When 'Occupied America' Means Dissent is Treason, Not Resistance
📰 THE STORY: The Financial Times article, 'Occupied America,' suggests the Trump administration's actions in Minneapolis are creating a climate of fear and anxiety through perceived government overreach. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: The concept of 'occupation' in America didn't begin with Trump dispatching federal agents. It has deep roots in a history of state violence
against Black communities, exemplified by events like the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, where the state sanctioned the bombing and burning of a prosperous Black neighborhood, and the ongoing militarization of police departments since the 1960s, heavily influenced by programs like the 1033 Program which transfers excess military equipment to local law enforcement. Double Standard: The FT describes
Trump's actions as 'government over-reach' in Minneapolis, causing 'dread.' Yet, when the Israeli government maintains a brutal 17-year blockade on Gaza, leading to over 40,000 Palestinian deaths in 2023-24, or when the US orchestrates coups and imposes crippling sanctions on Venezuela (since 2017), causing widespread suffering, the language shifts dramatically to 'defense operations' or
'promoting democracy.' The 'dread' of those living under actual occupation or economic warfare is rarely given such sympathetic framing. Follow the Money: The 'dread and anxiety' of the elite often correlates with threats to the existing power structures that benefit them. The military-industrial complex, for instance, thrives on domestic unrest as much as foreign wars, justifying increased