Last week, Trump and his Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, brought the top U.S. military officers from around the world together to listen to their plans for the days ahead. Trump announced a declaration of war, not on his foreign enemies, but on the people of the U.S. Talking about U.S. cities that he has targeted, he said, “…certain U.S. cities could be good training grounds for the U.S. military.”
He continued, saying, “Last month, I signed an executive order to provide training for a quick reaction force that can help quell civil disturbances. This is gonna be a big thing for the people in this room, because it’s the enemy from within and we have to handle it before it gets out of control.”
We can’t wait to see if U.S. military forces will be deployed against our cities and towns. Masked and unidentifiable ICE and Border Patrol agents have already invaded cities and carried out their brutal actions. A recent attack was on an apartment in South Chicago. Heavily armed agents descended to the rooftop from a Blackhawk helicopter while 300 agents poured out of box trucks. They terrorized people, kicking down doors, dragging them from their homes, and arresting 37 people.
ICE is invading courthouses, conducting traffic stops, and snatching people off the streets or from workplaces across the country. People have been detained for days and denied their right to communicate with anyone. Most have been deported without criminal charges or trials. In addition to attacks on those who are identified as immigrants, the rights of women, transgender, and gay people are under assault.
We are all under attack. Essential social services have been cut or are threatened to be eliminated. These include access to medical care (Medicaid), food (SNAP, school lunches, and other programs), housing (HUD), funding for education (school and afterschool programs for children and university programs and research), and many more. If the Federal health agencies don’t recognize a vaccine as being necessary, some private and state insurance will not cover them. And many people, especially children, will suffer.
The programs that remain can barely function due to massive firings and forced resignations (150,000 accepted buyouts last week). This is in addition to the 150,000 federal workers who were already forced out. Many federal unions are no longer recognized. And with the budget shutdown, Trump has promised to fire more workers and eliminate programs.
Education is under attack. Scientific research is being eliminated. People who speak out or teach in their areas of expertise are being silenced. History, especially U.S. history, is being rewritten to please those in power. Slavery is supposed to be viewed as a positive episode. The genocide of Native Americans is being honored. The genocide of the people of Gaza is presented as a path to peace in the region.
A global resistance is building in many parts of the world against the war on Gaza. Dock workers have refused to ship weapons to Israel. A general strike has been called in Italy. Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets demanding an end to the war.
Those in power today in the U.S., both Republicans and Democrats, want us to believe that history is made by Congress or the person in the White House. So, electing the right people is the solution. That’s a denial of reality. The rights being stripped from us now were not given to us. They were won by people just like us.
There is a war being waged against us. And we may experience it in different ways, due to nationality, the color of our skin, our gender, or other qualities. But this war is a class war, waged by those whose wealth comes from the work we do. The more they take, the less we have.
We are often unaware of our possibilities because, as a working class, we have not exercised our collective power for a long time. This is a time to act, and a resistance is growing. We can start now. There are rallies and actions we can participate in, along with our friends, families, and co-workers. Our future rests in our hands.
