The Iran/Israel conflict escalated on Saturday, June 21 when the news broke that U.S. President Donald Trump had ordered military strikes against Iranian targets. When the news broke, critics of the strikes feared that the conflict would expand to other countries in the Middle East — and two days later, on Monday, June 23, the Associated Press (AP) reported that according to Iranian state media, lran had launched a missile attack against a U.S. military base in Qatar.

In an article published on June 23, Salon's Heather Digby Parton argues that the conflict has major implications not only for residents of the Middle East, but also, for people living in the United States. And she warns that "wartime" could make Trump even more of an authoritarian threat to Americans.

"There's been a lot of talk about MAGA World being divided over Trump's actions," Parton explains. "But already, they appear to be falling in line. Trump believes that his people will follow him anywhere, and history shows he's probably right. I suspect one of the ways he will keep them on (his) side is by bringing the war home."

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Trump, Parton fears, will use the conflict in the Middle East to ramp up his attack on civil liberties in the United States.

"Trump has already assumed dictatorial powers in a myriad of ways — disregarding court orders, attacking the legal profession, threatening judicial impeachments, targeting journalists and suing media outlets to name but a few," Parton emphasizes. " He has already put armed troops on the streets of Los Angeles, and he has threatened to do the same for other cities that refuse to unquestioningly follow his orders. He's declared war on blue states. He declined to seek congressional approval for the airstrikes on Iran, leading some members of both parties — yes, even a handful of Republicans — to question their constitutionality."

Parton continues, "He failed to notify key Democrats, including members of the intelligence committees, before the attack…. So we are already on the road to full autocracy, only awaiting the final verdicts of the courts and Trump's decision as to whether he will abide by them. But his executive overreach and abuse of power so far are nothing to what he can do as a president at war."

The Salon journalist fears that Trump's "crackdown on dissent" will intensify.

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"The (Trump) Administration has already targeted protesters who spoke out against the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and Trump has already used the National Guard and active-duty military to quell unrest," Parton writes. "Imagine what they might do to protesters railing against the United States 'in a time of war.'"

Parton adds, "All of this is assuming there is no actual terrorist attack. If such a tragedy were to happen, it's likely the courts will take the president off the leash for good and allow him do whatever he wants. And Trump's Department of Justice will be happy to carry out his wishes."

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Heather Digby Parton's full Salon article is available at this link.


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