I am hoping for a Cubs win today so they meet the Dodgers for the NLCS series. L.A. and Chicago are at the heart of Trump’s crackdown and both cities should feature Latin music, give out free tacos, and otherwise celebrate the Latino culture in their communities —- and in baseball.
Make a statement MLB. After all, the most American of all sports is full of immigrants!!! The humanity!
Trump’s favorite DOJ henchman goes there:
A top Justice Department official has retracted a letter he sent to an FBI agent who responded to the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre that suggested the agent was being investigated in relation to a defamation lawsuit against Alex Jones.
In a letter to William Aldenberg’s attorney last week, President Donald Trump ally Ed Martin implied the agent was being scrutinized because of his role in a major lawsuit led by families of victims that resulted in a $1.4 billion judgment against the conspiracy theorist Jones.
Aldenberg, who was one of the first responders the day of the 2012 elementary school massacre, was a plaintiff in the lawsuit. He and the families testified that they faced years of harassment and threats from those who believed Jones’ lies that the shooting, which killed 20 first graders and six adults, was a hoax.
Martin initially told Aldenberg’s attorney that he had questions about the agent benefiting financially from the lawsuit and ominously warned that “there are criminal laws protecting the citizens from actions by government employees who may be acting for personal benefit.”
“I encourage you to review those,” Martin wrote, according to a copy of the letter Jones posted on X.
But in a new letter addressed to attorney Christopher Mattei on Wednesday, Martin withdrew his initial letter entirely.
In a brief note, CNN first reported, Martin wrote that there is no investigation of Aldenberg and “because of this, I hereby withdraw my request for information from you or your former client.”
Martin was ordered by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche to retract the letter, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Martin had met with Jones earlier last month. That’s the picture above. Apparently, the freak whined to Martin that he’s been railroaded by the Deep State.
I guess it’s good news that there actually does seem to be a red line for Todd Blanche. But we had to go all the way to Alex Jones to find it.
There are countless similar incidents to what Tom described below happening to Americans and others all over the country. Here’s another one. Oh, and by the way, they’re lying about it:
“They put me on suicide watch and they put me in the cell, I’m naked, in like a hospital dress and just a concrete bed with like a mattress, like a thin mattress and, they leave the light on 24/7, there’s a glass door, and officers just always standing, like sitting out there, the psychiatric nurse comes and checks on me once a day, and so from Friday morning to Sunday afternoon when I’m released, I’m literally on In that cell, naked just in that room, with the light on this real, like this is a nightmare.”
Civil rights in America have always been about one thing: holding power accountable when it strips people of their dignity and freedom. They are not privileges that government agents get to decide whether to honor. What happened to me wasn’t just a mistake—it was a violation of the very protections that our Constitution guarantees.
On July 10, I was on my way to work when ICE agents engulfed my car in tear gas, smashed my driver-side window, and pepper-sprayed my face. They dragged me out, threw me to the ground, and even while I was complying, one agent kneeled on my neck and another kneeled on my back as others stood by and watched.
I spent three nights and three days in federal custody. During that time, I was never told what I was charged with, was not allowed to shower despite being covered in tear gas and pepper spray, had no phone call to my family, and no access to an attorney. I was placed on suicide watch and missed my daughter’s third birthday. No explanation. No charges. No apology. One day, I was just told, “you’re free to go.”
For me as a veteran, this is more than just a personal injustice—it’s a constitutional affront. We are taught that America stands apart because of its rule of law and protection of rights. If the government can strip those rights from us without consequence, it undermines the very system we claim makes our country stand apart.
As of now, I have submitted claims under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) to federal agencies related to my wrongful detention by federal officers. These claims describe my unlawful detention, including the officers’ use of excessive force, the denial of a hearing with a judge, the denial of access to legal counsel and any other contact with the outside world, and the denial of basic necessities.
While the claims are under review by the relevant federal authorities, I am continuing to speak out. I do it for two reasons. First, because I believe that Americans of all ideological stripes would agree that the government can’t just make people disappear without any process or explanation. Second, because I want to give the government a chance to admit that they were wrong.
So far the government has not done so. Instead, in response to an op-ed I published in the San Francisco Chronicle, DHS claimed that during the July 10 operation in Camarillo, CA, I “became violent and refused to comply with law enforcement,” blocked their route, and was arrested for assault. They stated that US citizens are not being “wrongfully” arrested by ICE, that their enforcement operations are highly targeted, and that their personnel conduct due diligence to know who they are targeting. DHS also framed criticisms of the operation as “smears” against ICE officers, alleging such claims have contributed to an increase in assaults on law enforcement.
DHS’s statement ignores reality and is designed to demonize and villainize people who don’t let the government trample over their rights, and aren’t afraid to speak the truth. First, I was not violent, I simply asked the officers to let me pass through because I needed to get to work; and I also complied with ICE’s demands by backing up my car. Second, the statement ignores the three days I spent in federal custody with no charges, no phone call to my family, no access to a judge or an attorney, no shower, and no explanation for their actions. It is deeply troubling that a government agency would publicly deny these facts while portraying my experience as a threat or attack on officers. The truth is that I am a US citizen and a veteran, and I will continue to pursue accountability for the rights that were violated that day.
This fight is not just about my case—it’s about ensuring that there is recourse when people are silenced, detained, or dehumanized by the very government meant to protect us. The legal system must allow accountability when government agencies overstep their authority.
Incidents like this are proof that civil rights protections in America are only as strong as our willingness to enforce them. What happens when government agencies act as though the Constitution doesn’t apply to them? Agencies like ICE cannot be allowed to operate in the shadows, unchecked and unaccountable. Civil rights mean nothing if those in power face no consequences for violating them. Accountability is the only way forward.
I don’t want to be cynical or pessimistic, I really don’t. But I’m finding it hard to picture how this accountability takes place. We thought we were holding the January 6th rioters and Donald Trump to account. Look at what we’ve got. The American people just didn’t care enough about the Constitution, democracy, the rule of law or any of the other guarantees of their freedoms to uphold them. They voted for the huckster because egg prices were too high.
Maybe this horrific power grab change all that but I’m not sanguine. Roughly half the country will remain appalled and frankly, in danger as this progresses. The other half will be ecstatic to see it. Unless there is a catastrophe on the scale of depression or war, I’m not sure how that changes. And in those circumstances it’s just as easy for things to go the wrong way.
In the meantime, we just have to resist however we can. What choice do we have?
…When the propaganda machine starts screaming at its own inventor, something is breaking. Loudly.
I need a drink. A big one.
Now I need another one:
As is often true of liars, bullies, and extremist conservatives, they can dish it out but cannot take it (Raw Story):
The White House is pushing back against residents of Washington, D.C. over a new campaign to mark locations around the city where Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents had “kidnapped” suspected migrants.
“ICE ABDUCTED SOMEONE HERE,” read one hand-made sign tied to a telephone poll, which also bore the date and time of the suspected arrest, along with contact information for residents to share information on other suspected ICE arrests, The Washington Post reported Saturday.
The campaign did not go over well in the White House, with spokesperson Abigail Jackson condemning the signs as another example of rhetoric that increases violence against federal officers, calling them “untrue smears,” and that claims that ICE is “kidnapping people” were “false” in an email to The Washington Post.
You mean like the “untrue smears” the White House dispenses daily, Karoline Leavitt, Stephen Miller, Kristi Noem, and Donald Trump?
The Post adds:
ICE is has acted “heroically” and “with the utmost professionalism,” [Jackson] said, and that those accusing agents of violating civil rights are sympathizing with undocumented immigrants and criminals.
Professionalism like this, Ms. Jackson? No, those accusing agents of violating civil rights worry that they might be next.
DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin tells the Post in an email, “ICE is not ‘kidnapping’ illegal aliens…. These smears are leading to our officers facing a 1000% increase in assaults against them including terrorist attacks, cars being used as weapons, and bounties on their heads.”
The same Trump administration has claimed for months it could lower drug prices by 1000%, by 1,400 to 1,500%. Trump 2.0’s credibility with statistics has also been reduced by 1,400 to 1,500%.
* * * * *
Have you fought dictatorship today?
50501
May Day Strong
No King’s One Million Rising movement – Next national day of protest Oct. 18
Freedom Over Fascism Toolkit
The Resistance Lab
Choose Democracy
Indivisible: A Guide to Democracy on the Brink
You Have Power
Chop Wood, Carry Water
Thirty lonely but beautiful actions
Attending a Protest Surveillance Self-Defense
The immortal words of the late Mayor Richard J. Daley of Chicago seem oddly pertinent this morning:
Two videos that fluttered over the transom last night turn Daley’s malapropism into truth-telling in a time when truth lies bleeding out in the gutter. For those unfamiliar, Daley was defending Chicago Police who were busting the heads of anti-war protesters in Grant Park during the 1968 Democratic Convention.
Decades later, the police determined to preserve disorder in Chicago are Kristi Noem’s ICEmen. They seem less like lawmen than thugs Noem recruited from prison gangs. Handed federal authority, they behave as though intoxicated with it. Working for ICE, they get to bust heads under color of law and draw bonuses for doing it. All while committing crimes with reckless abandon and unqualified immunity.
Set aside for the moment the fates of the victims of ICE/CBP manhandles in these two videos from Chicago. Focus on driving that would promptly land you or me in jail.
The first clip comes from digital creator Erubiel Espinoza. Agents are in the process of detaining someone while neighbors honk their horns in disapproval. Several unmarked vehicles block the street, including a white Jeep Wagoneer(?) sitting crosswise across the street. The Wagoneer whips around in an arc away from the camera into the opposite lane and into the path of a passing (black) sedan that impacts the Wagoneer on the passenger side.
The Wagoneer pulls forward. CBP agents pour out, guns drawn. They yank the stunned and screaming woman driver out of her vehicle, throw her to the pavement and arrest her for the accident they caused. CBP drives off with the victim, leaving her wrecked car in the middle of the street.
The second video from Friday morning you have likely seen. ICE arrested WGN News editor/producer Debbie Brockman for another alleged “assault on a federal law enforcement officer” (Chicago Tribune):
On Friday evening, WGN issued a statement that its employee had been released from ICE detention.
“Earlier today, a WGN-TV creative services employee was detained by ICE,” the station said. “She has since been released, and no charges were filed against her. Out of respect for her privacy, we will have no further statements about this incident.”
But again, watch the masked ICEmen drive as if they are legally bulletproof.
An unmarked silver Chrysler minivan (New Jersey tags) sits angled in the street, partially blocking traffic. A black Chevy SUV sits partially blocking the ICEmen’s exit. It’s not clear if the woman driver is blocked from moving by the Chrysler and other traffic. They shout at her to move, but it’s not clear that she can. So the ICEmen drive away, tires squealing as they sideswipe her car and tear off the bumper.
I would be charged. You would be charged. But the lawless are enforcing the law.
In a society of laws, both incidents of reckless property damage would require the victims be made whole. Good luck with that. The first incident, I’m told, was reported to the Chicago Police Department.
But the most disturbing story from Friday night comes regarding the apartment raid on the South Shore. Author Madiba Dennie announced ominously on Bluesky, “aaand we are officially in the hide-your-neighbors stage.”
From the Chicago Sun-Times:
Amid the smoke bombs and screams that ricocheted throughout a South Shore building last month during a massive military-style immigration raid, one man heard a knock on his door.
On the other side was a mom and her 7-year-old daughter, pleading for his help.
“I wasn’t planning on letting her stay, but I didn’t know what the hell was going on,” the man said of his Venezuelan migrant neighbors. But he quickly relented. The little girl was inconsolable and hid under his bed.
“I didn’t want them to take her,” said the man, who didn’t want to be named because he fears he’ll be targeted by federal authorities for his actions.
“I gave her my bedroom, and I just told her, ‘Just stay there. Don’t open, don’t, shh, just stay quiet,’” he recalled telling the mom and daughter as he choked back tears.
The man was wise to remain anonymous. The government may come looking to charge him anyway.
* * * * *
Have you fought dictatorship today?
50501
May Day Strong
No King’s One Million Rising movement – Next national day of protest Oct. 18
Freedom Over Fascism Toolkit
The Resistance Lab
Choose Democracy
Indivisible: A Guide to Democracy on the Brink
You Have Power
Chop Wood, Carry Water
Thirty lonely but beautiful actions
Attending a Protest Surveillance Self-Defense
They aren’t cats and they aren’t dogs. They evolved uniquely on Madagascar:
They are very cute but they are also apex predators and especially love the taste of lemur. 🙁 But hey, everybody’s gotta eat…
Anyway, more adorable pups:
Emmer: "This is about one thing and one thing alone — to score political points with the terrorist wing of their party, which is set to hold a hate America rally in DC next week." pic.twitter.com/FKnIpFMSUY
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 10, 2025
This is about one thing and one thing alone — to score political points with the terrorist wing of their party, which is set to hold a hate America rally in DC next week.” Tom Emmer
As Jon Favreau wrote in response to that outrageous comment:
A top Republican in Congress just called millions of Americans terrorists. The last No Kings protests saw 4-6 million people turn out. They were peaceful. They were joyful. There were American flags everywhere. Those of us who will be participating next weekend in what Emmer calls a “hate rally” for “terrorists” love our country – particularly its promise that we’re all created equal, that we all have the right to speak freely, to enjoy equal protection under the law, to believe what we want, and to choose our leaders without fear of reprisal.
The No Kings protests are happening because Emmer and Trump and his regime are trampling on those rights and freedoms.
It’s clearly a talking point. Get a load of this crapola:
I think we know what a hate America rally in DC looks like, don’t we? And it wasn’t perpetrated by Antifamas or whatever hysterical nonsense these people are calling it:
If you haven’t planned on going to a protest near you next weekend, this may be the time to get off the couch. If millions and millions of people show up all over the country to peacefully protest they can’t beat and jail all of us.
You can find one near you here: No Kings
Meanwhile, the winner supports the man who murders civilians on the high seas:
I guess that was smart of her. Why not? Everybody else is kissing his ass. But she may come to regret it. The people Trump is backing to take over after the regime change are just as bad as Maduro.
Update — Oy:
What did he expect? He signed on with a movement that hates him. And I think JD might just have some problems with this crew as well. His wife Usha is also a practicing Hindu.
If anyone thought that Charlie Kirk Memorial Extravaganza wasn’t really a Christian Nationalist Revival Meeting didn’t pay attention. These young people are the heart and soul of Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA movement and they took him very seriously. This is what that movement is all about.
