Opinion: Anyone can join the “Revenge Tour.”

On my way home on Tudor Road in Anchorage recently, I pulled up behind a small sedan covered in bumper stickers, the most prominent of which read, “TRUMP 2024: THE REVENGE. TOUR” was written on it. Former President Donald Trump has long promised that if re-elected, he would use all of the vast resources at his disposal, including the U.S. military, to go after his enemies. Seeing the driver clearly happy to support this proposed abuse of power got me thinking about what a successful “revenge tour” would look like. Unfortunately, you don’t have to use your imagination. Many other countries provide examples of what happens when authoritarian leaders direct their anger at everyone who dares to oppose or submit to their will. It’s called oppression, and it’s brutal.

Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny died this week in an Arctic penal colony. He was most likely killed because he was a prominent, admired, and effective critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime. Other vocal opponents of the regime have also been killed or imprisoned. Anyone seen as a threat to Putin is still at risk, and one does not need to be prominent to feel under Putin’s control. Thousands of ordinary Russians have been imprisoned and harshly treated for speaking out against the war in Ukraine, and now more are being imprisoned for peacefully mourning Navalny’s death. By all reports, Putin’s campaign of revenge against his enemies has been broadly effective in silencing all types of opposition.

Recent events are by no means the first time Russians have suffered under a totalitarian government that takes revenge on those it has lost support for. A former Soviet political prisoner named Boris had stayed with my family in Fairbanks many years ago while on a speaking tour for an international human rights organization. Boris, a visual artist, was imprisoned for years in a forced labor camp in Siberia for creating artwork that the authorities deemed offensive. He considered himself lucky because he was able to go into exile. Many of his contemporaries never returned from the concentration camps. Decades ago, an estimated 20 million Soviet citizens died in executions, mass murders, and other atrocities during the reign of terror imposed by dictator Joseph Stalin. Stalin found enemies everywhere and did not hesitate to wipe them out.

Of course, Russia is not the only regime to carry out revenge operations. My family also took in Carlos, a young man from Argentina who was imprisoned and tortured during Argentina’s “Dirty War” in the late 1970s. Carlos, a university student, was arrested along with hundreds of others in a crackdown on “leftist” suspects, but was detained without charge or trial because the ruling military regime deemed them enemies of the state. An estimated 30,000 innocent Argentines lost their lives in this dirty war, including hundreds who were thrown alive from planes into the sea and whose bodies were never found. On another occasion, we helped host Jackie, a young woman from Rwanda who visited Rwanda, where she was the victim of a 1994 genocide campaign that claimed over 800,000 lives. Hutu leaders orchestrated the murder of the Tutsi minority they considered their enemies, using government control over the media, law enforcement, and military to instigate a ruthless campaign. Jackie, who is Tutsi, offered a cautionary tale about how quickly tragedy can occur when leaders fan the flames of hatred and revenge.

Americans who are tempted to dismiss President Trump’s promise of a “revenge tour” as light-hearted and harmless should take these stories to heart. In recent years, it has become clear that this highly polarized country is more susceptible to calls for violence than anywhere else. Now there is a mastermind trying to light the fuse. From launching attacks on public officials that led to intimidation and death threats, to threatening to cause mayhem if held accountable in court, to encouraging those who stormed the Capitol on his orders, the former president has been accused of It has been argued that it poses a threat to those who cross it. He showed us who He is and we need to believe in Him.

President Trump also made clear his admiration for the world’s strongmen, leaders like President Putin who claim absolute control and crush any efforts to limit their power. ing. When He promises to rule as they do, we need to believe Him in this as well. His personal enemies will become public enemies only at his discretion, neutralizing or ignoring the laws enacted to protect them. Who will be caught in his net? When you become a skilled liar, you go after those who tell the truth. When you are a businessman or politician who is a fraudster, you go after people who try to expose your crimes. When you want to be a dictator, you go after people who defend democracy and the rule of law. When you are a troubled person with a sensitive ego, a well-honed victim mentality, and no empathy for others, you will chase anyone. Today, his supporters who believe they are immune because they profess their love and admiration for him will be as vulnerable as the rest of us. Just ask the many former Trump associates who are now in his crosshairs.

As I drove down Tudor Road in the back of a car with a “Revenge Tour” bumper sticker, I felt sad that Americans would choose such a dangerous and heartbreaking future for this country. I’m reminded of the old saying, “He who seeks revenge should dig two graves.” Revenge does not bring justice. It causes further harm. Revenge does not heal wounds. It makes them deeper. Even if you take revenge, you won’t recover. It destroys. A “revenge trip” would waste much of what we hold dear: our freedoms, our security, and our very democracy. What a tragedy for all of us if we don’t seize the opportunity to stop it while we can.

barbara hood He is a former lawyer and businessman who lives in Anchorage.

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