If only we lived in a time when the village idiot and the President were two different people … (sigh!).
We have reached a very decisive moment – Joe Walsh sums it up like this …
Here is a bit more clarity on this on why it matters (via Sen Chris Murphy) …
- Abrego Garcia came to the U.S. over 10 years ago. He married a U.S. citizen and has three U.S. citizen children. But he put in removal proceedings because he didn’t apply for asylum in time and because of alleged ties to drug gangs. He denies any gang affiliation.
- You can think whatever you want about the merits of him staying (his U.S. family, his steady job) or being deported (the alleged gang affiliation), there’s really only one key fact: A court ruled he CANNOT be deported to El Salvador bc he would face threat of death there.
- In the United States, the executive is REQUIRED to follow a court ruling. Trump did not. He put Abrego Garcia on a plane to El Salvador. And worse, despite no allegation of criminal behavior, Abrego Garcia was put in a heinous El Salvador prison.
- Trump’s violation of law was so brazen the Supreme Court stepped in. In a rare 9-0 ruling, they said Trump had to bring Abrego Garcia back. But on camera, Trump advisor Miller lied through his teeth and said Trump won the ruling 9-0.
- Trump’s people are engaged in nuclear grade gaslighting. They say it’s up to El Salvador if they want to send him back. Bullshit. We bring people back all the time when we wrongfully remove them. They could get this guy in a hot second if they wanted to.
- You may not think this case matters to you. But Abrego Garcia was legally in the U.S., just like all the rest of us. His status as an immigrant doesn’t matter as a matter of law. If Trump can lock up or remove ANYONE – no matter what the courts say – we are all at grave risk.
- This is a watershed moment, as Trump thumbs his nose at a Supreme Court ruling, gaslighting the public by pretending his won 9-0 when he lost 9-0. If we normalize this, there’s no end. He can lock up or remove anyone. We will no longer exist in a democracy.
Trump “Justice” …
Since we are comparing pictures, there here is one where the guy on the left is a convicted felon guilty of 34 felony convictions, and really should be serving time right now. The person on the right has zero felony convictions and isn’t even charged with a crime …
No credible evidence has ever emerged suggesting Garcia is a member of MS-13 or ever has been, nor has any court come within a million miles of such a finding.
This Maryland dad with three U.S.-citizen kids and a U.S.-citizen wife, who’s a union laborer who fled gang violence in El Salvador as a minor, has been called—sans any credible evidence—an MS-13 gang member. Also, obscenely and out of nowhere, a terrorist and human trafficker. It’s absolutely vile.
Never before have so many officials and voters defamed a single non-public figure. The things being said about Garcia on absolutely no information or evidence whatsoever are clearly being said only because he’s living proof of MAGA’s worship of fascism and tyranny.
Trump “legal theory” via Timothy Snyder…
The “They are gang members” gaslighting is no longer working, many now see through that farce …
Let’s also cover off the basics, beyond just Garcia, and be wholly clear that what is going on is not in any way legal …
It is also not just one example, rather a lot of bad stuff is happening to many people …
- The brain drain that will be the result from this stupid purge will erase our world scientific leadership. He’s just so ignorant.
Even Trump supporters are now finding out …
- Yes, he is a US citizen. The problem that caused him to be flagged up for aggressive treatment as he returned from a quick visit to Canada is rather clear, his name is Bachir Atallah, that’s all it took, that was his “crime”. – More details here via NBC Boston.
Tariffs
Lots of “winning” has been going on with the Tariffs that are supposed to bring jobs into the US …
This happened during the past week…
- So. Much. Winning.
China also knows how to respond. They have stopped exporting rare earths to everyone, not just the U.S., cutting off critical materials for tech, autos, aerospace, and defense. When inventory runs out, rather a lot of stuff will grind top a halt …
- The Trump game is one where he expects to get a face-saving deal that delivers nothing but makes it look like he won. China is not playing that game.
But hey, Ukraine is a source of rare earth minerals, so obliterate Ukraine … oh but wait, all those other nations he has pissed off refuse to play ball …
- Literally every nation state on the planet (apart from those run by tyrants) – “The US can go fuck themselves!” – so much winning.
Christian nationalist MAGA pastor Rob McCoy recently delivered a sermon titled “God Loves Tariffs.“ His message? “Suck it up”: “I’m sorry your 401k has gone down, but quit whining.”
- And on the 7th day God created tariffs and they were good”. Genesis 2:2-3 King Trump Version
- China’s game is very smart. Trump hosted Gas & Oil billionaires at MarALago pre election promising them $billions in tax cuts if he won. They gave him $millions in donations. China has just stopped buying Oil & Liquefied Gas from the USA. Trump is out manoeuvred in ways he’s not grasped yet
China has also been trolling the White House …
Also, here is a quick reminder that this was claimed 9 days ago, and so far there are exactly zero deals …
- There have however been these new trade deals … China-Japan, China-S.Korea, China-Australia, China-Vietnam, China-EU, EU-UAE, EU-UK, and Canada-Mexico.
So who else is being threatened with Deportation?
- Trump ran on immigration but they are finding it not to be the major problem they say it was (it never has been). Therefore, to get numbers up they are doing everything they can. It’s really pathetic.
Harvard takes a stand
A rather robust and very welcomed “No” from Harvard …
- Maga is terrified of free thinking and educated Americans. You have to be a 3rd grader communist puppet to support any of this stuff
- The world thanks Harvard University for having the courage to stand up to tyranny. It’s not just graduates but prospective and current faculty and students who thank you.
After all the pushback, this then happened …
- Here is the Gift Link to that NYT article.
- Briefly: The letter received about 10 days ago included a series of demands about hiring, admissions and curriculum so onerous that they decided to take their stance and issued the statement on Monday. Trump initially stood by the letter and in response froze federal funding and threatened to take away tax-exempt status. Due to all the blowback, the claim now is that sending the letter was just a “mistake”, and the fault is with Harvard for taking it seriously.
- Let’s also underline something rather important: “despite claiming that the letter should not have been sent, the Trump administration did not withdraw it.“
- Everything about this is so on brand for Trump – it is both sinister and also deeply stupid and incompetent.
- Moral of the story: Stand up to bullies and punch back.
RFK Jnr & Autism
RFK Jnr considers Autistic people to be a waste of space and worthless …
- It’s eugenics. This is nazi shit and it is dehumanization.
Christian Nationalists
For some the penny has finally dropped. Trump’s evangelical supporters are suddenly alarmed about the administration’s deportation policies. Why? Because Latino Christians might start getting deported: “Up to 32,000 [pastors] may be deported unless the Trump administration does something urgently.“
- Deport others (not a problem). Deport pastors, and that is the red line???
- Apparently they are now praying that god will “straighten out this matter,” – er no, sorry guys, this is what you voted for. He told you he would do this, we warned you he really would do this, and yet you still voted for him. It is time to reap the harvest from the seeds you scattered.
- It should be noted that these same Trump supporters seem to have no qualms about the administration’s current deportation program in which people who have committed no crime are being snatched off the streets and illegally disappeared into foreign prisons. It only now worries them when they are also being targeted.
Meanwhile, the nuttier right-wing religious fanatics within the cult are as always doing their thing.
- Weird that he is actually OK that both Trump and Vance are liars who lie to just manipulate
- As GOP Jesus famously said, “If you lie, everyone will know that you are my disciples. … By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye lie“
The False Profit$
- For those unfamiliar with this guy, yes he is simply saying such stuff for clicks and $$, and yes John Shane Vaughn is a pastor who was sent to jail a few years back for running an insurance fraud scam, not before he “found Jesus“, but while he was a pastor.
Weirdest of the Weird
Joel Webbon, the pastor with the smallest church in Texas, but has a big social media footprint because of the weird stuff he says, advised this past week that things were great for Black Americans during segregation until “it all came crashing down with civil rights [and] welfare.“
- To be clear, he is basically a religious shock-jock who strives to earn $$$ by generating YouTube clips that provoke.
Kandiss Taylor shares her thoughts on the origins of the universe: “Explosions kill. They don’t give life. Big bang theory is the most idiotic theory ever spoken, written, and perpetuated. This theory should be deleted from school curriculum. It just brainwashes children to keep them from finding their Savior.“
- Kandiss is the lady who famously ran for election under the banner of “Jesus, Guns, and Babies” in 2020 … and also lost in a big way, only 3.4% voted for her, literally everybody else took oe sniff and went “Nah, no way“.
- It will also no doubt not surprise you to learn that she is a strong flat-earth promoter. Her logic for that claim – “If the earth was round, then why are maps flat?” (yea, you can face-palm at this point)
- Wait. So…he’s running on deporting male immigrants and sex-trafficking female immigrants?
- Is the “proposal” that all these females should marry the same “Californian incel”, himself, and thus he proposes to establish some sort of harem of handmaids?
- Let me play that back for you – the stance being taken, not be some backroom crank, but a top Trump adviser, is that following the law is unlawful. (yes, it’s time to once again face-palm)
Political Cartoons from the past week
As always, there are many excellent cartoons. Here are a few samples. Each comes with a link to the cartoonist putting the cartoon out via BlueSky. If you are on Bluesky then you can use the link to follow them.
After yet another shooting this past week, Dennis Goris points out that we are once again back to this …
Via the Financial Times
- The protests are great. The rallies are great. What Harvard is doing is great. Bluesky is great. But over 275 million Americans are still asleep—dancing on TikTok, going to water parks, ignoring politics … that needs to change.
IRS Update
DOD Update
- Link to article … here.
- “There is a complete meltdown in the building,” one official said.
This … seriously now, we need lots more of this …
Trump really is a rapist and criminal …
Why have so many fallen down the rabbit hole?
It is because the media ecosystem is cluttered full of voices that are gaslighting.
Here for example are the voices on X …
By the way, if you have seen the stuff churned out by acyn and wondered who that is, then you need wonder no more. The WashPo did an excellent profile of him this past week …
- Link to article is here.
As part of the MeidasTouch network this is what they are about …
Some Images from Yesterday – Sat April 19
Rinse are repeat all across the nation.
Finally
When it comes to politics, other nations get their priorities spot on …
Canada’s High Respect for Trump …
And as for Tariffs, they have a quick reminder for us …
Just six months apart …
- There really are consequences when you put a guy who managed to bankrupt a casino in charge. His stupidity and incompetence has been unleashed.
- Side note, he has bankrupted his hotels and casinos, not just once, but six times.
Anniversary of Paul Revere’s ride …
Well OK, given that it is officially Egg & Rabbit Day, let’s finish with these …
