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The Insurrection Act Gambit — Necessary Power or Constitutional Threat?

EDITOR'S NOTES

Steve Watson’s piece “Trump Says He May Invoke The INSURRECTION ACT” is a tight summary of what happens when a president stares down chaos and starts eying the nuclear options. But let’s not tiptoe around the implications. When a president says “I might use the Insurrection Act,” it’s not just about law and order. It’s a line in the sand—and once crossed, that line becomes a superhighway for every power-hungry suit who follows. If Trump pulls this trigger, he won’t be the last. And the next one might not be wearing a red tie.

Derek Wolfe Oct 8, 25

The Libertarian’s Dilemma: Order vs. Liberty

Here’s the bind: we live in a country teetering on the edge. Riots, cartel zones, lawless mayors, entire cities going soft on crime—there’s no denying the state-level rot. The argument for deploying force isn’t without merit. When local governments flat-out refuse to protect people, someone has to step in.

But if you value liberty over order-by-force, this is dangerous territory.

The Insurrection Act gives the President the keys to the domestic war machine. The moment a president unholsters that power, you’re no longer dealing with “emergency authority”—you’re laying the groundwork for an imperial presidency. Today, it’s about riots. Tomorrow, it's about protests, tax resistance, or speech someone in power finds “destabilizing.”

When Might It Be Justified?

In the most extreme scenarios—cities literally overrun, local governments AWOL, people begging for help—then, maybe, maybe, invoking the Act makes sense.

But even in that edge-case scenario, it must come with razor-wire boundaries:

Explicit scope.
Ironclad expiration dates.
Congressional oversight.
Strict judicial review.
No mission creep.

You don’t get to declare the homeland a battlefield and play soldier without those checks. That’s not governing. That’s tyranny wrapped in the flag.

The Real Horror: Who Comes Next?

Here’s what should keep every liberty-minded American up at night:

What if this move works? What if people cheer it on? What if the cameras roll, the chaos fades, and Trump’s numbers tick up?

YOU JUST HANDED A BLUEPRINT TO EVERY FUTURE PRESIDENT.

And the next one may not be interested in restoring order—they might be interested in silencing dissent. Shutting down opposition. Going after journalists. Gun owners. Homeschoolers. Protesters. Christians. Bitcoiners. Anyone.

If you set the precedent that “the people” are the enemy when the government feels threatened, you’ve already lost the republic.

The Military Is Not a Police Force

The U.S. military was never meant to patrol your neighborhood. That’s why we have the Posse Comitatus Act. That’s why the Founders feared standing armies in the first place. This isn’t a conspiracy theory—it’s political history. You don’t need tinfoil to see that once boots hit Main Street, it gets real hard to take them off.

And it’s not about trusting Trump or hating him. It’s about limiting the executive no matter who sits in the chair. Because power always wants more. And emergency powers are the fastest path to permanent control.

So What Do We Do?

We don’t buy into the false choice between chaos and tyranny. We demand better. Local governments that actually govern. Federal restraint backed by law, not bravado. Citizens who stay armed—not just with weapons, but with knowledge, skepticism, and a backbone.

CALL TO ACTION

If the streets burn and the government marches, you’d better be ready. Start by protecting your own financial independence from collapse. Download Seven Steps to Protect Yourself from Bank Failure by Bill Brocius. It’s free, it’s blunt, and it’s built for the days ahead.
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Don’t wait for permission. Stay alert. Stay armed. Stay free.