The time has passed

Hi TYT community,

This is my first post, though I’ve been a member since 2016ish. Cenk said something on last night’s show that made me finally feel comfortable enough to bring this up, “We might need left-wing militias.” This is something I’ve been hoping to hear from TYT, because I’m convinced, and have been for a while, that we’ve passed the point of peaceful, non-violent resistance. The fascists are not coming, they’ve been here for years, and now they’re one election from completely taking over. They’re being elected at every level of government, and we have little to no time to stop them. We have to prepare for armed defense.

I was born and raised in the state of Louisiana, so as a pretty far left leaning person, I’ve always sat on the fence about gun rights. One side of me can agree that the mass shootings are a direct result of lax gun laws, and the other part of me sees that I’m a leftist in a hostile region. What if the day came where a dictator took office and they started jailing and disappearing the opposition? That day is here, and I have unequivocally decided that guns don’t make me a bad person or some right-wing nut-job. If the fascists get to have guns, I want one too.

Finally, I’m actually not sure what I’m trying to accomplish here except that I’m freaked out, y’all. I’ve observed the political environment closely since about 2006, and I predicted this day. Who is going to stop them? We know the dems won’t. We only have ourselves, and it’s time to dscuss organizing armed defense groups, and most importantly the training needed to be effective. Ojeda, where you at on this?

Sad to say, you are probably right. I certainly wont be the one who fires first, but I will definitely return fire.

1 Like

I can’t help agreeing with you, at the very least for the purpose of community defense. The far right is armed to the teeth, and we need to think not only of ourselves but also of the most vulnerable among us. Personally, I see guns as a necessary evil. I am a gun owner, and I don’t know if I could ever take someone else’s life, but I also don’t oppose leftist groups who choose to arm to defend the greater good. The world has turned upside down, and as you correctly point out, the Democrats are not going to save us.

One thing I do know for absolute certain is that leftists need to embrace tactical unity. This doesn’t mean selling out or compromising your values. It means forming coalitions (even if they are temporary) for the purpose of defeating fascism and neoliberalism. You work with different groups for different causes. Once you have achieved that cause, you are free to part ways. Look at what’s happening in France and Brazil. American leftists need to do likewise. Otherwise, we are finished.

1 Like

Thank’s y’all. Glad to know I’m not the only one. I’ve been reluctant to bring this up with anyone but my family, because I feel like everyone else would think I’m just a lefty alarmist, the left’s version of Alex Jones basically. I’ve watched TYT almost every single day since the start of the pandemic hoping to hear ideas for moving forward outside of electoral politics, because I saw the writing on the wall then. When Cenk finally said what he said about leftist militias, I blurted out, “Finally!” I have no idea how serious he is, but I hope he is. He has a major platform that could be useful for organizing.

The way I see it is there are two possible outcomes when it comes to 2024. Trump (or anyone like him) loses and won’t accept the results. He will very likely push for violent protests and try to take office by force with the help of the various militias and local PDs. Remember, they had several officers sympathetic to Trump at the capitol on January 6th. In fact, I often think about the fact that our military and law enforcement intersect with militias. Most militias are made up of both current and former military and law enforcement. Consider this. Trump contests the election, protests erupt, he calls on his personal goon squads (militias) to attack, then we have a situation where the military could be called upon to put down the insurrection, though sleepy Joe would never have the guts to do it. It doesn’t matter though, because Trump will call on rank and file soldiers to turn on the “elitist” generals. He’ll claim that they are part of the problem, and now we have a situation where a large portion of soldiers are now defecting to the militias. They will liken it to the days of American independence and other patriotic sounding garbage. In this scenario, there is a fighting chance to save democracy, because if the left prepares now in secret, armed resistance from the left is something they’d never see coming.

The other possible outcome is Trump wins legitimately, and since the groundwork has already been laid for a dictatorship (Trumpers elected at every level of government, zero faith in our government and institutions, normalized political violence and kidnappings, etc.) the jailing and disappearing of opposition politicians, activists, media folks, and minority groups will begin, possibly even outright murder. The man is obsessed with violence and being a “strong man.” He is absolutely salivating at the thought of these things. He has never shied away from telling us exactly what he will do. It’s time to stop dismissing him and believe him. In this scenario, it’s hard to see a path for saving democracy. He’ll have complete control of the military where he can fire all the generals and welcome all his militia buddies to the new top ranking military positions. The time is now for anyone on the left who has friends/family in law enforcement or the military to discuss this possibility.

Sorry to be so doom and gloom, but I’ve obsessed about this moment since first becoming politically aware after 9/11. No democracy lasts forever, because there’s always that pendulum swing. The good news is we have the history to tell us how it usually ends, so will we pay attention and prepare? I hope it’s not too late.

1 Like

While I know I am not ready to pick up a gun, I do not judge others who feel that they need to. My warning is; do not pull a weapon on someone unless you are going to use it. I think that’s what they say. It reminds me of the video of the female baker who pulled a bat on anti-maskers and was obviously not going to use it. The guy just took it from her.

2 Likes

Chlesea, you are correct. It’s not about just getting a gun. It’s about getting a gun and learning to use it properly and safely. I’d never even shot a gun until getting my Glock ywo years ago, and it’s definitely something you have to get comfortable holding and using. My partners and I are hoping to buy some land soon, and we aboslutely plan to get out there and practice more. Would be nice if we had other like-minded folk to practice with us.

I don’t know how to help you find like-minded folk to practice with. However, if you are interested in meeting politically like-minded people in your area to be politically active with, you could check out the TYTArmy. They don’t currently have a LA team but maybe you could start one.https://tytarmy.org

Don’t fret mlouns1, I’m down in Cajun country, and I’m right there with you.
I hate to think it, but there is a decent chance that these morons around here are going to feel they can get away with doing violence against people, especially if the orange menace is in the next presidential run. You’re from this state, so you know the kind of folks I’m talking about. I’ve been against getting a long gun, I haven’t hunted in decades and haven’t had a use for one, but I’ve really been considering going shopping. Absolute insanity.

Huh, I thought we had a TYT Army group in this state.
[Drums fingers on desk]
May have to do something about that.

Finwath, OMG! You’re from Louisiana! 7th generation Cajun right here! It’s a relief to hear from you on this thread. In fact, I wish there were an easier way for TYT members from the same state to find and communicate with one another on here. Maybe there is, and I just haven’t figured it out. I probably would have used these forums a lot sooner. I’ve been dying to connect with other members from my area.

Re: your thoughts on getting a gun. My partners and I got one shortly after the pandemic began, because I could no longer ignore the writing on the wall. I’ve actually lived in a mental hellscape for about a decade, because I feel like an insanely dark future is ahead is staring us all in the face, and everyone around me is in this naive bubble of “that could never happen here.” Tell that to all the other folks who watched their goverments fall into the hands of genocidal maniacs. Think about it. Cops have been arming themselves to the teeth since the late 2000s, civil liberties have been eroded (Patriot Act, secret detention camps for “terrorists,” numerous state and private spy agencies collecting info on us, now Roe, (this is not an exhaustive list), the evangelical right has incrementally broken the wall between church and state (companies not having to pay for birth control, prayer in schools/sporting events, 10 commandments in government buildings, etc.), and right wing militias are now exploding in numbers. I could go on all day about how the foundation has been laid.

You wanna talk about super scary? Louisiana police (state and local) are notorious for their abuse of power - Alton Sterling, Ronald Greene, Anthony Monroe, Aaron Bowman, and now Antonio Harris. I’m sure there are tons more cases. Hell, I’m a white woman, and I’ve been man-handled by the cops on more than one occasion, once as a teenager and once as an adult. The point is that law enforcement is ready to break some skulls should a maniac seize power. And don’t be fooled by the black face who heads Louisiana State Police, he’s done his fair share of covering up the truth. Add to that Louisiana’s own militias. I have no idea how many there are, but an ad for a group called the Cajun Guard on FB back in 2020 caught my attention. At first, it seemed like a pretty benign group but then I saw the III% sign buried in its emblem. I just went back to their site the other day to see if anything has changed, and it certainly has. The website is completely new and now it states outright that they’re a militia whose purpose is community defense. Also, the III% sign is big as shit now. My guess is that they have a larger membership now. I wish I had taken screenshots of it before so you can see what I’m talking about. Anyway, so imagine a government led by Trump or a smarter version. Is it really so hard to imagine that marginalized groups would be attacked physically?

I’m scared to death, and most of all, I’m sick and tired of the left being so goddamn weak. My advice is to you is get that gun, especially if you are part of a marginalized community.

Oh and about establishing a TYT army chapter in Louisiana, I’m down. My only concern is privacy. In fact, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried that I’ve already said too much.

To be clear, I understand tyt’s mission is non-violent, and in no way am I advocating for or suggesting anything else.

1 Like

I don’t know if that was aimed at me, but guns do not solve political disputes.

I promote guns for personal safety and personal safety alone.

My gun issue is separate, and I can say, without a doubt, that I have plenty solution in this Discussion Board to get us there.

At the minimum, it’s beginning steps, and we can build from good faith negotiations.

That’s all I have to say about that, because I have said plenty.