The etymology of the word thug traces back to an organized group of murderers and robbers in 19th-century India who would strangle their victims. The term itself comes from words meaning "cheat" and "swindler," rooted in concepts of covering and concealing.
Today, we are witnessing state-sponsored thuggery in the form of moral and institutional suffocation, achieved through threats, coercion, and intimidation wielded by those in power.
As reported by CBS, the prestigious law firm Paul, Weiss, under pressure from an executive order targeting the firm’s security clearances and federal contracts, met with President Trump and, rather than standing firm in defense of its principles and commitments, they capitulated.
The ransom? $40 million in free legal services to support White House initiatives, coupled with an agreement to disavow diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) considerations in hiring and promotion. This is state-sponsored extortion.
The executive order in question was ostensibly about the firm’s previous work involving Mark Pomerantz, who had overseen an investigation into Trump’s finances while at the Manhattan District Attorney’s office. But the reality is that this was merely a pretext. The real target was any legal opposition to the president and his agenda, and the intent was to make the offending entity pay and suffer public humiliation. This is state-sponsored sadism.
In a carefully worded statement, firm chairman Brad Karp said:
"We are gratified that the President has agreed to withdraw the Executive Order concerning Paul, Weiss. We look forward to an engaged and constructive relationship with the President and his Administration."
What reads as a statement of relief is, in reality, an epitaph to professional and ethical courage. The statement is not a victory but an admission of defeat. And this "agreement" represents just one among a growing number of protection money payments being made by companies and educational institutions.
Meta and ABC have made settlement payments to Trump’s future presidential library to resolve lawsuits, and numerous tech and financial firms have rolled back DEI programs to accede to Trump’s edicts. The message is clear: fall in line or face financial and reputational ruin — give us what we want and do as we say or there’ll be trouble.
This is not governance. It’s not even human decency. It's wanton degradation and predation. It is power unmoored from principle, wielded to consolidate power and obliterate freedom, autonomy, and dissent. When the institutions that are supposed to safeguard justice and equity capitulate without a fight, they embolden the bully and validate the threats.
It’s been said that war is politics by other means. As we witness some of the most powerful institutions on the planet cower and capitulate, we are forced to see that this is terrorism by other means. And the knock-on effects of seeing giants bend the knee and empty their pockets and souls will be tragic and catastrophic.
If even powerful institutions cannot or will not stand their ground, what hope is there for smaller entities and individuals? This is how tyranny thrives — through the silence and compliance of those who ought to resist. Better to give the bully your lunch money. Better to stand by as your neighbor endures a brutal and humiliating shakedown. Better to stay mute and meek until they come for you – and even then, apparently.
Have they come for your institution – for your integrity – for your lunch money? Have they rolled deep into your neighborhood in grotesque tank-like cars with an offer of protection you can’t refuse? If they are not in your living room yet, defaming you, eyeing your heirlooms, and rifling through your cookie jar, then they are no more than a house or two away, on their way to you. What are you prepared to do when they arrive?
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