Whole Lotta Love

Thanks to my friend Kathy, I happily have Led Zeppelin in my head this morning.

Warum?

She sent me a link to a Substack post by John Pavlovitz—Grieving People Who Are Still Alive—The relational deaths by irreconcilable differences.

He talks of the grief of losing friends and family with whom we no longer share a common sense of right and wrong. Pavlovitz is referring to loved ones who, we’ve discovered, we’re fundamentally morally misaligned. Maybe we’ve always been ethically out of sync? Maybe we’ve never occupied the realm of compassion together—we just assumed that this loved one was there too?

The good news/bad news for me is that I learned this lesson early. When I was diagnosed at the nowhere-near-ripe age of 22 with neurofibromatosis type 2, I understood that my life would be more constrained. That is, I learned that a large percentage of humans shy away from those of us who are somewhat limited by a physical and/or mental crapoli. We’re less fun and scary/sad to be around. We're unrelatable to the young and healthy.

Brain surgery scares the fuck out of a lot of folks (even when they’re not the ones going under the knife) so they back off, create distance; they underline the fact that they just can’t deal. I get it—unless you’re already in love (platonically or romantically) with a person, or share qualities similar to Keanu or Dolly, sick people are a drag for vibrant, unafflicted types. I understand.

Also, as a grumpy, oddly humored misanthrope, loving me is a real challenge anyway. Honestly, I totally get it!

The point? Getting back to Pavlovitz’s post, a lot of these compassion-free MAGAt idiots, long ago, self-airlocked themselves from my life. Good! The ones who didn’t, managed to show their cards early enough so that I could in-real-life block them before much (or further) damage was done.

Funnily, they've consistently failed to grasp why I’ve put up a wall. Not the former studio-mate who devolved into a compassion-free, mocking, bullying twatzilla. Nor the family member who called me a race traitor for being an outspoken anti-racist (AKA a sentient human being). Definitely not the other MAGAt, racist fuck of a family member who claims to be the BESTEST Christian EVER. These are just a few of the shitheels who will never breech my tungsten clad, reinforced concrete wall of self-protection.

I imagine it sucks to be fully grown adults without clue.

This morning, after a big night of dreams, I’m grieving the corporeal loss of the magnificent Scott Artman, Kevin Scott and the always amazing, caring, and beautiful Bob. I’m also deeply grateful for and in love with Ten, Jen, Oni, and my fabulous sister Celeste. They all stand (and stood) by me despite the unending surgeries, recoveries, warped sense of humor, and incorrigible misanthropy.

Moron ICE

US citizens are being busted and held by ICE.

Among those released is Julio Noriega, a 54-year-old Chicago man...

Before he had a chance to explain, Noriega said, the officers placed him in handcuffs and moved him into a van. It wasn’t until after he’d already been taken to an ICE processing center and waited several hours that officers checked his wallet and realized he is a U.S. citizen. (source)

But he “looked Mexican.”

Noriega isn’t the first. Back in January, Diné (AKA Navajo) people were being stopped and held by Trump’s Brownshirts.

Here in Boston, 370 people have been busted. “Border czar” and total micro-dicked, extreme fascist wonder, Tom Homan, claims all those swept up in the raids were child rapists. Sure buddy.

A recent Boston Globe report detailed what the operation looked like in practice. Workers were arrested on their way to a construction site in New Bedford, a U.S. citizen from Puerto Rico said that federal officials blocked her car and demanded three different forms of identification, and a Salvadorean father of two with a work permit and no criminal record was arrested on his way to work. (source)

Three forms of ID? Hells bells, I was born in Connecticut, grew up on the East Coast and in the Midwest and I don’t have three forms of identification. I have a Massachusetts ID card and an expired passport. Is that enough to keep me out of an ICE detention center?

Who are these Rent-A-Klan thugs carrying out raids? I've seen claims that they're ex-military, security guard types and cops working a side hustle but I haven't seen anything solid in the media.

Nine out of ten of the abducted are held in private prisons like the GEO Group, CoreCivic, LaSalle Corrections, and the Management Training Corporation. These joints have pocketed mega bucks from ICE detention contracts in the past two decades.

Unsurprisingly, there’ve been at least three instances, of creepazoid freaks impersonating ICE in order to steal from, harass, bully, and rape (something for which ICE is well known).

And what’s up with Signalgate? Is the mainstream media just gonna ignore that Hegseth’s fabulously successful bombing plan was to murder 53 innocent civilians (five of whom were children) in order to nail just one guy.

Couldn’t Keg Boy get some ace sharpshooter to take out the villain? I mean, Obama’s crew took our Bin Laden without offing 53 innocent non-combatants.

I guess Trumpy is incapable of hiring smarter, sane, competent, qualified people, huh? We already knew that though.

Cory Booker

 He started at 7PM last night and is still going. It's been more than 12 hours so far.

"I’m heading to the Senate floor because Donald Trump and Elon Musk have shown a complete disregard for the rule of law, the Constitution, and the needs of the American people," Booker posted on X earlier on Monday.

"I am not going to stop speaking, I am not going to stop standing," he said. "I am going to go for as long as I'm physically able to go." (source)

The man's not reading from the phone book to take up time either. Booker is speaking truth to power.

Keep going, Senator Booker!!!

Ice Ice Baby

The Fifth Amendment to the Constitution is:

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation. (source)

note bene: the amendment says no person versus no born-in-the-US-citizen-type-white-person.

Stated in section one of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution is this:

All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. (source)

What is due process?

Procedural due process refers to the constitutional requirement that when the government acts in such a manner that denies a citizen of life, liberty, or property interest, the person must be given notice, the opportunity to be heard, and a decision by a neutral decision-maker. (source)

Another student has been abducted without due process. Alireza Doroudi who was studying for a doctorate in mechanical engineering at the University of Alabama was taken. It’s assumed, but not solidly known, that he’s being held in the Jena, Louisiana ICE prison. There were no warrants, no charges, no due process.

Did you know? ICE has access to Department of Motor Vehicles databases.

…ICE has access to information-sharing systems that allow it to tap into state databases. For example, ICE can use a state-owned network called Nlets …  to obtain information from DMV databases about a person, such as their home address or license plate number. ICE can use this information to decide whom to target for immigration enforcement and to locate the people it’s targeted. (source)

In mid-February The Intercept reported that ICE was looking to hire a contractor to monitor and locate “negative” social media discussions about the agency and its top officials.

As part of its mission to protect ICE with “proactive threat monitoring,” the winning contractor will not simply flag threatening remarks but “Provide monitoring and analysis of behavioral and social media sentiment (i.e. positive, neutral, and negative).” This includes regular updates on the “total number of negative references to ICE found in social media” from week to week. (source)

42 years late but we’re now completely immersed in 1984.

In Trump’s first reign of error and terror he hired the AI data analytics software company, Giant Oak, to sniff out “enemies.” That company was bought by Saifr which does, more or less, the same thing.

The government’s already got a spy-on-its-citizens AI monster watching over us—why do they need another?

“While surveillance programs like this under any administration are a concerning privacy and free speech violation … the rhetoric of the Trump administration makes this practice especially terrifying,” said Calli Schroeder, senior counsel at the Electronic Privacy Information Center. “Threats to ‘punish’ opponents or deport those exercising 1st Amendment rights combine with these invasive practices to create a real ‘thought police’ scenario.” (source) 

How long before born-in-the-USA citizens are grabbed off the street?

Question:
Why should any of us just unquestionably believe someone who says they’re ICE? WHO would believe a masked stranger, approaching without a warrant or other identifying paperwork, is for real. How can any of us possibly know that we’re not being kidnapped?

We can’t know. Can you give me a good reason why a "good guy with a gun" should refrain from stopping the abduction?

By the by, as of January of this year, private companies manage all twenty of the top twenty private detention centers. So, there’s a definite profit motive in snatching as many innocents off the street as possible. Also, did you know that ICE is continuing the US tradition of forcibly sterilizing women, particularly Black, Latinx, and Indigenous women?

ICE employs 20,000 assholes. That doesn’t include all their contracted kidnappers. Do you know anyone who works for ICE or one of their despicable contractors?

Based on an old Soviet joke:
   Headline: Bunnies are fleeing the USA in droves
   Question: Why are you running away?
   Bunny: The US passed a new law that they are going to arrest all buffalo.
   Question: But you’re bunnies!
   Bunny: Yeah, why don’t you try proving to ICE that you’re not a buffalo.

Due process is the thin line that separates freedom from tyranny. Barbaric Barbie’s ICE crosses the line daily.

Honeybees and US

Ten turned me on to an interesting article from earth.org about the vanishing bee population.

For years, media headlines have depicted a dire situation regarding global bee populations. While it is true that honey bee numbers in certain areas, especially in North America and Europe, have plummeted due to habitat loss, pesticide use, and climate change, recent data reveals a more nuanced picture. In fact, bee populations in some Asian countries have been steadily increasing. This contrasting trend prompts important questions: why are bees flourishing in some regions while facing challenges in others? (source)

On looking at the graphs it became clear to me that not all of North America’s bees are tumbling down. It’s the USA’s population that’s actually tanking. And has been since the ‘60s.

Note that the drop began at the start of Lyndon Johnson’s administration. This was just after John F. Kennedy’s assassination on November 22, 1963. The ‘60s were an insane decade, what with Vietnam, Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King’s assassinations, the fight for equal rights, Tricky Dick’s ascent, etc. The bees were definitely unhappy.

In the Carter years, our honeybee friends started to relax and stabilize. They were starting to gain ground but then AIDs hit and Reagan ignored it all until two years after his friend Rock Hudson died. Before this, the Reagan administration treated AIDs as though it was a great joke.

This did NOT please the bees.

Under Bush Sr. and Clinton, the honey-maker population continued to decline. I’m guessing Reagan and the Repub’s frozen hearted disdain for their fellow humans really put them way the fuck off. I can’t blame them. Plus, all that ridiculous fuss over a goddamn blowjob. The bees just could NOT deal with the bullshit human antics.

The numbers continued to go down during the warmongering Shrub years. Of course.

They seemed to feel that humans in the US had made a turn for the better, for a more caring, smarter America when Obama was elected. Honeybee numbers began to recover and grow. The US was inching closer to universal health care. Marriage equality became the law of the land. Climate change was being addressed. Gays and lesbians could serve openly in the military for the first time. He banned Bush’s “enhanced interrogation” (AKA torture) techniques. And so much more. 

The bees and me were psyched! We’re coming back, babies!

Then Trump was installed by an assholian, racist electoral college. This was NOT the will of the US residents—not what the bees or anyone halfway sane and/or intelligent wanted. The honeybee population went on a downward spiral again. Four years of sanity with Biden was, undoubtedly (I haven’t seen the figures) not enough to reverse the cratering hives.

And now we’re in Hell again.

I’m glad that the bees are thriving in Asia and the colonies in Canada and Mexico seem stable. Here, even the bees are jumping ship. Only the zombie MAGAts want to live in the raging, apricot toupéd fucktrumpet's America.

In Search of...

...the perfect cookie.

This is today's breakfast cookie. I don’t know what the ingredients are. Honestly, I don’t need to know. It’s vaguely shortbread-ish and there’s a hint of pistachio. It’s magnificent.

Where did Jen get it? Whole Foods. I know we should be boycotting them. We don’t normally shop there but sometimes the call of the cookie bar is irresistible.

Why boycott Whole Foods?

For starters, they’re painfully expensive. Next, they were bought by mega billionaire Jeff Bezos who’s a big supporter of Trump. Bezos also owns the Washington Post—a once great newspaper that he neutered and shanked in service of the man who would be king. Also, Bezos’s Amazon is renowned for their mistreatment of employees, low pay, and union busting.

Whole Foods? They, unsurprisingly, commit similar sins as Bezos’s other companies, including:

• The outrageous overcharge bust
• The 'Responsibly Grown' farmer revolt
• The heartless employee benefits package
• The scorecard system nightmare
• The prison labor pipeline
• The Philip K. Dickian employee biometrics violation
• The CEO's noninclusive healthcare stance
• The allegations of racial insensitivity
• The GMO sweet corn slip
• The secret sugar in the yogurt scam
• The toxic packaging fiasco
• The arsenic-laced bottled water recall
• The rabbit meat boycott
• The $6 asparagus water rip-off (source)
  

Go to the link for details.

What does this all mean for me and my cookie obsession? Next time I have an undeniable craving, I gotta hit up locally owned and run bakeries like Fratelli’s, Ginger Betty’s or Sweet Piglet.

In any case, here, have some comics and memes.

Night and Fog

Everyone whose travel to the US is not essential should avoid this country until this regime is gone. At the least.

We’ve reached the Nacht und Nebel chapters of this American horror show.

"Nacht und Nebel" ("Night and Fog") was the codename given to a decree of December 7, 1941, issued by Adolf Hitler and signed by Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel, Chief of the German Armed Forces High Command. It allowed German authorities to abduct individuals alleged to be "endangering German security" so that they effectively vanished without a trace. (source)

ICE abducted a Ph.D student from Tufts University, without cause, off a quiet side street in Somerville the other day. Rumeysa Ozturk has not been charged with a single crime.

“Over twenty-four hours after her arrest, Rumeysa was processed at her final detention facility after being driven to multiple government offices in New England and flown to Louisiana on early Wednesday morning. Throughout that period of time, my client was not charged or given the opportunity to speak with a lawyer.…”

She goes on to say that Ozturk has not been charged with any crime and that it appears she was targeted based on her free speech. (source) 

What was her “crime?”

Ozturk last year co-authored an op-ed in Tufts’ student newspaper criticizing Israel’s actions in Gaza. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday that he revoked her visa because of her participation in the anti-Gaza war movement. Rubio said the movement had engaged in vandalism and other crimes, but he did not say Ozturk was involved. (source)

Rumeysa Ozturk was snatched for thought crimes. She was taken out of the state before a federal judge could issue an order limiting ICE’s ability to move her. She’s now in a Louisiana prison (AKA ICE facility) along with Mahmoud Khalil.

Another Columbia University student and green cared holder, Yunseo Chung, has gone into hiding. Though she’s committed no crimes (unlike Prez Shitzenpantz) she’s been accused of posing a threat to US foreign policy interests. A federal judge has temporarily blocked her arrest and deportation.

On Monday, Chung sued Donald Trump and other high-ranking administrations to stop their targeting of her and other students. And on Tuesday, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to halt its efforts to arrest and deport Chung, saying “nothing in the record” indicated that Chung posed a danger to the community. (source)

Momodou Taal, a student at Cornell who has been targeted for deportation also filed suit against the Trump administration.

What do these four have in common? They’ve exercised their right First Amendment rights. The First Amendment, by the by, applies to everyone in the US, NOT just those born here. Ozturk, Chung, Khalil, and Taal were all demonstrating, talking or writing about Palestine—the genocide. None are Hamas cheerleaders.

I think it’s quite racist, Islamophobic that before I’m allowed to have a view on genocide, I have to condemn a terrorist organization,” Taal said.

“I can say clearly categorically I abhor the killing of all civilians no matter where they are and who does it,” he added.  (source)

Counterfeit christian and secretary of state Marco Rubio says his department has revoked “more than 300” visas and that “Every time I find one of these lunatics, I take away their visa.” 

“one of these lunatics?” DUDE, you wanna do something about dangerous crazies? Start with your three obviously unbalanced bosses. These students aren’t anywhere near the threat to US foreign or domestic policy that Trump, Musk, and Vance so clearly are.

This bible verse tweeting Trump suck-up is apparently low on reading comprehension or is desperately trying to make up for his nonexistent moral core with a giant pile of shit covered cruelty. I've got a verse for him—Psalm 1:1 Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers.

Marco buddy—can you guess who isn't blessed?!

How long do we have before they start disappearing US citizens for holding anti-Trump political views?

Help sites:
Massachusetts Immagrant & Refugee Advocacy Coalition
ACLU | Know Your Rights | Immigrants’ Rights
Jeelani Law Firm | Your Rights as an Immigrant: What You Can Do During ICE Encounters

How To Protect Yourself During an ICE Encounter from Familia America

1)   Verify their identity.
If approached by ICE agents, the first thing you should do is ask them to identify themselves.
2)   Stay Silent Beyond Your Name
“I am invoking my right to remain silent.”
3)  Request a Warrant Signed by a Federal Judge
Without a judicial warrant, ICE cannot legally enter your home or private property. Many times, they may carry an administrative warrant, which is not sufficient for entry without your explicit consent.
4)  Record the Interaction
     Get their:
    •    Badge numbers or names of ICE agents
    •    What they say and how they interact with you
    •    The nature of their warrant (if shown)
5)  Protect Your Home
    •    Do not open the door. Ask ICE agents to slide the warrant under the door or show it through a window for inspection.
    •    Stay calm and composed. Avoid panicking, as this could escalate the situation unnecessarily. Speak politely but firmly.
    •    Notify others in the home. Ensure everyone is aware of their rights and does not open the door or answer any questions.

Go to the website for more info.

How can you protect yourself from getting snatched off the street though?

From the Carman Fullerton law firm:

1.   You have the right to remain silent. You are not required to speak to immigration officials or answer any of ICE’s questions.
2.   You have the right to refuse a search. If you are stopped for questioning but not arrested, you have the right to refuse a search of your person or belongings, but ICE officers may “pat down” your clothes if they believe you have a weapon.
3.   You have the right to speak to a lawyer. If you are detained or arrested, request to speak to an attorney immediately.  If you do not have one, ask the officer for a list of pro bono lawyers.
4.   You have the right to contact your consulate. Consulate officials may be able to help you.
5.   You have the right to refuse to sign any/all paperwork until after you’ve spoken to a lawyer. If you do decide to sign something, make sure you know what it says and what the consequences will be.

Just because you may not be a citizen of the United States, that does not mean that you don’t have any rights.  YOU DO INDEED HAVE LEGAL RIGHTS.

More at this link from the National Immigrant Justice Center.

Is there more advice on avoiding being approached and disappeared by ICE outside the home? This a tough one and I couldn’t find sites with harder hitting tips. ICE is watching and stalking their victims so, off the top of my head:

1)   Do NOT follow a set routine. Leave your home, dorm, apartment at different times via different exits. Take different routes. Change it up daily. Leave by a back door. Take different avenues. Don’t stop at the same coffee shop or corner store on your way to class or work. Variety!
2)   For that matter—randomly couch surf. Sleep over at friends' houses on random nights. Be unpredictable.
3)   Don’t go anywhere by yourself. Go about your life in herds. Surround yourself with friends. Make sure there are at least a few white American citizens in the group. They are less likely to be picked up and may serve as ICE approach repellent. If not they’re, at minimum, witnesses. Ask them to record potential encounters on their cell phones. If video or pics are too risky, get audio.

 Make noise. Do not go gently into the jaws of the beast.

...Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

~ Martin Niemöller

Lies and Astounding Incompetence

Check out this article at Der Spiegel. This link should be to a non-paywalled English language translation. 

Private contact details of the most important security advisers to U.S. President Donald Trump can be found on the internet. DER SPIEGEL reporters were able to find mobile phone numbers, email addresses and even some passwords belonging to the top officials.

To do so, the reporters used commercial people search engines along with hacked customer data that has been published on the web. Those affected by the leaks include National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
   ~~~
Hostile intelligence services could use this publicly available data to hack the communications of those affected by installing spyware on their devices. It is thus conceivable that foreign agents were privy to the Signal chat group in which Gabbard, Waltz and Hegseth discussed a military strike.   
~~~

Tulsi Gabbard has declined to comment. DER SPIEGEL reporting has demonstrated, though, that privately used and publicly accessible telephone numbers belonging to her and Waltz are, in fact, linked to Signal accounts.
~~~
It was particularly easy for DER SPIEGEL reporters to discover Hegseth’s mobile number and email address. They turned to a commercial provider of contact information that is primarily used by companies for sales, marketing and recruitment.
   ~~~
A search of leaked user data revealed that the email address and, in some cases, even the password associated with it, could be found in over 20 publicly accessible leaks. Using publicly available information, it was possible to verify that the email address was used just a few days ago. (source)

Meanwhile, the man who never takes responsibility for anything that goes wrong says that “Michael Waltz has learned a lesson, and he’s a good man.” Shades of Susan Collins! 

CIA Director John Ratcliffe and National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard, who really should know what is and is not considered classified, repeatedly stated in a hearing before congress that the chat did NOT contain classified info. Kegseth was screeching that “Nobody was texting war plans. And that’s all I have to say about that.” He then added, “I know exactly what I’m doing.” Sure man. I believe US defense officials, people who are actually qualified for their jobs, beg to differ. 

After all the rat boinking twats got up and lied under oath about the chat's sensitivity, The Atlantic published the balance of the Houthi/Yemen bombing texts. Hey, the big cheeses said it wasn't classified info!

JESUS SPYWARE CHRIST WE’RE SO FUCKED! Also, none of our former allies should trust us again—not while this administration of clowns, cons, incompetent fools, and filthy, reptilian, kakistocratic grifters are in power.