"Will No One Rid Me of This Meddlesome Priest?"~King Henry II
Stochastic Terrorism and MAGA
There is modern term for an ancient practice of tyrants and bullies; it is a concept we need to understand in order to make meaning of what is happening on the national stage and here at home. I first learned of it this week in a compelling substack post by Thom Hartmann. As Hartmann explained, stochastic terrorism is a devious tactic employed throughout history by despots and authoritarians from King Henry II, to Hitler, Putin, and of course DJT.
What these thugs have in common is the use of inflammatory and often times dehumanizing rhetoric about their perceived enemies to inflame public disfavor. DJT has channeled Hitler’s penchant for casting ‘the other’ as dangerous and an existential threat, often using Hitler’s exact words such as ‘vermin’ and ‘poisoning the blood’. They are skilled at using seemingly oblique requests to do harm to anyone found in their disfavor, knowing there is a high probability that those veiled requests will result in violence toward their intended target. They are masterful at using their words and their power to incite violence while cleverly able to plausibly deny they had anything to do with it. They are placing a highly predictable bet that some random, unpredictable Rambo will hear the assignment and do the deed.
Archbishop Thomas Becket was assassinated in response to a rant uttered by King Henry II on Christmas day in 1170. Annoyed that the Archbishop had excommunicated some of the King’s followers, he uttered his infamous words, “Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest?” The dispute was over the role of rights of the Crown and the Church, the Archbishop was questioning the supreme authority of the Crown over ecclesial matters.
MAGA darling Marjorie Taylor Greene has found herself in the same predicament as the 12th century Archbishop after Trump called her a ‘traitor’. Her life is being threatened because she supports releasing the Jeffrey Epstein grand jury files. Being a target of vicious threats and acts of violence are nothing new for Democrats or faithful civic servants, but MTG didn’t expect such harsh treatment from her MAGA sisters and brothers. She resigned from Congress effective January 5, 2026.
Did You Know:
Back home in Indiana, our Governor continues to align his loyalty to Trump despite Trump’s attacks against lawmakers who oppose his decree to further gerrymander Indiana’s Congressional maps for partisan gain. Trump wants to ensure that all nine congressional seats ( as compared to the seven that are currently held by GOP lawmakers) would be held by the GOP resulting in more than 40% of Hoosiers being completely silenced and unrepresented. Braun and Beckwith agree with Trump.
Let that sink in for just a moment. Our Governor and Lt. Governor have sided with a sitting president who seeks revenge on elected state legislators. Our Governor is siding with a president who, just like King Henry II, has tweeted and ranted about these ‘meddlesome legislators’. Trump’s cries for revenge have resulted in four of our own elected officials being swatted, and another has received a bomb threat at their home. Plausibly deniable, impossible to predict or prove, but statistically dependably reliable.
As I write these words Trump has now called for the execution of six veterans who serve as members of Congress. Their meddlesome sins were to remind the intelligence community and members of the armed service that they do not have to follow the illegal orders of a President who is calling for attacks on innocent Americans and threatening war without Congressional consent. Their oath to the Constitution instructs them to disobey the orders of a lawless tyrant. Trump is escalating his calls for violence against innocent people and against sitting members of Congress who dare to question his tyrannical abuse of power.
George Washington warned us about “cunning, ambitious, unprincipled men” overstepping constitutional limits and becoming despots in his 1796 Farewell Address.
Why It Matters:
For now, we are citizens of a democracy and not subjects of an authoritarian madman. Trump is ruling like a vicious, vindictive, lawless, murderous dictator and is trampling the Constitution and destroying our democracy. He is a clear and present danger to our country and the world. Our Governor and Lt. Governor are on his side. This is where we are and that is why it matters.
What You Can Do:
We are not powerless and we must not ignore the threat that we are facing. We have to stand together as a free people and call out the danger while refusing to cooperate or comply with the tyranny. A primary mission is to ensure a free and fair midterm election so that we can vote all of these fascist politicians out of office and begin to clean up this disastrous mess. For now, our assignment is to:
Build community and stay connected with others who are engaged in building a pro-democracy resistance movement. Engage in local mini rallies, donate to food banks and organize local mutual aid campaigns using local charities and civic groups. We have to support one another as things become more untenable in our everyday lives.
Support the calls to action for the We Ain’t Buying It campaign from November 27-December 1. Target, Home Depot, and Amazon are aiding and abetting this fascist regime, don’t pay them to do the regime’s dirty work.
If you are an activist, have a neighborhood group or belong to any organization that is standing up against this tyranny, download this boycott toolkit that has been created by Indivisible and their partner organizations. It’s everything you need from downloadable flyers, messaging guidelines and social media tips. Let’s make November 2025 our Rosa Parks moment.
Support local independent journalism because legacy media are being useful idiots to this regime. H4D recommends Indiana Capital Chronicle, Robert Hubbell’s Substack and The Hartmann Report as a starter pack for daily sources of news. Letters from an American by Heather Cox Richardson is required reading! The rise of independent media is a positive sign that a renewed 4th estate is emerging out of the rubble of the collapse of legacy news media.
Connect with your pro-democracy sisters and brothers by joining MADVoters, your local Indivisible group and other activist groups that are standing up for our freedoms.
There is a Buddhist precept that says: There are three things that always rise: the sun, the moon and the truth. Let us be truth bearers and let us bear witness to all that is happening so that together we can all make it to the other side of this darkness.
In solidarity,
Debbie & the H4D team
Thanks, Debby! You are correct. Our survival as a country and citizens is up to us. I know we cannot trust the state congress or those elected to the US at all. They have proven where their loyalty lies. I continue to make calls and email to all. It mayy not make a difference, but at least my thoughts and words have been spoken!