<p>There is a new <strong>Department of Homeland Security report</strong> out from NBC News, and surprisingly, it isn't just the usual podium-speech fluff. For once, the media actually looked at the data regarding the <strong>Trump administration's protest response</strong>, and the facts are ugly. The DHS has been busy deploying what they call &quot;less lethal&quot; weapons on the populace. That is a funny term. &quot;Less lethal.&quot; It sounds marketable, like a diet soda—&quot;All the flavor, none of the death.&quot; But try telling that to the guy with the broken jaw or the woman suffering permanent vision loss from chemical agents.</p><p>The investigation reveals that these federal officers are flagrantly ignoring their own <strong>police use of force protocols</strong>. They have policies; they have a little handbook that explicitly states, &quot;Don't shoot people in the head with hard plastic balls unless absolutely necessary.&quot; Yet, the report found that they violated these policies repeatedly. Are you shocked? You shouldn't be. Government agencies aren't designed to follow rules; they are designed to enforce them on the little people—the suckers who pay taxes. When you give a person a badge and a launcher for <strong>kinetic impact projectiles</strong>, they are going to use it. It is human nature. Give a person unchecked power, and the monster comes out.</p><p>Here is the trick the <strong>DHS report</strong> highlights: there is always a loophole. Officers can ignore safety rules if they believe their &quot;lives are in danger.&quot; That phrase is the magic key that unlocks <strong>excessive force immunity</strong>. If an agent claims fear, the shooting starts. A plastic water bottle flies through the air? &quot;I feared for my life!&quot; Boom. Gas canister to the face. It is a &quot;Get Out of Jail Free&quot; card for state-sponsored violence, allowing them to break bones and sleep soundly at night.</p><p>The political Right watches the clips and calls it law and order, but let's optimize our definitions here: it is just a gang with better funding. They think beating up college kids makes the country safe, but it just fuels the polarization. The politicians want the chaos because it generates great campaign content. They are selling you fear and buying your vote with the promise of violence. Meanwhile, the Left screams but plays into the same <strong>civil unrest dynamics</strong>. One side has cardboard signs; the other has tax-funded chemical weapons. It was never a fair fight.</p><p>This whole situation exposes the lie of &quot;less lethal.&quot; It is an SEO-friendly marketing term designed to soften the reality of <strong>police brutality</strong>. If a weapon can break your bones or blind you, it is a weapon. The government engages in linguistic gymnastics—&quot;kinetic impact&quot; instead of beating, &quot;pain compliance&quot; instead of choking. It is newspeak designed to keep the suburban coffee-drinkers comfortable.</p><p>So, read the report if you want. Read about the blood and the broken policies. But understand that the people in charge—whether under Trump or his successors—won't give up these toys. Power protects power. They will just rewrite the policy, rebrand the weapon, and tell you it is for your own good. Welcome to the real world.</p><hr><h3>References &amp; Fact-Check</h3><ul><li><strong>Primary Source:</strong> <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/trump-dhs-immigration-protests-injuries-less-lethal-weapons-force-rcna258388" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBC News: Broken bones, burning eyes: How Trump's DHS deploys 'less lethal' weapons on protesters</a></li><li><strong>Key Finding:</strong> An internal DHS review found over 700 potential policy violations regarding the use of less-lethal force during 2020 protests.</li><li><strong>Terminology:</strong> "Less lethal" weapons include kinetic impact projectiles (rubber bullets, bean bag rounds) and chemical irritants (tear gas, pepper spray).</li></ul>