For almost a year, my Facebook feed has primarily been about what is happening within our country. It feels overwhelming at times, especially when most of us use Facebook simply to keep in touch with family and friends. I’ve hated to do it, but I’ve felt (and continue to feel) it’s necessary.
I once had my “post audience” default set as private. It’s now public. I joined Bluesky because there are no algorithms pushing ads or propaganda at me. I continue to share what I learn at Bluesky (and elsewhere) from independent media, experts in their fields, and the people affected by this regime’s actions.
Why? Because I have time to try to keep up and mainstream media has not only failed us, but mostly has chosen to align itself with the regime for its own reasons. There’s still some good reporting in places, but they’re not ensuring the public understands the facts of how dire it truly is.
Even with my efforts, I miss stuff. I try to ensure accurate, timely information, not just news reports, but court filings, press releases, press briefings, expert opinions, personal experiences, opinions/blogs posts I considered educational or worthy of reading, editorial/political cartoons and more. I’ve added more of my own personal commentary because I’m getting angrier and more frustrated with the lies. Those lies are not just shading the truth for a political stance, but have long since transitioned to the point of dangerous to our way of life.
More people need to know/see the truth and understand how much they have degraded our Constitutional norms, our institutions, our economy, our integrity, our individual and collective health and welfare, our world status and just about everything else.
This morning I was at the hospital for a minor procedure and a nurse said to me about Minneapolis, “I think there are paid agitators causing problems.”
I corrected her with real stories from Minneapolis, informing her the city is under siege by the federal government. That people are keeping watch over churches so parents can meet to determine the best ways to keep their children safe going to, from and at school. That innocent people are being attacked and threatened, homes broken into, another shot through a door last night with children in the house, a non-protestor father and his six children were flashbanged and teargassed while in a vehicle attempting to leave the area and the 6-month old stopped breathing, a disabled woman on her way to a doctor’s appointment yanked from her vehicle, that a woman was executed because she didn’t show the “proper respect” and fear for (male) authority and more.
Even with how informed I’ve been keeping myself, watching the videos and reading/hearing the stories, I know it’s much, much worse, scarier and dangerous for Minnesotans and any other place ICE surges their operations than I’m imagining–and I have a very good imagination.
The only paid agitators in Minneapolis are those we are paying with our tax dollars – anyone working for DHS, ICE, CBP or affiliated with them – as well as the far-right ones who are looking for likes and clicks to earn money and because they want to own the libtards.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t want my tax dollars to pay for violating our civil rights, our Constitution, violence, protecting pedophiles or invading other countries based on the “morality” of a cognitively declining “leader” with a DOD Secretary who wants to cosplay he’s a man’s man.
The people perpetrating and encouraging violence right now in Minnesota (and other places ICE/CBP targets) is our federal government. Their targets are not violent immigrants. It’s anyone who is not white, who is not “properly respectful”, who won’t narc on their neighbors, who refuse to have their civil rights violated, who protect their neighbors, who call out civil rights violations, who record and share the truth. Those are their targets–the American public, citizen and non-citizen alike, if they don’t bow down to the “King of Peace.”
My feed exists as it does so we can better educate people like that nurse today. With hard facts and uncomfortable truths not making it through the mainstream media wall.
When I watch the videos coming across my BlueSky feed, I have to check if it’s Minnesota (or another American location), Iran or elsewhere in the world. It’s that bad.
I said it as a union representative and I’ll say it as someone who will continue to uphold and defend the U.S. Constitution: Once you ignore the rules/laws and let them do it to one person, you’re allowing them to do the same to you.
For anyone who is still completely or partially believing the lies of this regime and mainstream media (admittedly some are not lying, just downplaying the threats and pretending the regime is telling the truth), I ask you to do one thing every time they do something new. Ask yourself, “what would my reaction be if Joe Biden/Barack Obama/Bill Clinton did the exact same thing for the same stated reasons?”
If you can honestly say you’d believe it was okay for any of them to do it too, then I’ve got nothing to convince you otherwise. If, as I suspect, your answer would be unmitigated rage at the thought, then ask yourself why you think it’s okay for one party and not the other, because that means you aren’t a patriot or supporter of our Constitution; it means you need to do some serious soul-searching on what you truly stand for. And that’s a truth none of us can help you with, but we will call it out.
So my feed will continue the way it has been for the past year. People need to *see* and hear the truth. They’re free to interpret how they like, mute or block me, whatever, but if they don’t have the time to parse through most of it like I do or need to give it a rest for a weekend, at least they know they can always find it on my feed when they’re ready.
If my feed gives one person more accurate information to understand the reality of what is happening and they tell another in their circle who isn’t understanding and so on, the word spreads. The “I didn’t know” excuse will not work to save your integrity if you choose to bury your head in the sand.
We’re barrelling toward a point where each of us will have to make a choice if we haven’t already. What side of history will you be on? Everyone standing up to this regime, in whatever fashion they can, has already chosen.
Minnesotans, instead of being cowed, are turning out for their neighbors and communities in huge numbers. They’re rearranging their personal lives, dealing with fear and the literal threat of injury or death, to meet the moment–to stand up and say no to injustice, cruelty and a descent into more anti-democratic governance. They’re doing it with cameras, phones, whistles, megaphones, musical instruments, costumes and horns, not guns.
What the people who believe the regime don’t realize is it’s not the “libtards” and non-existent secret liberal organizations turning out more and more protestors, it’s the regime’s own actions causing it and recruiting more people to protest than they can get to apply for a position with ICE.
I will not be one of the ones history looks back on as part of the 1/3 that stayed silent. I will not be one of the ones who looks away or ignores the reality. I will not be one of the ones who was complicit, by word, deed or inaction.
I have too much respect for myself and love for this country to be any other way.
A break from the insanity for a proud mama moment before circling back. But first, some background.
Many of you know John and I have autistic twins in their junior year of college. If you’ve read my book, Outside Looking In, you know that one of them hadn’t yet been officially diagnosed when I wrote it.
What you may not know is the pandemic really set back progress with self-advocacy and social interaction with the one who has required the most support since early childhood. Despite my best efforts advocating for them with the school district, that loss was never completely made back up before they graduated high school. For one child, that time period was also more confusing and self-limiting in progress in other areas because they changed their preferred pronouns and name.
When the support office at the college first interviewed our children, they expressed serious doubts that they were ready for the college experience. We made the decision to send them both anyway to sink or swim because the only other choice was to keep them home and make them get jobs that they had no interest in whatsoever which would create even more anxiety for them.
A couple weeks ago, our children informed us that their college animation club would be holding a showcase gallery of their members’ work this week. Our son asked that we attend if any of his submissions were accepted. On Thursday, he confirmed we should go.
The opening reception was last night (complete with Chips Ahoy cookies!). Two pieces of digital animation by our son started the video display portion of the showcase. So John and I drove up two hours to see the couple minutes of his videos, as well as all the other students’ work displayed on the walls and pedestals, took the kids to dinner, then drove two hours home. We also saw some of their current work in other courses since we were in the studio building. Unasked, we gave the club a monetary donation because my experience as a PTA mom tells me constant fundraising sucks.
It wasn’t only our son’s pride in his work and his excitement to have us attend that made me happy. It was the club’s president telling me that she could always count on our two to show up and help regularly, listening to our son matter-of-factly informing us that he was minoring in drawing and painting, realizing from our conversations that both are proactively checking to see if their absentee ballots have been mailed, hearing how they’re taking different buses to explore more of the area and the stories that come from the explorations, watching them interact with their peers and hearing our child, the one who has the most difficulty with social interaction, say things like “This is my tribe” and see it.
Then there was observing John try to take his own video of the animation (badly, I might add) while I just asked our son, “Can you share it with me via a thumb drive?” LOL! I swear if John had been wearing a button-down shirt, he would’ve popped all the buttons right off, he was so proud.
Unlike the ride up, I was quiet on the ride home–ruminating, reflecting, and sorting through my emotions. It finally dawned on me why my pride in both children seemed outsized for the particular moment. Our two children, who “weren’t ready” for college jumped in feet first and swam. Sometimes they get in over their heads, but we’ve talked them through various situations to self-advocate.
They still have challenges and always will. Some days will be much more difficult for them than others. But with help from the support office, us, professors, and new friends, more and more they’re facing those challenges with increasing confidence and expanding their boundaries. We’re hearing less of “I don’t know how to make this happen” or “what if this bad thing happens and I’m stressed” and more of “I did this when that occurred and took care of it.” Instead of being on the front end talking them through their emotions and steps to self-advocate, John and I are now on the tail end more hearing about faits accomplis, accomplishments, and insights into themselves. That is why I’m so damned proud.
Our roles as parents have changed, as they should. Instead of the relentless advocacy to ensure they had the supports they required to succeed and grow and non-stop worrying over how much we should lead, guide, or just get out of their way has morphed into a gentler concern of occasionally tweaking their directions and watching them find what brings them joy and self-pride in their chosen pursuits. Seeing them happy in who they are now and are becoming is powerful and humbling.
And here’s the circle back to the current insanity that is our country nowadays. I believe everyone, child or adult, deserves that same joy and self-pride in their pursuits. I believe everyone should have the supports they need to achieve that which fulfills them and contributes positively to society in some fashion. I believe that every parent deserves to have those powerful, humbling moments that, if nothing else, illustrates they did their best and the results are even better than they ever dreamed.
Embodied in our Declaration of Independence are the following words:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
No one is less than. No one is more than. No one is better than. Race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs–none of that matters; nor should it.
To achieve the values set forth in our Declaration of Independence requires relentless advocacy on our parts for it and our Constitution. It requires support, boundaries, and leadership to keep both living, breathing documents as the ultimate guidance on how we should treat each other and grow into what we are meant to be as a nation, a people, and society that contributes positively to the world around us.
We are parents. We are children. We are family. We are neighbors. We are co-workers. We are communities.
Like parenting, democracy is constant work–sometimes messy, sometimes frustrating, sometimes laughable, sometimes heartbreaking, usually worrisome, and ultimately holds the greatest rewards when done with an open heart, a loving soul, and the mindset that the needs of the children (many) outweigh the pleasure of the adults (one). (Yes, I snuck in a Star Trek reference!)
We can grow or we can regress. We can advocate or we can turn away and hide. We can fight to retain truth and justice or we can shrug our shoulders and tuck our tails.
Just as each of us chooses the ways to parent that we believe best, so must it be for our democracy. We can choose to be that “my child does no wrong and has no boundaries” parent or we can choose to be the “every child requires loving, but firm boundaries” parent or somewhere in between. But a choice must be made by each and every one of us to defend our democracy and advocate for our Constitution and our Declaration of Independence. Either for or against. A lack of choice is a choice.
I know what my choice was, is, and always will be.
Oh, you thought this was going to be about Trump, Vance, Miller, Kirk, Fuentes and other bad actors? They are part of hastening the flashpoints along, but they’re another consequence of what radicalized some of our youth.
For almost fifty years, our government has operated on the trickle down theory of economics. The rich have gotten obscenely rich, while everyone else, if they’re lucky, keeps afloat and sometimes gets ahead.
Every administration and every Congress since then, as well as the Roberts court, contributed to where we are now.
Children (mostly) hear what we say, but what they really listen to and internalize is our behavior.
Every time a law was enacted that favored big business or the rich without considering the true needs of the average American, our children listened to the results.
Every time big political donors received priority over the poor, the disabled, the veterans, the elderly, our children listened and lived with the results.
Every time they failed to raise the minimum wage so their parents’ wages could keep up with inflation, our children listened.
Every time they made it harder and more expensive for higher education, our children listened and took on additional stress.
Every time they fought to make health insurance coverage more difficult or impossible to get, our children listened.
Every time they fought to make their parents receiving aid harder when disaster struck, our children listened.
Every time they failed to protect the rights of the most vulnerable, our children listened.
Every time they heard their parents fight about how their paychecks didn’t stretch as far anymore, our children listened.
Every time they or their friends faced homelessness, our children listened.
Every time they or their friends needed to use a food bank, our children listened.
Every time their sisters or cousins were raped or assaulted and treated as liars, as well as told not to talk about it or saw no justice, our children listened.
Every time they or their friends were ridiculed or ostracized for not being “normal,” our children listened.
Every time they refused to increase budgets for mental health or reduced those budgets, our children listened.
Every time they denied climate change and its effects, our children listened.
Every time they offered thoughts and prayers, our children listened.
This is what they internalized:
I don’t matter.
I will never get ahead.
The system is rigged against me.
I will never own a home because I will be paying student loans into my forties.
Only the rich and powerful can afford to dream.
There’s no point in dreaming big because they mean to keep me small.
I have no power.
I have no hope.
If I want power and control of my life, I have to take it any way I can.
If I want to feel important, I have to make someone else feel like less.
They refuse to take care of the world we’re inheriting.
Power and money matter more than people, especially children.
Life is fear and pain.
Life is meaningless.
Women are less than.
Why do I have to feel afraid that I might get shot or killed at school?
Why do guns matter more than my life?
Why is being different wrong?
Why won’t they listen to us?
Why don’t we matter?
Why don’t they care about our lives?
Why don’t they care about our futures?
This systemic abuse of our youth’s hopes and dreams, social supports, and devaluation of their lives has created two generations of our youth susceptible to radicalization. We’re seeing the results of that frequently. We’re also seeing a higher than normal ratio rate of male suicides.
So why is it that they are more radicalized toward the right and not the left and more white males are radicalized than any other group?
I don’t have data to back up my thoughts on this, but I believe they are more susceptible to the right’s rhetoric because liberal parents are more likely to reinforce equality of all, civil rights, critical thinking, and teach ways to give their children agency. They teach ways to positively affect change by working together, rather than imposing one’s will on another, and that efforts matter just as much as, if not more than, end results. Liberal parents are less likely to have authoritarian parenting styles. Social emotional learning is too “woke” for parents on the right to have taught it to their children.
As for the white males being more susceptible, it’s really very simple. Women have millennia of experience standing up to the males who would attempt to minimize them. Minorities are used to being treated as less than by some and finding ways to improve their lots in life, despite the racism. But young white males don’t have the experience of being minimized that the other groups do and have never been in the position of having to push against it peacefully and lawfully.
The right espouses might equals right, white equals better and smarter, males should have power over females, and follower loyalty to their causes must be proven regularly.
One problem with the radicalization is that these young white males are erroneously blaming the wrong classes of people for it. It’s isn’t the women or the minorities shattering their hopes and dreams, it’s the ultra rich buying the votes of their enablers in Congress.
Another problem is the right gives these young men an outlet for the unexplainable rage the abuse created. The right gives them a way to be seen, heard and to fill their lives with an “important” (in their minds) purpose they can’t achieve elsewhere because the trickle down economics of the last half century have reduced where they can find a more suitable purpose that serves the common good and their self-esteem instead of someone else’s wallet.
Violence, especially gun violence perpetrated against a perceived enemy, gives these radicals a way to be seen, heard and a bit of infamy to boot. They don’t see a problem with burning it all down because they’ve watched their leaders fail to take care of the world they’ll inherit and figure their lives have already been forfeited to the machine. Now they’re watching potential future careers being lost to AI. The problems are too enormous so only a “game reset” where they impose the narrow set of rules is acceptable to correct it all.
Actions and inactions speak louder and truer than words.
Three things happened yesterday. I saw this video about the “alpha male” contingent being upset about the Minnesota Vikings having two male cheerleaders. Putin, who the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for war crimes and crimes against humanity, was welcomed by Trump on American soil. Even worse, our service members literally rolled out a red carpet on our military base, and our so-called President allowed a former KGB intelligence officer into the Presidential limousine and at the press conference afterwards, let Putin speak first from behind a podium with the U.S. Presidential seal. Last was the news that the White House is creating a loyalty scorecard to pressure businesses into supporting Trump and his regime’s agenda.
All of this occurred on the heels of the Republican gerrymandering issue and the debate on Democrats supposedly deviating from the high road, California‘s response to Texas and other states attempting to rig the mid-term elections, and military and federal law enforcement presence in Washington, DC for a trumped up (pun intended) emergency.
I’m a great believer in taking the high road and integrity. But there are times when circumstances require us to act outside our usual behavior. For example, when I taught new air traffic controllers, I told them I had three primary rules I expected them to follow when they worked on my ticket.
Everyone walks away.
Follow the rules.
If following rule number 2 means you cannot accomplish rule number 1, throw away the damn rules and do whatever you can to accomplish rule number 1.
Yes, I advocated for ignoring and breaking the rules when it came to aviation safety if the rules were a barrier to achieving the primary goal whereby everyone lives. When the rules were insufficient to save lives, their relative priority lessened greatly. I’d rather live with the subsequent discipline from the FAA knowing I did everything in my power to keep bad things from happening than watch people die because I was more concerned about my career and the rules.
While I am against gerrymandering anywhere, taking that high moral road when we’re facing the end of democracy in the United States seems fairly minor in comparison. California’s response is measured, triggered by other states gerrymandering to excess and has an end date. And, just as importantly, the voters in California will ultimately decide whether or not the state follows through. Which takes priority in their hearts? Democracy or rules? Since there is a clearly stated plan, transparency of the politicians’ actions and reasons, as well as agency on the parts of the voters to fight back against this regime’s breaking the rules with relative impunity, I’m all for every Democratic state doing the same thing.
We’re well past the point of civility and strongly worded letters being enough to hold back this regime in any fashion. Trump and the Republicans have shattered our norms and we will not be able to regain any of them if we are the ones tying our own hands behind our backs.
I don’t make a habit of starting fights, but if you bring one to me and are uncivil, I will damn well finish it by whatever means necessary. If the Democratic party believes our ideals without real, concrete resistance and offense are enough, they will civilize themselves (and us) out of our democratic civilization.
The only things I need to say about the federalization of DC at this time is it’s a test run for taking over other, primarily non-white, Democratic cities in the United States for optics and to crush opposition, we cannot allow it to become “normal” and the relative importance of throwing a sub sandwich at an officer versus beating law enforcement with flagpoles is completely opposite of where it should be with this regime.
Despite wanting to be viewed as a strongman, Trump’s pathetic, excited pacing waiting for Putin yesterday, as well as his subsequent behaviors, only illustrated his servility to a foreign dictator. It must be odd to be Trump. A lapdog to Putin, but desperate to be like him, so he finds others who are as displaced in themselves, their self-esteem and self-awareness to bolster his erroneously inflated self-worth. Like those so-called “alpha males” threatened by male cheerleaders, their views of themselves are threatened by anyone who doesn’t show them abject loyalty or share their narrow views of the world and people.
The loyalty scorecards are just another way to “encourage” businesses to debase themselves further to bolster the regime’s egos, agendas and line Trump’s wallet. Does anyone else find it laughable that all these so-called alphas in our country–leaders of their own particular realms, be it business, education, or politics–are so willing to become betas at Trump’s whims? Or given the fact that they’re so willing to let him screw them, maybe we should reclassify them as omegas. Perhaps they weren’t so alpha to begin with after all.
If their complicity didn’t mean hastening the demise of our democracy, I would find it interesting, in a clinical observer way, to watch them fall all over themselves to protect their little fiefdoms. They’re in the middle of hostile takeovers and haven’t even figured it out yet.
For these businesses and institutions, how far will they go to get a higher loyalty score? It’s not even like Trump is a trustworthy businessman to begin with. Hell, it’s not even like he has a clue on what actually generates the economy for everyone, not just himself. The greed of Trump and big business helped get us into this mess.
I hope they like the view of Trump’s ass as they kiss it or his cankles as they give up their autonomy and dignity when they kneel before him. He’s just a man who puts his pants on the same as anyone else. Wait, with his increasing dementia, maybe he needs help several days a week getting dressed now. Either way, it’s one leg at a time.
Servility and civility on the parts of our leaders will lead to the death of American democracy and no amount of life support will make a difference. Resistance, civil unrest and a real plan to mobilize toward a future Americans want will revive it.
To that end, I recently started Consent of the Governed (shameless plug) to begin developing a plan for that shared future. Under the Priorities tab, the first three links are active, one of which is Constitutional amendments I believe we need when we regain control of our legislatures. Next up will be about addressing big money in politics.
I don’t have the talent, but perhaps someone who does should start a set of memes showing every person, institution and business who has submitted to this regime on their knees. It would be nice to have a pictorial record of all those complicit.
Unless you’ve been living in the Heard Island and McDonald Islands territory, you’ve probably deduced that Trump is all about retribution and retaliation against anyone or any organization who has ever disagreed with him. In the midst of it all, an incessant itch at the back of my mind has been making me crazy and I’ve finally figured out what it is.
On February 28, 2025, Trump “hosted” President Zelenskyy in the Oval Office. Both Trump and J.D. Vance chastised the Ukranian head of state for not being grateful enough. Afterwards, Trump falsely claimed that the U.S. had given Ukraine $350 billion in aid. The total was closer to $175 billion in funding and defense equipment. Trump wants Ukraine to pay back the aid. At no point in time that I’m aware was U.S. aid to Ukraine contingent upon receiving anything in return.
Even before he took office, Trump talked about Panama and retaking control of the canal. The U.S. helped build the Panama Canal, then eventually ceded the control of it completely to Panama in 1999 to keep it from being vulnerable to attacks. Now Trump doesn’t like the fact that we have to pay to use it like anyone else and believes since we helped build it, we shouldn’t have to.
J.D. Vance and Trump have stated they dislike that Europe spends less than the United States does in terms of NATO and defense, despite the obvious advantages to the U.S. in terms of sales and having military bases strategically around the world for defense.
Suggesting the U.S. has spent more, when he was in Greenland on March 28, 2025, J.D. Vance said:
“You have underinvested in the people of Greenland, and you have underinvested in the security architecture of this incredible, beautiful landmass filled with incredible people. That has to change.”
Michael Waltz, during the infamous Signal chat on March 14, 2025, stated “Per the president’s request we are working with DOD and State to determine how to compile the cost associated and levy them on the Europeans.” Later in the exchange as reported by Jeffrey Goldberg, J.D. Vance said “I just hate bailing Europe out again.” (The administration has argued that America’s European allies benefit economically from the U.S. Navy’s protection of international shipping lanes.)
Pete Hegseth responded, “VP: I fully share your loathing of European free-loading. It’s PATHETIC.” Presumably Stephen Miller then added “…green light, but we soon make clear to Egypt and Europe what we expect in return. We also need to figure out how to enforce such a requirement. EG, if Europe doesn’t remunerate, then what? If the US successfully restores freedom of navigation at great cost there needs to be some further economic gain extracted in return.”
Trump’s tariff plans, as opaque as it is, supposedly is to stop other countries from taking advantage–or ripping off, in his vernacular–of the U.S. with trade deficits. It doesn’t take into account the whole supply versus demand aspect of economics. We purchase gemstones from Tanzania whose per capita income is significantly lower than ours (a little over $1200). We want/need what Tanzania is selling, but they don’t have the same amount of need (or money) to buy what we’re selling. Insisting they make up the difference is, in a word, stupid.
What do all these events have in common?
In every instance, it suggests that Trump and his lackeys approach every situation as a quid pro quo and if the United States has invested or spent more money, other countries are obligated to pay it back in some fashion–even if we do something that they did not ask us to do. If the U.S. doesn’t come out “on top” in their minds, then we’re being taken advantage of. But in the cases of our foreign policy, they’re expecting payment for things we are not owed. The debts are in their minds alone. They don’t get to suddenly change the terms on foreign agreements made by previous administrations by simply declaring they feel they/we got the shorter end of the stick.
Our country made all of those agreements for various reasons, some having to do with strategic soft power or strengthening alliances. Just because they don’t understand nuances does not make them right.
Think of it this way–their way of “correcting” these perceived imbalances is like going out to dinner with family and friends and picking up the tab for everyone. Your grandchild doesn’t get to go back twenty, thirty, eighty years later screaming you were taken advantage of and demanding some sort of repayment for your generosity or else. That’s just not what normal people do.
But, then again, they’re not normal, are they?
I fully understand the disbelief and shock of our allies. What they thought was bedrock underneath the alliances have turned out to be shifting sands with this administration. Trump (and the people he surrounds himself with) have an unreasoning and tenacious ability to hold grudges for perceived slights, that in most cases, have absolutely nothing to do with them personally and where our country willing proffered assistance or spent money without being coerced. Our nation has typically been generous but rarely short-sighted on what intangible benefits we concurrently gained.
Trump can’t play 3D or 4D chess like his fervent supporters believe. He’s two-dimensional in his thinking. If it doesn’t go into his coffers or he can’t force you to fill his pockets, it doesn’t deserve his consideration.
What they don’t realize is the sands are also shifting under their feet. New alliances are being made that don’t include them because of their actions and attitudes. U.S. citizens are rallying against them. Instead of garnering the respect and power they desperately crave, they’re becoming laughing stocks, not only here in the states but worldwide.
Resistance, mockery and eventually, justice for all the harm they’ve created are what they’re really owed and that’s what they’ll continue to receive in greater and greater amounts. Bet on it.
I started this post days ago and originally planned to share my thoughts about the lawlessness and hatefulness of the Trump administration’s immigration policy. Mahmoud Khalil, who was arrested a month ago today, was the first, but certainly not the last. The next day, I watched a video as ICE, masked and hoodied, surrounded Rümeysa Öztürk where one put his hands on her before anyone exposed their badges. A week later, the administration furtively rendered 238 men to El Salvador without due process to serve detention in CECOT, a notorious hellhole of a prison. 75% of the men have no criminal record in any country. They erroneously sent Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia who had protected status to El Salvador and said it was an “administrative error” and they supposedly can’t get him back.
They’re using the rubric below to determine whether or not someone is a member of TdA. It reminds me of the rubrics for book reports my children had in junior high school. Honestly, I believe that’s a little above the emotional maturity level and reasoning capability of this administration.
Each day, the excesses of Acting ICE Director Tom Homan, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio grow worse. Their actions are not about finding and detaining violent criminals. They’re going after all immigrants–from a grandfather who has been in the US for 45 years, a pastor, more college students, young children to detaining someone in the middle of a trial.
Last week, they targeted a farmworker labor advocate. Over the weekend, they attempted to gain access to a U.S. citizen’s phone upon his return to the country after vacation. Today, they revoked the legal status of 985,000 immigrants who had registered via the CBP One app. The administration wants to up the budget to $45 billion dollars from $3.4 billion to build detention centers and also fine immigrants who don’t leave immediately after a deportation order and confiscate their worldly goods.
Krome Detention Center in Miami, Florida is overcrowded and deaths are occurring. Reportedly, they are eight times over capacity and detainees are barely getting enough food and only a cup of water per day. The administration also attempted to discontinue funding for legal services for unaccompanied minor immigrants.
If anyone treated an animal the way this administration is treating immigrants, they would be brought up on charges of abuse. I hope we have the chance to charge each and every one of these perpetrators for what they have done and continue to do.
Shameless.
No resolution yet on Signalgate. Instead of taking responsibility for violating national security, the Federal Records Act and killing civilians in Yemen to hit one target, all of them are shifting blame and pushing the narrative that it’s not a big deal. Every single one of them should lose their jobs. But, instead, NSA Director Mike Waltz has used the Signal app and gmail for classified information. Many of them have public friends’ lists on Venmo. They attempted to stop CISA monitoring of Russia, shut down the Wilson Center (a foreign policy think tank), fired NSA and Cyber Command Chief General Timothy Haugh and his deputy, Wendy Noble, on the advice of a conspiracy theorist–Laura Loomer.
They fired the JAGs. Trump fired the Joint Chiefs of Staff. On one hand, they say they’re looking at reducing up to 90,000 active-duty soldiers. On the other hand, they want to increase the defense budget to one trillion dollars. And Trump wants a $92 million dollar military parade in June, all the while cutting personnel and services at the Veteran’s Administration. The Department of Defense has never passed an audit and is most likely where the waste, fraud and abuse DOGE is supposedly interested in lies.
Shameless.
Public health is under attack from lack of reliable (non-insane) guidance from Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and cuts in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), including all the sub-agencies like Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Institutes for Health (NIH) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Measles outbreaks, avian flu, bleach in egg substitutes, no flu shots next winter, medical advances/research halted are just the beginning.
Republican Congressional types are complicit; they’re trying to cut SNAP and Medicaid to give billionaire tax cuts while also manipulating the perception of what they’re doing to make it seem cost-neutral to the voters, but will end up adding trillions to the deficit. Soon we’ll see nursing homes and rural hospitals closing.
Shameless.
Trump still hasn’t appointed anyone to the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel. He’s fired over thirty political appointees and watchdogs responsible for rooting out waste, fraud and abuse and ethical violations in government. He’s been shaking down law firms and universities with executive orders. Some are bending a knee (even before they’re named), while others fight. Anyone who caves is complicit in the erosion of our rule of law and upcoming loss of freedom of speech.
Shameless.
Elon Musk tried to buy the Wisconsin Supreme Court election. He keeps receiving government contracts even though there are clearly conflict of interest concerns.
Shameless.
DOGE is elbows deep in our personal private data and trying to combine it all in one spot to use with AI. The same AI that they used to cancel any grant, research or webpage that mentioned diversity, women or a whole list of other words. The same AI they used to fire tens of thousands of employees, some of which they had to hire back.
Shameless.
The same AI they used to come up with the tariff percentages that are wiping out people’s retirements and sending us first into a recession, but ultimately we will experience a depression. Looks like they want to tank the world economy at the same time.
Shameless.
Museums, libraries, NOAA, FEMA and every other government agency that we count on to keep us safe, give us help or add to our quality of life are being shuttered or slashed to barely enough personnel to keep the lights on. Free public education, special needs assistance, Head Start programs, Meals on Wheels and more are being eliminated or eradicated to nothing worth mentioning. This administration is illegally cancelling regulations that keep our water, air, land, food and drugs safe and/or reducing staffing to the point that the personnel left can no longer effectively do the job. They fired three USAID workers while they were in Myanmar to assess damage from the earthquake.
Shameless.
They’re breaking Social Security and making it more difficult for people–elderly, disabled or survivor–to receive their earned benefits.
Shameless.
Today, Trump announced that half of our public lands would be open to logging. He also stated that coal miners wouldn’t want other jobs, which only goes to illustrate how out of touch with reality the President is.
Shameless.
We’re losing institutional knowledge and experience in our government, but also losing the next generation of scientists and tech people in our universities. They’re trying to bust unions and leave no recourse for disputes in any arena.
Shameless.
They’re whitewashing our national history by literally taking down or banning information about people of color or women who have contributed in meaningful ways.
Shameless.
Trump is betting it all on tariffs becoming the new funding stream for the government. It’s a nationwide sales tax that the average American will have to pay and it will decimate us. A tax we did not vote for and Congress did not approve beyond a mealy-mouthed statement in a continuing resolution stating a day isn’t a day.
In the meantime, cuts to the IRS will cost us over a half trillion dollars because there aren’t enough people to audit the returns of the rich and enforce payment. Cuts to the National Park Service cost us as they usually bring in about $55 billion annually. The insane amount of money Trump wants to detain non-violent immigrants is another $40 billion. The loss of undocumented immigrant federal tax income is close to $60 billion, while state and local taxes is almost $40 billion more. The loss of income taxes and community revenue for legal immigrant college students will add up.
Not only do we have the federal jobs losses inflating the unemployment rate, but the federal contracts and grants cancelled are about double that amount. In essence, for every federal job, there are two more private sector ones lost. Job losses equates to less money spent in our economy. Small businesses will close due to higher prices and less people willing to spend money. Homelessness and hunger will rise. Addiction and crime rates will go up, as well as suicides. Tariffs won’t help that at all.
Shameless.
Two months ago, I wrote this about the dangers of DOGE and pulling threads of our government without knowing what they are doing. They are deliberately destroying our way of life to go back to the days of robber barons who live high on the hog while everyone else does their best to just survive in poverty. And they think this is what will make America great.
Shameless.
What’s worse than all of what I’ve mentioned? They’re enjoying the destruction and devastation while creating fear and chaos. They’re reveling in the false feeling that they’re above us and the belief that they own us.
Utterly shameless.
They aren’t and they don’t and they never will.
Had you asked me a year ago if I believed we could have that many people so lacking in common sense and empathy and filled with corruption and continual lies gathered in one place, I would’ve been skeptical. No longer.
It takes some degree of self-awareness of how one’s actions can affect others to feel pride or shame in those actions. It takes a recognition that others’ needs are important, not just your own desires. There’s something fundamentally lacking in this administration because they have neither the self-awareness nor recognition and they don’t care to. And that’s why they are and will continue to be shameless.
I’ve lost count of how many of these men, presumably Venezuelan, included in the first illegal rendition where I have much more than a reasonable doubt that they were/are members of TdA. More men are sitting in detention somewhere where the Trump administration is chomping at the bit to send them to a prison in El Salvador.
Many of these men were doing what they were supposed to do, under our laws, to have their day in court for a legal entrance into our country or to ask for asylum. They were not only denied that, but sent to the CECOT hellhole where our Secretary of Homeland Security made a horrific “commercial” wearing a $60,000 Rolex in front of men packed in like sardines behind her in a cell.
If, for some insane reason, the Supreme Court rules that Trump lawfully invoked the Alien Enemies Act (his basis for how these Venezuelans are being identified as gang members and sent to an out-of-country prison without due process), then it stands to reason that we are at war with Venezuela in some back-door way. I sincerely hope that the blatant violations against the Geneva Conventions result in war crimes prosecutions for Trump, Bondi, Rubio, Homan and Noem at the very least if that’s the way this ends up going.
The genesis for this post originated with two other things that happened to me personally this week. At a doctor’s visit, I mentioned my outrage about Rumeysa Ozturk’s situation, a Turkish student and Fulbright scholar attending Tufts, who was approached and surrounded by a half dozen masked, hoodied people in her neighborhood.
If you watch the security video, you’ll notice one of the men physically had hands on her person BEFORE they showed their badges as ICE. Ms. Ozturk’s crime to have her visa revoked? She co-authored a op-ed in a student newspaper calling for the university to “acknowledge the Palestinian genocide, … disclose its investments and divest from companies with direct or indirect ties to Israel.” Pretty seditious stuff, huh? Strong verb usage, too–acknowledge, disclose, divest as opposed to “locked and loaded.” <sarcasm> Marco Rubio cancelled her student visa and purposely did not have the State Department notify her and give her an opportunity to either appeal or self-deport.
I said to the doctor, “They’re trying to instill fear and chaos into us now so that when Trump invokes martial law before the end of the summer, they’ll have us cowed.” The doctor (who I’m sure was a member of the Young Republicans in college) asked in disbelief, “You really believe that?”
“Absolutely. It’s coming if we can’t find a way to stop his Administration soon.”
Hopefully, the doc will start looking at the news in a different way, if only trying to disprove what I said.
Private contractors working for ICE are knocking on doors in California and elsewhere and also attempting entrance into schools. The public was just starting to hear more about these legal noncitizens being picked up and many times detained and/or deported by ICE–Alireza Doroudi in Alabama, Mahmoud Khalil, Ranjani Srinivasan and Yunseo Chung in New York, Dr. Badar Khan Suri in Virginia, and Momodou Taal in Washington, DC. Then this morning I read this about hundreds of international students having their student visas revoked, many for social media posts that may have only been “liked” or “shared” that come under the ambiguous heading of “anti-national” topics.
I personally consider many of the social media posts of Trump, Musk and the upper echelons of this Administration “anti-national.” Somehow, I think in their mind, anti-national equates to disagreement with the actions and policies of themselves or those they consider friends. Free speech is good for them, but not the rest of us. Don’t kid yourself that they’ll stop at immigrants. They’ll be coming for us sooner rather than later.
Then there are others like this gentleman in Florida today:
A man named Dustin West of Harlem in New York wrote this on his Facebook page on March 27, 2025:
I was just detained by and my dog was assaulted by plainclothed ICE agents, along with undercover members of the NYPD I believe; while trying to intervene in an ICE abduction on my block. They refused to identify themselves, were masked, produced no signed warrant, and they were in an unmarked van. They literally snatched a family walking their kids home from school off the street, and then kicked my dog and cuffed me and my neighbors for asking questions. They illegally went through my phone, violated multiple Constitutional rights, and then sped off with a family and screaming kids in the back of a van to God knows where. If this can happen on a corner in Harlem at 5:30 in the afternoon, we are in big trouble guys. Protect yourselves and your neighbors any way you know how. I am absolutely heartbroken, enraged, and disgusted at what my country has become and if you don’t feel the same; you either aren’t paying attention or you are part of the problem.
EDITED TO ADD: Since this is getting shared around I thought I’d make abundantly clear my takeaway from this experience. It’s this: Black and brown people in this country have been subjected to this same type of violence and lawlessness for centuries; with often far worse outcomes than I experienced. The fact the oppressors in power are now willing to also inflict it against a white man of privilege in broad daylight, in the supposed bastion of progressive values that is NYC; only shows how brazen they have become and how dangerous it must be for everyone else not as privileged as I am. White people MUST stand in the way of fascism at every turn. We MUST put our bodies and our privilege on the line. We MUST be wrenches in the gears of this horrible machine we helped create. We don’t have much time left to stop irreversible and irreparable harm from being done to untold millions here and across the world.
*Update 3/29/25 1:46pm EST: woah this post has completely reached way beyond anything I thought possible or anticipated. It gives me some hope. 1. All your messages and friend requests are really appreciated and beautiful, but I have thousands it’s impossible to add you all or reply to you all, but please organize and connect in your communities!
2. Pictures and video, I know many are asking! I was able to get some videos some folks on my block took, as well as still shots some of those closer to me were able to get. With how huge this post has become, I’m still trying to figure out the best way to responsibly release them while protecting the identities of vulnerable neighbors, visible addresses and identifying locations, personal info etc. as this took place right outside my building. I’m being advised that I might have exposed myself a little too much on here, so I’m trying to protect myself some. Still, these pictures and videos have been given to some “ICE-watch” groups, the ACLU and other organizations I trust and who are advising me. I obviously understand “pics or it didn’t happen” and how important it is to verify authenticity for many reasons. Please bear with me as I’m navigating this all suddenly going viral and how to balance my moral duty to report, speak-out, and share with my own personal safety, freedom, and livelihood and that of others involved. Please keep an eye out in your own neighborhoods, continue speaking out, and do what you can to stop these things when you see it, and livestream immediately! I really wish I had! I believe enough white bodies and live cameras might have atleast made these guys think twice and might possibly have stopped this family’s abduction. I know enough of ALL THE PEOPLE, organized, loud and in the streets can hopefully start to reverse the deadly course we are on. All must act according to their skill and comfort level, but all must act! Silence is complicity!
The second situation for me occurred at a drive thru window of a fast food restaurant. The manager of this establishment is Puerto Rican and from the customer viewpoint, exceptionally good at her job. The cashier, a man in his mid-20s, spoke Spanish or Puerto Rican to a co-worker while waiting for my order to be ready. When he handed me my bag, I noticed the tattoos on his arm and I was afraid.
I wasn’t afraid of him. I was afraid forhim.
A month ago, I never would’ve noticed the man’s tattoos unless there was one that was exceptionally well-rendered or horribly ugly. The only thought that would have crossed my mind hearing him speak in another language would have been “That’s a handy skill to have.”
I wanted to tell this young man who is a little older than my children to cover his arms, just in case. I wanted him to tell him to be careful of who might be listening if he spoke something other than English. I wanted to tell him that it didn’t matter if he was a citizen, a legal resident or on a visa, the tattoos and foreign language might be enough for Trump and his loyalists to send him to a hellhole without due process. I wanted to tell him to protect himself.
Then I became angry. Livid that we’re little over two months into this Administration and their non-stop persistent cruelty is affecting our perceptions of our neighbors and our interactions. In my case, an overwhelming need to protect those around me wells up.
That’s not the case for others. And were these perpetrators emboldened by who the incoming President was or not? Is this something they’ve done in the past? Would they have resisted acting on their depraved instincts if it were a different “leader” stepping into office?
And then there are the ones who aren’t seeing it or if they are, they’re pushing it away from the forefronts of their minds and hearts hoping someone else will take care of it and they won’t have to get involved. By ignoring it and making excuses for it, they are enabling the behavior and making it worse. Their actions are comparable to someone who notices fingerprint bruises around a child’s forearm or a woman’s neck but fails to speak up.
Blackstone’s ratio/formulation of the 1760s has long been a foundation of our law and it states “it is better that ten guilty persons escape than one innocent suffer.”
Imagine if you had been at the Capitol on January 6th peacefully protesting and got swept up in the crowd against your will and ended up in the building. Imagine if our government had chosen to just disappear you to somewhere like the El Salvador prison without a chance to prove your innocence, instead of allowing you your day in court.
It seems this Administration believes it is better that ten innocents suffer than one guilty person escape. They will apply that standard to American citizens sooner rather than later.
We have an Administration that is out of control. They are not disruptors for positive change. They are destructors who lie, cheat and steal from us. As I wrote in Fraying Protections, they’re literally trying to kill us with their policies and decisions. They are imposing their own perverted form of Darwinism on our population.
But there’s something they haven’t realized. Trump and his ilk’s greed, selfishness, unparalleled ability to hold a grudge and dangerous narcissism blinds them to what real Americans know.
Real Americans know what it is to sacrifice for someone or a cause. How many of us, especially earlier in our adult lives, decided between paying rent or buying food? How many of us living paycheck to paycheck when faced with an unexpected car repair bill decided which Peter to rob from to pay Paul so they could pay the mortgage? How many parents among us told our children we weren’t hungry and gave our dinner to our kids because it was still a couple days until payday and we just paid that mechanic or installed a new water heater to replace the one that leaked or whatever? How many of us willingly gave up things we needed to ensure our kids had gifts under the tree, new clothes after a growth spurt, braces or whatever? How many of rearranged our lives to care for aging parents or grandparents?
How many of us donated our time, money and efforts to a cause–not for personal gain, not for a tax write-off, not for positive press, but simply because we believed in it and it needed done? How many of us dropped everything to help a family member, neighbor or friend in need? How many of us served our country, our state, or our local community in some capacity, whether in the military, collecting sewer fees or filing paperwork in a municipal office?
Real Americans are the workers, the innovators, builders and creators. Trump’s version of success builds nothing meaningful or new and innovative. Musk creates nothing of his own. He talks a big game, buys and breaks, but others do the work to rebuild and maintain. Some of the elite start out as an innovator, creator, builder or worker, but along the way they shift. It seems at some point, many of the ones who started in the real American worker category just hire others to do the important stuff, while they manage money, prestige, press and wanting more of all of it.
Some of our workers takes showers before heading off to their jobs, while others desperately need showers when they get home from their employment. Some of our innovators are scientists, while others have a mechanical bent. Some of our builders dig foundations and erect new abodes, while others build drones. Some of our creators open our eyes and hearts with art, literature, music and more, while others design solar bridges over waterways to address multiple problems concurrently.
Real Americans don’t make extra work for themselves that doesn’t have a purpose. They keep what is good, recycle or eliminate what no longer serves the purpose and add what is better to serve the same or better purpose.
The America I lived in until earlier this year upheld the standard of due process to determine innocence or guilt.
The America I lived in believed in supporting and defending our Constitution.
The America I lived in believed in all are equal under the law and a jury of our peers.
The America I lived in believed in “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”
The America I lived in believed in free speech, even if we hated the message or messenger.
The America I lived in believed in freedom of the press.
The America I lived in believed in the separation of church and state.
The America I lived in believed in helping others, especially those less fortunate or affected by circumstances beyond their control.
The America I lived in believed in the value of hard work, true grit and opportunity for all.
The America I lived in was founded by immigrants and was proud of that fact.
The America I lived in believed in peace on our streets, in our neighborhoods and around the world.
The America I lived in believed in clean air, water, land and had recently added clean energy to the list.
The America I lived in believed in protecting our children with child labor laws, medical care and free public and special education.
The America I lived in believed in science to improve our health, our lives, our environment and our future.
The America I lived in believed in protecting our workers with safety laws, benefits and labor protections.
The America I lived in believed in ethics, kindness and common sense.
The America I lived in respected our military personnel, took all steps possible to keep them safe, then took care of their medical needs after their active service.
The America I lived in believed in responsibility to ourselves, our communities, our nation and our world.
The America I lived in was richer with its diversity of thought and people.
The America I lived in believed in sovereign borders and respected their neighbors.
The America I lived in wasn’t perfect, but it wasn’t broken–just in need of some repair–in some areas more than others.
Today’s broken America is not my America.
Today’s America does not understand, nor respect our Constitution.
Today’s America does not respect our laws.
Today’s America acts as crime organizations do.
Today’s America is killing free speech.
Today’s America is killing its citizens with its cuts in services, personnel and regulations.
Today’s America is led by a man who appears to be suffering early to middle stages of dementia along with the worst, most incompetent cabinet members in the history of our country.
Today’s America is filled with science deniers, bigots and misogynists.
Today’s America fosters hate, crime and corruption.
Today’s America lies about everything and everyone to avoid responsibility, spread a false narrative or just because it can’t help itself.
Today’s America attacks disagreements with cyberbullying. falsehoods, redirections and tacit approvals of violence.
Today’s America retaliates against people/organizations who don’t agree with Trump policies or narratives.
Today’s America extorts and threatens our institutions of higher learning, our judiciary and any other nation or organization that disagrees with them.
Today’s America cannot be trusted by its citizens and military, its allies or the world at large.
Today’s America erases our history with false narratives.
Today’s America does not believe in education; instead it encourages indoctrination.
Today’s America makes everyone less safe, from our children to our elderly.
Today’s America lacks transparency and spends more money than it’s saving.
Today’s America cannot be trusted to follow our laws or the Geneva Conventions.
Today’s America makes a mockery of our traditions and treats our national treasures as props and entertainment properties.
Today’s America cannot be trusted to protect its institutions, students, visitors or citizens.
Today’s America endangers our active military personnel.
Today’s America disappears people without due process, common decency or notice.
We should all be ashamed that these things are happening in America’s name.
Well, I knew it was coming eventually, but here it is–the Executive Order attempting to illegally end collective bargaining for federal unions using 5 USC § 7103(b)(1) which states (emphasis added):
(1) The President may issue an order excluding any agency or subdivision thereof from coverage under this chapter if the President determines that—
(A) the agency or subdivision has as a primary function intelligence, counterintelligence, investigative, or national security work, and
(B) the provisions of this chapter cannot be applied to that agency or subdivision in a manner consistent with national security requirements and considerations.
Trump’s really stretching the definition regarding “national security work.” Keep in mind, I’m not an attorney, but I was a very active union representative for the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) for over twenty years. I spent more than my fair share of time digging into the statutes, federal orders, memorandums of understanding and whatever else to ensure I was on solid footing whenever Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) management would try to play fast and loose with interpretation.
The intent of the type of national security work Congress meant can be found earlier in 5 USC § 7103(a)(3)(A) through 5 USC § 7103(a)(3)(H):
(3) “agency” means an Executive agency (including a nonappropriated fund instrumentality described in section 2105(c) of this title and the Veterans’ Canteen Service, Department of Veterans Affairs), the Library of Congress, the Government Publishing Office, and the Smithsonian Institution [1] but does not include—
(H) the United States Secret Service and the United States Secret Service Uniformed Division.
So, let’s break it down a little. The statute clearly states a primary function of the agency has to be intelligence, counterintelligence, investigative, or national security work and earlier lists examples like the FBI, CIA and NSA. That list also includes the U.S. Secret Service and its Uniformed Division.
Homeland Security did not exist when the statute was written, but a case could easily be made that national security is a primary function of that agency. That is probably why the Trump Administration probably thought ending the TSA collective bargaining agreement might go unnoticed or uncontested. It had the dubious honor of being first on the list because it seemed like low-hanging fruit. American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) represents TSA workers.
But you cannot apply the first part of 5 USC § 7103(b)(1)(A) without also applying (B) because (A) ends with “and.” That means both statements must be true to be applicable. Obviously, Homeland Security is able to allow their subdivision of TSA to have a collective bargaining agreement because 5 USC can be applied in a manner consistent with national security requirements and considerations. Negotiating working conditions, wages, RIFs, types of leave and other similar topics do not impact national security requirements for people who work in airports rather than those doing undercover and investigative work.
How can I be so certain? Well, other than the rather benign topics I mentioned, which apply to most employees regardless of who they work for, the TSA local (or whatever term they use) would never been allowed to begin with. If there’s one thing I learned in all my union activist years is that management HATES to give up any of what they consider to be their domain. Why do you think Trump wants to take it all back?
Trump’s claims the “VA serves as the backstop healthcare provider for wounded troops in wartime” puts it in the category of national security work, which is disingenuous at best, doesn’t make it so and certainly does not meet the standards of part (A) as the primary function of the VA is not backstop healthcare.
The fact sheet bemoans the delays of midterm bargaining, which every union representative has experience with, and lists a specific example of the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) ruling ICE had to offer to negotiate and complete midterm bargaining with their union before updating its cybersecurity policies.
Not having read the case, I’m uncertain what the cybersecurity policies entailed, but I have no doubt the union wanted to negotiate sufficient training and implementation of the policies for its members, especially if those required new equipment usage, reporting duties or discipline for failing to use those policies correctly. Such midterm bargaining ensures all employees receive equal and sufficient training in a timely fashion. It saves the government money and time in the long term as less mistakes and confusion arise in the workforce than if it’s not completed correctly.
But the true intent of the EO is explained in the fact sheet at the end.
Certain Federal unions have declared war on President Trump’s agenda.
The largest Federal union describes itself as “fighting back” against Trump. It is widely filing grievances to block Trump policies.
For example, VA’s unions have filed 70 national and local grievances over President Trump’s policies since the inauguration—an average of over one a day.
Protecting America’s national security is a core constitutional duty, and President Trump refuses to let union obstruction interfere with his efforts to protect Americans and our national interests.
President Trump supports constructive partnerships with unions who work with him; he will not tolerate mass obstruction that jeopardizes his ability to manage agencies with vital national security missions.
Trump is pissed we’re all not bending a knee and letting him just fire everyone and close agencies at will in violation of the law and our rights, which are encapsulated in law and collective bargaining agreements. And national interests do not equate to national security, especially when he is unilaterally equating his personal monetary interests with national policies.
The last, though, is especially telling. If you kiss his ass, suck up and tell him he’s a genius businessman, he’ll leave you alone for now. But the minute you disagree, he’ll shut you down, too. If he had an ounce of integrity, you might be able to make a case to take the risk. But as he’s shown over and over again, he will screw over anyone and everyone–and then expect even more. And be sure to thank him for the abuse.
Columbia hasn’t seen a dime of the $400 million that was already Congressionally-approved since they caved into his demands instead of standing up for what was right. The law firm, Paul Weiss, bowed and gave up $40 million in pro bono work for Trump’s agenda. And it seems today, the price of submission went up for law firms as Skadden Arps agreed to $100 million in pro bono work towards Trump’s agenda. Oh, and he’ll attempt to humiliate you after you submit to his demands.
In less than a day, the AFL-CIO and close to thirty unions and union supporters, not all affiliated with the AFL-CIO or even federal, stood in solidarity against Trump’s egregious assault against federal labor unions. You know what name was missing from this list? NATCA.
It’s fortunate that I’m a retired member and not still active because I would be blowing up their phones and their email inboxes. I know some members of the Executive Board. I can’t believe they didn’t see this coming and have some sort of action plan in place, just in case. I sincerely hope they aren’t going the way of Columbia, Paul Weiss, Skadden Arps and now Harvard, in the hopes that they’ll retain some negotiating power and real input into whatever Elon Musk is planning for the National Airspace System (NAS).
Because that’s a fantasy and a whole lot of denial of what’s staring them in the face. The first time NATCA attempts to say Musk is wrong will be when they are no longer necessary for Trump’s agenda. And NATCA will have lost the respect of many, including me, by falling to their knees in advance. The NAS may not survive in one piece. We can only hope lives aren’t lost in the interim.
If staying under the radar is your strategy (pun intended), then I don’t doubt Steve Bell, Joe Bellino and Barry Krasner are attempting to dig themselves out of their graves to knock some sense into current NATCA leadership. These are not normal times and the usual strategies should not be the default setting for your reactions to Trump’s blatant and illegal attempts to end collective bargaining for hundreds of thousands of federal employees before moving onto the private sector. Don’t give up your integrity for the likes of Trump.
Between all the press of the staffing shortages and numerous incidents/accidents, the public is paying much closer attention to what happens with air traffic control and many are scared about air traffic safety. That combination gives you a unique status no one else has in the federal workforce. Become the faces they associate with keeping them and their loved ones safe.
Right now, in the public’s eyes, air traffic controllers are the golden children, which is why Trump hasn’t slapped NATCA down with all the other unions. Because I’m pretty sure if he wanted to, he could try to make the case air traffic control is national security work. He needs to keep you quiet long enough to tear everything else down around you before he gets to you.
Your words and actions matter right now, more than they ever have. Don’t give up that power for the fantasy of something Trump will never give you. Use it for good, not just for the bargaining unit, the flying public and the NAS, but for democracy.
Solidarity in tough times for union activists means everything. The power of the collective is stronger than the single. Many of the unions currently under attack publicly stood with NATCA during the Imposed Work Rules (IWRs) under Marion Blakey. It’s time to return the support.
NATCA doesn’t have to go head to head with Trump and Musk just yet, but it also doesn’t have to be silent about the wrongs being done to other union brothers and sisters. Your voices and experiences are the ones the public currently trusts. Use those voices judiciously and honestly, but use them effectively.
Stand tall and take the punch if he’s stupid enough to throw it, then fight back with everything we’ve learned over the years and add in some new tricks. You are smarter than him. Continue to be the union that fights above its weight class.
It seems I have a late addition to this post. I literally published it and realized I had originally linked the Fact Sheet and not the Executive Order, so I missed this section of the EO:
Sec. 5. Delegation of Authority to the Secretary of Transportation. (a) The national security interests of the United States in ensuring the safety and integrity of the national transportation system require that the Secretary of Transportation have maximum flexibility to cultivate an efficient workforce at the Department of Transportation that is adaptive to new technologies and innovation. Where collective bargaining is incompatible with that mission, the Department of Transportation should not be forced to seek relief through grievances, arbitrations, or administrative proceedings.
(b) The Secretary of Transportation is therefore delegated authority under section 7103(b) of title 5, United States Code, to issue orders excluding any subdivision of the Department of Transportation, including the Federal Aviation Administration, from Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute coverage or suspending any provision of that law with respect to any Department of Transportation installation or activity located outside the 50 States and the District of Columbia. This authority may not be further delegated. When making the determination required by 5 U.S.C. 7103(b)(1) or 7103(b)(2), the Secretary of Transportation shall publish his determination in the Federal Register.
This pretty much says if NATCA doesn’t like anything about new systems or procedures, then it no longer has the right to bargain or be involved. I was correct, even before I realized he’d already done it. Lucky me.
I read this article today about Representative Ilhan Omar considering articles of impeachment against Department of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and CIA Director John Ratcliffe. I wasn’t happy about the use of the word “plots” in the headline as it implies there’s something wrong with her doing her Constitutional duty to protect national security. Beyond that, though, the quote below is what really upset me.
A second Democratic leadership source said it is an “unlikely scenario” that impeachment will be used as a Democratic tool as long as Republicans control the House.
I’m sorry? Perhaps this second Democratic leader has somehow missed that we’re in the middle of a coup and our democracy is dying. The normal thought processes of “tools” to gain favor with the voters or negotiate with the Republicans should not be the damn default for decision making until we return sanity and competence to our upper levels of government. The so-called “leader” wants to behave as if it’s business as usual? This offends me and I guarantee I’m not the only citizen that feels this way.
And accepting a single scapegoat when all were culpable is unacceptable if Trump decides to toss Waltz out as the sacrificial goat to appease the masses. While I’d like to see the others on the impeachment list, I’m willing to wait on them for a bit, because they will screw up again.
The Republicans have introduced seven, yes, seven, resolutions to impeach federal judges for doing their jobs as they are supposed to. H.Res. 143, H.Res. 145, H.Res. 157, H.Res. 174, H.Res. 229, H.Res. 241 and H.Res. 246 all claim “high crimes and misdemeanors” because they ruled against the Trump administration’s actions by ordering Temporary Restraining Orders (TROs) or by denying motions filed by the Department of Justice (DOJ). These resolutions are capricious and arbitrary and have no basis in fact. House Speaker Mike Johnson is publicly saying Congress may take away funding for the federal courts. The federal judiciary is forming a task force to deal with threats against the judiciary. None of this is business as usual.
I’m pretty sure I can guess who this second Democratic leader is. But the rationale being used to make this “decision” is wrong.
We already know that the FBI and DOJ will do nothing at all except continue to spin the situation in the press to talk about Hillary Clinton’s emails or how we should be grateful for the “thoughtful” way they conducted themselves when making the decision to strike at their target without considering civilian casualties and that the mission was a “success”. They will not investigate impartially (or at all) and will not prosecute because Big Daddy Trump wouldn’t like it.
Veterans took two big hits already with the civil servant firings and reductions in services at the Veteran’s Administration (VA). Now they are discovering that the safety of their brothers and sisters on active duty are in the hands of incompetents who do not have the decency to own their mistakes and accept the consequences of their actions as good military people do.
Let’s look at the pros and cons of impeachment proceedings against those who violated the Espionage Act, Federal Records Act (FRA) and Geneva War Convention violations. All of which are now very public and in the news worldwide. Our enemies and our allies (what we have left of them) are watching to see how we handle this. What message are you going to send?
Democrats don’t attempt to impeach at all.
Pros: None.
Cons: Voters will know Democrats don’t care about military personnel safety and national security. No matter how you attempt to justify not using the “tool,” it will come down to hot air and no action for active military personnel and veterans, as well as their families. That is what they will remember come election time. They and the rest of the world will remember who fought for what was right when it was hard. They will remember who was weak in fortitude when push came to shove.
Democrats attempt to impeach, but Republicans don’t assist with the votes.
Pros: Voters will know which Republicans care more about Trump’s policies or retribution than military personnel safety or national security. That is what they will remember come election time.
Voters will remember Democrats tried to protect our military personnel, national security and our rule of law. They will care less about the loss than they will about the integrity to fight even when the deck is stacked against you. These are people who voluntarily put themselves in harm’s way for the safety of our country and citizens. They understand personal conviction, integrity and overwhelming odds.
It also instills hope in the American public that you will actually fight for our democracy and what’s right. It will energize the resistance on the streets. The world will see that we’re not going quietly.
Cons: Democrats will continue to have limited power over the consequences for the infractions. Republicans may feel more empowered for a bit, but it’s not like they’re not doing it now anyway.
Democrats attempt to impeach and enough Republicans agree that the offenses matter more than Trump’s policies and possible retribution.
Pros: Some sort of justice is served. A number of incompetent Cabinet members are gone. Democrats can slow-walk any new nominees. A huge win for the public, democracy and the Democrats.
Voters will remember Democrats protected our military personnel, national security and our rule of law even when it wasn’t easy. The world will realize we’re not down and out and maybe, just maybe, things can start to move forward to rebuild relationships and trust once we regain control of our government.
It will be even more energizing for the public resistance to see democracy isn’t completely dead.
And when Trump tries to invoke martial law by the end of the summer? Because I don’t doubt it’s part of the master plan once the protests start becoming larger and more sustained. I hope you want active military personnel remembering who supported and defended the Constitution, national security, as well as their safety, when it comes time for them to make their own difficult decisions.
So, can anyone tell me where the downside is to impeachment articles? Because I’m not seeing it.
Democrats need to be careful that they’re not so hidebound in their ways that they don’t pivot and adapt to previously unheard of circumstances. I can guarantee a lot of us are watching and keeping track on who is stepping up and who is playing it safe in the hopes to ride it out until mid-terms. Those riding it out might want to seriously consider retiring from their position come mid-terms if they don’t start stepping up now for democracy and our Constitution. Because we’ll be voting you out if we still have free and fair elections then.
I’m not a psychiatrist, but this has the feel of a narcissistic abuser feeling neglected by perceived enemies and needing something to prove he is superior in every way. In this case, Biden and Harris. Both have stayed out of the fray since the transfer of power.
Trump resents Biden for winning the 2020 election and for Trump’s loss of all bids to keep the White House from January 6th on. Whether true or not (only has to be true in Trump’s mind), Trump has also made claims that Musk interfered with election machines in the 2024 election giving Trump the win, so Harris is another specter in his mind he has to “beat” or make smaller in the public’s minds.
Trump also hates the law itself because it is something that, in his head, restricts him from doing whatever he pleases and has been “wielded” against him–and because Pence refused to break it re: electoral vote count. The law is for him to determine, at will, like he wants to determine who does or does not have any power or influence.
Trump can’t stand losing or being perceived as anything but God’s gift to the world. He resents Biden for winning, as evidenced by how often he needs to publicly demean Biden’s policies and actions. He’s also seeing the press and social media about how Biden’s economic policies were better than his own. The fact that a career public servant was able to better build the American economy than the savvy businessman Trump thinks of himself probably gnaws at him.
Now Trump is feeling all powerful with enough of his sycophants in place in important positions and having blatantly told the courts re: the Alien Enemies Act order that they can’t control him–he is above the law, because in his head, all he has to do is claim he’s working in the best interests of the country and he has absolute immunity. But he isn’t and he doesn’t, so now is a good time to also distract from his blatant disregard of a court order, blatant disregard of due process or other’s civil rights and deliberate misapplication of the underlying meaning of war in the Act.
But for Trump himself, he needs to publicly defeat Biden and Harris. He can’t let go of it. The fact that he’s going after Biden’s last pardons, many of which had to do with people who worked on getting to the truth of Trump’s illegal actions, to me, says quite a bit. Not only does he want history to show he was right all along, but he wants to take Biden down at the same time to show Trump is a better President. That he has more control of the people around him than Biden, hence the claims that Biden was clueless about the pardons themselves.
He wants Biden and Harris to react to him to show he’s powerful enough to manipulate them into behavior he wants. He wants to wield social media and the press against both in the present time to prove his power over them. Because they’ve had the audacity to ignore everything he’s breaking–the legacy of Biden’s presidency.
I believe neither Biden nor Harris should jump into the fray on this one (yet)–not because of fear of intimidation or retaliation, but because he’s deliberately trying to manipulate them into doing so on his terms. They’re better off keeping their silence, then simply testifying at whatever court cases arise as Trump goes down this newest slope of his retribution mountain range.
Their failure to react publicly will unhinge Trump even more, goading him into making more mistakes and more of his truths will come out. As much as I hate to say it, Trump even more unhinged works to get more of the public involved to stop him faster.
Having been the recipient of a narcissistic abuse of a sociopath when I was much younger, the one thing I learned is not to let them control your emotions where you react instinctively because it gives your personal power to them. They don’t understand emotions for themselves, but they do understand how to manipulate others’ to get what they want/need.
As much as I hate to say it, I really do think it’s best if Biden/Harris show no public reaction to Trump’s latest beyond a “I’m sure the courts will decide should Trump continue with his plans.”
