And the vast majority of them don't know the local terrain. Most will be very far from home and unhappy about it. The whole operation will leak like a sieve. Also: led by morons. So nowhere near as effective as even the small numbers would suggest, and a disaster for morale the longer it goes.
Of Uncle Sam’s assorted guys w/ guns, the US Army’s best able to deploy lots of them to one place. But it’s also least likely to actually shoot Americans if so ordered.
I think you’re right. If they’re thinking Tiananmen Sq, they’re more likely to get a EuroMaidan
Fair. I fully confess to not understanding LA's geography, just that there's an immense expanse of tons of people to the point that even flying over it takes awhile 😂
We in SoCal are vast: we contain multitudes.
"..Census Bureau also defines a wider commercial region based on commuting patterns, the Los Angeles–Long Beach, CA Combined Statistical Area (CSA), more commonly known as the Greater Los Angeles Area, with an estimated population of 18,584,307 in 2025."
Well, LA is 47% Latino. If it was like Portland it would be easier to find a particular Latino. Also, Latinos aint going to stand for this shit. Also, LAPD has become far more Mexican over the past 10 years. So are they going to help deport their abuelita? I dont think so.
Our 3 weapons are a vast floodplain, multiple incorporated cities within the city, overlapping identically-named leadership structures, and a deadening dependency on automobiles...
Our --4-- weapons are a vast floodplain, multiple incorporated cities....
Great thread thank you (and followed). You're right across the board here but also I think to a certain extent they are relying on creating another George Floyd type of scenario where they can eventually twist any resistance into a propaganda tool with their back the blue BS.
…and to that point they love love love pitting red states against blue cities with this stuff. “Look at the anarchy, make sure you vote R to stay safe in your little enclaves”
I do think a lot of people overestimate how much American citizens will be willing to roll over for a bunch of ignorant racist neckbeards that are even less respected than ICE probably.
Given the rate or resignations through other actions, outside of completely insane agencies like ICE and maybe LASD, who is gonna actually support this at scale? It's absolutely not the FBI.
Also, given that the National Guard is composed of people from the communities trump wants to suppress then I figure some of them won't show up either.
True, if this remains an isolated incident. But if this initiates a series of similar events, it will have a significant affect on November 2026 elections.
IMHO, it really seems like Stephen Miller wants to recreate Nazi Germany (or at least some other form of fascist state like Russia or Hungary) without having the weaknesses in the system to exploit, the proportional manpower to do it with, or the years of power consolidation required.
Except MAGA is completely unaware of things we all are.
They live in a bubble where the biggest news, until today, was that Biden was replaced with a clone & his staff signed all the laws to cover it up.
Don’t try this shit in North Texas or Houston, though. DFW has as many guns as the rest of Texas, but we don’t like MAGA. And the feds don’t actually want to test Houston gangs.
Their problem in Texas would be offending the right wing employers of undocumented people they would arrest--also accidentally arresting right wing hispanic millionaires, etc. Lots of Mexicans in Texas who've been there since before the Texas Republic. Not all of them Democrats.
Dallas maybe, but Houston (most diverse city in the country) would rise up. Suspect they also didn’t do this in Texas since a lot of Texans would shoot back
Unless these particular militia have extensive combat experience within their current org structure, they probably reduce the overall capability of the government response, rather than grow it.
It's fascinating that so many people view what is happening as if it is a movie or video games, and a lot of those edit out logistics or have easy logistics. To paraphrase Napoleon, an army or a military moves on its stomach. Supplying and maintaining such a force for a campaign is astronomical.
🎯I've been watching the Mission: Impossible movies, and noting exactly that. Who installs the tape drop or puts the cool car on-site? Who gathers the intel that Tom Cruise gets in the beginning? It's all in good fun with a spy movie, but thinking that reality works the same way is insane.
Yes, you are exactly right. These things happen, or things are just left around conveniently for the major character to find because that's the plot of the movie. In real life, those things don't just happen that often. It's like video games where people can find ammo drops everywhere.
Nah, bro, it's all warrior ethos bro. Who needs logistics when you can just repeatedly hammer your head into the wall while bellowing "HOO-rah!" This is what happens when your SecDef is a TV personality who thinks anything not stupid is "woke."
Reminds me of “the cult of the offensive” that was popular among WWI generals at the start of the war. The French “élan” true believers were pretty much all dead by the end of 1914.
The smarter alternative would presumably be a campaign to deputise and ship in large numbers of local cops from red states? But the logistics would still ofc be an issue, and AFAIK there’s no sign they’ve started preparing this.
Most of those would have to come from cities, which would then potentially become their own hotspots.
Either of protests or actual crimes by local opportunists realizing all the cops are off playing in a different sandbox.
Cops are so trainable and smart that I am sure such a plan would go off without a hitch.
I would guess it would be as well coordinated as the Uvalde shooting response.
I for one would love to see the Oklahoma Freedom Farts Militia airdropped into LA to fight. They'd be unarmed, pantsless and mewling in the gutters in ten minutes.
The "militias" ain't about shit. They'll walk into the wrong neighborhood and be violently reminded that the origin of many street gangs was defensive.
Any "militia" in LA would find out pretty damn quick that they're outnumbered, outgunned, out-organized, and out of luck. They'd hightail it back to Redding where they can strut around pretending to be all alpha and shit.
They claim to have 2,000 NG. If they're the CA Guard at least half will be people of color. If they're from Red rural states they are afraid of the big city.
We had a militia group show up to intimidate us at a protest in NH. It did not end well for them. They were outnumbered about 45:1, and they did not anticipate that we might also be armed.
Many of them probably personally broke and ran when Ashli Babbitt was neutralized; I don’t imagine the median one has done much introspection about how to display any courage next time
Excellent points. The logistics alone makes this all impractical. Furthermore, such operations would take days or weeks to carry out, and who will be paying for all this?
Yeah, geography is important. The greater Los Angeles area is considered America's largest megalopolis. Read that again: MEGAlopolis. It essentially extends from the Santa Monica Mountains to San Diego. It contains a region called the INLAND EMPIRE, so names because it's huuuuge.
Wouldn't the move be to activate the National Guard, like what happened at Kent State University in Ohio in the '70's? Maybe bring in the Guard from neighboring States, like Texas, if required?
Also, ICE are obviously bootlickers, the police are very Trump friendly - but the troops much less so. If the idea is to have the army fire on American protestors I think that will go poorly for this administration.
Right and it would be a monumentally bad geopolitical move to start deploying large battalions away from their normal locations. Asking for foreign actors to exploit the weakness.
Might there be more potential for discouraging them when they're off the clock? Demoralize them into quitting by making sure they can't shop, eat out, get their cars serviced etc anywhere anyone knows what they do?
I'm sure people in their communities know that they're ICE though. Maybe they can't be ID'd from photos or videos, but their neighbours know what they do for a living
Just having the idea that ICE agents lie to all their neighbors, telling them that their job is a male stripper, pron star, or something just as maligned, just so the truth doesn't get out. 😄
At minimum, you know who walks like a cop and who does or doesn't speak to probable immigrants respectfully.
And certainly if you see certain political stickers on a car, you can't be bothered helping them replace a flat tire.
Yup, you don't even have to be confrontational, you're just mysteriously out of stock of whatever it is they want, or you lose their order, or you're fully booked until next April.
Also Los Angeles has 8 million people counting from all the people in the surrounding cities (Burbank, WeHo, Long Beach) and we are …Powerfully Mad they’re coming for our neighbors and friends and family.
I’ve heard horror stories of police departments and other emergency services spending years and tons of money to simply be able to talk with other associated agencies on their radios.
My friend used to work in a job that involved getting law enforcement and emergency response agencies to cooperate and use the same frequencies during disasters (like hurricanes or wild fires). Her job was basically placating macho men who were older than her father.
Not to mention it’s not easy to tell who is is. If I were protesting I would dress like the less than professional ice agents. No badges faces covered entirely etc. and blend in
Comments
The urge to protect one's own little fiefdom is real.
Good luck with that
https://bsky.app/profile/hobbidysparks.bsky.social/post/3lr2aa7err22s
Thankfully, for us for the long run. I hope.
I think you’re right. If they’re thinking Tiananmen Sq, they’re more likely to get a EuroMaidan
Trump never missed the opportunity to shoot himself in the foot whenever he had the chance
https://bsky.app/profile/roosefella.bsky.social/post/3lr2ahdq3qk2t
"..Census Bureau also defines a wider commercial region based on commuting patterns, the Los Angeles–Long Beach, CA Combined Statistical Area (CSA), more commonly known as the Greater Los Angeles Area, with an estimated population of 18,584,307 in 2025."
Our 3 weapons are a vast floodplain, multiple incorporated cities within the city, overlapping identically-named leadership structures, and a deadening dependency on automobiles...
Our --4-- weapons are a vast floodplain, multiple incorporated cities....
And protestors are much more comfortable fighting back against them than they are against uniformed officers
https://bsky.app/profile/saysben.bsky.social/post/3lr2akmjn7s2a
It's a political op without thinking through second- and third-order consequences
https://bsky.app/profile/figmentpudding.com/post/3lr2aoy3ndc2g
➡️ Too early to hope bad video alone will be enough. No one's going to be persuaded in November 2026
➡️ "Lawlessness against ICE" means diddly when juxtaposed with "self-induced recession and mass unemployment"
https://bsky.app/profile/thatac.bsky.social/post/3lr27zveci225
https://bsky.app/profile/exdinette.bsky.social/post/3lr2bhhrbpc25
They live in a bubble where the biggest news, until today, was that Biden was replaced with a clone & his staff signed all the laws to cover it up.
Either of protests or actual crimes by local opportunists realizing all the cops are off playing in a different sandbox.
I would guess it would be as well coordinated as the Uvalde shooting response.
I expect the dudes in jeans will be worse than useless
If militia types get involved, the government should expect to lose some personnel to ostensibly 'friendly' fire.
#MuzzleDisclipline
https://www.texasstandard.org/stories/immigration-customs-enforcement-ice-directive-increase-arrests-trump/
And certainly if you see certain political stickers on a car, you can't be bothered helping them replace a flat tire.