Cementing Authoritarian Rule One Seig-Heil at a time

Feb 21, 2025

REQUIRED VIEWING:

THE SHORT VERSION: The Thiel-Yarvin Playbook: Understanding the Endgame
THE LONG VERSION: The CEO-Dictator Playbook

Understanding these events requires viewing them as part of a long-planned blueprint for authoritarian takeover, not isolated incidents. This report outlines Curtis Yarvin and Peter Thiel’s decades-in-the-making strategy to dismantle democracy and consolidate power under billionaire-controlled executive rule. The Trump administration is aggressively reshaping the federal government, challenging legal and constitutional boundaries.

These actions aim to consolidate executive power, diminish checks and balances, and align governance with corporate interests, reflecting the ideological visions of Curtis Yarvin and Peter Thiel, who advocate for a CEO-style presidency with minimal oversight. Today's developments reveal a strategic effort to shift public discourse by introducing extreme ideas—such as a Trump third term, the mass imprisonment of political elites, and the likely reinstatement of the Bellamy salute—into mainstream conversation.

This tactic serves to normalize authoritarian rhetoric, gradually expanding the Overton Window—the range of acceptable political discourse—to include previously unthinkable propositions. By desensitizing the public to such extreme measures, the administration incrementally erodes democratic norms and paves the way for more overt authoritarian actions. The consolidation of law enforcement under Patel, the gutting of federal oversight, the targeting of political dissenters, and the takeover of public infrastructure all point toward the next phase: direct enforcement of ideological loyalty.

NOTE FROM THUCYDIDES: I tried to keep it as brief as possible. A LOT went down in the last 24 hours and a lot of it needed space to cover, even being brief. Good Luck!

Bannon’s Nazi Salute: The ‘Joke’ Phase is Over

The pattern is always the same. It starts as a joke. Then it is repeated under the guise of irony. Then it becomes accepted. Then it is expected. Then it is required.

At CPAC yesterday, Steve Bannon threw a Nazi salute. He did not mask it. He did not deny it. It was casual, unchallenged, and met with cheers and from the look of his reaction, possibly a few salutes back to him. This is the tipping point. What was once an edgelord meme on anonymous forums, found it’s way to the republican stage in 2016 with Laura Ingraham, but it was so far outside of the Overton Window at that point it was basically ignored. that gap allowed Elon Musk to swoop in and perform the salute with emphasis, which led to the ‘ironic joke’ phase of people replicating it as a ‘meme’. However, now it is being performed by one of the most powerful far-right strategists alive. The MO is not subtle. They push until resistance crumbles, then push the line a little further. Rinse. Repeat.

It is not just that “someone” that did this. It is Steve “The real opposition is the media. And the way to deal with them is to flood the zone with shit.” Bannon. He is not some random extremist testing the waters—he is the architect of the movement itself. Bannon, who has expressed admiration for Yarvin’s Writings and allegedly had a private communication line to him in 2016 in the Whitehouse. (Sources: Populism Studies, Politico) He is the one who built the machine that turned online fascist aesthetics into real-world political power. He cultivated the “ironic” far-right from message boards and podcasts, laundering it into mainstream politics. He designed the pipeline that normalized ideas like this in the first place. Now, he is no longer just enabling it. He is leading it.

But it was not only a gesture that caught my attention. The speech that followed was even more revealing. Bannon openly called for a Trump third term and floated the imprisonment of political elites in a “DC gulag”. He framed this as a lighthearted suggestion, the same way the salute was just a joke. This is how authoritarian escalation works. The most extreme ideas are introduced casually, making their way into the conversation before they are fully embraced as policy. (Source Videos: Salute, Trump ‘28, Gulag )

Neither is Bannon’s CPAC moment an isolated incident. The groundwork has been laid for years. JD Vance calls professors “the enemy.” Officials talk of “purging” the deep state. Law enforcement is being centralized and deputized to ensure these words are backed by force. This salute is a preview of what comes next.

This is not bad optics. It is not isolated bad actors. This is conditioning. The joke phase is over, we are fully into the acceptance phase. Next will be expectation and requirement. I fully expect the conversation to soon turn to a change in federal code requiring the ‘original american salute’. The Bellamy Salute which is very close or nearly identical to the nazi salute, which is why it was discontinued after the Nazis co-opted the gesture. It will be framed as the original and pre-nazi salute or whatever rationale they need, but my prediction is that this is the line of propaganda they will take to begin requiring children in schools to do it, sporting events, ect.

Patel’s FBI Locks in Step 5 of the Takeover

Step 5 of Yarvin’s Butterfly Revolution is nearly complete. Law enforcement independence is nearly nullified with Patel’s confirmation as FBI Director. The FBI is now is centralized, militarized, and it’s leader is fully loyal to the regime. Patel’s FBI will be a devastating instrument of enforcement against political and civil dissidents alike.

Blackwater, masquerading as ‘Triple Canopy’ was deployed on day one, disguised as private “rent-a-cop” security to hide their immediate deployment. ICE has been restructured, absorbing deputized IRS agents and corrections officers, expanding its surveillance powers, and launching a new division dedicated to monitoring online dissent. These agencies, once distinct, now function as a consolidated security force, answerable only to the executive, who according to a recent Executive Order is now the ONLY arbiter of what the law is.

Patel was not chosen for competence. He was chosen for loyalty. He rewrote intelligence reports, shielded January 6 insurrectionists, and demanded purges of political enemies. His leadership ensures that the FBI will no longer investigate corruption—it will enforce political obedience. The rhetoric is already in place. JD Vance calls professors the “enemy.” Senators openly discuss using federal power to purge media and academia. The groundwork has been laid for the next phase.

Step 6 is inevitable. With Congress neutered and the courts ignored, the security state expands its reach. The targets shift from street-level opposition to elite dissidents, independent media, and academia. The system is in place. Next comes the lurch. (Source: NBC)

Law Enforcement is Centralized. Now Dissent is Criminal.

Now that consolidation of power is nearly complete. Law enforcement at the federal level is no longer independent. The FBI, ICE, and federal security forces are under the control of a single ruling faction, loyal not to the Constitution, but to an executive who now claims unilateral authority over the interpretation of law. The Supreme Court has ruled he is immune from prosecution. The system is no longer restrained by checks and balances. It answers to no one.

Now, those in charge of this militarized and fully empowered federal enforcement arm are openly declaring political opponents “criminals.”

Kash Patel, the newly installed FBI Director, called Senator Adam Schiff the “worst criminal in congressional history.” Elon Musk immediately reinforced it, posting “Schiff is a criminal.” What crime? Protesting. Schiff stood outside FBI headquarters and spoke out against Patel’s confirmation. That alone was enough. Even if they manage to (and they will) trump up some charges against him, it is the PROTEST that triggered the outburst. (Source: Times Of India, Bluesky)

This cannot be ignored. The nation’s top law enforcement officer, backed by the most powerful tech mogul in the world (who now has unilateral control and access to ALL US systems, financial ports and US Citizen’s Private data), has declared a sitting U.S. senator a criminal—without charge, without trial, without law—purely for opposing them. This is even more concerning when we also take into account the recent threatening letter from Pam Bondi’s DOJ to Representative Robert Garcia, implying he was being investigated for perceived ‘threats’ to Mr. Musk. This investigation is based on a presentation he gave where he insinuated that Elon Musk was a “dick”. (Source: The New Republic)

Schiff is obviously in danger, as are AOC, Garcia or any other person that has been called out “in jest” as criminal or needing deported, but this is not about them. Ultimately it is more of the same theme. Widening the Overton Window and injecting the idea into the public discourse. The FBI is no longer neutral. The justice system no longer operates independently. The new ruling order dictates what is legal and illegal, based not on law, but on loyalty.

Dissent is now “criminal”. Man, these guys really ARE a bunch of dicks.

Day One: ICE Gains Sweeping New Powers

I wasn’t writing this report on Day 1. However, on the first day of the new presidency, DHS quietly expanded ICE’s reach, deputizing federal agents and corrections officers to enforce immigration law. (Source: IMM) This move, now only entering public discourse, granted DOJ agencies—including U.S. Marshals, DEA, ATF, and Bureau of Prisons—the power to arrest and detain noncitizens. ICE also absorbed state corrections officers, giving local jails a direct role in federal immigration enforcement. (Source: Corrections1)

The strategy is blatantly authoritarian in nature; In lieu of and before it is able to be made “law”, enforce compliance through intimidation. In Tompkins County, NY, Sheriff Derek Osborne refused to detain a man beyond his sentence. In fact, the law requires that he let the man go. ICE responded with legal threats, and the DOJ launched an investigation into the sheriff himself—a clear warning to other local officials. That man was allegedly an “undocumented immigrant”, but simply saying that, or even if it was true, has no bearing on the fact that the current admin and their enforcers have since almost Day 1 have been testing the waters of how far physical and legal intimidation can get them. (Source: Boltsmag)

This is a more dangerous version of the Gulf of America tactic—a small, bureaucratic change or “interpretation” used as a foothold for broader authoritarian control through intimidation tactics. ICE’s expanded authority was locked in on Day One, but it took weeks for the public to catch up. By the time it became news, it was already too late. And so to, will all the revelations come. little by little, then all at once. LURCH!

Removal of Federal Enforcement Officer Misconduct Oversight.

Now, in totally related and obviously connected news, the Justice Department has deleted the only federal police misconduct database. The National Law Enforcement Accountability Database (NLEAD) was the sole official system tracking excessive force, illegal detentions, and abuse of power by federal officers. It no longer exists.

This happened as ICE deputized corrections officers, as the FBI was handed to a political enforcer, as federal arrest powers expanded. Now, with law enforcement centralized and fully “loyalized”, oversight has been wiped from the books. There is no longer an official record of federal misconduct. No history of bad cops. No accountability for future atrocities.

This is the next step. The people in charge of a militarized, fully empowered federal enforcement arm are now openly calling their political enemies criminals and shifting the language of what is considered “criminal” or “obstruction”. The purge is coming, and now there’s no paper trail to monitor the ones carrying it out. We are behind. (Source: Axios)

Snail Mail? More like “Sieg Meil”

Trump signals a dismantling the U.S. Postal Service’s independence. He plans to fire the USPS governing board and transfer control to the Commerce Department, run by Trump loyalist Howard Lutnick. The White House will now dictate how mail moves, who has access, and what policies apply.

In Nazi Germany, the Reich Postal Ministry was converted into a tool for propaganda and surveillance. In the Soviet Union, the KGB controlled the mail, intercepting and censoring communications. These regimes understood that whoever controls the mail controls information.

Though information moves differently today, the CEOs of Google, Facebook, and other platforms are already aligned with the administration. The takeover of USPS is not about controlling all communication—it’s about locking down the last independent infrastructure that connects every American household, including those without reliance on corporate-controlled digital platforms. The USPS handles ballots, secure government communications, and critical records. With this takeover, Trump now holds direct influence over voting, government messaging, and the free flow of information.

Law enforcement has been centralized, federal oversight has been dismantled, and now, Trump is taking control of the country’s mail system. Power grab.

Trump’s justification? The USPS is losing money and must be restructured. Of course, this ignores the real cause of its financial struggles. The 2006 Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (PAEA), signed by George W. Bush. The law forced the USPS to pre-fund retiree health benefits 75 years in advance, creating an artificial financial crisis.

The threads are small but full of meaning; at the time, Bush was aligned with the Heritage Foundation, which has long pushed for privatization. Inside the administration was Russell Vought, who worked as a Special Assistant to the President. Vought is now the architect of Trump’s authoritarian restructuring plan, Project 2025. He was present when USPS was kneecapped. He is now helping Trump use that crisis as justification for full executive control.

The argument that the USPS is failing financially ignores fundamental facts:

• The pre-funding mandate was an intentional sabotage. No other agency or private business operates under this burden. The USPS would have been profitable without it.

• It is not supposed to turn a profit. The USPS is a public service, ensuring mail access for rural communities, veterans, and small businesses.

• Privatization will kill universal access. Private carriers don’t serve unprofitable routes. If the USPS is privatized, expect higher costs, service cuts, and rural areas being abandoned.

• The economy depends on the USPS. Small businesses, prescription deliveries, and government communications all rely on it. Without a functional USPS, corporate monopolies gain control of mail logistics.

• Mail-in voting relies on the USPS. Under direct executive control, mail-in ballots could be delayed, deprioritized, or manipulated for political gain.

This is not about fixing a budget problem. This is about making sure that the last major communications infrastructure outside of corporate control is absorbed into the executive branch. Power grab. (Source: WaPo)

Trump: “We Are the Federal Law”

Trump has made it clear: there is no law, only his will. In a direct threat to Maine Governor Janet Mills, Trump declared, “We are the federal law,” in response to Mills saying she would “follow federal and state law”. In a public and personal threat, trump vowed to cut off federal funding unless the state enforces his transgender athlete policy. The issue itself is irrelevant—the point is absolute power.

This isn’t standard federal funding coercion. Normally, when the federal government ties funding to state policies—like highway money for speed limits or education grants for curriculum standards—it follows an established legal processes. What’s happening here is different. There is no law, no rulemaking, no constitutional process—just a threat. This is about proving that Trump alone decides what is legal and that his enforcement agencies will punish anyone who resists. Indeed, within an hour of this exchange, investigations were launched with Mills in their cross-hairs.

The structure for absolute rule is already is set. The FBI is run by his enforcer. Federal law enforcement has been expanded, militarized, and placed under his direct command. ICE now operates without oversight, and the Justice Department just deleted its own misconduct database. Now, Trump is making it clear that state governments are next. This stunt is his first public attempt at creating laws on the spot that can then be investigated by his goons.

This is not negotiation. This is not persuasion. This is rule by force. The guardrails are gone. Every lever of power belongs to him, who is going to stop him?
(Sources: WaPo, PressHerald)

You Can’t Say That—And You Can’t Hear It Either

The CDC has indefinitely postponed a public meeting of its vaccine advisory panel, while measles and bird flu do horribly scary things with no monitoring or public awareness available. This postponement comes by direct order from the administration. The public will not hear their discussion, and no official explanation has been given. At the same time, Washington now opposes the phrase "Russian aggression" in official G7 statements, an effort to erase language that acknowledges a basic geopolitical reality.

One is about silence. One is about rewriting history. Both serve the same goal.

It doesn’t matter that rejecting the phrase "Russian aggression" is as absurd as claiming the sun rises in the west, as one person commented. Spending energy debating the logic is the trap. This is not about truth. It is about control. The pattern is this: conversations are shut down, phrases are removed, language is rewritten. We have to somehow look past these specific “WHAT” and in the “HOW” and the “WHY”. Our goal is to focus on the commonalities of these actions.

This follows the same strategy already in play. The "Gulf of America" renaming sets the stage for punishing media outlets that don’t comply. The DOJ’s deleted misconduct database erases records of federal abuse. Independent agencies lose autonomy, their messages dictated from above.

NRx doctrine calls for total consolidation—not just of force, but of narrative, of communication, currency, of everything. The system must dictate reality. Words that do not serve the system must be erased. (Sources: Axios, WaPo)

Joint Chiefs Dismissed.

Trump has dismissed several of the Joint Chiefs of the Military, removing leaders with decades of experience at the highest levels of command, for unknown reasons, but all 3 do have some striking similarities that one could draw conclusions from.

Targeted Dismissals

The recent firings remove a cross-section of top military leaders: (Source: Politico)

• General Charles Q. "CQ" Brown Jr., Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the second Black individual to hold this position, has been removed.

• Admiral Lisa Franchetti, Chief of Naval Operations and the first woman to serve on the Joint Chiefs, has also been dismissed.

• General James Slife, the Air Force Vice Chief of Staff, has been relieved of his duties. Slife has been a vocal advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives within the Air Force.

The message I believe they hope to send with this; minorities, women, and those who advocate for them are dispensable.

Nominated to replace Gen. Brown is retired Air Force Lieutenant General Dan "Razin" Caine. Unlike Brown, who was a career 4-star general with extensive operational leadership experience, Caine’s most recent notable credentials are his role as a partner at Shield Capital, a hedge fund and venture capital firm.
(Source: Shield Capital)

The ‘Meritocracy’ Myth

Hegseth and others in the administration have framed this restructuring as a move toward "true meritocracy." Yet, in this new definition of "merit," a 3-star general whose primary contribution to the world is owning a hedge fund is deemed more qualified to lead the military than a career 4-star general or the first woman to serve on the Joint Chiefs. Leadership is no longer about experience, operational command, or service—it is about alignment and loyalty.

This is a dual-purpose purge—erasing the influence of minorities and women in leadership while elevating loyalist private-sector insiders under the guise of "merit." Not to say anything of someone who is traditionally underqualified (He would be first non 4-star in this position) and heavily partnered with a hedge fund in charge of the US military. Do I need to spend entire paragraph spelling that out? The long-term impact on military effectiveness, institutional stability, and national security is secondary to the immediate goal: consolidating a military that answers to one ideology, one definition of leadership, and one ultimate authority. King Trump.

Trump Guts IRS During Peak Tax Season

In a move that cripples the government’s ability to collect its own revenue, President Donald Trump has fired 6,700 Internal Revenue Service (IRS) employees—about 6% of the agency’s workforce—right in the middle of tax season.
(Reuters)

Deliberate Chaos

These layoffs will cause massive delays in refunds, slow customer service, and (surprise!) cripple enforcement against wealthy tax dodgers. With fewer staff, the agency will struggle to process tax filings, investigate fraud, or manage audits—all while Americans are left waiting for refunds they depend on.
(Source: Business Insider)

If the goal was efficiency, this move makes no sense. The IRS is one of the only agencies that brings in more money than it spends. But efficiency isn’t the goal—systemic instability is.

This is NRx governance in practice. Yarvin’s doctrine calls for a sovereign ruler unconstrained by bureaucratic institutions. The state must be stripped down and restructured so that all authority flows upward, without interference from legacy systems like an independent military, an apolitical IRS, scientific advisory boards, institutions of higher learning or independent media.

This is about dismantling resistance, hollowing out the government and replacing it with new “software”. Everything we are seeing is still in perfect lock-step with Yarvin and Thiels ideologies and stated plans.

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong is NRx

Brian Armstrong, CEO of Coinbase, is directly tied to the NRx movement. He is a vocal advocate for “network states” and “network cities”, language lifted directly from Curtis Yarvin’s ideology of dismantling democratic governance in favor of corporate-controlled sovereignties.

This is based on an article from October 2023, but its relevance is clear now. Armstrong has significant political pull in Congress and controls a major financial pipeline. Coinbase’s crypto lobbying efforts pour millions into reshaping regulations, embedding NRx-aligned interests deep within both government and financial infrastructure.

This is more evidence of Yarvin’s influence—not just in tech, but in government. Right now. Like Today. Armstrong is not simply an ideologue; he controls infrastructure, capital, and has substantial political access and persuasion. The restructuring of power is an active, coordinated from many angles, and accelerating. (Source: New Republic)

Presidio Gutted: Network City in the making

Public infrastructure is being dismantled. Government services are being defunded. Institutional oversight is being stripped away. The result is an engineered collapse of traditional governance, leaving a vacuum that private entities are stepping in to fill. Land is being acquired, new jurisdictions are being formed, and authority is shifting from public institutions to private hands.

The defunding of the Presidio Trust, the agency managing San Francisco’s historic Presidio park, follows this pattern. NRx affiliates are positioning to acquire the site as a privately governed ‘network city.’ The removal of federal oversight clears the path for private ownership, shifting control of public land to entities aligned with Curtis Yarvin’s vision of post-democratic rule.

This is a deliberate two-step process: first, defund and destabilize, making public institutions incapable of maintaining control. Then, move in and acquire, repurposing the land into an autonomous, privately governed zone. The Presidio appears to be a pilot program, a test run for the larger rollout of Trump’s so-called “Freedom Cities”—privately controlled enclaves that match Yarvin’s blueprint for governance.

THIS SHOULD BE THE LEAD STORY TONIGHT as these are the first real moves towards their intended and stated end goals. However, by design these events are happening at the same time as.. well.. all the other shit you’ve read through. There is no way I could make this a priority, but IT IS IMPORTANT. This is what they are going for. This is the purpose of all the chaos, all the DOGE stuff, everything. They need land and they need lack of laws and oversight for long enough to build their first city and establish sovereignty. (Source: The Nerd Reich)

Quick Hits

This is just the last 24 hours (mostly). There’s more—too much more—to cover in depth. That’s the point. Flood the zone. Steve Bannon coined the phrase, so it’s only fitting that he’s center stage today, throwing up a gleeful Sieg Heil at CPAC, distracting from everything else. I know this is cheating, but I’m out of time tonight and I’ve probably lost everyone by now. Mom, you still reading? I have to wrap this up.

Denise Cheung Resigns, DOJ Filled With Loyalists

The head of the Criminal Division in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C. is out. Cheung resigned after refusing to push a baseless Biden-era investigation. The office is now run by an unqualified loyalist. For Trump Law is tool or a weapon, not part of a functioning government system. (Source: Financial Times)

Federal Employees: Fired, Not Reinstated

Headlines claim thousands of National Park Service workers were rehired. Leaked emails show it’s a lie. The jobs are unfilled and unfunded. The public is being gaslit while the agency continues to be gutted. More distraction tactics so the public spins their tires while they continue pushing towards NRx goals. They will NEVER listen to the courts! It is not in the plan. (Sources: Mueller, LA Times, AltNPS)

The ‘Healthy America’ Order is Not What It Seems
On a rereading of the Keep America Healthy executive order, I noticed that it paints autism, ADHD, and obesity as “dire” national security threats. At first, it sounds like an initiative to help kids. But these conditions aren’t ‘fixable.’ So if they are a threat to our way of life, what’s the “solution”? This rhetoric has a well documented history. I’m sure you can guess. I’m out of time. (Source: The White House)

Oh, and One More Thing—

U.S. lawmakers are now openly discussing the possibility of shooting each other on the house floor. (Source: Kansas Reflector)

Final Thoughts

These are a copy/paste of last night’s final thoughts. They are the same tonight, probably going to be locked into this mode for a bit. Buckle up.

The scope and speed of these changes can feel overwhelming—like an unstoppable unraveling of everything we thought was protected. That’s the point. The strategy relies on exhaustion, confusion, and the gradual acceptance of the unacceptable.

But even in the face of this, there’s one thing you can do. If you’re on Bluesky (or any platform), you can help by joining a small awareness campaign I’m calling The Other Butterflies. It’s a way to push back, to make sure people see what’s happening for what it is. I’ll link it here. Even a small signal in the noise can make a difference. Click the butterfly for more info 🦋