3 December—Responsible people in Goshen, Litchfield, Morris, and Warren will want make it a point today to go out and vote on this referendum question: “Do you support the RSD20 BOE to appropriate $1,900,000 to pay for debt service costs incurred as a part of the establishment of RSD20 and pursuant to the Plan Amendment approved by voters of the District on June 28, 2022 and to authorize the issuance of bond or notes of the district in an amount not to exceed $1,900,000 to finance the appropriation.”

Much as it may hurt as you mark your ballot, considering the long term a YES is in order.

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That takes us to the Geheime Staatspolizei—German for Secret State Police. It’s commonly known by its acronym, Gestapo. It was organized in 1933 largely through the efforts of Adolf Hitler’s devout loyalist and second-in-command Hermann Göring as the official secret police agency of Nazi Germany that terrorized all of Nazi-occupied Europe.

The infamous Gestapo was the Nazi Party’s—i.e., Hitler’s—notorious and dreaded political police force. As such, using informants, surveillance, house searches, and brutal interrogation methods (including but not limited to physical torture), the Gestapo had the virtually unlimited power to investigate and act on suspected treason, espionage, sabotage, and whatever else it damn well pleased.

That was the case because the Gestapo operated without legal, civil, or ethical restraints. In simple terms, the Gestapo was above the law. It was exempt from judicial review and not subject to courts where people could ordinarily sue the state to try to force it to conform to such laws as may have existed. Hitler’s enforcers were untouchable.

The Gestapo could summarily arrest people—that is, without a warrant or even questioning. The only justification—excuse—Hitler’s political police needed for so-called preventive arrests was that the “criminals” (intellectuals, leftists, homosexuals, and of course Jews, among others) offended the government in some—often unspecified—way. Remember, the government was the Nazi Party and Hitler. And Hitler was the Nazi Party. (That’s an example of synecdoche, but not the one in New York State.)

The “criminals” arrested by the Gestapo would be sent to concentration camps, tortured, or murdered. Every now and then lucky ones might be released for unspecified reasons, probably involving friends in the right places or money. Plus ça change indeed.

It’s reported that not long after he’d founded his largely retributive goon squad Göring didn’t think the protégé he had appointed the großer Kahuna der Gestapo was brutal enough. So he put the goons under the command of Hitler idolator and SS großer Kahuna Heinrich Himmler, to whom Hitler also gave command of most of Germany’s regional police forces. And Himmler gave the Gestapo to the notorious großer Drecksack Reinhard Heydrich.

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Apropos nothing but synecdoche, as everybody knows, the Republican Party is Donald Trump and Donald Trump is the Republican Party. In fact, embarrassing as it must be for principled Republicans, the Republican Party is now the Trump Party.

And that naturally takes us to Trump’s latest objectionable nomination, his scariest one to date, now that Matt Gaetz is thankfully out as Attorney General. Trump wants Kashyap “Kash” Patel, to be Director of the FBI. It’s not a cabinet post, to be sure, but it’s immensely prestigious and even more powerful. Talk about große Drecksäcke. Just as Göring was devoutly loyal to Hitler, Patel is devoutly loyal to Trump. Although Patel hasn’t said it in so many words, his loyalty to Trump is such that some anonymous (because their very lives are at risk) Trump advisers reckon he wouldn’t let the law get in his way in serving his Führer. Trump really appreciates that and he’s thought to be so protective of Patel that some aides keep out of his way lest they displease his highness.

It’s safe and doubtless understating the case to call Patel a vengeance-minded election denier, conspiracy alleger, deep state fantasist, and hyper-MAGA maniac. As well, of course, as a Trump idolator and fanatic—or, at the very least, user. During this year’s presidential campaign, in fact, he announced, “We will go out and find the conspirators—not just in government, but in the media.”

Patel warned Trump’s perceived enemies—many of whom are what he calls “government gangsters,” like Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Christopher Wray— on a podcast with Steve Bannon, “We’re going to come after you. Whether it’s criminally or civilly, we’ll figure that out. But yeah, we’re putting you all on notice, and Steve, this is why they hate us. This is why we’re tyrannical. This is why we’re dictators.”

Admission or boast? Promise or threat? Vengeance is his, saith the lackey. He’ll figure out how to wreak it.

That was when Patel was hectoring the masses during the campaign, merely as a Trump intimidater. Imagine what the junger Drecksack, as Trump’s enforcer, will do when he has a weaponized FBI to wipe his master’s ass with.

In fairness to Kash Patel, the infamously autocratic J. Edgar Hoover lorded over the FBI—and presidents—for 48 years and used the agency’s vast resources to harass people he didn’t like—but generally for his own purposes. And he likely blackmailed presidents to keep his job and get his way. Nor is the FBI pure as the driven snow.

Back to Trump and Patel, then, it’s no wonder the once and future president loves his intended enforcer. And that’s yet another reason to fear the coming Trump administration . . .