This is how to escalate things. Or wait—no one exercises anymore. Let me rephrase: This is how to exercise critical thinking. (See? Different word. Important distinction.)
Look, I’m not saying we should deport the Constitution for being anti-American. But if we’re identifying “anti-Americanism” as a terrorism indicator while simultaneously ignoring the document that literally defines what America is—well, someone should probably check the irony detector because it just exploded.
Let me tell you three stories from September 2025 that sound like rejected Netflix plots but are 100% verified fact. Then we’ll talk about what happens when the escalator keeps going up but everyone forgot we could’ve just taken the stairs.
Story One: The Day 800 Generals Got Sent to the Principal’s Office
On September 30, 2025, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth did something unprecedented in modern American history: he summoned every single general and admiral (that’s O-7 and above, for non-military folks—basically everyone with enough stars that TSA thinks their uniform is a costume) to one place at one time with one week’s notice and zero explanation of why.
Eight hundred of America’s top military leaders flew in from literally around the world—some from active war zones—not knowing if they were about to hear about World War III or a mandatory team-building exercise.
What they got was... well, imagine your boss calling an all-hands meeting to tell everyone they’re too fat, their beards are fired, and oh by the way, buy my book.
Real quotes from the actual speech (transcript verified by Air & Space Forces Magazine):
“It’s completely unacceptable to see fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon.”
“No more beardos.”
“No more dudes in dresses.”
And the cherry on top: “To our enemies, FAFO.” (That’s “F*** Around and Find Out” for anyone whose internet slang is stuck in 2015.)
Then came the ultimatum: If you don’t like what I’m saying, resign.
Now, here’s where it gets really interesting. Trump spoke for over 70 minutes after that, and according to multiple sources, the room was so quiet you could hear crickets filing unemployment claims. One outlet noted Trump himself acknowledged “how dead the room was.”
The humor writes itself, but the implications don’t.
This cost “several hundred thousand dollars” during government shutdown negotiations. It concentrated America’s entire military leadership in one location—which security experts politely described as “a risk.” And it gave generals an ultimatum that essentially said: agree with the administration’s politics or get out.
Historically, when military leaders are purged for political loyalty tests rather than competence... that’s usually a plot point in documentaries about countries we don’t want to become.
Story Two: When Being Anti-Capitalist Became a Terrorism Indicator
Remember when we all agreed that terrorism was about, you know, doing terrorism? Apparently, that’s so 2001.
On September 25, 2025, President Trump signed NSPM-7 (National Security Presidential Memorandum Number Seven), which is now public on whitehouse.gov. It’s real. I checked. Multiple lawyers checked. The ACLU definitely checked.
Here’s what it actually says are “common threads animating violent conduct”:
Anti-Americanism
Anti-capitalism
Anti-Christianity
“Hostility towards those who hold traditional American views on family, religion, and morality”
Now, I’m not a constitutional scholar. But I’m pretty sure the First Amendment was specifically designed to protect your right to be anti-anything-you-want, right up until you actually commit a crime.
The memorandum directs the FBI, Treasury Department, and IRS to investigate not just people who commit violence, but people who fund, work for, or support organizations that might “indirectly” support those people. It’s like six degrees of Kevin Bacon, except instead of connecting to an actor, you’re connecting to a federal investigation.
Over 3,000 nonprofits have signed letters opposing this. The ACLU compared it to COINTELPRO—the FBI program that illegally surveilled Martin Luther King Jr. because apparently civil rights activism looked like a national security threat if you squinted hard enough and ignored the Constitution.
The darkly funny part? White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller called this “the first time in American history that there is an all-of-government effort to dismantle left-wing terrorism.”
The actually terrifying part? Defining political beliefs as terrorism indicators has historically ended very badly for democracies.
Story Three: Deploying Troops to Cities Where Crime Is... Going Down?
Here’s the setup for a joke: What do you do when crime hits a 30-year low?
If you answered “deploy thousands of National Guard troops to major cities,” congratulations—you work for the Trump administration!
The verified facts:
Washington D.C.: 2,290 troops deployed in August 2025. Cost: $1 million per day. Crime was already down 20% before they arrived and had hit a 30-year low.
Memphis: 150 Guard members arrived in September. Crime was at a 25-year low before deployment. Murders at a 6-year low.
Los Angeles: 4,800 troops at peak (first Title 10 federalization against a governor’s wishes since 1965). A federal judge later ruled this deployment violated federal law.
Portland: 200 troops federalized against the governor’s objection to protect ICE facilities. Cost: $3.8 million for 60 days. Trump called it “war ravaged.” Portland residents had notes.
Here’s the thing that’s not funny at all: National crime data from the Council on Criminal Justice shows that in the first half of 2025, across 42 major cities:
Homicides down 17%
Aggravated assault down 10%
Robberies down 20%
Carjackings down 24%
This is happening nationwide, in cities with and without National Guard deployments. Which means either the National Guard has developed teleportation, or—wild thought—something else is causing the decline.
Every expert I found (CSIS, Brown University, RAND Corporation, Brennan Center) said basically the same thing: Military troops are bad at civilian policing. They’re not trained for it, they don’t understand civil rights law, and there’s basically no evidence it works.
Brown University studied military policing in Bogotá and found that crime often ends up higher after troops leave than before they arrived.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration cut $820 million in evidence-based crime prevention programs in April 2025.
So we’re spending $2 million per day to deploy troops that research says don’t reduce crime, to cities where crime is already declining, after cutting programs that actually work.
That’s not policy. That’s performance art with a really big budget.
Connecting the Dots: What Do These Three Stories Have in Common?
Strip away the details and here’s the pattern:
Political loyalty tests for military leaders who are supposed to be apolitical
Defining political viewpoints as terrorism indicators
Deploying military force to cities run by the opposing political party during a period of declining crime
In isolation, each could maybe be explained. Together? It looks like someone’s building infrastructure.
Not infrastructure for fighting crime—crime’s already going down.
Not infrastructure for national security—our generals are getting purged for disagreeing.
Infrastructure for using military and security apparatus to control domestic political opposition.
The Polls: Americans Aren’t Buying It (But We’re Buying It Anyway)
Here’s where it gets both hopeful and depressing:
56-57% of Americans oppose National Guard deployments to cities for crime reduction. People can see what’s happening. The polls show that 70% say crime is unacceptably high, but they don’t want military solutions.
But here’s the partisan split:
Republicans: 86% support deployments
Democrats: 93% oppose
Independents: 61% oppose
We’ve got an 86-point gap between how Republicans and Democrats view the same factual situation. That’s not a disagreement. That’s two different realities.
And the youngest Americans? They’re the only age group with majority negative views of the military overall (53% negative). Whatever’s happening right now is creating a generation that fundamentally distrusts military institutions.
The Escalator Metaphor (Finally!)
Remember escalators? Those moving staircases we all love because they require zero effort?
Things are escalating right now. Executive power is escalating. Military domestic presence is escalating. Surveillance authorities are escalating.
And we keep riding the escalator because it’s easier than taking the stairs.
Taking the stairs means:
Actually reading that NSPM-7 document instead of just trusting someone’s summary
Calling your representatives (yes, even though nobody answers)
Joining or donating to civil liberties organizations
Showing up to city council meetings when deployment is discussed
Teaching your kids civics so they know this isn’t normal
You know what’s great exercise? Exercising your constitutional rights.
First Amendment: Speak, assemble, petition your government. Those are leg days for democracy.
Fourth Amendment: Protection from unreasonable searches. That’s core work.
Fifth Amendment: Due process. That’s... okay, the metaphor breaks down, but you get it.
The Constitution is literally a workout plan for keeping tyranny from getting swole.
Should the Constitution Be Deported?
Let’s come back to that absurdist question from the title.
If we’re defining “anti-Americanism” as a terrorism indicator, what’s more anti-American than ignoring the Constitution?
First Amendment says you can be anti-capitalist. NSPM-7 says that makes you suspicious.
Fourth Amendment says no unreasonable searches. NSPM-7 directs financial surveillance of nonprofits based on beliefs.
Posse Comitatus Act says don’t use military for domestic law enforcement. Los Angeles deployment violated it (per federal judge).
The Constitution keeps being anti-administration policy. So who’s the real enemy within?
(Spoiler: It’s not the 230-year-old document that’s literally the source code for American democracy.)
Does Justice Matter? Then Probably “Life Matters” Too
Here’s where we get serious for a second.
Justice matters because life matters. Not as slogan. As principle.
The whole reason we have constitutional protections is because humans with power tend to abuse it. The Founders weren’t naive—they were cynical. They assumed the worst about human nature and built speed bumps into the system.
When we bypass those speed bumps because “trust us, we’re the good guys this time,” we’re not protecting life. We’re putting everyone’s life at the mercy of whoever’s currently in power.
Crime dropped 17% nationally without military occupation. That’s actually good news! We should be celebrating cities that figured out how to reduce violence through community programs, economic investment, and smart policing.
Instead, we’re militarizing success and calling it failure.
Consequences: The Part Nobody Wants to Talk About
If this continues:
Legal challenges will dominate federal courts for years. The ACLU and others are already filing. One deployment was already ruled illegal.
Chilling effects are immediate. Nonprofits won’t accept donations if donors fear IRS investigation. Activists will self-censor. The whole point of the First Amendment—open debate—dies in silence.
International implications are huge. How do we criticize China for military crackdowns on domestic dissent when we’re doing it too? (Spoiler: We don’t. We lose that credibility forever.)
The 2026 midterms and 2028 election will occur under these expanded security powers. History suggests expanded surveillance powers are used most aggressively during elections.
Military culture suffers. When you purge generals for political disagreement and use troops for partisan ends, you’re not strengthening the military. You’re politicizing it. And a politicized military is how republics end.
The Optimistic Part (Yes, Really)
Americans aren’t stupid. The polls show majority opposition even though partisan media is pushing this hard.
Institutions are pushing back. Federal judges ruled one deployment illegal. State governors are refusing cooperation. Even some Republican governors are quiet on this, which is telling.
3,000+ nonprofits signed opposition letters. That’s actual civic infrastructure working.
Younger generations are skeptical. Yes, that means they distrust institutions, but it also means they’re not blindly accepting authoritarian moves just because there’s a flag in the background.
Crime is actually dropping. Whatever we’ve been doing in communities—investment, programs, smarter policing—it’s working. The evidence-based solutions exist and have data behind them.
We still have the stairs.
What Now?
Read the primary sources. NSPM-7 is on whitehouse.gov. Hegseth’s speech transcript is public. Don’t let anyone—including me—be your only source.
Support the organizations suing. ACLU, Oregon’s Attorney General, Memphis advocacy groups—they’re taking the stairs while everyone else rides the escalator.
Contact your representatives. I know. I know! It feels useless. But they do track call volume, and it does matter for their political calculations.
Vote locally. Your city council and state legislature have way more power over your daily life than the president. National Guard deployments require state cooperation or federal override—both create leverage points.
Talk to people outside your bubble. That 86-point partisan gap? It only closes if people actually communicate across lines. Find the common ground: Maybe we all agree that $2 million per day seems expensive for a program that experts say doesn’t work?
Exercise your rights. Use them or lose them isn’t just a cliché. First Amendment rights are like muscles—they atrophy without use.
The Final Question
Is the Constitution the enemy within?
No. But there are people who seem to think constitutional limits on their power are the real threat to America.
They’re wrong.
The Founders weren’t anti-American when they wrote the First Amendment. They were anti-tyranny.
We aren’t anti-American when we defend it. We’re anti-tyranny too.
Life matters. Justice matters. The Constitution matters.
And if things keep escalating—which they are—we’d better be in good enough shape to take the stairs.
Because that escalator? It only goes one direction.
Stay skeptical. Stay informed. Stay active. And for the love of democracy, actually read that NSPM-7 document before you share someone’s hot take about it—including this one.
Next time: Why your governor’s response to federal troop requests reveals everything about your state’s next four years. (Spoiler: It’s not about crime.)
//Peace Love and Respect (The troops)
Lets have some pun.
I heard golf is tremendous exercise—walking, swinging, thinking strategically. Bigly workout.
Except Trump has a scientific theory: The human body is a battery. Born with finite energy. Exercise depletes it. He told a casino executive training for an Ironman triathlon: ‘You are going to die young because of this.’
So naturally, Trump exercises his right to ride a golf cart. Everywhere. In fact, just three days ago at 79 years old, he drove his cart ONTO THE GREEN while playing with his granddaughter—violating the sacred laws of golf etiquette. That’s like riding an escalator directly onto someone’s dinner table.
He’s visited his golf properties 277 times as president, riding every yard, getting what he calls a ‘tiny bit of exercise’ (quotation marks his, skepticism mine).
Here’s my theory: Maybe the real battery that’s depleted is critical thinking.
This is how to escalate—wait, wrong word. ‘Exercise.’ That’s it. Exercise critical thinking.
No cart required. Walking burns calories. Thinking prevents catastrophe. And unlike Trump’s battery theory, both are supported by actual science.
Take the stairs. Your democracy will thank you.
When the Government Shuts Down So the Numbers Don’t Come Out
The Bureau of Labor Statistics employs 2,055 people. As of October 1st, 2025, exactly one of them is still working. His name is William J. Wiatrowski. He’s the Acting Commissioner, and his job during the government shutdown is to oversee “orderly shutdown procedures.”