Through a thorough investigation of media reports, court records, and military documentation, Lembcke found no credible evidence that anti-war protesters spat on returning soldiers. In fact, many in the anti-war movement viewed soldiers as victims of the war machine, not its enemies. Some veterans even became anti-war leaders themselves.

This isn’t governance. It’s message-sending. These actions don’t just punish individuals—they warn the rest of us. Organize, and you’ll be audited. Speak, and you’ll be charged. Align with the wrong cause, and you may be erased.

In our fight to resist authoritarianism, we must also resist the dehumanization disguised as innovation. Because the future we’re being sold isn’t just a vision—it’s a transaction. And someone always pays.