Orwell and The Grave Dangers of Militarized Governance

The argument against using troops to enforce state laws is not an argument against law and order. It is an argument for the preservation of democratic standards.

The idea of the federal government deploying troops to enforce state laws (as we have recently seen in cities across the United States) is a chilling prospect that evokes George Orwell’s searing critiques of authoritarianism. And rightfully so.

In his seminal works, Orwell painted a grim picture of what happens when the machinery of the state becomes too…