In America, you can now wear a MAGA hat, storm the U.S. Capitol, and attack police officers, but you can't commit a thought crime, be a legal immigrant, or criticize the dear leader.
Does anyone remember the opening lines of the classic film, Casablanca?
"May we see your papers, please?".
The reality is chilling and frightening.
We are living through repeated history. ICE is effectively the Nazi Gestapo, the SS, the Stasi - choose your preferred Authoritarian police state favourite. 😞
Excellent writing, as always, Waj. Appreciate your brutal, but necessary truth.
I just heard in the Guardian about another person with a visa who was stopped at the border upon returning to the US from a visit to his home country Australia, had his visa revoked without due process and was sent back to Australia summarily, totally upending his life. Getting a lawyer and fighting this would cost him thousands and could take up to five years!
We have a fascist state in the US now, with a king at its head. A monstrous, vengeful, mentally disturbed king. With an emperor of the earth wannabe, fellow malignant narcissist and megalomaniac MuskX. And equally deranged billionaire handlers, sycophantic enablers, and fanatic cult minions. We have got to do something to stop this white supremacist regime before it kills us, literally.
It is happening here. Thanks for your clarity and shining the light on likely the most important and urgent story in this surreal maelstrom of cruelty and anti Americanism we now face. The worst of us and foreign aligned turncoats waving the flag and carrying the cross are running the show. It’s an assault to all persons of good conscience and even a modicum of decency.
People say his ideas come from the last person he listened to on any given day. Seems a mascara billionaire planted the idea of annexing Greenland in his head. There was no strategic plan and Bannon is only making ex post facto justifications for it.
On the subject of "not committing crimes." There are two things we need to keep in mind to keep the issues in these cases straight.
1. There are a lot of things that can get you deported besides crimes. Whether or not Khalil committed a "crime" is not really the issue in his case. The problem is MUCH WORSE.
2. There is, however, a problem with deporting a person not convicted of a crime to a foreign prison. Due process isn't just a "hearing. It also involves things like "you can't get sent to jail without a conviction." Trump's actions are not just outsourcing where we HOLD convicted prisoners--it is outsourcing the very basis of our justice system. This is the problem with those planeloads of people.
In Khalil's case, the issue isn't his crime status. He isn't being held under the Alien Enemies Act, either. His case is being argued under the statutes on "admissibility" of aliens. (8 U.S.C. § 1182(a)(3)(C). ) Under that statute, the Secretary of State has to have a "reasonable ground to believe would have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences." Note: reasonable. Not just a personal opinion. He has to show that Khalil himself could have CONSEQUENCES for foreign policy. No one is focusing on what the hell a "consequence" is. (The "foreign policy" in question involves antisemitism.)
The personal opinion part comes in an exception to an exception of that base requirement. Reasonable grounds cannot include what are basically First Amendment Rights. The "personal opinion" of the Secretary can say "the alien can't use those grounds because whatever he is saying could " compromise a compelling United States foreign policy interest." But he has to have reasonable grounds re: consequences in the first place. Here, the "foreign policy interest" alleged is our interest in not being antisemitic, I guess. But the part about being antisemitic is just ASSUMED by Rubio. There's no evidence that Khalil WAS in fact espousing antisemitic sentiments.
The Louisiana judge has no jurisdiction over the case. The Supreme Court's recent decision involves where a habeas action can be filed. There already IS one filed. The decision doesn't say "even if jurisdiction is elsewhere, the immigration courts of wherever ICE has stashed the person can still order deportation."
All the revoking of visas has nothing to do with national security. People at tech companies are not having visas revoked en masse. People with visas have already been vetted. It is an attack on universities. But more: it is the only way trump can get his "numbers up" since the ACTUAL process of deporting is bogged down with the immigration court backlog. Visa holders are here legally, but once revoked they have to leave right away. This is NOT an immigration issue. Any appeal of the revocation of a visa doesn't go through immigration courts.
The disruption of the world economy sends tremors to the foundations of economic norms. Where cocoa and palm oil come from won’t change. Let us think about palm oil. So we buy a lot more palm oil, like 4.6 billion pounds from Indonesia in 2023. So Indonesia buys $10 billion in other stuff from the U.S., but ships us $38 billion in palm oil, footwear, clothes, etc. We are not much for shoe and clothes manufacturing anymore. Chips are us. Trade imbalance? So what? https://hotbuttons.substack.com/p/casinos-is-revenue-trump-thunk-then?r=3m1bs
Not being a pestimist but the deviating news coming from America bode no good for your country and is a far cry from we lived there. I worry about my friends who like all Americans are being robbed of their freedom. Please stay safe
Does anyone remember the opening lines of the classic film, Casablanca?
"May we see your papers, please?".
The reality is chilling and frightening.
We are living through repeated history. ICE is effectively the Nazi Gestapo, the SS, the Stasi - choose your preferred Authoritarian police state favourite. 😞
Excellent writing, as always, Waj. Appreciate your brutal, but necessary truth.
🙂✊🏼💙🙏🏼🤲🏼
I just heard in the Guardian about another person with a visa who was stopped at the border upon returning to the US from a visit to his home country Australia, had his visa revoked without due process and was sent back to Australia summarily, totally upending his life. Getting a lawyer and fighting this would cost him thousands and could take up to five years!
The Guardian has the full story.
Jonathan had returned to Australia to scatter his sister's ashes.
He had an unexpired visa, but the CBP officer decided to revoke it. No crimes were even alleged.
No explanations, no recourse. Banned from returning to the US for 5 years, even though his partner lives here.
Visa card holders are no longer protected. De-naturalization is next.
Americans don't realize how nightmarish our lives will become.
Waj, would you consider properly crediting the artist when you use an image of theirs, please. 🙂
This one is from Canadian political cartoonist, Paul Szep. 👌🏼
yes pardon me, i usually always do! thanks for reminding me.
No worries, my friend. All good. 🙂
We have a fascist state in the US now, with a king at its head. A monstrous, vengeful, mentally disturbed king. With an emperor of the earth wannabe, fellow malignant narcissist and megalomaniac MuskX. And equally deranged billionaire handlers, sycophantic enablers, and fanatic cult minions. We have got to do something to stop this white supremacist regime before it kills us, literally.
Say it loud! Say it often RESIST!!
Thank you so much for your clarity and truth! I trust your perspective and appreciate what you’re doing.
The Trump regime is honing the tools of repression. Soon they will deploy them against any American who opposes them.
It is happening here. Thanks for your clarity and shining the light on likely the most important and urgent story in this surreal maelstrom of cruelty and anti Americanism we now face. The worst of us and foreign aligned turncoats waving the flag and carrying the cross are running the show. It’s an assault to all persons of good conscience and even a modicum of decency.
https://open.substack.com/pub/randoliberal/p/alter-v-fcc-fox-licenses-24-cv-00745?r=u47dz&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
Standing is really an antiquated idea when you have a government that attacks everyone who disagrees. In this climate, disagreeing is standing enough.
Charlie Angus wrote that America has a Roman Empire problem: https://charlieangus.substack.com/p/american-caesar?r=2ebkwo&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email&triedRedirect=true
People say his ideas come from the last person he listened to on any given day. Seems a mascara billionaire planted the idea of annexing Greenland in his head. There was no strategic plan and Bannon is only making ex post facto justifications for it.
Fuck tRump and the lackeys. It may take years or even decades, but their Day of Reckoning will come.
And it will be as Ugly as they are.
On point ... as always Waj.
On the subject of "not committing crimes." There are two things we need to keep in mind to keep the issues in these cases straight.
1. There are a lot of things that can get you deported besides crimes. Whether or not Khalil committed a "crime" is not really the issue in his case. The problem is MUCH WORSE.
2. There is, however, a problem with deporting a person not convicted of a crime to a foreign prison. Due process isn't just a "hearing. It also involves things like "you can't get sent to jail without a conviction." Trump's actions are not just outsourcing where we HOLD convicted prisoners--it is outsourcing the very basis of our justice system. This is the problem with those planeloads of people.
In Khalil's case, the issue isn't his crime status. He isn't being held under the Alien Enemies Act, either. His case is being argued under the statutes on "admissibility" of aliens. (8 U.S.C. § 1182(a)(3)(C). ) Under that statute, the Secretary of State has to have a "reasonable ground to believe would have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences." Note: reasonable. Not just a personal opinion. He has to show that Khalil himself could have CONSEQUENCES for foreign policy. No one is focusing on what the hell a "consequence" is. (The "foreign policy" in question involves antisemitism.)
The personal opinion part comes in an exception to an exception of that base requirement. Reasonable grounds cannot include what are basically First Amendment Rights. The "personal opinion" of the Secretary can say "the alien can't use those grounds because whatever he is saying could " compromise a compelling United States foreign policy interest." But he has to have reasonable grounds re: consequences in the first place. Here, the "foreign policy interest" alleged is our interest in not being antisemitic, I guess. But the part about being antisemitic is just ASSUMED by Rubio. There's no evidence that Khalil WAS in fact espousing antisemitic sentiments.
The Louisiana judge has no jurisdiction over the case. The Supreme Court's recent decision involves where a habeas action can be filed. There already IS one filed. The decision doesn't say "even if jurisdiction is elsewhere, the immigration courts of wherever ICE has stashed the person can still order deportation."
All the revoking of visas has nothing to do with national security. People at tech companies are not having visas revoked en masse. People with visas have already been vetted. It is an attack on universities. But more: it is the only way trump can get his "numbers up" since the ACTUAL process of deporting is bogged down with the immigration court backlog. Visa holders are here legally, but once revoked they have to leave right away. This is NOT an immigration issue. Any appeal of the revocation of a visa doesn't go through immigration courts.
YoU MeaN●●●"O-O-H HELLLLL🤬The🦎NEWT🦎🇺🇸🚨🍊king🤥🚨🇺🇸WANT-TO-BE👑"⚠️⚠️⚠️🔥🔥💔🔥🌍🔥💔🔥🔥
The disruption of the world economy sends tremors to the foundations of economic norms. Where cocoa and palm oil come from won’t change. Let us think about palm oil. So we buy a lot more palm oil, like 4.6 billion pounds from Indonesia in 2023. So Indonesia buys $10 billion in other stuff from the U.S., but ships us $38 billion in palm oil, footwear, clothes, etc. We are not much for shoe and clothes manufacturing anymore. Chips are us. Trade imbalance? So what? https://hotbuttons.substack.com/p/casinos-is-revenue-trump-thunk-then?r=3m1bs
Not being a pestimist but the deviating news coming from America bode no good for your country and is a far cry from we lived there. I worry about my friends who like all Americans are being robbed of their freedom. Please stay safe