[ExI] Does anybody still think a US dictatorship is impossible?

[John Clark]

On Thu, May 28, 2020 at 7:30 PM spike jones via extropy-chat <
extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org> wrote:


> *> The constitution will stop him. *
>

The constitution is a paper document and can't stop anything, it can't
protect you, it's the thing that needs protection.  If this wannabe
dictator is going to be stopped its going to have to be by Human Beings,
but who exactly are these people? Trump's judges?  Trump's senators?
Trump's generals? Clarence Thomas wasn't appointed by Trump but just a few
days after Trump said he wanted to "open up the libel laws" so he could sue
people who said things the president didn't like Thomas said his Supreme
Court should reconsider a 1964 ruling that said a president doesn't have
the authority to do that. And I can't see Mitch McConnell standing up to
Trump to protect the constitution unless he thought it would help him say
in power. And Trump is the military's boss, he can relieve a general of
command anytime he wants, the constitution guarantees it.


> *> But that isn’t necessary, as he didn’t actually start anything.  An
> executive order doesn’t apply to FaceBook or Twitter: they don’t work for
> the government.*
>

So you say Trump didn't have the constitutional authority to issue that
order and I agree, but that made absolutely no difference because he issued
it anyway.


> *> John aren’t you glad we have a constitution?*
>

I'd much rather have no constitution and senators who had a little
integrity and were interested in something other than just remaining in
power, and judges who weren't in the pocket of the generalissimo. I predict
this attack on free speech will intensify as November 3 approaches, and
will increase dramatically after that if Trump wins or refuses to leave if
he doesn't.

John K Clark
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