THE COMING FORCED LABOR STATE: WHY DEMOCRATS MUST TURN UP THE HEAT OR BE BURNED BY HISTORY
The Alarms Are Screaming—Will Democrats Wake Up Before It’s Too Late? (And We're Damn Close to It Being "Too late.")
Patty Hartman, A 17-year former Justice Department official who was fired on Monday. "The people in charge who are supposed to protect us — our fellow Americans who we elected, along with those who were appointed, and swore an oath to protect this nation and our Constitution — now use the Constitution as a weapon to suit their own ends. And the most terrifying fact is, their road map is very long," (CBS)
THE COMING FORCED LABOR STATE: WHY DEMOCRATS MUST TURN UP THE HEAT OR BE BURNED BY HISTORY
The Jack Hopkins Now Newsletter #417
“Every form of refuge has its price.”
— Steely Dan
Even if you don’t see the chain yet…you can feel the weight of it tightening around your neck.
You may not have heard the “shot heard around the world”…but the attack on freedom has already begun. In fact…it started long ago.
And the saddest part?
The people who are supposed to fight for us are still sitting on their hands while the fire spreads through the house.
This isn’t about politics anymore.
It’s about freedom vs. forced obedience.
Democracy vs. submission.
And whether you…your kids…your neighbors—hell, even your enemies—are going to be free humans… or state-controlled labor units in the “great again” America.
The Slippery Slope Isn’t Coming. We’re Already Sliding.
Let’s talk about Patty Hartman—a 20-year veteran public affairs officer at the DOJ.
She helped guide communications through the January 6 prosecutions. She didn’t break the law. She didn’t lie. She didn’t leak classified intel.
She was just doing her job—supporting truth.
So what happened?
She got fired mid-press release. Termination letter signed by Trump loyalist Pam Bondi. No warning. No cause.
And she wasn’t alone.
She’s the fourth DOJ employee tied to Jan. 6 prosecutions to get canned recently.
This isn’t cleanup.
It’s a purge.
She told CBS, “The line between the DOJ and the White House has disappeared.”
And she’s right. But that’s just the appetizer. The real meal? Total state control over who stays… and who serves.
Trump’s Rhetoric Has Shifted from “Illegals” to “Vermin”
First it was: “They’re coming for your jobs.”
Then it became: “They’re bringing crime…drugs…and disease.”
And now? It’s “vermin.”
Understand this: when you dehumanize a group…you’re not just paving the way for deportation.
You’re laying the groundwork for forced labor…internment…and extermination.
We’ve seen this movie before:
Nazi Germany started with deportations and ended with labor camps and crematoriums.
Stalin's Soviet Union criminalized “parasites” (people not working) and sent millions to Siberian work gulags.
In the U.S., Japanese Americans were rounded up and “relocated”—many into labor arrangements.
Under Jim Crow…Black men were arrested for “loitering,” then leased to mines and plantations.
With Trump is in power—and the DOJ…ICE…and DHS answering directly to him—if Democratic leadership insists on continuing their infuriating…half-assed game of political pat-a-cake… where showing up on MSNBC to "warn us" while doing nothing substantial counts as “working their asses off”… then let’s call this what it is:
It’s the Weimar Republic on replay.
It’s 1933 with better lighting and worse excuses.
They’re issuing statements while institutions collapse.
They’re tweeting while people are being purged.
They’re "concerned"—while the machinery of state is being rewired to grind dissent into dust.
And if they don’t slam their fists down on the levers of power—now—we’re not going to slide into history’s darkest chapters… we’re going to be shoved into them…eyes open…by cowards wearing blue ties and mumbling about bipartisanship.
And Let’s Be Real… They’ll Never Call It “Forced Labor”
They’ll call it:
“Workfare”
“Patriotic service”
“Earn-back programs”
“Urban restoration brigades”
“Criminal rehabilitation through contribution”
They’ll paint it red…white…and blue.
They’ll wrap it in flags and quote Paul and Proverbs.
And people will cheer…because it won’t look like fascism at first.
It’ll look like “common sense.”
But you? You’ll know better.
So Where the Hell Are the Democrats?
Let me be blunt.
Democrats are treating a four-alarm fire like it’s a fender-bender in a school zone.
They should be:
Calling daily press conferences.
Holding emergency field hearings in detention centers.
Demanding Patty Hartman’s reinstatement and accountability for her firing.
Warning every American: “You’re next. If we don’t stop this now, we won’t be able to later.”
Instead?
They're still talking about “bipartisanship” and “restoring norms.”
Newsflash: Norms don’t survive coups.
You don’t compromise with people trying to burn the Constitution.
What History Teaches Us About What's Coming… And How to Survive It
Let’s stop pretending this moment is unique.
We’ve been here before. Not exactly—but close enough.
Let me tell you about the American Dust Bowl survivors of the 1930s.
Crops died. Livestock dropped in the fields. Kids coughed up dirt. My great-grandmother talked about it frequently.
People packed everything they owned into a Ford Model A and fled west…only to be called “Okie trash” and chased out of towns like rabid dogs.
But they didn’t die. They endured.
They adapted. They found each other. They formed co-ops…shared seeds…rotated labor.
Then there were the Jews and Roma in 1940s Europe. When Hitler rose to power… many said, “He’s just a blustering fool. He’ll never go that far.”
He did. And they were thrown into camps.
But even there…people taught…resisted…shared scraps…preserved history—because they believed in something on the other side of horror.
Then the Great Depression—breadlines stretching around corners, banks folding overnight.
You know what saved people?
Not FDR alone. Not the WPA. Not Social Security.
It was their mindset.
Their willingness to stick together…to get creative…to fight like hell and refuse to believe the lie that they were powerless.
The Real Reason You’re Reading This
Because if you’re here…you're not someone who reads history…you’re someone who makes it.
You were born with a fire. You see through the crap. You smell the danger. And you’ve probably spent months yelling at your TV going:
“WHY THE HELL AREN’T THE DEMOCRATS DOING MORE?”
You’re not wrong. And you’re not alone.
But now, it's our job to light the match under their collective asses.
We need:
Hundreds of calls per day to every Dem lawmaker saying: “If you don’t raise hell, we’ll raise it for you.”
Town halls flooded with real people…real fear…and real outrage.
Writers…podcasters…influencers…and union leaders shouting: This is fascism in work boots. If you’re not fighting it…you’re feeding it.
Final Thought
If you think forced labor can’t happen in America, I leave you with this:
In 1942, the U.S. Government told Japanese Americans to pack a bag and report to a train station.
They did.
They went quietly.
And we’ve spent the last 80 years pretending that we learned something.
So now ask yourself this: If your neighbor gets labeled a “burden”… how long before someone knocks on your door?
Because they won’t call it tyranny.
They’ll call it “policy.”
Now’s the time to act.
Not tomorrow. Not after the next poll.
Now.
If you're reading this…you’re part of the resistance.
Let’s make some damn noise.
Need help getting started? Your wish…is my command:
CALL. EMAIL. SHAKE THE DAMN WALLS.
This part’s just for you—because if you’ve read this far…you’re not a spectator. You’re a tough-minded human being who is going to be part of the effort. You’re one of the few willing to stand up before the hammer drops.
So here’s your next step:
THE MESSAGE: What to Say to Lawmakers
You can copy…paste…scream…or rewrite it. Just deliver the pressure.
“I’m a voting American, and I want to know: Where the hell are you?
The DOJ, ICE, and DHS are now Trump’s weaponized tools. Whistleblowers are being purged. Immigrants and the poor are being demonized as ‘vermin.’
I want to know what you’re doing right now to stop the machinery of forced labor… mass deportations…and authoritarian rollback.
Hold daily press briefings. Demand oversight hearings. Block any legislative moves that facilitate this creep. If you’re not immediately escalating this…you are complicit.
Turn it up from 2 to 11—NOW. Because we will remember who stood up…and who sold out.”
WHO TO CALL
You don’t need 50 calls—you need 5 heavy-hitting calls made right now:
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) — (202) 224‑3121
Leader of Senate Democrats, voice of the caucus Congress.govBallotpedia+15Wikipedia+15Wikipedia+15
Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) — (202) 224‑3121
Ranking Member, Senate Judiciary Committee Wikipedia+3Wikipedia+3Senate Judiciary Committee+3
Senate Democratic Policy & Communications Chair Amy Klobuchar (D‑MN)
(202) 224‑3121 — Vital for messaging and strategy AP News+12Wikipedia+12Axios+12
Senate Democratic Strategic Communications Chair Cory Booker (D‑NJ)
(202) 224‑3121 — Key amplifier and public voice
Your U.S. Representative
They’re the frontline. Let them know you expect public leadership…not backroom statements.
👉 Tip: Use the Capitol Switchboard:
(202) 224‑3121 — ask operator: “Connect me to Senator [Name]” or “My Representative.” Takes 30 sec.
EMAIL & SOCIAL SCRIPT
Subject: Stop the slide into forced labor — act now
Body:
I’m a voter who sees the DOJ, ICE, and DHS turned into tools of authoritarian control.
DOJ whistleblowers fired. Immigrants and welfare-eligible people labeled as threats.This is not a horror movie spoiler—it’s happening right now.
I demand leadership, not statements.
I expect oversight hearings, public pressure, legislative blocks.
If you’re not actively anchoring your caucus to resist this slide…you’re letting it happen.We’re watching. We are prepared…but we can’t do this alone.
Step up. Ramp it to 11.— A voter who refuses to sit silent.
Post on X, Threads, Facebook, Bluesky…Everywhere:
The DOJ, ICE & DHS have fallen under authoritarian control. Schumer, Durbin, Klobuchar, Booker—we demand action now. Are you on defense or just press briefings? #NoForcedLabor #ActNow
AMPLIFY AND LOG ACTION
Screenshot this.
Post it.
Tag the Senators.
Share with friends…family…your network.
Post-call, post your name/status: “Called Schumer—he needs to ramp up this fight.”
Don’t let this be just words.
Let your calls…posts…and pressure be the line they cannot cross.
I’m not here to wave a white flag—and neither are you.
How do I know?
Because you wouldn’t be reading this…much less subscribed to this newsletter…if you were the type to roll over and whimper when things get hard.
I don’t attract the weak. Never have.
I don’t do "mamby-pamby." I don’t write for fence-sitters or faint hearts. The people who follow me—the people like you—might think they’re not strong enough for this fight…
But I know better.
If I didn’t believe—deep down—that you and I were making a dent in the darkness…I’d be somewhere else. Fishing. Or picking blackberries each day with my youngest. (I am going to squeeze an hour in later this afternoon!) Two things I love. Two things I’d be doing a hell of a lot more of… if we were living in normal times.
But we’re not.
And let’s get something straight—I’m not telling you this because I want applause or sympathy or to call any of this a “sacrifice.” It’s not a damn “sacrifice.”
The truth is: the fire I feel every time I sit down to write…record…or push this message forward? It’s real. It’s electric. It’s the kind of energy that only comes from doing exactly what you’re supposed to be doing.
And I know you feel it too.
Because people like us—when the world starts slipping—we don’t run.
We dig in.
We work.
We hold the damn line.
And today…we push harder than ever.
Keep your chin up, shoulders pulled back a bit…and talk to yourself inside your head in that “in command of myself” tone of voice. It’s transformative.
Warmly,
Jack
P.S.
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