Were my Parents and Grandparents Right?

My conservative, Republican parents and grandparents would tell me that one day, the government would manufacture circumstances that would make it seem necessary to declare Martial Law.

The whole “Patriot Movement” was based on the fears that the government would turn on its citizens by declaring Martial Law and deploying Federal Law Enforcement and the military against opposition, in our own country. 

My Father, a Green Beret, even briefly joined “The Patriot Movement”, until the Oklahoma City Bombing woke him up to its dangers.

At the time, the political roles were reversed though. They believed that it would be over things like the 2nd Amendment gun laws, with actions like Ruby Ridge, Waco, etc. 

They would tell me that the liberals would inflame the “right” to protests, and they would deploy the National Guard and then full on military, to squash their decent.

I really can’t believe that the playbook is the same but the government “teams” are different.

The protests in California were largely peaceful, until the military arrived. Now, there are protests planned all over the country that will likely end up with the same outcomes, and then it will be ripe for Martial Law to be declared.

The State didn’t ask for assistance, and what has happened since deployment has only intensified the violence and put our military in an awful position, while also causing much more suffering.

I’m watching my family’s warnings happen, only it’s happening by the people who were accusing the “others” of planning it!

You can be against unlawful immigration and still be against how it’s being handled! It’s not black or white. All or nothing… 

This is a terrible precedent to set for future unrest. There are reasons why this hasn’t happened in over 60 years. Kent State was a tragedy for everyone involved, including the National Guardsmen who were there.

My grandfather was ATF and was called to action during the Civil Rights Movement, in Mobile and throughout the South. When he was dying, it was one of his greatest regrets. He wept over his participation and his racism. 

It’s interesting that when one is facing death, and the rubber meets the road, how we’ve treated others is typically the thing that torments us the most. 

I saw it with several elderly members of my family, who shared things with me, because I had been ordained and they felt a freedom in being honest with me about it.

Weaponizing our military and federal law enforcement against people in our own country will have a great impact on many of those brave men and women too, many of whom are just kids and don’t know our country’s history regarding these actions.

I’m truly shocked that the same people who feared these actions being taken against them, are now supporting these actions being taken by anyone in our government.