I don’t know why I was hoping to write about politics in California and in the United States without name calling or giving attention to the negative actions of the federal government.

But that has to change on my part.

I stand with the people of Los Angeles, with the Immigrants in California and around the US, and with my state of California.

I joke about calling the beginning of the authoritarian battle to put a United States dictatorship in place as The Battle of Home Depot. The day last week that ICE raided a Home Depot for illegal immigrants looking for work in a Home Depot parking lot in Paramount, California.

But, it’s not a joke. There is nothing to joke about here.

The peaceful protests that were taking place in LA were violently disrupted by Trump’s illegal calling up of – initially – 2,000 National Guard troops without the consent of Governor Newsom. As of writing this, Trump has called up 2,000 more, for a total so far of 4,000. Not only has he called up these troops and moved them to LA, he has not set up “camp” for them. There is no where for them to sleep, no food/mess for them, and most of them are just in waiting mode. Only about 300 National Guardsmen are on the streets in LA, and rumor has it, they are helping ICE round up immigrants.

Yesterday, (Monday June 9, 2025) Pete Hegseth ordered Marines from Camp Pendleton into Los Angeles.

This basically declares war on California. Newsom has been threatened with arrest. Newsom, in retaliation, not to his arrest threats, but to the violence declared by Trump onto California, is threatening to withhold federal taxes, which, in my opinion, he should have done after the LA fires in January.

The weird thing is – there is no real violence in Los Angeles, other than the violence that is a Trump fabrication.

This weekend there is to be Trump’s military parade in Washington DC. In approximately 1,800 other cities and locations there will be mass “No Kings” protests in defiance of Trump.

I am concerned about what might happen on Saturday. There could be nothing. But Trump might see it as an extension of the LA protests rather than the protesting of his dictatorship. He may lash out. He has already escalated his language this week against the protesters and Newsom and California. By disobeying protocol in calling the National Guard and Marines out to LA, he has given himself permission to call Guard and the Military out to any location in the United States. What might happen on Saturday, June 14th is anyone’s guess and will all depend on which side of the bed Trump gets up on.

Spirit help us all!

Be strong!