America's descent into the suppression of dissent -- Christina Pagel

[erronis]

1. Adding another closing paragraph:

What might come next? If the trajectory continues to worsen, we might see the administration shift from crackdowns against specific protests to more institutionalised repression. This might take the form of legislation to criminalise broad categories of protest, or introducing enhanced surveillance powers into routine law enforcement, or pre-authorising rapid-deployment protocols for the military in any jurisdiction deemed ‘at risk.’ By the midterms – still almost 18 months away - those measures could be supplemented by voter-suppression tactics masked as ‘security enhancements,’ while further judicial, regulatory and media checks on executive power are weakened. In effect, the current playbook is laying the groundwork for a permanently securitised state in which dissent itself becomes a state-policed privilege rather than a protected right.