We're already under a soft form of martial law. The police and politicians already refer to the People as 'civilians' as though they are separate from us. Anyone who is not military, is a civilian, police and politicians included.

The term 'conspiracy theorist' was invented to ridicule those who can think.

You are partially correct in saying that "they move step by step, chipping away at freedom and rights", but they move slow when they have to, and they move fast when they have the opportunity. They move as fast as they think they can get away with. Remember the words of Rom 'The Malignant Monster' Emmanuel, "never let a crisis go to waste"

Almost any crisis one can think of was engineered to further the goals of the control freaks. It's transparent to those who know how to see and think.