You know, once upon a time—at least in theory—Americans had a basic understanding of what the government wasn’t supposed to do. Even conservatives, the ones who wouldn’t shut up about “freedom” and “limited government,” seemed to grasp that there were lines the state wasn’t supposed to cross. But somewhere along the way, they completely lost the plot.
It became obvious when they shrugged off police killing people in the streets—no concern for due process, no outrage over the idea that a badge somehow gave the government the right to be judge, jury, and executioner on the spot. But now? Now we’ve got states passing laws that allow cops to stop people based purely on how they look and demand their papers. And if they don’t have them? Immediate deportation. No court date, no appeal, no due process. Just gone.
Let’s be clear: that’s authoritarianism. That’s a government with unchecked power. And yet, the same people who call themselves “patriots” have absolutely nothing to say about it. Because, to them, “freedom” has never actually meant freedom—it’s just a brand. They’ll wave the flag and scream about the Constitution when it suits them, but when the state starts overstepping in ways that hurt people they’ve already decided don’t belong? Silence. Or worse—cheering it on.
And this is where their ignorance of history really shines. They don’t see the parallels to authoritarian regimes of the past, even when they’re using the same damn playbook. Papers, please? That’s not an American idea—that’s a fascist one. Stripping people of legal protections based on arbitrary characteristics? We’ve seen where that leads. But these people don’t understand history, and more importantly, they don’t understand why rights and liberties exist in the first place.
Rights aren’t just for the people you like. Due process isn’t just for citizens. The moment you accept that the government can round people up and ship them off without trial, you’ve accepted that anyone can be next. But they don’t get that. Because in their minds, they’ll never be on the receiving end of it.
They’ve lost the plot. They’ve lost any real understanding of what “freedom” even means. And they sure as hell don’t realize that once you let the government start tossing people into the abyss without a second thought, there’s no guarantee it stops at the people you don’t like.
