[ajb]

At some point, they will start using violence to discipline their own side. Today, the people currently dismantling the rule of law, still in their heads imagine that they can do that and retain the benefits themselves. That's why the footsoldiers can still to some extent be intimidated into backing down by citizen opposition - they don't actually fear their own captains more.

After they use violence to discipline their own side, everything gets much more serious. But it's also a point of risk for them, because it might break their coalition. So it's important to defend the rights even of those who are on the side of autocracy . Because if they are successful in establishing violence as their right over even their own allies and followers, there may be no way back without civil war.

[orwin]

Yeah, they started with minorities, but they going against socialists/communists as loyalty tests, to close rank, and you will likely see violence against their own side shortly after they start putting political opponent in jail.

At first jail, where they release them after a day or two, then in warehouses converted into jail-hospitals, where people stay weeks, get treated, sometime lose teeth. Almost always syndicalists and KPD supporters, sometimes SPD local leaders, it was often political?

Oh sorry, you talked about the US?