War talk
The Trump administration has declared war on two fronts. Venezuelan drug dealers and the people of our cities. The declarations of war are essential to provide legal cover and moral confusion over what would otherwise clearly be murder, kidnapping, illegal use of force, and the misuse of massive federal funds for personal gain.
Trump’s invocation of the language of war is more than a rhetorical effort to provide legal cover for his actions. It is a sign of how far he is willing to go to try and control, dominate and destroy all those he sees as enemies.
The language of war enables “emergency” powers and extraordinary actions by a president, setting aside all of the normal safeguards of life, liberty, and law. Further, it sets the context for labelling resistance as treasonous.
Those of us who are working to build a future rooted in justice and peace need to denounce this kind of moral confusion and linguistic nonsense.
We also need to be clear that as important as the framework of war is to Trump, he is also creating images of war that are designed to increase instability, uncertainty, and terror.
Trump and his minions widely circulated images of Venezuelan fishing boats being blown up by drones. The images show the helplessness of the boats, the lack of any effort to actually stop and investigate the charges that they were carrying drugs. Even that act would have been illegal in international waters. But the 11 human beings aboard that boat were turned into a video lesson on the destructive power at Trump’s command. All he needs to do is decide you are doing something he doesn’t like, and you are helpless to defend yourself. Death comes quickly on his whim. Since the initial killings, two more boats have been blown up, murdering 6 more people.
The war front at home is also escalating. Over this week we have seen the same combination of actions: high profile displays of power, creating images to be shared on social media. The language of war is causally invoked, moving from a “war on crime” to turning our cities into military “training grounds.”
And like the Venezuelan fishermen, the consequences of this rhetoric are real, devastating, and brutal. This week Chicago has been turned into a battleground by ICE and military personnel, staging high profile, combat missions against apartment building, elders and children.
The week began with federal officers in camouflage patrolling downtown Chicago, targeting tourist areas for maximum public impact on Sunday. On Tuesday they staged a full scale assault on an apartment building on the south Side. In the middle of the night using helicopters, drones, flash grenades, and snipers repelling down the sides of a building, they invaded an entire building, smashing in doors, zip tying children, and terrifying everyone.
The most cruel and militarized actions were overseen by Kristi Noem, the Secretary for Homeland Security. She posted the raid on her social media. She continues to take joy in the suffering of people and seems gleeful in the command of violent men.
By the end of the week “Operation Midway Blitz” had resulted in 900 arrests. People are courageously documenting this outrageous behavior. One incident reported on 47th and Marshfield Avenue shows several men being detained and taken away in vehicles. ICE was reported as acting with impunity:
"They're very disrespectful, slamming people to the ground, chasing after them and laughing. They looked at us and laughed," said Jesse Iniguez, owner of a Back of the Yards coffee shop.
Witnesses say the federal agents did not ask for documentation from the men that they detained.
They're also worried about the treatment these individuals are enduring in this process.
"They're human beings. Nobody should be treated like that. A lot of them are elderly people. It's like: That's someone's grandpa. That's someone's father; that's someone's brother," Leslie Cortes said.
The language of war is not accidental ramblings or hyperbole. It is intentional and strategic.
If we are to create a world where people are safe and secure, where freedom and justice matter, we need to think much more clearly and creatively about what we are facing. Those who declare war on their own people never do so out of strength. They do so because they recognize that have lost the support of the people they are now need to control or destroy.