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We need to talk about Patriot Prayer, Portland, the Insurrection Act discourse — and what last night’s death means for the coming future.

Hint: it’s not good.

Thread incoming.
The right has rallied behind Kenosha shooter Kyle Rittenhouse, as a “defender” of state order.

The Patriot Prayer death has prompted calls for the Insurrection Act and vows for revenge.

Militias have gained a substantial veneer of legitimacy for those on the fight.
We are seeing wide and uncritical adoption of the “Patriot” label (beyond Patriot Prayer) at face value.

The Patriot euphemism has been successful in branding militias and alt-right orgs as in league with the state.

There is a troubling “legitimacy” given to their presence.
Alt-right and militia groups showing out in force very often do so with Thin Blue Line flags.

Let’s think through this.

Weber’s point here about a state’s monopoly over the application of legitimate violence is key.
Insignias, organization, uniforms and other emblems from the state’s forces of law and order (the police, military, etc) are coopted by non-affiliated actors like Patriot Prayer and other alt-right and militia orgs.

This is different from “anti-government” militias writ large.
There’s an increasing acceptance by many of these organizations and militias as tacit arms of state power.

The police openly work with several of these groups (receipts are everywhere; you can find this on your own).

The state has tacitly accepted them.
Aside - differential reactions to deaths of leftist protesters and the the Patriot Prayer member in Portland underscore a key point.

The militias and alt-right are organized and mimic “legitimate” (the Weberian sense) components of the state apparatus.

Antifa doesn’t.
There will be retaliation for the Patriot Prayer death.

And it will come from organized groups that coopt and mimic (visually and in rhetoric) what the much of the population views as signs of state legitimacy.

Media framing does not help.
In terms of optics - antifa’s non-existence as an organized and stratified group, anchored in state symbolism:

- allows for the normalization of leftist opposition as “terrorist” (acting outside the state)

- entrenches a view of such groups as “legitimate” arms of the state
“Insurrection Act” is trending because of the Patriot Prayer death in Portland.

What’s the Insurrection Act for?

To quell rebellion, civil unrest, and restore the full authority and power of the state.
The right has not called for the Insurrection Act over the deaths of BLM protesters or those aligned with antifa.

They have with Patriot Prayer.

This shows a vastly different perception of the latter’s relationship to the state and associated image as legitimate.
The more such violence continues, the more widespread acceptance of alt-right and militia organizations will become among much of the American population.

It’s easier to accept, in this situation, the emergence of Brownshirt / basij (Iran) / baltagiyyas (Egypt)-like forces.
It’s a good time to remind you that Patriot Prayer was at Charlottesville.

Where Heather Heyer was murdered.

Marching with the alt-right, outright neo-Nazis, and other fascist groups.
I’m taking a breather (I’m hungry!) from the thread, but when I return, I want to talk about what the timing of the Patriot Prayer death in Portland means about potential escalation, drawn from examples in other histories of political violence.

Back soon.

/Break
[While I’m eating and before I pick this thread up again —

Here’s a window into how the Portland dynamics play into Trump’s strategy for staying in power (no, I don’t mean just the election)]
Okay so where was I?

My points about Patriot Prayer and Portland are not just about Trump.

These strands are connected to the thread of a broader political movement on the right.
Transformations of the state order - and its mechanisms of enforcement (or potential mechanisms, a la Patriot Prayer) have a history that's recent.

Flashback by a couple years with me to Mr. Steve Bannon.

We saw this coming. No one listened.

Here a refresher thread-within-a-thread about what Steve Bannon came into power to accomplish.

It historicizes and contextualizes this broader thread on political violence, Portland, Patriot Prayer, institutional transformation & state legitimacy.
I won't recap the whole thread - you can access it through the above Tweet.

But:

Steve Bannon’s playbook: exacerbating social divides to incite political divisions that accelerate the rot of institutions and installation of a new order.
Much of what the Bannon meta-thread above shows is... exactly what we see unfold in Portland.

There are also connections and parallels with Zarqawi's. strategy of escalation during the Iraqi insurgency (no, not 1:1): revenge violence, provocateurs, etc.

But moving on.
Don't forget that the history of the Portland / Patriot Prayer / etc. dynamics linked in the thread above (Steve Bannon's strategic brainchild) is now unfolding...

Right before an election that is already contested, and pre-framed by the incumbent as illegitimate if he loses.
According to Kellyanne Conway, what we're seeing in Portland is a positive indicator for Trump's hold on power:

“The more chaos and anarchy and vandalism and violence [that] reigns, the better it is for the very clear choice on who’s best on public safety and law and order.”
Here is where we return to Patriot Prayer and similar alt-right / militia groups.

Don't forget - none of this is just about an election. None of this is just about Trump.

It's about a broader movement to reshape the nature of the state itself.

Think beyond Portland and Patriot Prayer.

Examine the differential perceptions out there of the armed men who took over Michigan's capitol building.

Now examine the prevalent discourse on BLM.

We are at a very dangerous moment with the Patriot Prayer death in Portland. It will get worse.

As early as 2016, militia groups were organizing for Trump against 'far-left agitators.'

It's been building and you haven't paid attention. So start.

Let's return, momentarily, to the beginning of this thread:

Portland, Patriot Prayer, alt-right organizations, and militias appropriating the veneer of state legitimacy / the governmental apparatus' monopoly over coercive force.

There is no need for an official relationship between organizations like Patriot Prayer (et. al) and the administration.

Not when the state's tacit acceptance, combined with their mimicry of state legitimacy symbolism, has already worked magic on much of the populace.
I wish I had more optimistic thoughts to offer to close this thread. But in honest analysis, all I can say is:

Expect more iterations of Portland, Patriot Prayer, etc.

And please FINALLY pay attention to the context and history behind where we are, and where we're going.
"Citizen soldiers."

Here you are - precisely what my thread shows.

There's no need for an official relationship between organizations like Patriot Prayer (et. al) and the administration - not with the state's tacit acceptance and open embrace.

It is extremely dangerous for elected officials to speak of quelling protests with "citizen soldiers."

Senator Ron Johnson is embracing vigilantes on behalf of the state, encouraging violence, and legitimizing militias.

Deputizing mobs is a tinderbox.

I’m just going to leave this here.

theintercept.com/2020/08/28/kyl…
Aaaand here we are. Everything in this thread from YESTERDAY.

The president just deputized citizen solider vigilantes from the White House podium.

And the administration can claim plausible deniability in the future because no official ties to them exist nor are necessary.
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh.

Keep Current with Provost of Antifa / سيدة الفتنة

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