> the old Bonus Army canard <
I don’t follow. I suppose some of the marchers were trouble-makers. But from what I’ve read, they had a very legitimate grievance. But the police - and then the army - chose to side with the federal government, and not with the marchers. So the Bonus Army was broken up.
I think the same sort of thing would happen to marchers heading to DC to protest a “legal” Trump impeachment. They would be allowed time to protest, then the police would move in.
But let’s say Trump was removed in a clearly illegal coup. Then all bets are off. In fact, if you’re heading to DC then, I’ll see you there.
You’re correct that the Bonus Army was broken up by federal troops and DC police. Violently so, I might add. That act was so brutal, it left an indelible impression on the public psyche, but even so, it didn’t stop the people from marching on the capital.
There have been countless rallies and marches on DC since then, that haven’t resulted in an armed military response by the government.
I called your mention of the Bonus Army a canard, because it’s one of the most well worn boilerplate responses from the surrender caucus, every time this subject comes up.
The line of thinking goes; ‘If you show up to DC with pitchforks and torches, the government will bust your heads and throw you all in jail!’
It’s just a fact that there’s a certain number among us who believe the government is all powerful, and cannot be successfully resisted. Our own history proves the exact opposite, but there it is.
“So the Bonus Army was broken up.”
The Bonus Army broke camp and departed DC before the trouble began. What remained were a few hundred communists who had infiltrated the march. The communists attacked the DC police, killing one officer, and occupied buildings under construction. That’s when President Hoover ordered the army to clear DC of the communist agitators.
Be careful what you read from left wing sources like Wiki or the NYT.