Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

LETTER TO THE EDITOR:

Tyranny must not go unchecked

Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley represent the definitive line that must be held to check President Donald Trump’s autocratic lust.

Naively, both were duped into the bizarre photo op recently concocted by the president’s closest advisers in the hope of galvanizing his shrinking base.

Regrettably, Esper’s inappropriate use of the term “battlespace” to describe American cities only intensified an already combative president seeking to bully. Had Milley not forcefully argued against Trump’s injudicious idea to deploy active duty personnel to the streets, who can say what would have happened?

That said, the concomitant looting and destruction of personal property is not peaceable assembly and should be forcibly deterred by local law enforcement agencies with augmentation by National Guard troops, as necessary.

Nevertheless, peaceful demonstrations are not “battlespaces” requiring “domination.” They are rights guaranteed by the First and 14th Amendments to our Constitution. An angry and rattled president cannot trample these truths or invoke the Insurrection Act as a ploy. A necessary action blocking a tyrannical leader is to not cooperate. Thus, Esper and Milley must continue to defend these truths we hold so dearly, and if they cannot, they should resign.