The use of the National Guard to quell violent protests / riots in LA obviously crosses a line, but it's only the start of a journey that was mapped out by the authors of Project 2025 before Trump was re-elected. The administration was given the perfect excuse they've been waiting for, and they have done exactly what they've been planning to do. But it's what comes next that matters. Because the authoritarian playbook takes this in a specific direction, and it will be easy to pretend it's sort-of business-as-usual right up until the point you realise you crossed the point of no return without noticing some way back. Let's discuss.