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Ch. 12: Marcus – Saturday evening, January 25, 2025 - University Library

Restoring position...

Chapter 12

Marcus – Saturday evening, January 25, 2025 - University Library

Marcus took the corner desk by the window. Parking lot lights flickered on outside. Dusk. His thesis notes spread across the desk—comparative timelines, policy documents, court filings. The fluorescent lights hummed overhead, that institutional buzz that made late nights feel suspended in time. Somewhere behind him, a study group murmured over statistics homework.

But tonight the Class Portal pulled his attention. It was becoming his laboratory. Different worldviews processing the same events in real time. The professor wasn't watching. Masks off.

Nisha started, as she often did.

nisha_d:

Anyone see the news? 1,500+ pardons in one day. Including literally everyone who attacked the Capitol police.

jake_m:

He's healing the nation. These were political prosecutions and everyone knows it.

billy_j:

those people sat in prison for loving their country. trump just made it right. patriots shouldn't rot while antifa walks.

nisha_d:

Political prosecutions?? They beat police officers with flagpoles! Over 140 cops injured!

nisha_d:

My parents came here as refugees—they know what happens when governments decide who counts as "us" and who's disposable. I can't just unsee the patterns, even if I'm wrong about where this goes.

nisha_d:

Anyone see the news? 1,500+ pardons in one day. Including literally everyone who attacked the Capitol police.

Anyone see the news? 1,500+ pardons in one day. Including literally everyone who attacked the Capitol police.

jake_m:

He's healing the nation. These were political prosecutions and everyone knows it.

He's healing the nation. These were political prosecutions and everyone knows it.

billy_j:

those people sat in prison for loving their country. trump just made it right. patriots shouldn't rot while antifa walks.

those people sat in prison for loving their country. trump just made it right. patriots shouldn't rot while antifa walks.

nisha_d:

Political prosecutions?? They beat police officers with flagpoles! Over 140 cops injured!

Political prosecutions?? They beat police officers with flagpoles! Over 140 cops injured!

nisha_d:

My parents came here as refugees—they know what happens when governments decide who counts as "us" and who's disposable. I can't just unsee the patterns, even if I'm wrong about where this goes.

My parents came here as refugees—they know what happens when governments decide who counts as "us" and who's disposable. I can't just unsee the patterns, even if I'm wrong about where this goes.

Marcus leaned forward. Her urgency made sense now—not just theory, but inheritance. His fingers found the keyboard.

marcus_w:

Actually, this reminds me of something from the reading. March 21, 1933—the "Law Regarding the Granting of Amnesty" (Gesetz über Straffreiheit). Hitler's first mass amnesty after taking power. Pardoned crimes committed "in the national revolution."

nisha_d:

OMG yes! And both happened right after taking power. It's literally the same playbook.

jake_m:

Completely different. Hitler pardoned actual violent street fighters who helped him take power illegally. Trump pardoned peaceful protesters who got caught up in overzealous prosecutions.

marcus_w:

Actually, this reminds me of something from the reading. March 21, 1933—the "Law Regarding the Granting of Amnesty" (Gesetz über Straffreiheit). Hitler's first mass amnesty after taking power. Pardoned crimes committed "in the national revolution."

nisha_d:

OMG yes! And both happened right after taking power. It's literally the same playbook.

OMG yes! And both happened right after taking power. It's literally the same playbook.

jake_m:

Completely different. Hitler pardoned actual violent street fighters who helped him take power illegally. Trump pardoned peaceful protesters who got caught up in overzealous prosecutions.

Completely different. Hitler pardoned actual violent street fighters who helped him take power illegally. Trump pardoned peaceful protesters who got caught up in overzealous prosecutions.

Marcus's jaw tightened. The reframing was happening in real time—violence into patriotism, accountability into persecution. He'd seen this pattern before. Not in books. His father: ten years for a nonviolent drug offense. No amnesty. No "national healing." Different rules for different people.

sarah_k:

Were they really all peaceful though? I saw the video of that officer getting crushed in the door…

sarah_k:

Were they really all peaceful though? I saw the video of that officer getting crushed in the door…

Were they really all peaceful though? I saw the video of that officer getting crushed in the door…

Sarah Kim—pre-law, always with the precision. Marcus appreciated that. Facts mattered.

michael_l:

Can we not do this here? Some of us are trying to study.

nisha_d:

I hear you Michael. But isn't the whole point of studying history to understand what's happening now?

marcus_w:

The historical parallel is worth examining. Both leaders used pardons to reward political violence while framing it as "national healing." Hitler's amnesty specifically covered Brownshirt/SA men who committed crimes during the "national uprising."

sarah_k:

Which amnesty is that—who did it actually cover?

marcus_w:

March 21, 1933. It granted amnesty for offenses committed "in the struggle for the national uprising," primarily benefiting SA/SS and right-wing sympathizers for assaults, unlawful detentions, and breaches of the peace against political opponents. It recast street violence as patriotic and folded it into the state's legal order.

billy_j:

PATRIOTS PRAYED AND SANG. SA LITERALLY KILLED PEOPLE FOR YEARS. STOP TWISTING HISTORY CAUSE YOU HATE TRUMP.

michael_l:

Can we not do this here? Some of us are trying to study.

Can we not do this here? Some of us are trying to study.

nisha_d:

I hear you Michael. But isn't the whole point of studying history to understand what's happening now?

I hear you Michael. But isn't the whole point of studying history to understand what's happening now?

marcus_w:

The historical parallel is worth examining. Both leaders used pardons to reward political violence while framing it as "national healing." Hitler's amnesty specifically covered Brownshirt/SA men who committed crimes during the "national uprising."

sarah_k:

Which amnesty is that—who did it actually cover?

Which amnesty is that—who did it actually cover?

marcus_w:

March 21, 1933. It granted amnesty for offenses committed "in the struggle for the national uprising," primarily benefiting SA/SS and right-wing sympathizers for assaults, unlawful detentions, and breaches of the peace against political opponents. It recast street violence as patriotic and folded it into the state's legal order.

billy_j:

PATRIOTS PRAYED AND SANG. SA LITERALLY KILLED PEOPLE FOR YEARS. STOP TWISTING HISTORY CAUSE YOU HATE TRUMP.

PATRIOTS PRAYED AND SANG. SA LITERALLY KILLED PEOPLE FOR YEARS. STOP TWISTING HISTORY CAUSE YOU HATE TRUMP.

Marcus glanced around the library. Other students studying, oblivious. Billy's rage wasn't random—his pinned tweet showed him and his father outside a shuttered factory, caption: "They took everything. We're taking it back." Grief channeled into fury. It never ended well.

nisha_d:

Translation: hurt people for the movement, then get your record wiped once your guy wins.

nisha_d:

Translation: hurt people for the movement, then get your record wiped once your guy wins.

Translation: hurt people for the movement, then get your record wiped once your guy wins.

Marcus nodded at his screen. That was the core mechanism.

marcus_w:

And the line kept moving. In July 1934 they retroactively declared the regime's own extrajudicial killings (Night of the Long Knives) lawful "state self-defense." That's beyond pardons—it's legalizing violence after the fact.

jake_m:

The SA were literal brownshirts who beat people in the streets for years. January 6 was ONE DAY. And Trump won the popular vote—Hitler never did.

nisha_d:

One day where people died! And they literally built a gallows! How is that peaceful protest??

nisha_d:

And this is just the beginning. Mark my words: we're going to see Trump's people on the streets, wearing masks, randomly arresting and beating people just like the Brownshirts did. This is the game plan. Pardon the violence now, normalize it, then deploy it systematically. That's how it works.

amir_h:

The pardons included people convicted of seditious conspiracy. That's not a minor crime.

marcus_w:

And the line kept moving. In July 1934 they retroactively declared the regime's own extrajudicial killings (Night of the Long Knives) lawful "state self-defense." That's beyond pardons—it's legalizing violence after the fact.

jake_m:

The SA were literal brownshirts who beat people in the streets for years. January 6 was ONE DAY. And Trump won the popular vote—Hitler never did.

The SA were literal brownshirts who beat people in the streets for years. January 6 was ONE DAY. And Trump won the popular vote—Hitler never did.

nisha_d:

One day where people died! And they literally built a gallows! How is that peaceful protest??

One day where people died! And they literally built a gallows! How is that peaceful protest??

nisha_d:

And this is just the beginning. Mark my words: we're going to see Trump's people on the streets, wearing masks, randomly arresting and beating people just like the Brownshirts did. This is the game plan. Pardon the violence now, normalize it, then deploy it systematically. That's how it works.

amir_h:

The pardons included people convicted of seditious conspiracy. That's not a minor crime.

The pardons included people convicted of seditious conspiracy. That's not a minor crime.

Marcus's hands went still on the keyboard. Amir was right—these weren't jaywalking charges. Seditious conspiracy: organized attempt to overthrow the government. And now pardoned, celebrated, welcomed home as heroes.

marcus_w:

Here's another parallel worth considering: Both Hitler and Trump pardoned violent supporters while purging law enforcement leadership. Hitler removed "unreliable" police officials, Trump fired 17 Inspectors General. The pattern is about consolidating control over state security forces.

jake_m:

IGs aren't cops. They're deep state bureaucrats who tried to block Trump's agenda. The people spoke in 2024. Elections have consequences.

nisha_d:

"Elections have consequences" doesn't mean "pardoning cop killers is fine if you win"

jake_m:

No cops died during January 6. That's literal fake news.

billy_j:

media lied about everything that day. they said we were armed, said we planned a coup. all garbage. nobody trusts their spin anymore.

marcus_w:

Here's another parallel worth considering: Both Hitler and Trump pardoned violent supporters while purging law enforcement leadership. Hitler removed "unreliable" police officials, Trump fired 17 Inspectors General. The pattern is about consolidating control over state security forces.

jake_m:

IGs aren't cops. They're deep state bureaucrats who tried to block Trump's agenda. The people spoke in 2024. Elections have consequences.

IGs aren't cops. They're deep state bureaucrats who tried to block Trump's agenda. The people spoke in 2024. Elections have consequences.

nisha_d:

"Elections have consequences" doesn't mean "pardoning cop killers is fine if you win"

"Elections have consequences" doesn't mean "pardoning cop killers is fine if you win"

jake_m:

No cops died during January 6. That's literal fake news.

No cops died during January 6. That's literal fake news.

billy_j:

media lied about everything that day. they said we were armed, said we planned a coup. all garbage. nobody trusts their spin anymore.

media lied about everything that day. they said we were armed, said we planned a coup. all garbage. nobody trusts their spin anymore.

Marcus pulled up his research notes. Facts first.

marcus_w:

Officer Brian Sicknick died the next day. The one who assaulted him with chemical spray just got pardoned. Those are facts, not fake news.

nisha_d:

How is that not at least manslaughter though? He fought rioters, collapsed, and died the next day. If you start a chain of events that kills someone, that's on you.

sarah_k:

Pre-law hat on for a sec: the D.C. medical examiner ruled "natural causes"—two strokes. Homicide (including manslaughter) needs a causal link between a person's act and the death. The ME also said what happened on Jan 6 "played a role," but that's not the same as legal causation for homicide. That's why DOJ charged serious assaults instead of homicide.

marcus_w:

Officer Brian Sicknick died the next day. The one who assaulted him with chemical spray just got pardoned. Those are facts, not fake news.

Officer Brian Sicknick died the next day. The one who assaulted him with chemical spray just got pardoned. Those are facts, not fake news.

nisha_d:

How is that not at least manslaughter though? He fought rioters, collapsed, and died the next day. If you start a chain of events that kills someone, that's on you.

How is that not at least manslaughter though? He fought rioters, collapsed, and died the next day. If you start a chain of events that kills someone, that's on you.

sarah_k:

Pre-law hat on for a sec: the D.C. medical examiner ruled "natural causes"—two strokes. Homicide (including manslaughter) needs a causal link between a person's act and the death. The ME also said what happened on Jan 6 "played a role," but that's not the same as legal causation for homicide. That's why DOJ charged serious assaults instead of homicide.

Marcus appreciated Sarah's precision. She did this—cut through emotion to legal mechanics. Pre-law track, probably came from a family of lawyers. Facts mattered to her the way patterns mattered to him.

marcus_w:

Right—"natural causes" undercuts the homicide element. Prosecutors still had strong cases for assault with a dangerous weapon (chemical spray), which led to multi-year sentences for some defendants. Different crime, different burden.

jake_m:

Exactly. Media ran with "beaten to death" when the ME said strokes. Overcharging people because of politics is the actual injustice.

nisha_d:

But the ME also said what happened "played a role," which sounds like stress/trauma from the attack contributed. Isn't that enough?

sarah_k:

Contributing factors can matter morally, but legally you still need proximate cause that meets the homicide standard. The ME's classification makes that very hard to prove beyond a reasonable doubt.

amir_h:

So why would Trump pardon the guy who sprayed Sicknick?

jake_m:

Because he thinks DOJ turned protesters into political prisoners. Pardons are a constitutional safety valve when prosecutions overshoot. He's saying: enough. Time to move on.

marcus_w:

Right—"natural causes" undercuts the homicide element. Prosecutors still had strong cases for assault with a dangerous weapon (chemical spray), which led to multi-year sentences for some defendants. Different crime, different burden.

jake_m:

Exactly. Media ran with "beaten to death" when the ME said strokes. Overcharging people because of politics is the actual injustice.

Exactly. Media ran with "beaten to death" when the ME said strokes. Overcharging people because of politics is the actual injustice.

nisha_d:

But the ME also said what happened "played a role," which sounds like stress/trauma from the attack contributed. Isn't that enough?

But the ME also said what happened "played a role," which sounds like stress/trauma from the attack contributed. Isn't that enough?

sarah_k:

Contributing factors can matter morally, but legally you still need proximate cause that meets the homicide standard. The ME's classification makes that very hard to prove beyond a reasonable doubt.

Contributing factors can matter morally, but legally you still need proximate cause that meets the homicide standard. The ME's classification makes that very hard to prove beyond a reasonable doubt.

amir_h:

So why would Trump pardon the guy who sprayed Sicknick?

So why would Trump pardon the guy who sprayed Sicknick?

jake_m:

Because he thinks DOJ turned protesters into political prisoners. Pardons are a constitutional safety valve when prosecutions overshoot. He's saying: enough. Time to move on.

Because he thinks DOJ turned protesters into political prisoners. Pardons are a constitutional safety valve when prosecutions overshoot. He's saying: enough. Time to move on.

Marcus typed quickly. Jake's argument had internal logic, but it missed the signaling function—the message sent to future loyalists.

marcus_w:

And because clemency can rewrite the narrative: it signals loyalty to supporters, reframes violence as patriotism, and punishes institutions (DOJ, courts) that resisted him. It's a political mechanism, not just mercy.

marcus_w:

The mechanism here is using executive power to redefine political violence as patriotic action. Hitler's amnesty law specifically called Brownshirt street fighting a "national revolution." Trump's pardon proclamation calls January 6 prosecutions a "grave national injustice." Both reframe criminal acts as patriotic ones.

sarah_k:

Differences matter, too. Hitler had an organized party militia (SA/SS), rapidly captured courts, and used retroactive legalization of killings. The U.S. still has independent courts and separation of powers. Mechanisms can rhyme without being identical.

jake_m:

Exactly—constitutional clemency isn't the same as legalizing executions. He's correcting what millions see as political prosecutions.

marcus_w:

Different systems, yes. But the signaling overlaps: rewarding movement violence, elevating loyalty over legality, and pressuring independent institutions. In Germany that produced full impunity. Here, trajectory depends on what courts and Congress do next.

nisha_d:

And the long game looks similar: normalize the violence, purge oversight (IGs), and swap neutral staff for loyalists (Schedule F). Even if it's not the SA, you're still building impunity for "our side."

sarah_k:

Quick legal note on the Night of the Long Knives piece: Hitler didn't "pardon" those killings. On July 3, 1934, the regime passed a law declaring the executions "measures of state self-defense," retroactively making them lawful. That's different from clemency—it's rewriting the law so the state's own violence was never a crime.

marcus_w:

And because clemency can rewrite the narrative: it signals loyalty to supporters, reframes violence as patriotism, and punishes institutions (DOJ, courts) that resisted him. It's a political mechanism, not just mercy.

marcus_w:

The mechanism here is using executive power to redefine political violence as patriotic action. Hitler's amnesty law specifically called Brownshirt street fighting a "national revolution." Trump's pardon proclamation calls January 6 prosecutions a "grave national injustice." Both reframe criminal acts as patriotic ones.

sarah_k:

Differences matter, too. Hitler had an organized party militia (SA/SS), rapidly captured courts, and used retroactive legalization of killings. The U.S. still has independent courts and separation of powers. Mechanisms can rhyme without being identical.

jake_m:

Exactly—constitutional clemency isn't the same as legalizing executions. He's correcting what millions see as political prosecutions.

Exactly—constitutional clemency isn't the same as legalizing executions. He's correcting what millions see as political prosecutions.

marcus_w:

Different systems, yes. But the signaling overlaps: rewarding movement violence, elevating loyalty over legality, and pressuring independent institutions. In Germany that produced full impunity. Here, trajectory depends on what courts and Congress do next.

nisha_d:

And the long game looks similar: normalize the violence, purge oversight (IGs), and swap neutral staff for loyalists (Schedule F). Even if it's not the SA, you're still building impunity for "our side."

sarah_k:

Quick legal note on the Night of the Long Knives piece: Hitler didn't "pardon" those killings. On July 3, 1934, the regime passed a law declaring the executions "measures of state self-defense," retroactively making them lawful. That's different from clemency—it's rewriting the law so the state's own violence was never a crime.

Marcus typed quickly, adding context.

marcus_w:

And those killings weren't just Brownshirt leaders. Ernst Röhm, yes, but also conservatives who helped him rise—former Chancellor Kurt von Schleicher among them. At least 85 killed, possibly more. The Reichstag then essentially ratified it. That's how impunity becomes the system.

jake_m:

Which proves my point: that's not what's happening here. No retroactive laws legalizing killings. Different universe.

nisha_d:

Different tools, similar effect if you keep going: you bless movement violence (amnesty), punish oversight (IG purge), and tell everyone who's "us" that the rules don't really apply. It's the impunity direction of travel that scares me.

nisha_d:

And both targeted law enforcement that wouldn't fall in line! The IGs, the DOJ prosecutors who quit…

jake_m:

You're really stretching for these comparisons. Hitler had actual paramilitaries who helped him take power. January 6 was regular Americans protesting election fraud.

marcus_w:

And those killings weren't just Brownshirt leaders. Ernst Röhm, yes, but also conservatives who helped him rise—former Chancellor Kurt von Schleicher among them. At least 85 killed, possibly more. The Reichstag then essentially ratified it. That's how impunity becomes the system.

jake_m:

Which proves my point: that's not what's happening here. No retroactive laws legalizing killings. Different universe.

Which proves my point: that's not what's happening here. No retroactive laws legalizing killings. Different universe.

nisha_d:

Different tools, similar effect if you keep going: you bless movement violence (amnesty), punish oversight (IG purge), and tell everyone who's "us" that the rules don't really apply. It's the impunity direction of travel that scares me.

nisha_d:

And both targeted law enforcement that wouldn't fall in line! The IGs, the DOJ prosecutors who quit…

And both targeted law enforcement that wouldn't fall in line! The IGs, the DOJ prosecutors who quit…

jake_m:

You're really stretching for these comparisons. Hitler had actual paramilitaries who helped him take power. January 6 was regular Americans protesting election fraud.

You're really stretching for these comparisons. Hitler had actual paramilitaries who helped him take power. January 6 was regular Americans protesting election fraud.

Marcus knew this wasn't accurate. He'd read the seditious conspiracy indictments.

marcus_w:

The Proud Boys and Oath Keepers weren't "regular Americans." They were organized militia groups convicted of seditious conspiracy. One of them literally stockpiled weapons and formed "quick reaction forces." That's paramilitary behavior.

billy_j:

proud boys kept peace when cops stood down in 2020. they love america. courts railroading them doesn't change that.

rachel_g:

My grandmother survived Dachau. Maybe we could be a little careful with these comparisons?

marcus_w:

The Proud Boys and Oath Keepers weren't "regular Americans." They were organized militia groups convicted of seditious conspiracy. One of them literally stockpiled weapons and formed "quick reaction forces." That's paramilitary behavior.

billy_j:

proud boys kept peace when cops stood down in 2020. they love america. courts railroading them doesn't change that.

proud boys kept peace when cops stood down in 2020. they love america. courts railroading them doesn't change that.

rachel_g:

My grandmother survived Dachau. Maybe we could be a little careful with these comparisons?

My grandmother survived Dachau. Maybe we could be a little careful with these comparisons?

Marcus's hands stopped moving. Rachel never mentioned that. The weight of it—grandmothers who survived, grandchildren who carried it forward. His own grandmother had stories too. Different camps. Jim Crow, not concentration camps. But she'd taught him the same lesson: recognize danger early, or don't survive at all.

nisha_d:

Rachel, I hear you. No one is saying January 6 equals the Holocaust. We're looking at early warning signs of how democracy breaks down.

jake_m:

Right, because winning an election and using constitutional pardon power is "democracy breaking down."

marcus_w:

The Constitution gives pardon power, yes. The question is how that power gets used. Both Hitler and Trump used it to legitimize political violence while purging state security institutions. That's the parallel worth studying.

amir_h:

Can we keep it respectful? We're supposed to be analyzing historical patterns.

nisha_d:

The pattern is super clear: Both pardoned violent supporters who attacked democracy, both purged law enforcement oversight, both claimed to be "healing the nation" while actually rewarding political violence.

jake_m:

The actual pattern is pretty clear too: You guys call everything fascism when you lose elections.

sarah_k:

Logging off. See everyone in class Friday.

nisha_d:

Rachel, I hear you. No one is saying January 6 equals the Holocaust. We're looking at early warning signs of how democracy breaks down.

Rachel, I hear you. No one is saying January 6 equals the Holocaust. We're looking at early warning signs of how democracy breaks down.

jake_m:

Right, because winning an election and using constitutional pardon power is "democracy breaking down."

Right, because winning an election and using constitutional pardon power is "democracy breaking down."

marcus_w:

The Constitution gives pardon power, yes. The question is how that power gets used. Both Hitler and Trump used it to legitimize political violence while purging state security institutions. That's the parallel worth studying.

amir_h:

Can we keep it respectful? We're supposed to be analyzing historical patterns.

Can we keep it respectful? We're supposed to be analyzing historical patterns.

nisha_d:

The pattern is super clear: Both pardoned violent supporters who attacked democracy, both purged law enforcement oversight, both claimed to be "healing the nation" while actually rewarding political violence.

jake_m:

The actual pattern is pretty clear too: You guys call everything fascism when you lose elections.

The actual pattern is pretty clear too: You guys call everything fascism when you lose elections.

sarah_k:

Logging off. See everyone in class Friday.

Logging off. See everyone in class Friday.

Marcus sat back. The Portal thread was winding down, but it had given him what he needed—people thinking through mechanisms, citing evidence, engaging seriously even when frustrated. For the raw discourse, the unfiltered worldviews, he needed to look elsewhere.

He pulled out his phone and opened Twitter.

Nisha's feed loaded first. His thumb scrolled through her Thursday afternoon post and the replies that followed:

@nisha_desai_activist: Trump just pardoned 1,500+ Jan 6 attackers, including those who assaulted police officers. This isn't mercy—it's declaring that political violence for "our side" is acceptable. Textbook authoritarian move. #January6Pardons #Fascism

Her followers amplified fast—the activist left, progressive students, organizers:

@ResistanceFighter2025: This is terrifying. We're watching democracy die in real time and people are just… okay with it?
@AntifascistAction: Nisha's right. Pardoning political violence = green light for more violence. Anyone who doesn't see this is complicit.
@DSA_Campus: Organizing teach-in Monday at 7pm. We need to mobilize NOW. Who's in?
@ClimateJusticeWarrior: And while Trump rewards his violent mob, he's gutting the EPA and selling Alaska to oil companies. It's all connected.

@ResistanceFighter2025: This is terrifying. We're watching democracy die in real time and people are just… okay with it?

@AntifascistAction: Nisha's right. Pardoning political violence = green light for more violence. Anyone who doesn't see this is complicit.

@DSA_Campus: Organizing teach-in Monday at 7pm. We need to mobilize NOW. Who's in?

@ClimateJusticeWarrior: And while Trump rewards his violent mob, he's gutting the EPA and selling Alaska to oil companies. It's all connected.

But the conservative accounts wandered in too, drawn by Nisha's hashtags:

@PatriotVoice2025: Cry more, lib. These were peaceful protesters railroaded by the deep state. Trump is restoring justice.
@MAGA_Warrior88: Your side burned cities for months in 2020. Jan 6 was ONE DAY of patriots standing up to a stolen election.
@ConservativeDad: "Fascism" = anything I don't like. You people are exhausting.

@PatriotVoice2025: Cry more, lib. These were peaceful protesters railroaded by the deep state. Trump is restoring justice.

@MAGA_Warrior88: Your side burned cities for months in 2020. Jan 6 was ONE DAY of patriots standing up to a stolen election.

@ConservativeDad: "Fascism" = anything I don't like. You people are exhausting.

Marcus kept scrolling. Nisha engaged selectively—quote-tweeting supporters, ignoring trolls. Her community was an echo chamber, yes, but mobilized. Protests, teach-ins, direct action planned within hours. He bookmarked several threads.

Jake's account next. His post was measured, aimed at persuasion:

@jake_morrison2025: Trump's pardons are controversial, but context matters. Many Jan 6 defendants got unusually harsh sentences for nonviolent offenses—trespassing, parading. The Proud Boys/Oath Keepers cases are more serious, but even there, "seditious conspiracy" is a heavy charge when no weapons were used at the Capitol. Reasonable people can debate where the line should be. #January6 #PoliticalPrisoners

His replies showed a different world:

@FactoryWorkerJoe: Jake's the only one talking sense. My cousin got 3 years for walking through the Capitol for 10 minutes. That's not justice.
@VetsForTrump: Thank you for standing up for patriots. The media won't tell the truth but we know it.
@SmallBizOwner: I didn't vote for Trump in 2016, but watching what they did to these people changed my mind. This is political persecution.
@ChurchMom1776: Praying for all the families torn apart by these unjust prosecutions. God bless President Trump for his courage.

@FactoryWorkerJoe: Jake's the only one talking sense. My cousin got 3 years for walking through the Capitol for 10 minutes. That's not justice.

@VetsForTrump: Thank you for standing up for patriots. The media won't tell the truth but we know it.

@SmallBizOwner: I didn't vote for Trump in 2016, but watching what they did to these people changed my mind. This is political persecution.

@ChurchMom1776: Praying for all the families torn apart by these unjust prosecutions. God bless President Trump for his courage.

But liberal accounts pushed back:

@ProgressiveVoice: @jake_morrison2025 "No weapons used"? They beat cops with flagpoles! Officer Sicknick died! This is disgusting revisionism.
@ResistNow2025: @jake_morrison2025 Seditious c to overthrow the government. That's literally what they did. Stop making excuses for terrorism.

@ProgressiveVoice: @jake_morrison2025 "No weapons used"? They beat cops with flagpoles! Officer Sicknick died! This is disgusting revisionism.

@ResistNow2025: @jake_morrison2025 Seditious c to overthrow the government. That's literally what they did. Stop making excuses for terrorism.

Jake replied to the critics, calm and detailed:

@jake_morrison2025: @ProgressiveVoice The ME ruled Sicknick died of natural causes (strokes). Terrible tragedy, but not homicide. And yes, some people were violent—those cases are different. I'm talking about the trespassing/parading charges where people got years in federal prison.

Marcus paused. Jake's feed pulled him in—earnest replies, careful distinctions, no conspiracy theories. This was the persuadable middle, the voters who'd swung the election. They weren't hateful. They were convinced. Somehow that felt more dangerous.

Even Jake's relatively civil space had edges:

@TrumpOrDie2025: The deep state is SHAKING. Trump just told them he's coming for ALL of them. Retribution time baby!
@PatriotMom1776: Finally someone with the GUTS to stand up for us! Trump is God's warrior!!!
@WorkingClassHero2025: My brother-in-law was in there for 18 months for standing in the Rotunda for 5 minutes. EIGHTEEN MONTHS. Thank God for Trump.

@TrumpOrDie2025: The deep state is SHAKING. Trump just told them he's coming for ALL of them. Retribution time baby!

@PatriotMom1776: Finally someone with the GUTS to stand up for us! Trump is God's warrior!!!

@WorkingClassHero2025: My brother-in-law was in there for 18 months for standing in the Rotunda for 5 minutes. EIGHTEEN MONTHS. Thank God for Trump.

Even in Jake's space, an undertone. Worship of Trump not just as president but as strongman. Framing of opponents not as wrong but as enemies. Jake never used that language. His followers did. The movement had tiers, and Marcus was documenting all of them.

His stomach tightened as he pulled up Billy's feed:

@billy_j_real: TRUMP JUST FREED THE PATRIOTS. THEY SANG HYMNS AND GOT CAGES. DEMS BURNED CITIES AND GOT PROMOTED. WE'RE DONE PLAYING NICE. #JAN6 #AMERICAFIRST

@billy_j_real: TRUMP JUST FREED THE PATRIOTS. THEY SANG HYMNS AND GOT CAGES. DEMS BURNED CITIES AND GOT PROMOTED. WE'RE DONE PLAYING NICE. #JAN6 #AMERICAFIRST

The replies were momentum without brakes.

@1776Steel: FINALLY A PRESIDENT WITH A SPINE. NEXT STEP: CLEAN OUT DOJ AND RUN IT LIKE WE MEAN IT.
@LibTearsCollector: HANG THE TRAITORS WHO LOCKED THEM UP. JUDGES, PROSECUTORS, THE WHOLE ROTTEN CROWD.
@FlagMamaUSA: My boy cried when Trump spoke. He knows his daddy didn't do anything wrong. We're coming back stronger.
@TruthStormQ: PHASE ONE COMPLETE. WATCH FOR MASS ARRESTS OF THE PEDO ELITES. TRUST THE PLAN.

@1776Steel: FINALLY A PRESIDENT WITH A SPINE. NEXT STEP: CLEAN OUT DOJ AND RUN IT LIKE WE MEAN IT.

@LibTearsCollector: HANG THE TRAITORS WHO LOCKED THEM UP. JUDGES, PROSECUTORS, THE WHOLE ROTTEN CROWD.

@FlagMamaUSA: My boy cried when Trump spoke. He knows his daddy didn't do anything wrong. We're coming back stronger.

@TruthStormQ: PHASE ONE COMPLETE. WATCH FOR MASS ARRESTS OF THE PEDO ELITES. TRUST THE PLAN.

Billy didn't reply to anyone. He didn't need to. The post was a flare shot into the night sky, and the replies were vows of vengeance, not arguments.

Marcus closed Twitter and set his phone down. His hand trembled slightly—adrenaline or dread, he wasn't sure. He opened his thesis document and began typing.

The Portal gave him classroom version—curated, moderated, accountable. Twitter gave him the raw version—unfiltered, tribal, uncompromising. Together, they showed how it worked. Not simple disagreement. Separate realities, each constructing its own truth.

He thought about Weimar. Communists and Nazis shouting past each other. The center gone. Not destroyed by force. By silence. The space between the sides where democracy used to live.

Marcus saved his notes and closed his laptop. Monday's faculty lunch would bring the academic lens—Dr. Brenner's history, Professor Williams's psychology, Professor Kingle's constitutional law. They'd analyze mechanisms, cite precedents, maintain scholarly distance.

But they'd miss what he'd just documented. Three worlds talking past each other. Each convinced of its righteousness. Each seeing the others as existential threats.

He stood, packed his bag. Outside the window, campus was Saturday night—students heading to parties, couples walking hand-in-hand, someone skateboarding past the library. Normal life continuing while the ground shifted beneath it.

How do you warn people who don't see it coming?

Marcus turned off the desk lamp and headed for the door.

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