# Martial Law in Today's America - daily report **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [August 14, 2025, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martial-law-in-todays-america-daily-report/1022021 "2025-08-14T02:43:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2025, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martial-law-in-todays-america-daily-report/1022021/61 "2025-08-30T08:37:03Z")
And how is it that he magically has it suddenly nationwide? ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2025, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martial-law-in-todays-america-daily-report/1022021/62 "2025-08-30T09:05:28Z")
Because he makes shit up to suit his purpose. I think we all know this, but he’s really been displaying it since his inauguration. “Oh he couldn’t deploy the DC National Guard on January 6; that was all up to Nancy Pelosi. Who did not deploy them.” That was then, this is now: “Oh, Trump can deploy the DC National Guard now, because he’s the president.” Gee, he was the president on January 6 also, but he couldn’t then deploy them then, but now he can? He’s making shit up. Bullshit. Let’s face it, the US is no longer a rule of law country. Its government makes shit up to justify its actions. As I have stated before, I remember a crusty old professor at law school who said, “Y’know what ‘rule of law’ means? It means that the government doesn’t get to make shit up to justify its actions.” Well, the Trump government is now making shit up to justify its actions. The US is no longer a rule of law country. It’s just that plain, and just that simple. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2025, 9:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martial-law-in-todays-america-daily-report/1022021/63 "2025-08-30T09:46:33Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > As I have stated before, I remember a crusty old professor at law school who said, “Y’know what ‘rule of law’ means? It means that the government doesn’t get to make shit up to justify its actions.” Well, the Trump government is now making shit up to justify its actions. > > The US is no longer a rule of law country. It’s just that plain, and just that simple. China _is_ a “rule of law” country. But the law is what the authoritarians in charge decide it is. That’s exactly why the felon loves dictators around the world so much. They are who he aspires to be. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2025, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martial-law-in-todays-america-daily-report/1022021/64 "2025-08-30T10:25:19Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > China _is_ a “rule of law” country. But the law is what the authoritarians in charge decide it is. No, that’s rule of force. In a rule of law country, the law stands _above_ the government. If the law can be changed at the government’s whim, then it’s not above it. Has there ever been a situation in which the government wanted to do something, but couldn’t? If not, then it’s not rule of law. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2025, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martial-law-in-todays-america-daily-report/1022021/65 "2025-08-30T13:50:15Z")
I think what I was trying to convey, and failed miserably, is that China does have laws. Their concept of law, though, is a tad (understatement) different than what you and I are used to. The idea is that the law serves the sate, not protects the people. Of course the government tell themselves that the state being served is helping the people. And they have ways of rushing a law into place to take care of immediate concerns that come to their attention/scare the state. China’s not the first place with that concept of law, nor will it be the last (as a certain someone is doing is damnable damnest to prove). ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2025, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martial-law-in-todays-america-daily-report/1022021/66 "2025-08-31T03:10:42Z")
[Mayor Johnson of Chicago, Illinois is preparing his people for the Resistance.](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/chicago-mayor-sign-order-aimed-162558507.html) > Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order Saturday laying out initial plans for how the city will try to resist President Donald Trump’s planned immigration crackdown in the coming days. > > The mayor’s order provides guidance and directives to the city’s agencies and law enforcement “in the midst of escalating threats from the federal government.” CNN [previously reported](https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2F2025%2F08%2F28%2Fpolitics%2Fimmigration-enforcement-chicago-national-guard&data=05%7C02%7CKatherine.Grise%40cnn.com%7C78f77bfd7df54da4816f08dde77a3635%7C0eb48825e8714459bc72d0ecd68f1f39%7C0%7C0%7C638921234330150916%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=J9iBQISLDd0L0hA1twwfss53TKyBL11LVQYGOVIIEYg%3D&reserved=0) the Trump administration is preparing to conduct a major immigration enforcement operation in Chicago as soon as next week, according to multiple sources familiar with the planning. > > “We may see militarized immigration enforcement. We may also see National Guard troops. We may even see active duty military and armed vehicles in our streets. We have not called for this. Our people have not asked for this, but nevertheless, we find ourselves having to respond to this,” Johnson said before signing the executive order on Saturday. > > The mayor’s order “affirms” that Chicago police will not “collaborate with federal agents on joint law enforcement patrols, arrest operations, or other law enforcement duties including civil immigration enforcement.” > > The order also “urges” federal law enforcement officers who operate in Chicago “to refrain from wearing masks, to wear and use body cameras and to identify themselves to members of the public with names and badge numbers.” Johnson reiterated the city’s police force will be required to wear attire that clearly identifies them. > > Johnson’s order also directs city departments to “pursue all available legal and legislative avenues to resist coordinated efforts from the federal government” that violate the rights of Chicagoans. > > The mayor’s order ultimately demands Trump “stand down” from deploying military forces to Chicago for immigration enforcement – but it’s not clear how effective it will be in stopping Trump’s plans. Let’s remember, also, Mike Johnson’s home district of Shreveport has a _worse_ crime problem than Chicago does. Yet the felon isn’t planning on implementing martial law in Shreveport. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2025, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martial-law-in-todays-america-daily-report/1022021/67 "2025-08-31T03:15:39Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > Is throwing a sandwich really assault? Really? If it hits somebody, yes it is assault. Just like throwing water on somebody. Let me ask you this, someone doesn’t like your hat so they throw and hit you with a sandwich. You ok with that? ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2025, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martial-law-in-todays-america-daily-report/1022021/68 "2025-08-31T04:10:20Z")
Okay. But is it a felony? ---
**Author:** ![aurora\_maire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aurora_maire/32/328_2.png) [@aurora\_maire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aurora_maire)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2025, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martial-law-in-todays-america-daily-report/1022021/69 "2025-08-31T04:55:44Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > Let’s remember, also, Mike Johnson’s home district of Shreveport has a _worse_ crime problem than Chicago does. Yet the felon isn’t planning on implementing martial law in Shreveport. Democrats and the media need to keep throwing this in Trump’s face. Why doesn’t he care about crime in red states? Make the Republicans explain why their states aren’t important. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2025, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martial-law-in-todays-america-daily-report/1022021/70 "2025-08-31T05:50:20Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > Okay. But is it a felony? In this case, probably a misdemeanor but IANAL and even misdemeanor assault can result in prison time. And assault on law enforcement may be an automatic felony. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2025, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martial-law-in-todays-america-daily-report/1022021/71 "2025-08-31T06:18:25Z")
> [@aurora\_maire](#): > > > [@Monty](#): > > > > Let’s remember, also, Mike Johnson’s home district of Shreveport has a _worse_ crime problem than Chicago does. Yet the felon isn’t planning on implementing martial law in Shreveport. > > Democrats and the media need to keep throwing this in Trump’s face. Why doesn’t he care about crime in red states? Make the Republicans explain why their states aren’t important. That’s a pointless endeavor. With the conversion of the country’s capital city into a dictatorship, he’s already shown why: _he simply makes up the numbers and dismisses accurate statistics_. ---
**Author:** ![OldOlds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a3d4f5/32.png) [@OldOlds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldOlds)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2025, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martial-law-in-todays-america-daily-report/1022021/72 "2025-08-31T12:08:05Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > Let’s remember, also, Mike Johnson’s home district of Shreveport has a _worse_ crime problem than Chicago does. Yet the felon isn’t planning on implementing martial law in Shreveport. I have been trying, unsuccessfully, to find county by county murder rates in Louisiana. Because I suspect you’ll find that in many of the non-urban areas you’ll have higher homicide rates in places like Louisiana and MS than in many of the large cities like NYC. It has to do with an argument I have with a relative who really believes NYC is a dystopian hellscape and rural areas are all perfect. Never mind that HE HAS NEVER BEEN TO NYC, and I’m there all the time for work. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2025, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martial-law-in-todays-america-daily-report/1022021/73 "2025-08-31T12:46:39Z")
This [**109 page PDF**](https://lclelsac.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Crime-in-LA-2024-FINAL-web.pdf) breaks down Louisiana’s crime statistics by Parish (beginning on page #20). The PDF, AFAICT, provides the raw data that would be needed in order to arrive at the murder rate by Parish, but by keyword search, I didn’t see where Louisiana has done the math for us and displayed that information clearly. If you want to go down that rabbit hole, though, it’s probably a fairly trivial matter to just calculate the murder rate, by Parish, for the X Louisiana Parishes with the highest number of actual murders (not indexed to population), and then – indexing them TO the Parish population – compare them to the Cities that Trump is apparently targeting. Because … an argument could be made that – regardless of what _rate_ that translates to – a Parish with a really, really low _absolute number_ of murders is probably not going to be a more logical target, even for Trump’s authoritarian, militaristic madness than a major metropolitan area with a few orders of magnitude more homicides. Regardless of the rates. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2025, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martial-law-in-todays-america-daily-report/1022021/74 "2025-08-31T12:58:44Z")
> [@OldOlds](#): > > It has to do with an argument I have with a relative who really believes NYC is a dystopian hellscape and rural areas are all perfect. Never mind that HE HAS NEVER BEEN TO NYC, and I’m there all the time for work. What are you going to believe, your lying eyes or Fox? ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2025, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martial-law-in-todays-america-daily-report/1022021/75 "2025-08-31T13:41:29Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > > [@OldOlds](#): > > > > Never mind that HE HAS NEVER BEEN TO NYC, and I’m there all the time for work. > > What are you going to believe, your lying eyes or Fox? Yeah, used to be people were stuck with images of 1980s movies but by now it’s deliberate sensationalizing. Same deal as with people being oh so worried that I was stuck in DC during peak BLM in 2020. It was not 1968 all over again, but boy were they trying to make it look that way… ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2025, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martial-law-in-todays-america-daily-report/1022021/76 "2025-09-03T07:15:20Z")
[The felon is definitely going to take his military occupation on the road.](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/trump-says-troops-head-chicago-192753562.html) > WASHINGTON ‒ [President Donald Trump](https://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/donald-trump/) declared he plans to [send the National Guard into Chicago](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/trump-threatens-send-troops-chicago-155245621.html) after the city experienced a violent Labor Day weekend. > > “We’re going in,” Trump said during a briefing at the Oval Office on Sept. 2. “I didn’t say when.” > > “Look, I have an obligation,” the president told reporters. “This isn’t a political thing. I have an obligation.” > > Trump’s comments come after he repeatedly targeted California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, and Illinois’ JB Pritzker, all Democratic governors who have been outspoken against him and are possible 2028 presidential candidates. > > The president later referred to Chicago ‒ and also Baltimore ‒ each as a “hell hole.” > > At least eight people were killed and another 50 people were injured in shootings across the city over the weekend, according to Chicago Police Department data. Trump referenced the deadly holiday weekend, calling Chicago “the worst and most dangerous city in the World, by far,” in a post on [Truth Social](https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115134530741891730). > > “Pritzker needs help badly, he just doesn’t know it yet,” said Trump, who has publicly rebuffed Trump’s advances to send in troops. “I will solve the crime problem fast, just like I did in DC. Chicago will be safe again, and soon. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2025, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martial-law-in-todays-america-daily-report/1022021/77 "2025-09-03T07:16:36Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > _I’m posting this in both this thread and the clusterfuck continues thread._ > > Folks, I started this thread on August 14, 2025 and the clusterfuck continues thread on November 11, 2024. I’ve tried to keep up with them daily over the past ten months, sometimes posting more than one update a day. I have always tried to give a pithy title to the links I’ve posted. What I am proud of is my personal analyses thus far in these two threads. For a number of reasons, I don’t think I can make daily updates, and certainly not “breaking news” updates, in the foreseeable future. > > Would a _Teeming Millionth_ tm volunteer to continue the effort, the Resistance, in this thread? That was from a week ago. I have just posted my last regular update in these two threads. I simply no longer have the time for it due to that “number of reasons”. One of those reasons is that I’m just starting to get too peeved whenever I read the news now. I will greatly appreciate those who continue the fight here. And that fight, as the Straight Dope has long proven, is to counter ignorance with the truth, with facts. Thank you to all who have been commenting in these threads or even just viewing them. ---
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2025, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martial-law-in-todays-america-daily-report/1022021/78 "2025-09-04T07:59:30Z")
> [@Monty's source](#): > > Trump referenced the deadly holiday weekend, calling Chicago “the worst and most dangerous city in the World, by far,” Dear Mr. Trump. I live in a city purported to be in the top ranks of the actual highest murder rates in the world. Not that I am asking that you roll out the national guard internationally, but have some perspective here. The shithole countries you were talking about a while back? Welcome, the USA is now one of us. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2025, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martial-law-in-todays-america-daily-report/1022021/79 "2025-09-04T08:24:00Z")
Trump now claims that Washington DC has no crime at all: > **[Fact check: Trump falsely claims Washington, DC, now has no crime at all |...](https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/03/politics/fact-check-trump-washington-dc-crime)** > > On Monday in Washington, DC, a man was shot dead. Two women were injured in a separate shooting. People reported dozens of other crimes to the police. From the item: > [@](#): > > There’s no doubt crime is down in Washington since Trump took over its police force and deployed the National Guard in August. If Trump wants to make a case for his actions, there are lots of legitimate numbers he could cite. > > Instead, as he has for years, he is using a bigger but fictional number. > > “Washington, DC is a totally safe city. You’re not reporting any crime because there is none,” Trump said at the White House on Wednesday. “They said crime is down 87%, and I said, ‘No it’s not. It’s down 100%.’” ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2025, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martial-law-in-todays-america-daily-report/1022021/80 "2025-09-12T05:22:51Z")
[Turns out martial law in Washington, Dictatorship of Columbia isn’t so popular after all.](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/national-guard-accidentally-reveals-much-122214027.html) > The National Guard mistakenly sent an internal sentiment analysis to a newspaper, showing that most [reactions to Trump’s D.C. takeover](https://www.thedailybeast.com/maga-melts-down-at-the-secret-service-over-donald-trumps-humiliating-dinner/) are adverse and risks widening a rift between troops and civilians. > > Internal documents assessing [news coverage and social media](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/trump-dine-predator-patio-restaurant-093045224.html) describe residents’ alarm, being a “wedge between citizens and the military,” according to _[The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/09/10/national-guard-trump-dc/?utm_source=chatgpt.com),_ which inadvertently received them. > > Veterans and troops view the deployment “with shame and alarm,” the documents read. > > A Guard official acknowledged the assessment’s authenticity and said it was inadvertently emailed to the Post. It is unclear how many others received it. > > The analysis found that social posts about the deployment were 53 percent negative, 45 percent neutral, and 2 percent positive. > > It also catalogued troop fatigue and confusion as the mission threatens to stretch beyond a month, with more than 2,300 Guard members activated in the capital. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martial-law-in-todays-america-daily-report/1022021.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martial-law-in-todays-america-daily-report/1022021.md?page=5)