of state power are deployed against marginalized groups. The concept of 'insurrection' seems to be a fluid one, applied with maximal force to the politically inconvenient, and reduced to mere 'bluster' for the politically powerful.