Acts of the Counter World, 19th Day of Hagwinter, 525 M.E. (Castor):  According to reporting by The Guardian, an internal Pentagon directive has ordered the national guards of all 50 US states, the District of Columbia, and US territories to form quick reaction forces trained in riot control, including use of batons, body shields, Tasers, and pepper spray.

The memo, signed on October 8 by the director of operations for the Pentagon’s national guard bureau, sets thresholds for the size of the quick reaction force to be trained in each state, with most states required to train 500 national guard members, for a total of 23,500 troops nationwide.

The Stable Genius' executive order that sent the guard to Washington DC required the Secretary of Defense to create “a standing National Guard quick reaction force . . . available for rapid nationwide deployment” to quell civil disturbances. The directive cites that order as its justification and authority.

What's the Stable Genius planning that he thinks he needs 23,.500 storm troopers to suppress dissent? The directive could be used to send troops to states led by Democratic governors without their permission and to suppress voter turnout and disrupt fair elections. In a worst-case scenario, the Stable Genius could declare a state of emergency and say that elections are rigged and use its own allegations of voter fraud to seize the ballots of secure voting centers.

Last month, the Stable Genius recalled hundreds of US military leaders from around the world to tell them he wants to use American cities as "training grounds" for the military. He described civil disturbances as the "enemy from within" and told the commanders the situation "won't get out of control once you're involved."

We're nearing Election Day 2025. It's an off-cycle year with few consequential contests, but here in Atlanta, Mayor Andre Dickens is up for reelection. I had high hopes for him, but during his term he disappointed me with his endorsement and support of "Cop City," a "training center" for a militarized police force to practice home invasion, street-sweeping maneuvers, and use of large-caliber ordinance. The nearby residents understandably didn't want the noise and disruption in their neighborhood, the project cost approximately $117 million with taxpayers providing over $67 million, and won't contribute in any meaningful way to fighting crime. Worse, the Atlanta police and Georgia state troopers have dealt with the protests in the most brutal ways imaginable, killing one unarmed protestors inside a tent while he had his hands up, and the state attorney general declared the protesters to be "terrorists" and even went so far as to bring RICO indictments against organizations offering legal aid to incarcerated protesters. 

Dickens didn't do shit to protect the neighborhood, to support or defend the protesters, or to curtail the brutal persecution of those who stood in the project's way. His administration rubber-stamped the whole project, even green-lighting construction while there was still ongoing litigation, and ignored a petition with the required number of signatures to force a referendum on the project, all while basking in the warm glow and approval of the "tough on crime" MAGA crowd. 

Dickens is going to win re-election, but he sure as shit isn't getting my vote. That guy sucks.