Domestic Terrorism, Fascism (5)

Trump 2.0 era ~

Moving forward from the 100-day fiasco!

migrant deportation issues

https://www.mediaite.com/news/trump-stuns-by-saying-i-dont-know-when-asked-direc...

Trump Stuns By Saying ‘I Don’t Know’ When Asked Directly NBC’s Kristen Welker ‘Don’t You Need to Uphold the Constitution?’

Three Nazi extremists convicted of planning terrorist attack in England (Guardian)

Three Nazi extremists who amassed an arsenal of 200 weapons and discussed targeting mosques and synagogues in England have been convicted of planning a terrorist attack. Among the haul of weapons was a 3D printed gun that was almost ready to be fired. The planned attack was averted when an undercover officer infiltrated the self-styled Nazi cell. The three men were Christopher Ringrose, 34, from Cannock, Marco Pitzettu, 25, from Derby, and Brogan Stewart, 25, from West Yorkshire, who formed a virtual cell and had never met. They admired Adolf Hitler and spouted anti-immigrant rhetoric, shared material from the far-right activist Tommy Robinson and discussed attacking places housing migrants to Britain. They were convicted by a jury at Sheffield crown court of multiple terrorism and firearms offences and warned by the judge they faced lengthy jail sentences...

FBI says suspect in California blast targeted fertility clinic (BBC)

Authorities have identified the suspect in a deadly car blast that targeted a fertility clinic in Palm Springs, California as Guy Edward Bartkus, a 25-year-old man they said "had nihilistic ideations"... The FBI had called the attack an "intentional act of terrorism". They believe the suspect deliberately targeted the in vitro fertilisation (IVF) facility. They added they are reviewing a manifesto they believe is linked to Bartkus...

Just having fun here. Spur of the moment, y'know...

Los Angles experienced a vandalism spree Saturday night into Sunday morning.

Upwards of 1000 people attended a party in an abandoned building, summoned by social media posts, and were armed with cans of spray paint. They vandalized businesses, trains and even police cars. One police officer required medical care after being hit by a bottle.

No arrests were made, though police fired rubber bullets to disperse the crowd.

No arrests? I bet they were all white.
I can't tell what slogans were painted all over the place.

Chaos unfolds in downtown L.A. as large mob vandalizes police car, train, businesses

https://ktla.com/news/local-news/chaos-unfolds-in-downtown-los-angeles-as-large-...

Illegal party recruits participants on social media before vandalism, chaos in downtown LA

https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/downtown-la-vandals-recruited-social-me...

Mayor says group behind destructive vandalism in DTLA will be held responsible

https://abc7.com/post/mayor-says-group-behind-destructive-vandalism-caught-video...

Neo-Nazi group ‘actively seeking to grow in US’ with planned paramilitary training event (Guardian)

An international neo-Nazi terrorist organization is boldly continuing to build in the US and planning a new paramilitary training event without fear of local authorities or the FBI, which once dismantled it in a nationwide effort. The Base, founded in 2018 by a former Pentagon contractor living in Russia and now suspected of Kremlin-sponsored espionage, once boasted close to 50 stateside members before the bureau made more than a dozen arrests in a years-long counter-terrorism operation. But since the presidential election campaign last year and what many then believed to be a surefire victory for Donald Trump, the Base saw an opportunity in a potential administration uninterested in policing white supremacy and went about ramping up its ranks. Now, the Base has a presence in Ukraine, performing sabotage operations inside the country against the embattled government, and new and dangerous cells emerging across Europe, and it appears to be growing in the US, where the FBI under the Maga acolyte Kash Patel has signalled it isn’t prioritizing investigations of far-right extremism...

Interesting that this neo-Nazi group has chosen the same name as Al Qa'ida, which also means Base.

>6 John5918:

The Nazis had ties in the Middle East, interestingly enough. I do chuckle at the slant of your news, something like the Enquirer would write up.

>7 TheToadRevoltof84: I do chuckle at the slant of your news

Fair comment, although I don't find paramilitary training of "terrorist" neo-Nazi groups to be very chuckleworthy. But I could say the same about the slant of your news. The trick is to read a wide variety of news, international and not just domestic, and to make one's own judgement. The articles I post here are not the only ones I read, but I choose to post them from amongst all the others simply because I like the way they present the issues which I have also read about from different "slants".

>8 John5918:

While Illegals and minions of the Act Blue brigade burn LA...Trump and cohorts aren't prioritizing the 50 Nazis. Must be that they like Nazis!

A rightwing minister told Sweden to get tough on crime – until his own son was caught in a Nazi scandal (Guardian)

The Swedish investigative magazine Expo revealed earlier this month that a minister in the governing coalition, whom it did not name, had a close family member active in violent far-right and neo-Nazi groups. The family member had, Expo claimed, participated in activities with a far-right network classified as a terrorist group by the US... This week the migration minister, Johan Forssell, was finally outed after being called to a hearing in the Riksdag, the Swedish parliament, to answer questions about the scandal – and his teenage son... The revelation that the scandal involved Forssell is particularly remarkable, since he has built a reputation on claims that parental responsibility is the only real way to prevent crime. He has also suggested parents should be held legally accountable for the crimes of their children... he has generally advocated for the most radical shift towards punitive policies in Swedish criminal justice in decades, including harsher punishment for minors. And in social media posts, Forssell has claimed that the leftwing opposition is in denial about the role of “parental responsibility as a method for crime prevention”. The best way to prevent criminality, he has insisted, is “attentive parents who give their children love and set clear boundaries”. Now the minister wants us to accept that he was clueless that his own child was reportedly active online in neo-Nazi groups, let alone implicated in a violent extremist group with international ties... Despite Forssell’s long public record of blaming parents for the sins of their children, he took no direct responsibility when finally confronted in the TV interview. Instead, he seemed keen to shift the blame from parents to online platforms, asking: “What is social media doing to our children?” While his own social media accounts have countless negative posts about migrants, the minister casts himself as a passive victim of circumstances. “Sometimes, things go wrong,” he shrugged...

Far-right supporters attack police after protest against Essex hotel for asylum seekers (Guardian)

Riot police deployed to anti-immigration flashpoint in Epping as far right seeks to exploit local tensions...

From Canada to Finland, a US neo-Nazi fight club is rapidly spreading across the globe (Guardian)

‘Active clubs’ that use martial arts to espouse far-right, fascist ideologies are proliferating in the US and abroad...

Domestic abuse and public violence: will the state now accept the two go hand in hand? (Guardian)

The idea that violent men seek out fresh opportunities to attack people and property is hardly news. That one form of violence is a predictor of others, on the other hand, has yet to be fully recognised by the criminal justice system. If that were not the case, domestic abuse would be treated as the red flag it undoubtedly is, requiring much more effective identification, prosecution and management of offenders. The latest example of violence in the home spilling into the streets comes from last summer’s riots. Two out of every five people arrested – 41% of the 899 individuals arrested for taking part in violent disorder, to be exact... In some areas where violence broke out on the streets, the figure was as high as 68%. In Rotherham, where 75 people were arrested after rioters set fire to an asylum hotel, 35 turned out to have been previously reported to the police for domestic abuse. The irony is unmissable: in some towns, many of the men who claimed to be protesting about the savage murders of three little girls at a dance class in Southport had themselves been accused of attacking women. The profoundly misogynist rampage that killed Elsie Dot Stancombe, Bebe King and Alice da Silva Aguiar was hijacked, in other words, by “protesters” some of whose own record of behaviour towards women doesn’t stand up to a moment’s scrutiny... There are two other statistics that need to be considered here. The 41% figure maps almost exactly on to the proportion of terrorist suspects who were revealed to have a history of domestic abuse by Project Starlight, a joint research project undertaken by counter-terrorism policing and the Home Office in 2021... It’s also important to remember that domestic abuse is an underreported crime...

Far-right extremists using games platforms to radicalise teenagers, report warns (Guardian)

Far-right extremists are using livestream gaming platforms to target and radicalise teenage players, a report has warned. The new research, published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, reveals how a range of extremist groups and individuals use platforms that allow users to chat and livestream while playing video games to recruit and radicalise vulnerable users, mainly young males. UK crime and counter-terror agencies have urged parents to be especially alert to online offenders targeting youngsters during the summer holidays...

Unmasked: the man behind one of the fastest growing far-right YouTube channels (Guardian)

Chris Booth’s channel – rife with neo-Nazi ideology, antisemitism and racism – garnered 2.3m views and likely thousands of dollars from YouTube in about two months...

Charlie Angus is calling it “gangster Fascism”

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DM_iW6FpJUU/?igsh=YXFwbnNia3A2eDhk

Washington State governor Bob Ferguson responds to a threatening letter from Pam Bondi

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT6CpdbfT/

Pro-Trump group wages campaign to purge “subversive” federal workers
Linda So, Peter Eisler and Ned Parker | August 7, 2025

... To the people targeted by AAF {American Accountability Foundation}, its sites are engines of reputational harm and invitations to harassment. AAF, however, stops short of crossing an important line, say free-speech experts: It omits home addresses, phone numbers and other intimate identifiers associated with doxxing – the publishing of personal information online with malicious intent. By that standard, the sites remain just outside the boundaries of potential criminal violations of privacy. But legal experts say the watchlists could deter civil servants from politically sensitive work, creating a chilling effect on public service.

... AAF received $100,000 last year from the conservative Heritage Foundation to support its work, public records show. Much of its early funding and organizational backing came from groups aligned with Trump, including one run by Russell Vought, now Trump’s budget director, and another headed by Stephen Miller, a senior Trump advisor. AAF’s Jones was an advisor on the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, which calls for slashing the federal workforce and marginalizing “woke culture warriors.”

... AAF was launched in December 2020, weeks after Trump lost his re-election bid to Joe Biden. Its initial mission, as {AAF President Tom Jones} said in a 2021 Fox News interview, was “to take a big handful of sand and throw it in the gears of the Biden administration.”

The group traces its roots to a network of Trump-aligned nonprofits led by the Conservative Partnership Institute, headed by former Senator Jim DeMint and Mark Meadows, who served as chief of staff in Trump’s first presidency.

... AAF’s watchlists disproportionately feature women...

https://www.reuters.com/investigations/pro-trump-group-wages-campaign-purge-subv...

America Tips Into Fascism
Today is different than before.
Garrett Graff* | August 25, 2025

The United States, just months before its 250th birthday as the world’s leading democracy, has tipped over the edge into authoritarianism and fascism. In the end, faster than I imagined possible, it did happen here. The precise moment when and where in recent weeks America crossed that invisible line from democracy into authoritarianism can and will be debated by future historians, but it’s clear that the line itself has been crossed...

https://www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/america-tips-into-fascism-f51000e08e03254d

* Garrett M. Graff is an American journalist and author. He is a former editor of Politico Magazine, editor-in-chief of Washingtonian magazine in Washington, D.C., and instructor at Georgetown University in the Master's in Professional Studies Journalism and Public Relations program. Wikipedia

‘I am not a dictator,’ Trump says. Here’s what 21st century dictators do (CNN)

For the second day in a row, President Donald Trump has felt the need to assure Americans that, no, he is not a dictator... “If this were happening in any other country, we would have no trouble calling it what it is: a dangerous power grab,” Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said Monday... Modern dictators either seize power without election or, having come to power democratically, undermine electoral institutions so that they are almost guaranteed to win. They generally consolidate control, intimidating or coopting the legislature, courts, media and other power centers, so that they are not constrained by other actors... today’s dictators wear suits and control information rather than wear military uniforms and control everyday life... Dictatorship is a kind of political rule — rule by a self-appointed or irremovable leader who is not subject to voters or constitutional restraints (although some might pretend to be). Some dictators allow a certain sphere of freedom in daily life. They are authoritarian but not totalitarian. Still, even under a generally benevolent dictator (and there aren’t many of these), citizens do not have the security that comes from living in a state with reliable rule of law. They are vulnerable to the whims of those in power. And they do not have the freedom to collectively reject their ruler.

Federal agents in LA taunt citizen observers with “a-kidnapping we will go”

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DN1dYjlZG-4/?igsh=MTNvZWY1ZHRkeDZndw==

Step back and take it in: the US is entering full authoritarian mode (Guardian)

Trump’s dictator-like behaviour is so brazen, so blatant, that paradoxically, we discount it. But now it’s time to call it what it is. If this were happening somewhere else – in Latin America, say – how might it be reported? Having secured his grip on the capital, the president is now set to send troops to several rebel-held cities, claiming he is wanted there to restore order. The move follows raids on the homes of leading dissidents and comes as armed men seen as loyal to the president, many of them masked, continue to pluck people off the streets … Except this is happening in the United States of America and so we don’t quite talk about it that way...

‘Trump’s private army’: inside the push to recruit 10,000 immigration officers
Sam Levin | 2 Sep 2025

As Ice expands and standards are lowered, advocates and former US officials warn that misconduct may increase

Bolstered by an unprecedented $170bn in funding for Immigration and Border Enforcement, the DHS is seeking to hire 10,000 new Ice officers and 3,000 Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents by the end of the year.

In its desperate race to staff up and meet Trump deputy Stephen Miller’s aggressive goal of 3,000 immigration-related arrests a day, the DHS is now advertising substantial incentives for Ice recruits. That includes a signing bonus of up to $50,000 and as much as $60,000 in student loan repayment.

It has expanded the officer recruitment age, which was generally 21-40, to all people 18 and over, and has shortened training periods to get agents in the field faster.

It has launched a prolific social media campaign, featuring memes and imagery that critics say echo white supremacist ideologies.

In the past, US officials have repeatedly dismissed misconduct, or even crimes, by immigration officers as anomalies. Watchdogs, however, argue corruption and abuse within Ice and CBP is rampant – and that the White House’s hiring tactics threaten to supercharge problems. {That lack of accountability is exacerbated by the erosion of oversight. Noem has shut down DHS oversight offices meant to uncover and prevent misconduct, efforts that advocates said were already inadequate.}

... In addition to expanding the age eligibility, the DHS was speeding up onboarding for new hires by condensing training from 13 weeks to eight, officials recently told NBC News, and reducing Spanish classes, firearms courses and classroom instruction.

The existing training, advocates say, was already failing to prevent misconduct...

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/02/immigration-hiring-push-trump-pr...
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Turkish physicist missing after reporting irregularities at US gov’t lab
Turkish Minute | September 1, 2025

... Dr. Furkan Dölek, a specialist in dark matter and high-energy physics who previously worked at CERN and Virginia Tech, has not been heard from since last week, when he was reportedly detained near the Canadian border {Akwesasne, near Massena, NY}. His family in Adana, southern Turkey, said they have been unable to reach him for four days and fear for his safety.

... he raised alarms over safety violations and security gaps at the US facility, filing complaints with the Department of Energy. His relatives say he faced retaliation, including harassment, dismissal from his job and the cancellation of his visa.

The physicist had launched a solo march to Canada to draw attention to his case, documenting the journey on social media.

... His family says his phone and computer were confiscated during his reported detention and that they sold their house in Adana to finance his legal battle in the US. They warn that under new refugee laws, he could face transfer to a detention facility in El Salvador...

https://www.turkishminute.com/2025/09/01/turkish-physicist-missing-after-reporti...

The worst takes from a bad week
The Free Press, about to take over CBS News, blames universities for American political violence
Don Moynihan | Sep 13, 2025

"... One thing to watch for in the coming days is that if Kirk’s shooter will no longer be referred to as “the left” he will instead be more opaquely characterized as “they.” They killed Kirk. This is what happened to Trump’s shooter, inviting the false assumption that he is representative of a coherent political opposition to Trump. It turns out that the right sometimes does prefer pronouns. ..."

https://donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-worst-takes-from-a-bad-week
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Seth Cotlar ‪@sethcotlar.bsky.social‬ | September 15, 2025 at 1:32 PM:
Teaches US History at Willamette Univ. Working on a book about the long history of the US Right.

"Charlie Kirk's murderer has been apprehended and will face trial under our existing laws. Kirk's widow, however, states in this fundraising "battle cry" email that she believes far more people are responsible for Kirk's death, some nebulous "they" who represent the "evildoers" who killed him.
https://bsky.app/profile/sethcotlar.bsky.social/post/3lyvdlts2hc22"

Jack Jenkins ‪@jackjenkins.me‬ | September 15, 2025 at 2:08 PM: {bsky.app}
National Reporter for Religion News Service. "Workaday writer." — The New Yorker. Author of "American Prophets," a book on the religious left.

"Vance encourages people to call the employers of people who "celebrate Charlie's murder," then says "get involved. Get involved. Get involved.""

"Cites Stephen Miller's vow to go after orgs that "promote violence and terrorism", and closes by calling on people to "put on the full armor of God.""

September 15, 2025 at 2:04 PM:
"In his closing remarks while hosting Charlie Kirk's show for the White House, Vance says "the most important truth Charlie told was" — and then recites Apostles' Creed."

"Vance then spends several minutes railing against the left in a speech that, uh, I think is likely gonna get some attention."
https://bsky.app/profile/jackjenkins.me/post/3lyvfemkojk24
_____________________________________

JD Vance hosts Charlie Kirk Show in tribute to influencer - and claims 'left-wing extremism' a factor in assassination
Sky News | 15 September 2025

"... The vice president hosted The Charlie Kirk Show from the White House ... "The last several days have been extremely hard ... Everyone in this building owes something to Charlie... I don't think I'm alone in saying that Charlie was one of the smartest political operators I've ever met.""

"During his opening monologue, Mr Vance said "we have to make sure that the killer is brought to justice ... We have to talk about this incredibly destructive movement of left-wing extremism that has grown up over the last few years ... and I believe is part of the reason why Charlie was killed by an assassin's bullet ... We're going to talk about how to dismantle that and how to bring real unity that can only come when we tell the truth and everybody knows that they can speak their mind without being cut down by a murderer's gun.""

"Later, while speaking with White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, Mr Vance said the Trump administration is trying to stop "festering violence from the far-left from spreading"."

"... The vice president and Mr Kirk were close friends, with Mr Vance saying in his first tribute that "he was a true friend" and that "he didn't just help us win in 2024, he helped us staff the entire government"."

https://news.sky.com/story/jd-vance-hosts-charlie-kirk-show-in-tribute-to-influe...

Trump points to ‘major’ new investigation into people on ‘the left’ following Kirk slaying
Steve Benen | Sept. 15, 2025

"“A lot of the people that you would traditionally say are on the left {are} already under investigation,” Trump said four days after Charlie Kirk's death..."

"... It’s an open question as to whether or not this “major” investigation is real. Trump has a track record of alerting the public to investigations that exist only in his imagination, so it’s certainly possible that he was lying about this, too."

"But given the circumstances, it’s also easy to believe the president has directed federal agencies to initiate probes into his perceived political foes as part of a broader authoritarian agenda..."

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/trump-points-major-new-inves...

The Bulwark‬ ‪@thebulwark.com‬ | September 15, 2025 at 2:28 PM:
Vance: "While our side of the aisle certainly has its crazies, it is a statistical fact that most of the lunatics in American politics today are proud members of the far-Left."
Video, https://bsky.app/profile/thebulwark.com/post/3lyvgowvj2c2u
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Don Moynihan ‪@donmoyn.bsky.social‬ | September 15, 2025 at 2:59 PM:
Policy Professor, Ford School, University of Michigan.

"This is false. For example, the libertarian @cato.org breaks down the numbers, showing about 6 deaths from right-wing politically motivated attackers for every 1 from left-wing attackers."

"Moreover, the claim that shooters represent anyone other than an unhinged fraction of society is the deeper lie."

"The Cato Institute, the libertarian think tank, offers a breakdown of political violence in America. One basic point is that ideologically-motivated political violence mostly comes from the right."
Table, Murder in politically Motivated terrorism, excluding 911
https://bsky.app/profile/donmoyn.bsky.social/post/3lyvihcgpks2p

An interview with an Antifa originalist:

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTMeoLNSQ/

>28 2wonderY: You joke but just watch Trump start arresting the few remaining WWII vets based on their antifa activities.

‘Go-to trope’: how the far right is exploiting violence against women and girls (Guardian)

From Tommy Robinson to Reform UK, nationalist figures are weaponising women’s safety to push anti-migrant fears...

Acyn @Acyn | 5:41 PM · Sep 19, 2025:

Trump: DC is just the beginning… But we set ourselves up very well in Chicago, Memphis, New Orleans a little bit. We study it, we're studying, sort of like war. I hate to tell you it's like war

(0:48) https://x.com/Acyn/status/1969154946491957482

Study: Left-wing terrorism outpaces far-right attacks for first time in 30 years
Zachary Basu | Sep 28, 2025

"... America's domestic terrorism landscape has undergone a remarkable inversion since President Trump took office, as his policies have eased grievances on the far right while intensifying anger on the far left.

Far-right violence has historically been more frequent and more lethal, but plunged dramatically over the first six months of 2025.

... political violence remains rare and overwhelmingly opposed by most Americans. CSIS (Center for Strategic and International Studies) researchers compiled and analyzed a data set of 750 domestic attacks and plots from Jan. 1, 1994, to July 4, 2025, categorizing them into "right," "left," "jihadist," "ethnonationalist" and "other."

The data showed that left-wing extremists have carried out 41 attacks since 2016, compared with 152 from the far right over the same period.

Left-wing violence has killed 13 people over the past decade — far fewer than the 112 deaths from right-wing attacks and 82 from jihadists.

But at least five left-wing plots or attacks have already been recorded this year, compared to just one right-wing attack..."

https://www.axios.com/2025/09/28/left-wing-terrorism-far-right-violence-research
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Left-Wing Terrorism and Political Violence in the United States:
What the Data Tells Us (13 p)
Daniel Byman and Riley McCabe | Sept 2025
https://csis-website-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/2025-09/250925_Byman_Left...

This Is American Fascism!
In The Words of Those Who Rid the World of Nazis
Lukium | Sep 26, 2025

"... Army Talk, Fact Sheet #64: “FASCISM!” {24 March 1945}
https://archive.org/details/ArmyTalkOrientationFactSheet64-Fascism ...

Test #1: The “Convenient Scapegoat” ... It predicted that native fascists would launch a “well-planned ‘hate campaign’” against a “convenient scapegoat”...

Test #2: A Perverted Nationalism ... The second test the Army gave its soldiers was a warning against a rising tide of ultra-nationalism, a deliberate rejection of global teamwork...

Test #3: The “Red Bogey”
The final test from the 1945 field manual is a warning about a rhetorical trick as old as fascism itself. Having created a domestic scapegoat and isolated the nation from its allies, the movement needs a way to justify its aggression against all remaining political opponents. The Army called it the “Red bogey.” ...

https://americanmanifesto.news/p/this-is-american-fascism
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Trump, addressing generals on 30 Sept 2025:
"The ones that are run by radical left Democrats -- what they've done to San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles. They're very unsafe places & we're gonna straighten them out one by one. This is gonna be a major part for some people in this room. That's a war too. It's war from within"

{Video} https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3m22phd2sat2i
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Thankfully, per reports on bsky.app:

"The generals are calling them “Fat Man” and “Little Boy” because of how badly they bombed."
https://bsky.app/profile/teamcanadaforever.bsky.social/post/3m23g236dcs2o
______________________________________

Excerpt decrying the King, from American Declaration of Independence:

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us...

ICE and Homeland Security emptied an entire apartment complex in Chicago in the middle of the night

https://abc7chicago.com/post/ice-chicago-federal-agents-surround-south-shore-apa...

Rappelling from a Blackhawk helicopter, chainsawing through a fence, busting through doors, corralling all residents, separating by color, separating children from their parents and zip-tying them together, rummaging through personal belongings

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTM6W4dGd/

Some further statistics
99% black; all US citizens

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTM6vxMQe/

Local news reporting

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTM6KXbuu/

>34 2wonderY: Unbelievable... everyone hauled out of the building (incl. kids in nightclothes), doors busted, no warrants, sorted for infractions / innocence after-the-fact!

Moreover "... CBS News Chicago has continued to reach out to DHS for more information about the South Shore raid, though answers may be further delayed. A post to the agency's website says its press page is not being managed at the moment due to the government shutdown..." https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/south-shore-chicago-ice-raid-dhs-tren-de-ar...

I read on bluesky.app that a peaceful protest was organized afterward. Trump is itching for a fight, though, and I don't know how long residents can resist taking the bait...

>35 margd: There seems to be a civil rights lawsuit being filed.

White House Anti-Terror Order Targets ‘Anti-Capitalist’ and ‘Anti-American’ Views. Here’s What To Know

https://time.com/7322106/trump-nspm-7-domestic-terrorism/

Experts warn that the directive could significantly expand the number of Americans under federal scrutiny.

The order “directs law enforcement resources to target a range of activities which it often characterizes as violent, but also covers many aspects of First Amendment protected activity,” explains Faiza Patel, Director of the Liberty and National Security Program at the Brennan Center.

“It's not an order that is directed at criminal activity or terrorism, even though it uses those words frequently.”

Nonprofits, their employees, and donors could face investigation if deemed to “aid or abet” those engaged in certain conduct. The Secretary of the Treasury is tasked with disrupting financial networks funding political violence and ensuring organizations that support such activities lose their tax-exempt status.

Civil liberties organizations, including the ACLU, say the order could be used to intimidate critics and target nonprofits and activists.

D.C.-based law firm Arnold & Porter, a regulatory specialist firm, note that investigations “based on a particular subset of beliefs” could implicate organizations engaged in civil rights work, protest support, or politically sensitive initiatives

>34 2wonderY: I'm glad this is getting news follow-up!

https://www.salon.com/2025/10/02/federal-agents-storm-chicago-apartment-building...

>37 2wonderY: I seem to recall earlier threat against tax-exempt status of a Catholic group that was helping newly arrived migrants near Mexican border?

>38 2wonderY: contd.

South Shore Residents Return To Ransacked Apartments After ICE Raid: ‘It Looks Like Hell’
Mack Liederman | October 2, 2025

"A “now renting” sign outside touts granite countertops. Inside, residents are trying to make sense of the raid that made their already neglected building even worse.

... The city ... filed suit in February against Flood’s LLCs for over 15 building code violations at the South Shore Drive property dating back to 2023, seeking that it be put under receivership, according to court records. The building failed its past 14 annual inspections, according to data from the city’s Department of Buildings.

... Since June, police have reported multiple gun crimes in the 7400 and 7500 blocks of South South Shore Drive, including two homicides, a shooting and two armed robberies, according to city data.

... South Shore had been a landing spot for many Venezuelans when tens of thousands of migrants were bused from the southern border to Chicago and other Democrat-led cities..."

https://blockclubchicago.org/2025/10/02/south-shore-residents-return-to-ransacke...

>40 margd: continued

Wells Fargo Bank is peculiarly positioned to benefit from the federal destruction of the apartment property

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTMhJNWfQ/

Stephen Miller claims on camera that Trump has “plenary power”

Oops!

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTMBPLt92/

Trump has "made no attempt to cool his rhetoric at a time of heightened tensions and political division in the U.S. in the wake of the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk in Utah last month, despite calls from politicians on both sides for all parties to adopt a more measured tone."

Trump calls Democrats ‘the party of hate, evil, and Satan’ in late-night Truth Social rant
Joe Sommerlad | October 3, 2025

"... As part of a short posting spree late on Thursday, the president posted an image of a frowning Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, surrounded by unflattering images of New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Joe and Jill Biden, under the headline: “The Party of Hate, Evil, and Satan.”..."

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/trump-calls-democrats-party-hate-084243766.html

Aaron Rupar ‪@atrupar.com‬ | October 8, 2025 at 3:42 PM: {bsky.app}

Trump: "We took the freedom of speech away because that's been through the courts and the courts said you have freedom of speech, but what has happened is when they burn a flag it agitates and irritates crowds."

(0:30) https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3m2pfkrmyxg2k

>44 margd: If we make it out of this with our sovereignty and freedom intact, I have no idea how we're going to explain this to future generations.

"So he just....admitted he was breaking the Constitution?"

"...yeah."

"So what happened? Did he get arrested?"

"No......and that wasn't the first time either...."

"So no one did anything. All you adults did nothing?"

"....."

Aaron Rupar ‪@atrupar.com‬ | October 8, 2025 at 8:21 AM {bsky.app}
Trump calls for Brandon Johnson and JB Pritzker to be imprisoned

{Trump, Truth Social} "Chicago Mayor should be in jail for failing to protect Ice Officers! Governor Pritzker also!"
https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3m2omwerfhc2y
---------------------------------------------

Aaron Rupar ‪@atrupar.com‬ | October 6, 2025 at 4:54 PM {bsky.com}

Trump: "I believe that Pritzker and this mayor of Chicago are scared. They're scared for their lives."
https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3m2kioqbmbe2d

Domestic terrorism?

Press Release
Florida Man Arrested on Federal Criminal Complaint Alleging He Maliciously Started What Became the Palisades Fire
U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California | October 8, 2025

"... A former Pacific Palisades resident {Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, a.k.a. “Jonathan Rinder,” and “Jon Rinder,” of Melbourne, Florida} has been arrested on a federal criminal complaint charging him with maliciously starting what eventually became the Palisades Fire of January 2025, one of the most destructive wildfires in Los Angeles history, the Justice Department announced today.

... Law enforcement determined – using witness statements, video surveillance, cellphone data, and analysis of fire dynamics and patterns at the scene, among other things – that Rinderknecht maliciously set the Lachman Fire just after midnight on January 1 on land owned by the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA), an organization that received federal funding. A week later, the same fire – then known as the Palisades Fire ...

... Two passengers that he drove on separate trips between 10:15 p.m. and 11:15 p.m. that night later told law enforcement they remembered that Rinderknecht appeared agitated and angry.

After dropping off a passenger in Pacific Palisades, Rinderknecht ... walked up the trail ... listened to a rap song – to which he had listened repeatedly in previous days – whose music video included things being lit on fire..."

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-get-routine-yearly-medical-c...

Aaron Rupar ‪@atrupar.com‬ | October 8, 2025 at 4:11 PM: {bsky.app}

Trump: "I don't know what could be worse than Portland. You don't even have stores anymore. They don't even put glass up. They put plywood on their windows."
https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3m2ph7zr3f42e
_____________________________________

This website lets you know if Portland is currently burning
Lizzy Acker | Oct. 08, 2025,
https://www.oregonlive.com/trending/2025/10/this-website-lets-you-know-if-portla...
----------------------------------------------------

Website
Portland is not burning. Here’s live context and sourced fact checks.
- Read fact check
- View cameras
https://isportlandburning.com/

Are we talking extra-judicial executions here???

Prem Thakker ツ ‪@premthakker.bsky.social‬ | October 8, 2025 at 4:11 PM: {bsky.com}
Political correspondent @zeteo.com

My gosh. After the US bombed multiple boats in the middle of the ocean, murdering people on grounds that they were allegedly "carrying drugs," the US Attorney General says

"Just like we did with cartels, we're going to take the same approach, President Trump, with Antifa."
https://bsky.app/profile/premthakker.bsky.social/post/3m2ph7tupx22q

>49 margd: Yes, that's exactly what we're seeing.

I would be very interested in knowing what international law has to say about all of this. It might be difficult for members of this administration to travel freely in the near future.

I caught a Fox News broadcast today where they were discussing the Pritzker and Newsome suit challenging Trump’s deployment of the National Guard. It may have been a local station, but the talking heads seemed to agree that the Trump assertions are a lot of nonsense.

>51 2wonderY: Good that Fox viewers are hearing Trump assertions about Portland and Chicago were "nonsense"!

The impossibly dumb reason for Trump's invasion of Portland
Justin Glawe | Oct 10, 2025

"It'd be hilarious if he wasn't the commander in chief.

“Well wait a minute, am I watching things on television that are different from what’s happening?”

That was Donald Trump, making an incredible admission to Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek that he was confused about unrest in Portland while watching TV. The call took place on September 26. That same day, Fox News ran two segments in which b-roll of rioting in Portland from 2020 ran in the background as guests spoke to on-air personalities.

A Wall Street Journal report has details:
Trump recounted his conversation with Kotek during a weekend interview with NBC News’ correspondent Yamiche Alcindor. He alluded to their conflicting accounts of Portland.
“I spoke to the governor, she was very nice,” Trump said. “But I said, ‘Well wait a minute, am I watching things on television that are different from what’s happening? My people tell me different.’ They are literally attacking and there are fires all over the place … it looks like terrible.”

In short, it sounds like Trump was watching old riot footage on Fox, thought it was happening in real time, then went on Truth Social the next day and said he was ordering troops to “war ravaged” Portland with “full force, if necessary.” ..."

https://www.publicnotice.co/p/trump-portland-deployment-fox-news

>48 margd: contd.

"Photos By Mike" {TV News photojournalist, photographer} | 9 Oct 2025 {Facebook}

"KATU News started a 24 hour livestream of the Portland ICE facility so you can see whats happening. Here’s the message from KATU, and the link to watch below:

“Our aim is to show the public everything we see. We want to give our viewers the opportunity to watch what is happening; to see for yourself and draw your own conclusions on whether or not federal intervention is warranted.
The unedited livestream will offer a look at all the activity that takes place outside the facility over a 24-hour period.
The stream will only drop out briefly every few hours so that our news crews can replace cameras and batteries, as well as adjust for shift changes.”

https://www.youtube.com/live/zNASPLjFocQ?si=5DfnP8OH_gkkhw6w "

Duplicate deleted.

Trump’s war on the left: Inside the plan to investigate liberal groups
Nandita Bose, Jana Winter, Jeff Mason, Tim Reid and Ted Hesson | October 9, 2025

"President Donald Trump's threatened crackdown on the finances and activities of liberal non-profits and groups opposed to his agenda is a multi-agency effort with top White House aide Stephen Miller playing a central role, according to officials.

The Trump administration plans to deploy America's counter-terrorism apparatus - including the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and the Justice Department - as well as the Internal Revenue Service and the Treasury Department against certain left-wing groups it accuses of funding and organizing political violence, the officials said..."

https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/trumps-war-left-inside-plan-investigate...

A meditation on Alex Pretti’s mother watching him die.

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZThyU82am/

Former CNN anchor Don Lemon was arrested by federal authorities on Thursday night in connection with a protest at a Minnesota church service earlier this month.

Lemon, 59, and three other journalists —Trahern Jeen Crews, Georgia Fort, and Jamael Lydell Lundy — were arrested “in connection with the coordinated attack on Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota," Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a post on X on Friday.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/don-lemon-arrested-federal-authorities-atto...

>56 MDGentleReader:

Thanks for the link. I hadn't thought of the situation in that context: a homegrown Wagner Group.

Firing squad, gas execution methods move out of (Indiana) House committee

https://www.ipm.org/news/2026-01-21/firing-squad-gas-execution-methods-move-out-...

The federal death chamber sits in Terre Haute. Federal law allows flexibility beyond lethal injection based on methods authorized by states.

“This bill appears to be in response to a request from the White House, rather than a demonstrated long term need in Indiana,” Stock said. “Our position on this is that Indiana should not permanently alter its execution laws to accommodate a federal request that may change with the next administration. And the federal request is premised on the flimsiest of needs. There are only three people on federal death row … if they really want firing squads, they can move the chamber to Utah or South Carolina or somewhere that authorizes it already. The federal government has its own authority and its own responsibility to address its own execution protocols.”

Roarke LaCoursiere, speaking on behalf of Indiana’s Catholic bishops, said the imagery of a gas chamber and firing squad “highlights the brutality and savagery that the death penalty itself is and legalizing these new methods would only exacerbate the harm that having the death penalty in modern times already does to society.
————————
The firing squad bill failed, but the gas method, illegal to use on animals, is still under consideration.

How the right won the internet (Guardian)

we look at how online provocateurs have advanced extreme political ideas – and watched them seep into the mainstream... this is not just about follower counts. It is also about harnessing online engagement and turning it into a worldview. If you can cultivate online engagement, you can create new political styles and advance even the most extreme political ideas, such as total remigration. Only a year ago, this call to deport anyone with a migrant background – potentially even naturalised citizens – was too toxic for far-right parties to embrace openly. Now, the US Department for Homeland Security posts calls for remigration on X, and Alice Weidel, leader of Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) – the second-largest party in the Bundestag – has incorporated remigration into the party’s official platform... As well as the ability to influence public opinion, there is also the chance of earning cold hard cash for enterprising posters... This convergence of monetary incentives with ideologically charged engagement produces a kind of ambient extremism in contemporary politics. Far-right ideas, memes and tropes that were once confined to the fringes of 4chan and Telegram now circulate as part of mainstream discourse, where they no longer stand out as extreme...

Timothy Snyder says he’s concerned about the possibility of an ethnic cleansing happening in Springfield. Ohio.

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZThfF3MmM/

>62 2wonderY:

He also did a substack post on that topic.

https://snyder.substack.com/p/ethnic-cleansing-in-ohio

A reminder to those communities near proposed concentration camps

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZThfm3fhN/

Homeland Security sent a letter out (to gun dealers?) and then called it a hoax.
Listen to the outrageous statements in said letter:

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZThuQ2aBJ/

Quakertown, Pennsylvania
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/k4p3rdeeYx4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImGl5YWnaFI

The impossible promise: are we witnessing the return of fascism? (Guardian)

Some of today’s far right is openly violent and undemocratic – and even in its less extreme forms, far-right populism is a profound threat. But that doesn’t mean it is just a re-run of history... Today, as far-right populists prosper at the ballot box and extremists attract huge followings, a question hangs over us: is this fascism? There are certainly things that remind us of fascism, if we look abroad... Does Britain’s far right, in its various guises, mark the return of fascism? The short answer is no – with a but. We are not seeing a rerun of the 20th century. Today’s far right has a life and momentum of its own, and must be seen as unique to our time. Recognising that is essential if we are to understand its causes, its weaknesses and the specific way it threatens our freedom – because it does pose a threat to our freedom. In its most extreme guises, it is openly violent. Even in its milder forms it seeks to roll back the progress we have made towards equality and make our societies less democratic... Yet there is a crucial overlap between the fascism of interwar Europe and today’s far right, which goes back to that question of emotion. Ultimately, the two movements share the same underlying exhortation: purify your community. They tell their supporters that pride, security and success are to be ensured by attacking the enemies of the nation. They claim those enemies are being enabled by elite conspiracies. They promise radical change that will reinforce the social order, rather than tear it down and rebuild it more equitably. This is an impossible promise...

For a long time, it was definitely the case that violence against perceived political opponents was a characteristic of a significant section of the Right. Leftwing violence was restricted to a small group of ideologues, like the Weathermen.

But that is changing. The following essay reviews the evidence that now, it is the Left who are becoming intolerant, and willing to excuse violence against their political opponents.

https://www.mattgoodwin.org/p/trump-is-right-after-assassination

Patriots must take account of this shift, and prepare for what may be coming. Above all, we must organize at the local level. (And in doing so, we must be on the alert for infiltrators who will try to push us into violent acts. Such people must be immediately excluded from patriotic organizations. Legal and peaceful must be our watchwords.)

>68 Doug1943: Patriots must take account of this shift

Sounds as if you're assuming that there are no "patriots" on the Left. Surely there are patriots, people who love their country, on both the Right and Left?

Of course there are. But it's just a matter of fact that many people on the Left are far more 'internationalist' than 'nationalist/patriotic'. For instance, you won't hear chants of "USA! USA!" at a typical liberal/progressive rally.

Furthermore, I believe that when many liberals emphasize their patriotism, it's a matter of political calculation, rather than a spontaneous sentiment. Most liberals/progressives are pretty smart people, and they know that a demonstrated lack of patriotism won't win them any votes. (There is a symmetrical phenomenon on the Right, regarding racism.)

However, I should say, I don't consider this -- the lower flame at which liberal patriotism burns -- as something dishonorable. Almost the reverse.

Anyone can be a patriot, at least in words --- it costs nothing. And patriotism overlaps with tribalism -- the curse of the human race, the results of which we can see at the moment in the Middle East as each side kills the others' children.

In fact, a genuine internationalism is, in my opinion, a higher manifestation of morality than simple "My tribe first!" patriotism. But people cannot jump over their own heads, and at this point in history, political struggles necessarily take place within national boundaries. So if we added up all the self-sacrificing acts committed by people over the last historical period, the great majority would be motivated by patriotism, not some committment to the human species as a whole.

My main quarrel with liberals who are not ardent patriots is this: right now, liberal democracy -- that precious, fragile conquest of the human race -- requires a militarily-strong nation to defend it. That's the USA, for good or ill. So when left-leaning teachers, professors, journalists denigrate the United States, and show its history not 'warts and all' but only warts ... they're undermining liberal democracy.

If you're a true internationalist, if your concern is for the welfare of the whole human race, then you should be an American patriot.

(This has zero to do with the fellow who is currently the American president, which is just a tragic accident of history -- a kind of cancelling out of the fortunate accident of history that was Winston Churchill.)

>70 Doug1943:

Loving one's own country and internationalism are not mutually exclusive. What's best for one's own country might well be to be part of a mutually beneficial multilateralism.

Yes, ideally this would always be the case. All countries have an interest in finding cures for diseases, dealing with climate change, etc.

Unfortunately, we live in a world of limited resources, and, just as people compete for them, so do countries. And whereas within a country there can exist, ideally, a power with a monopoly of violence -- the state -- to suppress conflicts among people that might get out of hand, there is none such to suppress conflicts among countries.

The main limited resource is land. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could somehow create new land, so that the Jews and the Palestinians could each have a large, rich, territory on which to build their states? (And the same for the other "inter-penetrated peoples" conflicts around the globe -- Sinhalese vs Tamils in Sri Lanka, Muslims and Christians in Nigeria, Shia's and Sunnis in Iraq, etc etc dreary etc.)

If we're lucky, then slowly, slowly, over the centuries, the human race will gradually blend together, adopting a common culture. Liberal democracy will triumph everywhere, and we'll have 'the democratic peace'.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_peace_theory

National boundaries will become like state or county boundaries today. AI-controlled robots will do all the dirty and dangerous work, genetic engineering will give all of our descendants a high IQ and low impulsivity and any other desirable cognitive features which are heavily influenced by biology... and we'll be on our way to the stars.

Well, we can hope. At the moment, the key thing is avoid a big stupid war among the Great Powers.

>72 Doug1943: the key thing is avoid a big stupid war among the Great Powers

Indeed. And arguably the best way to do that is through muiltilateralism - the UN, treaties, agreements, regional groupings like the EU, trade deals and the WTO, health cooperation and WHO, environmental collaboration, humanitarian and developmental aid to poorer countries, an enlightened and realistic approach to migration, etc, etc. As imperfect as all of these are, they seem to be more productive than wasting billions of dollars and untold human and material resources on creating more and more weapons with which to threaten each other.

Just as an example, my own native land, towards which I still have patriotic feelings - I love the land of my birth - is fast learning the consequences of its misguided decision to go it alone and leave the EU, and is now struggling to find a face-saving way of enjoying all the benefits of multilateralism without actually admitting to it. Sad. The USA is larger and richer and it might take longer for the downside of "Making America Great Again" alone to hit home (although many would argue that it's already beginning), and to realise that achieving that noble patriotic ideal will only happen in the context of multilateralism.

>73 John5918: We agree on a lot, and disagree on some. (EG Brexit). You say that you are for 'an enlightened and realistic approach to migration'. What would that mean in practice?

>74 Doug1943: 'an enlightened and realistic approach to migration'. What would that mean in practice?

A recognition that migration is a normal part of global dynamics and has been since prehistoric times. That it's a fact of life that will not go away just because a few rich countries don't like it. That most migration takes place between poorer countries anyway - the millions of refugees in Uganda, Kenya, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Jordan, Lebanon and Colombia, to name just a few, dwarfs the small number which richer countries in the Global North are whingeing about. That migrants are a net economic asset to any country that welcomes them, and indeed will soon become a necessity as birth rates decline in the Global North. That the cultural interaction which migrants have with their new hosts actually enriches the global multilateralism which I consider to be beneficial to everybody. That bringing peace and prosperity to poorer (and/or war torn) countries actually reduces migration. Etc, etc.

I'm a migrant, incidentally, having spent more than two thirds of my life in Africa (and even a couple of years in the USA). Am I not right in thinking that you too are a migrant, living in UK?

disagree on some. (EG Brexit)

Are you seriously suggesting (a) that Britain is better off out of the EU and (b) that the UK government is not trying to find politically face-saving ways of re-engaging with the EU and regaining its benefits without actually joining? Polls suggest that even pro-Brexiteers are realising that leaving the EU was an economic disaster for the UK. And US isolationism is convincing even military hawks that closer ties with Europe are essential for defence.

Look at how Germany defeated the Red Army Faction. The lessons about how to fight terrorism are all there (Guardian)

As Daniela Klette is jailed after three decades in hiding, it’s clear that good strategy, and principally democracy, beat the terror, bombs and guns... the state’s response remained broadly within the law and successive governments made sure terrorist offences were dealt with through the criminal justice system... The RAF was primarily defeated by popular revulsion at its violence. Disillusionment was rapid and widespread, even among supporters... Like elsewhere in western Europe, eventually many of the demands raised by those who took to the streets were partly met. Abortion and divorce laws were reformed or passed, voting ages lowered, funds funnelled into further education, sclerotic hierarchies questioned for the first time and youthful celebrities in music, sport, even politics, gained new prominence. Together, these factors meant that well before Klette became involved in radical activism, activists were looking to win change within the democratic system, not to destroy it. This, they believed, was the way to secure nuclear disarmament, the protection of the environment or to pursue new more narrow interests of specific communities. Those that continued to pursue “revolution” attracted satire – think Rick from The Young Ones (1982-4) – not a mass following. In short, democracy worked, defusing violence, addressing grievances and channelling mobilisations into more productive, less divisive, less damaging forms...