One thing the masks do for ICE agents is protect them from Nuremberg prosecutions if ever our elected officials can find the courage to enforce the laws that they passed and remove this fascist regime called MAGA from power. I cannot think of a single cabinet member or agency head who has not violated their oath of office by ignoring court orders, weaponizing government by trumping up baseless charges against Trump's enemies, and/or engaging in corrupt practices to enhance their own or their families' personal wealth at the cost of taxpayers. Of course, ICE and other federal agents frequently use excessive force, including murder, as we have seen them do it on the television news. Odds are that they have been selected for their violent histories and/or encouraged to brutalize suspects whom they think have violated the law because of their racist worldviews.
None of this would happen if our Governors and mayors had the stones and ability to control the police and have them protect the citizens from these masked and armed thugs, but they don't.
Take Governor Sherrill of New Jersey,newly elected Democrat.
There is an ongoing demonstration against the crimes and abuses being cconducted by Ice at Delaney Hall in Newark.
Ice felt under siege and was afraid, so Sherrill, deployed the State Police to protect Ice, and Mayor Baracka sent in the Newark Police.
And the State troopers let loose with rubber bullets and flashbangs. Sherrill said, publicly, that she sent in the state troopers to protect the people from ICE, but the evidence is just the opposite, and Mayor Baracka had his police push the news media, whichincluded Ali Velshi and his camera crew, back over a mile from the event, so far that they couldn't evensee it much less film it.
Of course he obfuscated and denied any responsibility, but if that is so,then the local police and state police are a force unto themselves,with no local control. That means the mayor and governor are superfluous
Cops are notoriously conservative, even unto the extreme. I am quite sure that most of them are in sympathy and cahoots with ICE and Trump.
There was not only the Oath Keepers, but also the more powerful Constitutional Sherrifs and Peace Officers Association.
Truly we live in a police state, and with AI Data centers, Palantir and the National Data Center at Bluffdale, UT a total surveillance state as well.
Have an online presence, well your presence is well known to big brother. shit google knows your buying habits.. so does Palantir.
State militia's were originally created to act as slave patrols. My 3rd ggf was drafted into Capt Owen'sCo,3rd Rgmnt, 2nd Draft Georgia Infantry, as was his brother.
Militia's morphed into state and local police.
The motto To Protect and Serve, begs the question, protect and serve who? Certainly not us,the tax payer, as the police ,spend their time policing us,for the safety and security of the powers that be.
Regardless of jurisdiction, the police forces are almost impossible to control, monitor and regulate, NYC is the worst, so is Seattle and any large city. Not even the mayor can control them, if they try, then they stalk, frame or harm them.
TRump like Hitler and Putin needs a secret police to terrorize the minority or minorities they deem inferior or in need of control, deportation or even murder. Hence tRump needs his masked men to terrorize the popularion. Ice is certainly the dictators tool for just that purpose and thus one needs to realizse the evil of our present day fascism.
Those a-holes come from somewhere and have vehicles and use credit cards and could be identified by people with the right kind of skills and access. If enough of them are outed and their identities are publicized, recruits might not want to sign up, and current agents might want to get out before their neighbors and friends or relatives discover that they are part of this gang of goons. The cases filed against the killers of activists in MN and elsewhere should be publicized to the max with their pictures and personal details advertised far and wide.
Tom you have done it again. You are a true master of democracy.
I have been wondering for some time why, if we have laws why those people that should be are not enforcing our laws. I jave concluded it's is because of our fascist government and our 6 catholic members of the so called supreme court who seem to be not justices, but members of the insurection and our modern-day KKK- or is it Hitlers court. As long as this body of judges acts to allow outlaws we will continue to be a wild west instead of a democracy.
10 years ago we had methods of mass observation, but, for the most part, the ingredient that was lacking was analysis of these observations.
There was just too much information and not enough “intelligence”, or rather, individuals to figure out what it all meant.
All that has changed now with AI and its inventors and promoters. We are capable of becoming a police state with non-human (for better or worse) interpreters and interpretations of our actions not based upon intent, but on what it seems to be about.
Armed, masked thugs have happened in many other countries like Iran where people are systematically chased, terrorized and beaten, many of them women, for not being properly veiled. And this is sanctioned as necessary for public safety!
This may seem disjointed, and unrelated, but this is not spontaneous crowd passion but paid vigilantes. And it’s indicative of the present mindset of our political leadership but is also indicative of a breakdown in general confidence and trust for our fellow human beings.
Our country is so divided at present through ignorance, rage, and fear of the future and of unpredictable conduct of our leadership, and more and more unemployment that we are fast becoming vulnerable to not only the mood of the crowd but the agendas of the right-wing crazy’s who believe only they have a correct view of how our society should be governed and run and made “safe”. But, safe for who?
The so-called christian nationalists billionaires comprise a minuscule fraction of our population, yet, they have an agenda and the power and money to make our peaceful streets unsafe and chaotic for families and peaceful citizens to walk if they look wrong or disagree with some ignorant bureaucrat or religious zealot.
Keeping people at odds and frightened can be one of the most powerful tools for oligarchs, bigots, small powerful
groups with agendas and criminals.
All in the minority, yet like cancer in a healthy body, can all become pervasive in influence.
Both our laws of due process and law enforcement officers who can be both identified as being employed by our city or state AND having body cams give us some assurance that we are safe from both criminals and those who would abuse power and authority.
But it’s been proven time and again that the population can be manipulated merely by negative publicity and false propaganda especially in times of national stress.
People begin to mistrust and get paranoid. People are encouraged to spy on each other, and fear breeds violence and violent behavior from both law enforcement and the citizens they are hired to protect. This is largely a mindset and can be prevented by awareness, compassion, and trust.
If trust breaks down in the population as a whole, all of our lives will be negatively changed for the worse. This is part of the divide and conquer mentality, and we must all be aware, cognizant and vigilant that this is a vulnerable area for humanity as a whole.
Our attitude and beliefs about each other need to be reinforced for the good—not negatively. Never has it been more necessary for communities to intermingle and get to know each other in the market place, in celebration, entertainment, and education. Neighbors having get-togethers on a summer evening. Good memories for both adults and our children. Spontaneous events that promote camaraderie and friendship.
Todd Blanche has worked overtime to get into Cheeto’s good graces. He’s been loyal to him all the way through his civil trials, felonies and rape charges defended unsuccessfully. After Cheeto got rid of Bondi, he put his loyalist Blanche into Bondi’s position as acting AG. Cheeto told Blanche in nominating him, “Don’t fuck this up like Bondi did”. So Blanche has his marching orders.
Unfortunately for Blanche, he has to be confirmed now with 18m of legal baggage as Deputy AG doing Bondi’s bidding. From the lack of public interviews with Maxwell to the hiding of half of the Epstein files to creating the “slush fund” for Cheeto to pay off the J6 rioters.
What gives cover for all of this corruption in Cheeto’s regime including the AG and all his secretaries, is that Cheeto more than likely either told them privately or by action, that there will be a blanket pardon for all those in the regime. Fortunately for WE the People if WE want expressed retribution Todd Blanche even if pardoned doesn’t prevent him from being disbarred, like infamous loyalists Rudy Guiliani, Ken Chesebro, John Eastman, Michael Cohen, and Jenna Ellis(https://bit.ly/4dSBb5u)
Will Todd Blanche join the above elite list with a group of DOJ lawyers? Let’s hope.
I recall that when masks were mandated during COVID one (rational) argument was that it would make it easy to enter a store, with the intention of robbing it.
The bad guys always wear masks, alongside the black hat that identifies which side they are on.
Reminding us of the special design of a uniform (crisp and professional), hat with special insignias, a badge granting not only the right to "catch" the bad guys but identifying the prosecutor is an important signifier of how far through the looking glass we find ourselves.
Together with the imperative to show one's face, is the need to turn on a body cam; but isn't the need to hide behind a mask part and parcel of not only knowing what you are doing is wrong but also like the headman himself that there can be no consequences.
And corporate Democratic leadership continues to yak about “kitchen table issues”. Those issues, while important, are nothing compared to the collapse of American democracy, about which they’re saying little and doing less. It’s a lot more than the economy, stupid.
What we've got is the media's failure to communicate that Mitch M. and his on-the-take Capitol Hill commies and the 6 USSC goons and fake General Flynn and Stone and Manafort and Stein and the rest have nearly finished Putin's project of letting loose a democracy-eating disease in America's braintrust. That means masks, and soon enough, worse.
That virus they call Krasnov with his pinko hooker escort have created a Russian client state.
It's sad that the United States has done so much to make cities so vulnerable to this, and removed almost every antidote to it.
Add these masked marauders terrorizing communities around elections, and you've essentially turned city residents from citizens, into subjects of places that require our taxes to function, but don't allow us representation or legal recourse without Federal retaliation.
Another brilliant Report, Mr. Hartmann. Rolling out the facts, and the indignity and suffering. Who ever could have thought, that once we got through with the atrocities of law breakers under Bush, we’d see anything like this.
What did Lennon say? (John, not the Russian Lenin)… “You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one…”
I agree with one of the comments made here on Substack, that the officials in the states where this horrible and offensive and violent and illegal stuff is continuing.
Hell, we can’t possibly be hearing about more than a small part of it. Our reporters are the only link to know. That, plus the courageous people with phones to create the audio and video.
I want to ‘imagine’ this…
Vigilante time. We surveil and grab these masked goons while they are in the act. We zip tie their ankles, tote them off to regional detention centers of our own. Once we have a number of them, we get the public’s support, we call this stuff out and we freaking STOP IT!” You know most of these people are actually low brow and cowardly people. We should, and maybe we even must, use tactics that meet them head on.
ORGANIZE. Start up the SUVs.
And get Louise’s PROGRESSIVE VIGILANTES BAND tour booked up for the summer.
One thing the masks do for ICE agents is protect them from Nuremberg prosecutions if ever our elected officials can find the courage to enforce the laws that they passed and remove this fascist regime called MAGA from power. I cannot think of a single cabinet member or agency head who has not violated their oath of office by ignoring court orders, weaponizing government by trumping up baseless charges against Trump's enemies, and/or engaging in corrupt practices to enhance their own or their families' personal wealth at the cost of taxpayers. Of course, ICE and other federal agents frequently use excessive force, including murder, as we have seen them do it on the television news. Odds are that they have been selected for their violent histories and/or encouraged to brutalize suspects whom they think have violated the law because of their racist worldviews.
None of this would happen if our Governors and mayors had the stones and ability to control the police and have them protect the citizens from these masked and armed thugs, but they don't.
Take Governor Sherrill of New Jersey,newly elected Democrat.
There is an ongoing demonstration against the crimes and abuses being cconducted by Ice at Delaney Hall in Newark.
Ice felt under siege and was afraid, so Sherrill, deployed the State Police to protect Ice, and Mayor Baracka sent in the Newark Police.
And the State troopers let loose with rubber bullets and flashbangs. Sherrill said, publicly, that she sent in the state troopers to protect the people from ICE, but the evidence is just the opposite, and Mayor Baracka had his police push the news media, whichincluded Ali Velshi and his camera crew, back over a mile from the event, so far that they couldn't evensee it much less film it.
Of course he obfuscated and denied any responsibility, but if that is so,then the local police and state police are a force unto themselves,with no local control. That means the mayor and governor are superfluous
Cops are notoriously conservative, even unto the extreme. I am quite sure that most of them are in sympathy and cahoots with ICE and Trump.
There was not only the Oath Keepers, but also the more powerful Constitutional Sherrifs and Peace Officers Association.
Truly we live in a police state, and with AI Data centers, Palantir and the National Data Center at Bluffdale, UT a total surveillance state as well.
Have an online presence, well your presence is well known to big brother. shit google knows your buying habits.. so does Palantir.
ICE pays local police departments for finding undocumented immigrants.
State militia's were originally created to act as slave patrols. My 3rd ggf was drafted into Capt Owen'sCo,3rd Rgmnt, 2nd Draft Georgia Infantry, as was his brother.
Militia's morphed into state and local police.
The motto To Protect and Serve, begs the question, protect and serve who? Certainly not us,the tax payer, as the police ,spend their time policing us,for the safety and security of the powers that be.
Regardless of jurisdiction, the police forces are almost impossible to control, monitor and regulate, NYC is the worst, so is Seattle and any large city. Not even the mayor can control them, if they try, then they stalk, frame or harm them.
“Serve who?” Good point.
TRump like Hitler and Putin needs a secret police to terrorize the minority or minorities they deem inferior or in need of control, deportation or even murder. Hence tRump needs his masked men to terrorize the popularion. Ice is certainly the dictators tool for just that purpose and thus one needs to realizse the evil of our present day fascism.
Those a-holes come from somewhere and have vehicles and use credit cards and could be identified by people with the right kind of skills and access. If enough of them are outed and their identities are publicized, recruits might not want to sign up, and current agents might want to get out before their neighbors and friends or relatives discover that they are part of this gang of goons. The cases filed against the killers of activists in MN and elsewhere should be publicized to the max with their pictures and personal details advertised far and wide.
Tom you have done it again. You are a true master of democracy.
I have been wondering for some time why, if we have laws why those people that should be are not enforcing our laws. I jave concluded it's is because of our fascist government and our 6 catholic members of the so called supreme court who seem to be not justices, but members of the insurection and our modern-day KKK- or is it Hitlers court. As long as this body of judges acts to allow outlaws we will continue to be a wild west instead of a democracy.
Good points - comparing to the KKK - and a lot of truth.
ICE is currently KKK funded by taxpayers and facilitated by US Government.
10 years ago we had methods of mass observation, but, for the most part, the ingredient that was lacking was analysis of these observations.
There was just too much information and not enough “intelligence”, or rather, individuals to figure out what it all meant.
All that has changed now with AI and its inventors and promoters. We are capable of becoming a police state with non-human (for better or worse) interpreters and interpretations of our actions not based upon intent, but on what it seems to be about.
Armed, masked thugs have happened in many other countries like Iran where people are systematically chased, terrorized and beaten, many of them women, for not being properly veiled. And this is sanctioned as necessary for public safety!
This may seem disjointed, and unrelated, but this is not spontaneous crowd passion but paid vigilantes. And it’s indicative of the present mindset of our political leadership but is also indicative of a breakdown in general confidence and trust for our fellow human beings.
Our country is so divided at present through ignorance, rage, and fear of the future and of unpredictable conduct of our leadership, and more and more unemployment that we are fast becoming vulnerable to not only the mood of the crowd but the agendas of the right-wing crazy’s who believe only they have a correct view of how our society should be governed and run and made “safe”. But, safe for who?
The so-called christian nationalists billionaires comprise a minuscule fraction of our population, yet, they have an agenda and the power and money to make our peaceful streets unsafe and chaotic for families and peaceful citizens to walk if they look wrong or disagree with some ignorant bureaucrat or religious zealot.
Keeping people at odds and frightened can be one of the most powerful tools for oligarchs, bigots, small powerful
groups with agendas and criminals.
All in the minority, yet like cancer in a healthy body, can all become pervasive in influence.
Both our laws of due process and law enforcement officers who can be both identified as being employed by our city or state AND having body cams give us some assurance that we are safe from both criminals and those who would abuse power and authority.
But it’s been proven time and again that the population can be manipulated merely by negative publicity and false propaganda especially in times of national stress.
People begin to mistrust and get paranoid. People are encouraged to spy on each other, and fear breeds violence and violent behavior from both law enforcement and the citizens they are hired to protect. This is largely a mindset and can be prevented by awareness, compassion, and trust.
If trust breaks down in the population as a whole, all of our lives will be negatively changed for the worse. This is part of the divide and conquer mentality, and we must all be aware, cognizant and vigilant that this is a vulnerable area for humanity as a whole.
Our attitude and beliefs about each other need to be reinforced for the good—not negatively. Never has it been more necessary for communities to intermingle and get to know each other in the market place, in celebration, entertainment, and education. Neighbors having get-togethers on a summer evening. Good memories for both adults and our children. Spontaneous events that promote camaraderie and friendship.
"Keeping people at odds and frightened can be one of the most powerful tools for oligarchs, bigots, small powerful groups with agendas and criminals."
That's the plan, G.P.
I Love You Cheeto!: A Case For Disbarment
Todd Blanche has worked overtime to get into Cheeto’s good graces. He’s been loyal to him all the way through his civil trials, felonies and rape charges defended unsuccessfully. After Cheeto got rid of Bondi, he put his loyalist Blanche into Bondi’s position as acting AG. Cheeto told Blanche in nominating him, “Don’t fuck this up like Bondi did”. So Blanche has his marching orders.
Unfortunately for Blanche, he has to be confirmed now with 18m of legal baggage as Deputy AG doing Bondi’s bidding. From the lack of public interviews with Maxwell to the hiding of half of the Epstein files to creating the “slush fund” for Cheeto to pay off the J6 rioters.
What gives cover for all of this corruption in Cheeto’s regime including the AG and all his secretaries, is that Cheeto more than likely either told them privately or by action, that there will be a blanket pardon for all those in the regime. Fortunately for WE the People if WE want expressed retribution Todd Blanche even if pardoned doesn’t prevent him from being disbarred, like infamous loyalists Rudy Guiliani, Ken Chesebro, John Eastman, Michael Cohen, and Jenna Ellis(https://bit.ly/4dSBb5u)
Will Todd Blanche join the above elite list with a group of DOJ lawyers? Let’s hope.
I was afraid this was going to happen....
I recall that when masks were mandated during COVID one (rational) argument was that it would make it easy to enter a store, with the intention of robbing it.
The bad guys always wear masks, alongside the black hat that identifies which side they are on.
Reminding us of the special design of a uniform (crisp and professional), hat with special insignias, a badge granting not only the right to "catch" the bad guys but identifying the prosecutor is an important signifier of how far through the looking glass we find ourselves.
Together with the imperative to show one's face, is the need to turn on a body cam; but isn't the need to hide behind a mask part and parcel of not only knowing what you are doing is wrong but also like the headman himself that there can be no consequences.
And corporate Democratic leadership continues to yak about “kitchen table issues”. Those issues, while important, are nothing compared to the collapse of American democracy, about which they’re saying little and doing less. It’s a lot more than the economy, stupid.
What we've got is the media's failure to communicate that Mitch M. and his on-the-take Capitol Hill commies and the 6 USSC goons and fake General Flynn and Stone and Manafort and Stein and the rest have nearly finished Putin's project of letting loose a democracy-eating disease in America's braintrust. That means masks, and soon enough, worse.
That virus they call Krasnov with his pinko hooker escort have created a Russian client state.
This is what it looks like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rg7KkD7ske4&t=0s
#VOTE American #Don Jr to Boot Camp
It's sad that the United States has done so much to make cities so vulnerable to this, and removed almost every antidote to it.
Add these masked marauders terrorizing communities around elections, and you've essentially turned city residents from citizens, into subjects of places that require our taxes to function, but don't allow us representation or legal recourse without Federal retaliation.
Thanks, Thom!
Another brilliant Report, Mr. Hartmann. Rolling out the facts, and the indignity and suffering. Who ever could have thought, that once we got through with the atrocities of law breakers under Bush, we’d see anything like this.
What did Lennon say? (John, not the Russian Lenin)… “You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one…”
I agree with one of the comments made here on Substack, that the officials in the states where this horrible and offensive and violent and illegal stuff is continuing.
Hell, we can’t possibly be hearing about more than a small part of it. Our reporters are the only link to know. That, plus the courageous people with phones to create the audio and video.
I want to ‘imagine’ this…
Vigilante time. We surveil and grab these masked goons while they are in the act. We zip tie their ankles, tote them off to regional detention centers of our own. Once we have a number of them, we get the public’s support, we call this stuff out and we freaking STOP IT!” You know most of these people are actually low brow and cowardly people. We should, and maybe we even must, use tactics that meet them head on.
ORGANIZE. Start up the SUVs.
And get Louise’s PROGRESSIVE VIGILANTES BAND tour booked up for the summer.
I’m serious. Even if I’ a dreamer.