Police state: A police state is a political system in which government institutions exercise a significant level of control over civil society and liberties. In a police state where there is typically little or no distinction between the law and the exercise of political power by the executive, with internal security and police forces playing a significant role in governance. Merriam-Webster defines a police state as: "a political unit characterized by repressive governmental control of political, economic, and social life usually by an arbitrary exercise of power by police and especially secret police in place of regular operation of administrative and judicial organs of the government according to publicly known legal procedures"
Federal courts: The assertion that the US is at least close to a police state has significant factual support. First, federal court oversight is weak to non-existent. djt and MAGA thugs not only ignore court-ordered restraints and orders, they openly attack and insult the judges who issue them. The USSC is a staunch supporter of a unitary executive, essentially a legalized dictator. It further weakened federal court power over djt in its June 2025 Trump v. CASA decision. That fundamentally weakened judicial oversight of illegal government actions. That 6-3 ruling has so far removed federal court power to issue restraining injunctions. So, federal courts are mostly out of the picture. The time is probably coming when they will be almost completely out of the picture, being nothing more than a fig leaf.
Political opposition: Second, the Democratic response so far has been a matter of profound dysfunction and strategic paralysis. Strategic incoherence in the party has led to no unified opposition strategy. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's support Republican for spending bills drew fierce criticism from within the party, but Republicans got what they wanted. So, the Democrats are completely out of the picture for the time being, maybe for many years.
Republican Party complicity: Finally, House Republicans passed legislation that defunds enforcement of court contempt orders against the administration. If passed by the Senate and signed by djt, that would further weaken consequences for ignoring federal court rulings. That proposed law is an unprecedented legislative assault on judicial enforcement powers. House Oversight Chairman James Comer explicitly stated the committee's role as ensuring Trump can implement his agenda efficiently. In essence, congressional oversight has collapsed. Clearly, Republicans are now enablers. So, congress is completely out of the picture for now.
Who or what is left to protect us and our civil liberties? Big corporations? Hell no. Powerful Christian nationalist theocrats? Double hell no. Police forces? It doesn't look like it. The MSM? Bwahahahaha! -- of course not.
An article that Salon published, Why MAGA hates science so much, discusses the matter. Reasons for the anti-science attitude are not surprising or new. But the topic is nonetheless worth revisiting from time to time.
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An article that Salon published, Why MAGA hates science so much, discusses the matter. Reasons for the anti-science attitude are not surprising or new. But the topic is nonetheless worth revisiting from time to time.
Most MAGA elites and rank and file reject scientific consensus on climate change, public health, and certain areas of biological science. A lot of it stems from the clash between Christian nationalism dogma and empirical science that contradicts it. Young Earth creationism and biblical literalism clash with scientific findings on evolution, human-caused climate change, and reproductive biology. Some research indicates that about 4% of evangelical clergy and 16% of Black Protestant clergy accept human evolution from non-human life forms. Almost 80% of evangelical Protestant clergy reject human causes of climate change, quadruple the rate of mainline Protestant clergy. That is hard core anti-science belief.
In general, MAGA sees science’s secular, evidence-based framework as a major threat to its worldview, wealth and power. The movement intentionally conflates religious doctrine with political identity. Demagoguery with dishonest speech asserting threats to political identity is the single most effective way to deceive and persuade people.
The article also asserts that science’s emphasis on human equality, e.g., universal access to healthcare and education, directly challenges MAGA’s support for systemic inequities, including racial discrimination and wealth concentration. Billionaires and political elites seek to monopolize advantages for themselves while denying basic protections, e.g., vaccines and climate change action, to marginalized groups.
In short, MAGA’s anti-science agenda is an intentional, calculated undermining of fact-based governance. The implications are broad and anti-democratic. False anti-science beliefs undermine civil liberties, public health, and America's global economic standing and power.
Q: Is belief in and reasonable respect for established science inherently mostly pro-democracy, while anti-science attitudes are inherently mostly authoritarian and/or kleptocratic?
Q: Is belief in and reasonable respect for established science inherently mostly pro-democracy, while anti-science attitudes are inherently mostly authoritarian and/or kleptocratic?