What do you see in the Los Angeles protests?
For the first time, I regretted not having a 24-hour cable news network, having eliminated our access in a reorganization of our streaming services. I missed Ali Velshi in particular.
My son, Greg, who lives in Irvine near Los Angeles, was messaging me about the protests. I wanted to see what was going on. The only live feeds that I could find were on TikTok.
This was not a big help. Most feeds were static (one place or camera shot), and the commentary running through them was quite partisan. One-half commented about how terrible and dangerous it was, and welcomed the National Guard and the military. Kill 'em all!
The other half urged to keep the protests peaceful and dreaded the intrusion of the National Guard and the military. Be careful! They want to kill us all!
So, who was right? Those who wanted to arrest, hurt, or kill? Or those who were concerned that they would be arrested, hurt, or killed? What a dilemma!
It's hard to cut through. Nevertheless, it looks like the protests are overwhelmingly peaceful (with a few property damage exceptions), and, most importantly, THEY ARE WELL WARRANTED.
Ice agents, masked and dressed as civilians, are kidnapping people from their workplaces, their schools, even from just outside courtrooms. They are arresting young and old, pregnant women and children. If you are swept up, it doesn't matter whether you are a citizen or not. You will be disappeared and traumatized.
This is not an action of a democratic country. This is not representative of a constitutional republic. They are the actions of authoritarian fascism.
In two terms, Obama deported over 3 million people. In his first term, Trump deported 1.5 million people. In one term, Biden deported 4.4 million people. Not what Fox News was telling you, was it?
A comprehensive, bipartisan immigration plan was proposed in 2023. In my opinion, it bent way too far to please the Republicans, but nonetheless, it would have moved the ball forward in improving the system.
It didn't happen. It didn't pass. Why? Because Trump came out against it. Not for any great purity reason, but because it threatened to go a long way in resolving the issue he wanted to make the centerpiece of his campaign. He didn't care what was in the best interest of the American people. He only cared about himself.
ICE HAS TO BE PROTESTED. What it's doing is wrong and inhumane. It makes us appear monstrous in the eyes of the world. And it is also highly ineffective. You can deport a lot of people, if that is your goal, without acting like the Gestapo.*
The goal here is to provoke and create unrest. If they can create enough chaos, then they can have an excuse for their true objective: declare martial law and take complete dictatorial control of the country. You can disregard Congress, the courts, and the Constitution. You can arrest whoever you want and hold them for as long as you want.
These are some tough, scary times. Protesting, even the most peaceful kind, is a risk. But it may be the only way to show them we will not be cowed.
There are many NO KINGS protests scheduled for June 14th. There is likely one in your area. They are being held on the same day as Kim Don TACO's massive military parade.
Attend one, if you can. It's time for the American people to roar, in numbers too big to ignore.
Until next time,
T. M. Strsit
AOC '28
*if you really want to reduce the undocumented population, a more effective way would be to go after the businesses and individuals who HIRE THEM. Put a few business owners in jail, and this will reverse this much more quickly than random busts at Home Depot.
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