Yeah, free men don't need driver licenses or car registration. Just do it.
In large part, VHF and UHF are just "plug and play." Not so with HF. HF requires practice and experience to use it well. Practice means "on air" time. In the fUSA surveillance state see how long you are "on air" without a license.
While a fair portion of hams are of a "live and let live" mindset, a significant fraction of hams are prigs who jealously guard "turf." Try using a bogus call sign or transmitting without a call sign and they will narc you out in a hurry. Most logging software automatically queries the FCC database when contact is logged. DFing your location(s) and fingerprinting your radio is a trivial exercise.
Earlier this year I learned that a radio can be DF'd without transmitting. Your radio's LO and IF can be DF'd.
In the current environment the risk/benefit ratio for unlicensed radio work is unfavorable to your remaining "free."
So you can buy equipment now and (1) use it unlicensed at risk now or (2) don't learn to use it until the festivities start when the cost of a stupid mistake is much worse than a fine.
Not only what you say over Ham Radio bands can get you in trouble, but also your post content at CathInfo alone can get you targeted.
My husband is very guarded in what he says. His Ham Radio buddies are likewise very careful. They limit their discussion to farming, guardening, health, weather, fires, wind storms, floods, and rain levels. Once in a while cryptic statements are made, for example that there are a lot of unhappy people in California who hope to leave this wretched sanctuary state.
The NSA, CIA, and FBI are listening to everything we post, publish, and say on the internet, phone, or radio. If we cannot get rid of the Deep State, then our very life and liberty will be at risk. Surveillance is multinational. Not only are the MI5, MI6, Australian intelligence, Mossad, etc. watching us, but also other countries are sharing information about their citizen through satellite technology. The Deep State is everywhere.
Already, post content and videos are being censored at YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Google, and Instagram. Videos are being privatized and thus are no longer viewable simply for mentioning Schiff's CIA Whistleblower.