Harris is profoundly disturbed by the immediate, coordinated effort from all levels of the federal government to publicly vilify Alex Preddy after he was killed. He argues that when a government instantly labels a citizen a 'terrorist' and 'assassin' despite conflicting evidence, it's a terrifying sign of authoritarian behavior and a repudiation of due process.
Related Insights
When officials deny events clearly captured on video, it breaks public trust more severely than standard political spin. This direct contradiction of visible reality unlocks an intense level of citizen anger that feels like a personal, deliberate gaslighting attempt.
By labeling a problem with a single, highly emotional term (e.g., 'insurgents,' 'fentanyl'), leaders can create a public mandate to act decisively, often ignoring accountability, due process, and congressional oversight.
The GOP has long framed the Second Amendment as a citizen's defense against government overreach. However, by defending federal agents who killed Alex Preddy, a legally armed citizen, many Republicans are contradicting their core ideological argument. This creates a significant fissure between the party and gun rights absolutists.
Even citizens who support a policy's goal, like immigration enforcement, can be alienated by the methods. The image of masked, unaccountable agents taps into a fundamental, cross-partisan American cultural fear of tyranny, overriding specific policy alignment.
The U.S. political landscape is increasingly adopting authoritarian rhetoric and tendencies. However, this shift comes without any of the supposed upsides of authoritarianism, such as hyper-efficient infrastructure or public order. The result is a dysfunctional "authoritarianism without the good stuff."
The public is becoming desensitized to government behaviors, such as ICE's excessive force, that should be universally unacceptable. This "new normal" creates a dangerous precedent where nonpartisan revulsion is replaced by partisan justification, eroding democratic standards for everyone.
Sam Harris argues the lack of outrage from gun owners over the killing of Alex Preddy by federal officers reveals a fundamental contradiction. The very people who claim the Second Amendment is a check on government tyranny are silent when that tyranny is enacted by a president they support, suggesting their stance is political, not principled.
The fatal ICE shooting in Minnesota is a symptom of extreme political division. People now view federal agencies as illegitimate, leading them to resist actions they disagree with, escalating situations to a level resembling civil conflict.
Trump's efforts are not just breaking norms but constitute an attempt at a full-blown "political revolution." The goal is to gain direct political control over institutions like the FBI and DOJ, weaponize them against political opponents, and eliminate the checks and balances that constrain presidential power.
An administration's tactic of arguing whether a protest was a "riot" or if a victim was "resisting" is a deliberate trap. It forces opponents to debate legal technicalities, distracting from the undeniable moral atrocity of the act itself, which is visible to everyone.
