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What if it's not about immigration? Not about borders. Or citizenship. Not crime. Or culture.
It certainly doesn't feel that way.
What if it's really about is creating a faceless para-military force that follows no law, and is accountable to no one, except one man. Maybe it's about building remote internment camps that exist outside of the law, where anything can happen and does.
What if immigration enforcement is the dry run? To see what the public will accept. And despite a low level hum of outcry, America seems like it will accept a lot. Will tolerate this state of affairs. Allowing people — immigrants now, supposedly, but who knows who later? — to be plucked off the street, for no particular reason, by masked agents of the government, and delivered to an unknown fate. Disappeared. No record of who they were or where they went.
That feels ... I almost said "right," though it is not right. Not at all. But wrong. Very wrong.
What I mean is that feels ... like a more accurate assessment of what is going on right now, right before or eyes. Or, more precisely, right behind our backs. History will wonder how Americans allowed it. That's what history always wonders. Why didn't we do more to stop it, while we still could? Why didn't we see it coming? The age old question.
It certainly doesn't feel that way.
What if it's really about is creating a faceless para-military force that follows no law, and is accountable to no one, except one man. Maybe it's about building remote internment camps that exist outside of the law, where anything can happen and does.
What if immigration enforcement is the dry run? To see what the public will accept. And despite a low level hum of outcry, America seems like it will accept a lot. Will tolerate this state of affairs. Allowing people — immigrants now, supposedly, but who knows who later? — to be plucked off the street, for no particular reason, by masked agents of the government, and delivered to an unknown fate. Disappeared. No record of who they were or where they went.
That feels ... I almost said "right," though it is not right. Not at all. But wrong. Very wrong.
What I mean is that feels ... like a more accurate assessment of what is going on right now, right before or eyes. Or, more precisely, right behind our backs. History will wonder how Americans allowed it. That's what history always wonders. Why didn't we do more to stop it, while we still could? Why didn't we see it coming? The age old question.
Maybe because seeing what's coming is so terrifying. It's easier to pretend it's not happening. Even though it clearly is.
what if you've lost your motherfucking mind? take a breath. look out the window. any jackbooted thugs? take a break from what you're buying. put down your phone. turn off the computer. take a gummy. things aren't that bad.
ReplyDeleteGosh Bill, you're right. If the bad thing isn't happening right now, that means it'll never happen at all. No need to look at a growing evil and see where it leads. You've really set my mind at ease. Thanks for your valuable input. Though if you want my advice, keep your homeowner's insurance, even if your house is not actually on fire. at the moment.
DeleteYup
ReplyDeleteI remain frightened as all get out.
ReplyDeleteBill seems to ignore the fact that the worst of things often start with incremental steps involving more vulnerable people and then increasing to include many more. Pastor Niemöller's words still ring true.
ReplyDeleteI do want your advice and your perspective that's why I come here every goddamn day.
ReplyDeleteI too am an older fella and I remember my grandmother sitting at home watching television and reading the newspaper in Naperville worried about what was happening in Chicago like it was happening outside of her door it wasn't it isn't and she's been dead 20 years and everything's okay I understand that you're Jewish and it's different having been the object of genocide let's just call it what it is but for the vast majority of people everything is fine I'm headed up to lake Geneva today for my son's birthday we're going to go fishing have a game of catch we've been going up there for 50 years likely to be going up there 50 more.
Let's focus on getting out the vote for the midterms and beginning to task of getting these goofs out of office we can do it we're going to do it and things will be a little bit more the way we like them and the other half of the country will be losing their goddamn minds because the lips are in charge again
No argument here. If I were convinced we'll even HAVE fair elections in 2026 I'd be less concerned. But as you can see, they're doing everything in their power to erode that. This isn't just a bad administration, this is a bad administration trying to grant itself a permanent lock on power. Hence my alarm.
DeleteSo there is Bill, almost amazingly, immediately proving your point.
ReplyDeleteI respectfully suggest that Bill, and everyone else, read today's newsletter The Warning, from Steve Schmidt. If you aren't familiar with it, now would be a good time to check it out. Or The Bulwark. Or Zeito.
ReplyDeleteBill is a Putz. By diminishing what is happening and merely offering that we should “chill” until we flip the Congress is either naive about the Project 2025 (aka Nazi playbook) or willfully trying to normalize the situation.
ReplyDelete