As much as we want Kilmar Abrego Garcia freed, don't forget there are 260+ others jailed in El Salvador without due process. The abduction of people kidnapped off the street and imprisoned in a foreign land means the end of rights guaranteed since 1215 (i.e., the Magna Carta) and the 4th, 8th and 14th Amendments in our Constitution. The writ of habeas corpus, which allows individuals to challenge the legality of their detention, has a long history tied to the Magna Carta.
The 4th Amendment protects against unreasonable searches and seizures, while the 14th Due Process Clause ensures a person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law.
As if those violations of the Constitution were not enough, the cruel and unusual punishment clause of the 8th Amendment prohibits such action inflicted by the government This amendment aims to protect individuals like Kilmar Garcia--and all other residents of the US, to be protected by the Constitution, from punishment that is excessively harsh or inhumane.
Trump has destroyed the Constitution and the Magna Carta in 84 days, with the help of cowed, cowardlyRepublicans in Congress and the SCOTUS. Shades of Nazi Germany 1930s!
The focus on Abrego Garcia here is due to it being such an incredible, on the face, violation of anything that can be presumed to be the "spirit" of the Constitution and the Rule of Law. Everyone and anyone else who falls prey to this fascist regime is no less important than Abrego Garcia.
Those who make excuses, equivocate, engage in “whataboutism” at this point - whether they realize or not are also complicit in providing some ‘cover’ for what this regime is doing and what it will continue to do.
We are - all of us - important. We also - all of us - can fall prey to these ghouls.
Yes, there is a focus on Abrego Garcia because, heaven help us, we seem to need to have a place to focus but there are hundreds, if not more, abuses going on (or have taken place) that are not getting attention from media outlets or from anywhere else.
Thank you, for continuing to share information and for speaking out on this and other topics.
trump had all the help he needed by Robert's SCOTUS. Never let the Republican / Libertarian court off the hook - brought to us by the Heritage Foundation & Leonard Leo's Federalist Society and Mitch McConnell - the one American most to blame for all this.
I have only one real hope left, to piss on McConnell's grave!
I absolutely saw this coming. His first term was a nightmare followed by Jan 6. What about all that did we not get?? And then they GAVE us Project 25 up front. Apparently we didn’t believe it? A lot never even read it. I tried to tell people. I was rebuked for being too pessimistic😳. And assured even if he won it wouldn’t be that bad - the Constitution, our laws and legal system etc would protect us. I asked person after person how that would help with these entitled people who had NO intention of following ANY laws. They couldn’t have demonstrated that more clearly🤷♀️ So now, with some of those folks . . . I just shake my head - why are they surprised??
Anyway - with all my foresight and pessimism I still didn’t see things this bad happening. 😔 With all the corrupt judges and Supreme Court too, I have to ask myself why I’m surprised too . I guess I just couldn’t imagine, even as
a survivor of abuse, that people could be THIS evil. They are soulless, conscienceless sadists. They ENJOY hurting, torturing and killing. I’ve read so much about the holocaust I guess I just thought we in America were well educated enough to never go down this road. I definitely did not grasp the immense amount of hate and racism that still exists. I didn’t realize how far spread White Supremacy is in this country. I guess I was in denial too. But coming into this election?? There was no doubt what they wanted and where they were headed.
This latest horrific treatment of people, even if they are criminals, is unthinkable.
I’m nauseated, having trouble sleeping, thinking about loved ones who are at risk and then remember we are ALL at risk. I have well-meaning people telling me I need to quit reading, ignore the news and stop obsessing about it. 😳 If there was ever a time in my life to stay awake, be aware, ask questions and shoot my mouth off THIS would be it. 🤦♀️ I’m not interested in personal comfort or being entertained for gawds sake. I don’t want to chit chat or bullshit. Not when a group of men were loaded up without any trials and shipped off to be tortured. We have no idea how many were innocent of any crime - other than having brown skin. But even the real criminals don’t deserve such heinous punishment. In my opinion.
I keep thinking of Abrego Garcia and what his wife must be going through and his three children wondering where their Daddy is. I feel their pain deeply and I refuse to let myself off the hook until I’ve done whatever I can possibly do and until this is resolved, one way or another. We need to do whatever, whatEVER it takes to stop this.
I don't know how many times I've experienced the exact same thing: all the people telling me that I was being too pessimistic (I called out the things we're seeing today the very day that Trump came down the escalator—not just his behavior but the level of devotion, hatred and cruelty among his supporters, that he would waken something truly evil that had long been asleep).
I'm also having trouble sleeping now. I keep staying awake through sleep medication, wondering how much worse things can still get, how many more people will be hurt by this regime, if we can stop it, etc.
I don't have the answers, but it gives me some comfort to see that there are others who truly appreciate how bad things are now, even if I wish none of us would have to experience this mental/emotional anguish. Only when enough of us absorb/accept how bad things are will we have the combined energy to turn things around.
To be honest, I knew there was something terribly wrong with Americans and especially his “christian” followers, when he made fun of that reporter on his first campaign trail. I’m an independent and try to give consideration to any politician who wants (or says they do) to serve the American people. We’re not big TV watchers so I never watched his show. I didn’t know him at all then so I was willing to listen to his ideas, goals etc. When I saw the bullying and the encouragement to punch people and drag them out of his rallies I was done. He made me sick. Clearly no character, no empathy. And THEN there was the lying that never ended. The bullies laughed, the pseudo christian’s praised him as god’s man, the right wing misinformation, the mainstream media giving him tons of airtime, his spokes people championing “alternative facts” and so many people who couldn’t grasp why those two words didn’t go together and a whole lot of people who just didn’t seem to care about any of it. I’ve been haunted from the beginning. I know all the reasons are overdetermined. Combine our capitalistic love of money and power, rise of christian nationalism, desire to constantly be entertained, inability to critically think and ask questions, etc and we had the perfect storm forming. My counselor at the time pointed out I was far from alone - there was a huge uptick in depression and anxiety, grief and bewilderment. You’d think those first four years would have been enough . . . I’ve had to accept that loving kindness, social justice, honesty and independent thinking are not what too many of my loved ones were/are going for. 😔 My son and daughter among them. I just can’t believe it still . . . we feel like failures as parents but understand that they have free will and the right to make different choices. My daughter is a pastors wife and has evolved into being a woman who lets her husband do all her thinking for her. Their conservative church has tried to fly under the political radar in our small community but we know where they live. It’s “Holy Week” for the religious. And I’ve witnessed how people have a stroke over losing money in the stock market but don’t give a shit about Abrego Garcia or any of the other men unlawfully sent out of the country to be tortured and die slow agonizing deaths. Not to mention people from all walks of life all across our country disappearing. These last few days have been agony for those of us who do care. Yesterday I stopped by my daughter’s house to drop off some Easter items and an anniversary card. They weren’t home so I hung the bag on the front door knob. And right there a new sign had been hung - hand painted, three large stripes of red, white and blue and in big black letters “In God we trust”. I was horrified and devastated and was suddenly nauseated which I can’t shake. No mistaking where they stand. My son only listens to Fox News and has no idea what’s really happening - he’s voiced the hope that we’re not letting the “fake news” get to us. I don’t even know what to say anymore.
Worst of all, they each have children with special needs - the kind that would have been erased under Hitler’s obsession with building the perfect race. If we cannot stop the trajectory we’re heading down I already know what will happen. 😔 It’s unthinkable and unbearable. 🤦♀️ I’m sorry you are struggling too. And I appreciate your continued efforts to keep us abreast of what’s happening. 🙏
For the last six months, I’ve had the privilege of watching my aunt pass, dealing with Medicare and Social Security, and all that that entails. I’ve been in the great state of Texas, which has been quite honestly scary at times. But now I get to go home to North Carolina, where Riggs is losing her seat because they’re just threw out 60 or 65,000 votes. I am already so tired but I will keep fighting. There is no option.
If there’s no law, then we need to create an army and to take down the Regime. There’s no other way. All military personnel who do not believe in the Regime, and all military officers who have been forced out, and retired military need to network asap!!!
Violence is what they the authoritarians want to see And at this point if you did polling and in-depth sociology you would find that far more right wingers and Trumpians are gun holders and willing to use them. This government would allow brown shirt type paramilitary right wing thugs drawn from the type of ex-military militia movements and groups that played such a key role in January 6th --now all of them pardoned --to go around shooting dissidents and minorities along with the official military and police forces that are also well penetrated by right-wing extremists. Trump would of course invoke martial law making liberals and opponents of dictatorship with guns in their hands even more vulnerable. A violent left-wing uprising is a dangerous fantasy in my view.
I agree 100%. We would stuck between the US Military under the direction of a wannabe dictator and hundreds of thousands of wannabe G.I.Joes thirsty for blood and another Civil War.
Watching from Australia as our party of the right mimics the ideas and words of Trump and his cabal.
It was obvious during the election, from afar, that this was a Trump with intent and the ideas while denied were ther for all to see in project 2025.
What I am seing is that the believers in the constitution, rule of law, civil society etc have placed their faith in the processes and frameworks that have worked well enough for a long time.
However, Trump and his cabal continue to trash, ignore, bypass, etc those very processes and frameworks at a pace that cannot be matched.
So Trump and his cabal are actually on playing field "takeover" with different rules. While the rest are on playing field A with the standard rules.
There was a massive, undeniable contradiction coming from the right throughout the election season. They said 2 very specific things:
1. Don't worry, everything is going to be ok because we have guardrails.
2. The reason why Trump couldn't do everything that needed to be done in his first term is because there were people stopping him form doing what needed to be done (er... Guardrails?), but this time, we'll make sure he has the right people there instead.
And all the while Project 2025 was there, in the background, for anyone to see, showing precisely how they would destroy the guardrails...
There's a level of contempt I feel for the entire thing that I can't put into words... only seconded by the contempt I feel for the idea that anyone's shocked or surprised by what we're experiencing now. And to be clear, this contempt isn't even at people themselves, but that somehow we've managed to build a society here in the US where people can be so oblivious or in such denial of what is blatantly obvious.
Thank you for your reply. I feel a large amount of contempt must be put at the feet of the MSM in particular the sanewashing, the propaganda, the outright lies. The fourth estate and alll it means is lost. Here in Australia MSM is dominated by Murdoch's print/online/television outlets which is rabid enough to influence the disinterested and has influence that reaches into the public broadcaster ABC.
Murdoch is a cancer on humanity. Remember, he also owns Fox News, the most watched news channel in the US, as well as the Wall Street Journal, one of the most "trusted" newspapers...
If the U.S. avoids Australia’s pitfalls and negotiates favorable terms:
Year 1: –$350 million (net loss due to startup costs).
Year 2+: $4–5 billion annually (optimistic scenario).
Likely Actual Savings: Closer to $2–3 billion/year after accounting for hidden costs.
This model’s viability hinges on ignoring human rights standards, which risks long-term financial and reputational damage.
These figures are extrapolated from U.S. government reports, academic studies, and international precedents (e.g., Australia’s offshore detention model). All values are in 2024 U.S. dollars.
Financially, the U.S. could face long-term liabilities far exceeding initial estimates due to litigation, compliance reforms, and diplomatic concessions.
Reputationally, undermining human rights standards could lead to both domestic backlash and international condemnation, harming the nation’s standing and moral authority.
As much as we want Kilmar Abrego Garcia freed, don't forget there are 260+ others jailed in El Salvador without due process. The abduction of people kidnapped off the street and imprisoned in a foreign land means the end of rights guaranteed since 1215 (i.e., the Magna Carta) and the 4th, 8th and 14th Amendments in our Constitution. The writ of habeas corpus, which allows individuals to challenge the legality of their detention, has a long history tied to the Magna Carta.
The 4th Amendment protects against unreasonable searches and seizures, while the 14th Due Process Clause ensures a person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law.
As if those violations of the Constitution were not enough, the cruel and unusual punishment clause of the 8th Amendment prohibits such action inflicted by the government This amendment aims to protect individuals like Kilmar Garcia--and all other residents of the US, to be protected by the Constitution, from punishment that is excessively harsh or inhumane.
Trump has destroyed the Constitution and the Magna Carta in 84 days, with the help of cowed, cowardlyRepublicans in Congress and the SCOTUS. Shades of Nazi Germany 1930s!
💯
The focus on Abrego Garcia here is due to it being such an incredible, on the face, violation of anything that can be presumed to be the "spirit" of the Constitution and the Rule of Law. Everyone and anyone else who falls prey to this fascist regime is no less important than Abrego Garcia.
Those who make excuses, equivocate, engage in “whataboutism” at this point - whether they realize or not are also complicit in providing some ‘cover’ for what this regime is doing and what it will continue to do.
We are - all of us - important. We also - all of us - can fall prey to these ghouls.
Yes, there is a focus on Abrego Garcia because, heaven help us, we seem to need to have a place to focus but there are hundreds, if not more, abuses going on (or have taken place) that are not getting attention from media outlets or from anywhere else.
Thank you, for continuing to share information and for speaking out on this and other topics.
trump had all the help he needed by Robert's SCOTUS. Never let the Republican / Libertarian court off the hook - brought to us by the Heritage Foundation & Leonard Leo's Federalist Society and Mitch McConnell - the one American most to blame for all this.
I have only one real hope left, to piss on McConnell's grave!
I absolutely saw this coming. His first term was a nightmare followed by Jan 6. What about all that did we not get?? And then they GAVE us Project 25 up front. Apparently we didn’t believe it? A lot never even read it. I tried to tell people. I was rebuked for being too pessimistic😳. And assured even if he won it wouldn’t be that bad - the Constitution, our laws and legal system etc would protect us. I asked person after person how that would help with these entitled people who had NO intention of following ANY laws. They couldn’t have demonstrated that more clearly🤷♀️ So now, with some of those folks . . . I just shake my head - why are they surprised??
Anyway - with all my foresight and pessimism I still didn’t see things this bad happening. 😔 With all the corrupt judges and Supreme Court too, I have to ask myself why I’m surprised too . I guess I just couldn’t imagine, even as
a survivor of abuse, that people could be THIS evil. They are soulless, conscienceless sadists. They ENJOY hurting, torturing and killing. I’ve read so much about the holocaust I guess I just thought we in America were well educated enough to never go down this road. I definitely did not grasp the immense amount of hate and racism that still exists. I didn’t realize how far spread White Supremacy is in this country. I guess I was in denial too. But coming into this election?? There was no doubt what they wanted and where they were headed.
This latest horrific treatment of people, even if they are criminals, is unthinkable.
I’m nauseated, having trouble sleeping, thinking about loved ones who are at risk and then remember we are ALL at risk. I have well-meaning people telling me I need to quit reading, ignore the news and stop obsessing about it. 😳 If there was ever a time in my life to stay awake, be aware, ask questions and shoot my mouth off THIS would be it. 🤦♀️ I’m not interested in personal comfort or being entertained for gawds sake. I don’t want to chit chat or bullshit. Not when a group of men were loaded up without any trials and shipped off to be tortured. We have no idea how many were innocent of any crime - other than having brown skin. But even the real criminals don’t deserve such heinous punishment. In my opinion.
I keep thinking of Abrego Garcia and what his wife must be going through and his three children wondering where their Daddy is. I feel their pain deeply and I refuse to let myself off the hook until I’ve done whatever I can possibly do and until this is resolved, one way or another. We need to do whatever, whatEVER it takes to stop this.
Thanks for writing this. Really.
I don't know how many times I've experienced the exact same thing: all the people telling me that I was being too pessimistic (I called out the things we're seeing today the very day that Trump came down the escalator—not just his behavior but the level of devotion, hatred and cruelty among his supporters, that he would waken something truly evil that had long been asleep).
I'm also having trouble sleeping now. I keep staying awake through sleep medication, wondering how much worse things can still get, how many more people will be hurt by this regime, if we can stop it, etc.
I don't have the answers, but it gives me some comfort to see that there are others who truly appreciate how bad things are now, even if I wish none of us would have to experience this mental/emotional anguish. Only when enough of us absorb/accept how bad things are will we have the combined energy to turn things around.
To be honest, I knew there was something terribly wrong with Americans and especially his “christian” followers, when he made fun of that reporter on his first campaign trail. I’m an independent and try to give consideration to any politician who wants (or says they do) to serve the American people. We’re not big TV watchers so I never watched his show. I didn’t know him at all then so I was willing to listen to his ideas, goals etc. When I saw the bullying and the encouragement to punch people and drag them out of his rallies I was done. He made me sick. Clearly no character, no empathy. And THEN there was the lying that never ended. The bullies laughed, the pseudo christian’s praised him as god’s man, the right wing misinformation, the mainstream media giving him tons of airtime, his spokes people championing “alternative facts” and so many people who couldn’t grasp why those two words didn’t go together and a whole lot of people who just didn’t seem to care about any of it. I’ve been haunted from the beginning. I know all the reasons are overdetermined. Combine our capitalistic love of money and power, rise of christian nationalism, desire to constantly be entertained, inability to critically think and ask questions, etc and we had the perfect storm forming. My counselor at the time pointed out I was far from alone - there was a huge uptick in depression and anxiety, grief and bewilderment. You’d think those first four years would have been enough . . . I’ve had to accept that loving kindness, social justice, honesty and independent thinking are not what too many of my loved ones were/are going for. 😔 My son and daughter among them. I just can’t believe it still . . . we feel like failures as parents but understand that they have free will and the right to make different choices. My daughter is a pastors wife and has evolved into being a woman who lets her husband do all her thinking for her. Their conservative church has tried to fly under the political radar in our small community but we know where they live. It’s “Holy Week” for the religious. And I’ve witnessed how people have a stroke over losing money in the stock market but don’t give a shit about Abrego Garcia or any of the other men unlawfully sent out of the country to be tortured and die slow agonizing deaths. Not to mention people from all walks of life all across our country disappearing. These last few days have been agony for those of us who do care. Yesterday I stopped by my daughter’s house to drop off some Easter items and an anniversary card. They weren’t home so I hung the bag on the front door knob. And right there a new sign had been hung - hand painted, three large stripes of red, white and blue and in big black letters “In God we trust”. I was horrified and devastated and was suddenly nauseated which I can’t shake. No mistaking where they stand. My son only listens to Fox News and has no idea what’s really happening - he’s voiced the hope that we’re not letting the “fake news” get to us. I don’t even know what to say anymore.
Worst of all, they each have children with special needs - the kind that would have been erased under Hitler’s obsession with building the perfect race. If we cannot stop the trajectory we’re heading down I already know what will happen. 😔 It’s unthinkable and unbearable. 🤦♀️ I’m sorry you are struggling too. And I appreciate your continued efforts to keep us abreast of what’s happening. 🙏
For the last six months, I’ve had the privilege of watching my aunt pass, dealing with Medicare and Social Security, and all that that entails. I’ve been in the great state of Texas, which has been quite honestly scary at times. But now I get to go home to North Carolina, where Riggs is losing her seat because they’re just threw out 60 or 65,000 votes. I am already so tired but I will keep fighting. There is no option.
The Riggs thing is absurd... yet another thread being pulled from the our democratic fabric as our society unravels...
If there’s no law, then we need to create an army and to take down the Regime. There’s no other way. All military personnel who do not believe in the Regime, and all military officers who have been forced out, and retired military need to network asap!!!
Violence is what they the authoritarians want to see And at this point if you did polling and in-depth sociology you would find that far more right wingers and Trumpians are gun holders and willing to use them. This government would allow brown shirt type paramilitary right wing thugs drawn from the type of ex-military militia movements and groups that played such a key role in January 6th --now all of them pardoned --to go around shooting dissidents and minorities along with the official military and police forces that are also well penetrated by right-wing extremists. Trump would of course invoke martial law making liberals and opponents of dictatorship with guns in their hands even more vulnerable. A violent left-wing uprising is a dangerous fantasy in my view.
I agree 100%. We would stuck between the US Military under the direction of a wannabe dictator and hundreds of thousands of wannabe G.I.Joes thirsty for blood and another Civil War.
Calling the pseudo-fascist the bluff
"It would cost a billion dollars to deport all illegals"
Multiple studies have examined the potential costs of mass deportation, and all indicate figures much higher than $1 billion
https://open.substack.com/pub/veejaytsunamix/p/calling-the-pseudo-fascist-the-bluff
Watching from Australia as our party of the right mimics the ideas and words of Trump and his cabal.
It was obvious during the election, from afar, that this was a Trump with intent and the ideas while denied were ther for all to see in project 2025.
What I am seing is that the believers in the constitution, rule of law, civil society etc have placed their faith in the processes and frameworks that have worked well enough for a long time.
However, Trump and his cabal continue to trash, ignore, bypass, etc those very processes and frameworks at a pace that cannot be matched.
So Trump and his cabal are actually on playing field "takeover" with different rules. While the rest are on playing field A with the standard rules.
There was a massive, undeniable contradiction coming from the right throughout the election season. They said 2 very specific things:
1. Don't worry, everything is going to be ok because we have guardrails.
2. The reason why Trump couldn't do everything that needed to be done in his first term is because there were people stopping him form doing what needed to be done (er... Guardrails?), but this time, we'll make sure he has the right people there instead.
And all the while Project 2025 was there, in the background, for anyone to see, showing precisely how they would destroy the guardrails...
There's a level of contempt I feel for the entire thing that I can't put into words... only seconded by the contempt I feel for the idea that anyone's shocked or surprised by what we're experiencing now. And to be clear, this contempt isn't even at people themselves, but that somehow we've managed to build a society here in the US where people can be so oblivious or in such denial of what is blatantly obvious.
Thank you for your reply. I feel a large amount of contempt must be put at the feet of the MSM in particular the sanewashing, the propaganda, the outright lies. The fourth estate and alll it means is lost. Here in Australia MSM is dominated by Murdoch's print/online/television outlets which is rabid enough to influence the disinterested and has influence that reaches into the public broadcaster ABC.
Murdoch is a cancer on humanity. Remember, he also owns Fox News, the most watched news channel in the US, as well as the Wall Street Journal, one of the most "trusted" newspapers...
If the U.S. avoids Australia’s pitfalls and negotiates favorable terms:
Year 1: –$350 million (net loss due to startup costs).
Year 2+: $4–5 billion annually (optimistic scenario).
Likely Actual Savings: Closer to $2–3 billion/year after accounting for hidden costs.
This model’s viability hinges on ignoring human rights standards, which risks long-term financial and reputational damage.
These figures are extrapolated from U.S. government reports, academic studies, and international precedents (e.g., Australia’s offshore detention model). All values are in 2024 U.S. dollars.
https://veejaytsunamix.substack.com/publish/posts/detail/161435459
Can the U.S. Require Countries to Pay for Deportation/Repatriation?
https://open.substack.com/pub/veejaytsunamix/p/can-the-us-require-countries-to-pay
Financially, the U.S. could face long-term liabilities far exceeding initial estimates due to litigation, compliance reforms, and diplomatic concessions.
Reputationally, undermining human rights standards could lead to both domestic backlash and international condemnation, harming the nation’s standing and moral authority.
https://open.substack.com/pub/veejaytsunamix/p/the-decision-to-implement-a-subcontracted