Category: Immigration

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First they Came for…

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First They Came for…

First They Came for…

 

By D. S. Mitchell

One of the most poignant and powerful pieces of prose ever written about silence, apathy and the end result of such inaction in the face of injustice was written by Luthern pastor, Martin Niemoller.  The piece was created from a collection of speeches written by Niemöller (1892–1984). In the 1920s and early 1930s, Niemoller supported many Nazi ideas and the right-wing political movement. But after Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933, Niemöller became an outspoken critic of Hitler’s interference in the Protestant Church. Niemoller spent the last eight years of Nazi rule, from 1937 to 1945, in a Nazi concentration camp.

The central message is that silence in the face of injustice makes us complicit. The words remind us of the importance of collective responsibility, emphasizing that an attack on any group’s rights is a threat to us all. The quotation expresses Niemöller’s belief that most Germans had been complicit through their silence in the Nazi imprisonment, persecution, and murder of millions of people. He felt this was especially true of the leaders of the Protestant churches.
First They Came
First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist
Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist
Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me
Silence is easy. Speaking out is tough. Do the right thing. Stand up for your neighbors and your community. People are being shot on the streets of America, by ICE.  The only thing that will stop Trump and Stephen Miller’s right wing agenda is us.
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Invisible

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Invisible

Invisible

By John Curran

 

Invisible? They used to make fun of me a lot, mis amigos. Since yesterday they don’t make fun of me at all. Yeah, they used to call me ‘no mucho macho, amigo’ ‘cause whenever something heavy was happening ‘n maybe it was happening around us, I would go into my survival mode. I would just close my eyes, be real still, and as quietly as I could I would slide myself over and out the nearest damn exit. No matter what they want to call me it has worked so far and it worked yesterday ‘n got me through the heaviest go down I’ve seen yet, in all my days, which continue on, no thanks to this place where I hope to just survive long enough to get the hell ‘outa here.

See, we was just going to work, ‘Bossman’ Jake had just picked us up. ‘Bossman’ Jake  who’s real name is Jose would always say that Jake is just what it takes to get him thru until one day he can be Jose again; back in that little fishing village where he was born down in Veracruz. To one day pack up this so called American dream, leave it for the next sucker, and take his wife ‘n 3 kids back on down to that little grass shack where he was born and where once he says, he was truly happy. So, Jake picks us all up, the four of us and we’re heading to the first job site. We got three of them today ‘n it looks like it’s gonna be hot. And if you know Houston, a hot day here you don’t take light, it’s brutal here, worse than Mexico ever was.

Money, that’s the only damn reason I’m here. Like I say to Jake, I hope to be right behind ya’, one day soon. Well… that day won’t never come for Jake ‘cause of right before we got to the first jobsite we come on some kind of roadblock manned by these pretty heavily gunned-up soldier type guys. Someone says, “it’s fucking ICE”.

As we come to a stop, Jake rolls down his window and the closest goon yells something, then one of the others behind him yells something else; and so that’s when Jake starts his car, slowly going forward until another one ‘a these guys yells something else  and so Jake turns to the left and that’s when they shot him.

The car continues to roll, finally coming to a stop at the side of the road.  That’s when I closed  my eyes and became very still and in all the ensuing screaming yelling and general commotion it was not hard for me; especially as I was seated  in the back by the door, facing away from all that,  I just slipped right on outa’ there sight unseen the way I have always done. So… call me anything you want but I am still here, unlike Jake who was a good man, a hardworking father and husband. A good man.

Maria is shattered, I ain’t gotta be told. She loved him more than the rest of us did, and that was a whole lot, right there.

The Big Beat

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The Big Beat

 

The Big Beat

 

By John Curran

 

Well you can close your eyes now Angel and fly away, you’ve done your best; you tried to help them right to the end, trying to alleviate the distress of them coming at that poor helpless person, a woman was it not? Yes, and them coming at her in that big bunch with guns ‘n all the rest of that. All charging at her the way they do, to frighten, intimidate, and control, and oft times physically hurt. But you were there filming and you stepped in-your last great gesture-one more time to try again to ease some ‘a the suffering of this world. It’s ramping up now. The senseless, needless killings, state killings…and you tried to help out the woman when they were coming all over her…and now you are gonna see what good that’s gonna get ya, today yeah ’cause today you’re gonna see it all.

And I’m sorry you have to see it. You were a good man and they beat ya down, they pounded you in the head with the metal canister an’ then they laid you out like Christ on that cross and they pumped you full of lead. I’m sorry you had to see that. Nobody should have to see that, but you can close your eyes now and fly away angel and remember always ‘radio loves you’. Your name is heard, all over the land, love’s ya’, and they be trembling now, before that mighty voice.

The Rigged Game

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The Rigged Game

The Rigged Game

Editor: The Jan-Feb 2026 edition of Mother Jones published a scathing indictment of the sitting Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, John Roberts, and the actions that have directly led to the “corrupt and abusive Trump reign”. What follows are direct quotes (with large parts of the article left out because of copyright issues) from that brilliant article by Pema Levy and Ari Berman. All items within parentheses are added by this writer for clarification. Please subscribe to Mother Jones and support its 50 years of fearless journalism; it’s definitely worth the money. Call 1-800-438-6656 for subscription information. Sign up for newsletters at motherjones.com/daily-news-D.S. Mitchell, aka “Calamity”.

Excerpts from “Blame John Roberts for Everything”

By Pema Levy and Ari Berman

 

“Today, as the Robert’s court rewrites the Constitution in the image of Trumpian autocracy, it’s become clear that Robert’s promise (when he was testifying to the Senate at his confirmation hearing) to be a neutral umpire was a lie. We are watching a rigged game, and Roberts set it up.”

“Twenty years ago, John Roberts promised (the Senate, the country and the media) that as chief justice of the Supreme Court, he would be like an umpire, calling balls and strikes. The delusion was so powerful that for two decades the media defaulted to portraying him as a moderate institutionalist.”

“The Robert’s court has spent Trump’s second term not applying the law so much as clearing it out of his (Trump’s) way. In a matter of months, the court’s 6-3 GOP aligned majority has permitted a long list of lawless actions, including firing independent agency commissioners, using racial profiling in immigration sweeps, disappearing immigrants to authoritarian and war-torn nations, and defying Congress’ power of the purse.”

(This didn’t start yesterday,) “Robert’s has been embedding white-dominant authoritarianism into the country’s source code for two decades. It is impossible to imagine today’s crisis without the Robert’s court having first undermined the foundations of our democracy.”

“(Representative) Democracies are built on the right to vote and choose representatives. The United States finally recognized this right for all people with the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (and 1982).”

“As chief justice (Robert’s) has helped craft a string of rulings knee-capping (the Voting Rights Act of 1965 & 1982) laws, starting with his 2013 Shelby County v Holder. The decision overruled Congress and freed states with histories of discrimination to change their voting rules, spurring the creation of 115 voter suppression laws in more than 30 states. Many were inspired by Trump’s election lies.”

“After oral arguments in a Louisiana redistricting case, observers expect Roberts and the GOP justices to declare that the districts drawn to preserve representation for voters of color are either unconstitutional or subject to insurmountable barriers. It’s a decision that would turn the 14th and 15th Amendments-passed during Reconstruction to give formerly enslaved people citizenship and equal rights-on their heads, and turbocharge Trump’s gerrymandering push.”

“Such redrawn (gerrymandered) maps could shift up to 19 eats to the GOP in 2026 and runs the threat of creating a permanent GOP control of Congress.”

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OPINION: The ICE Has Yet to Melt…

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OPINION:

More Freeze is Coming

OPINION:

The ICE Hasn’t Melted & More Freeze is Coming

By Cate Rees-Hessel with Wes Hessel

 

ICE Arrests Continue

Brutal ICE arrests are on going. Violent incidents are increasing as we end a grim and troubled holiday season. The horrific murder of the beautiful and kind hearted Renee Nicole Good has brought widespread public outrage, but an arrest for gunning down this American citizen in cold blood has yet to be made. She leaves behind 3 precious children and a loving spouse. Her wife Becca Good is broken hearted, saying in her statement about the tragedy, “And while any place we were together was home, there was a strong shared sense here in Minneapolis that we were looking out for each other. Here, I had finally found peace and safe harbor. That has been taken from me forever.”

Fucking Bitch

Renee was not a threat to anyone – her final words were “That’s fine, dude. I’m not mad at you.” The words of the ICE agent that shot and killed her were full of hatred, “Fucking bitch.” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey spoke eloquently with strong words against this tragic act of pure evil.

Alex Pretti, RN

The morning of 1/24/2026, two weeks after the murder of Renee Good, Registered Nurse, Alex Pretti, a white guy, an American citizen, was shot an estimated 8 times, or perhaps as many as 10 times, by a Border Patrol agent while Pretti was being held down by at least half a dozen other officers. Before the last bullet had left the chamber of the agent’s gun, the Trump administration came out full force labeling Alex Pretti a gun wielding psycho, a “domestic terrorist,” a madman running toward federal law enforcement agents attempting to kill them. The attack on the character of Good and Pretti is shameful. The character assassination of Pretti and Good by Noem, Bondi, Bovino, Vance and Trump makes it clear there’s no truth coming from our federal government. In fact, state authorities in MN are so distrustful of the federal government the DHS was ordered by a Minnesota court to preserve all forensic evidence from the cases.

Filming the Interaction

From videos and affidavits from witnesses on the scene; Pretti was filming the interaction of agents with protesters. In one video he was clearly shown trying to help a woman get up from the pavement after being knocked down by the feds. At no time did Pretti  draw or attempt to draw his legally licensed and permitted weapon. Alex was a caring man, he was an ICU nurse at the VA Medical Center. He wanted to help people not harm them; that’s why the citizens of Minneapolis, MN are protesting the presence of ICE on their streets.

Worthy of 1984 Double Speak

The character assassination of Pretti and Good by Noem, Bondi, Bovino, Vance and Trump makes it clear there’s no truth coming from this crowd and we need to be clear on that. In fact, so distrustful of the federal government the DHS was ordered by a Minnesota court to preserve all forensic evidence from the cases.

Reign of Terror

America, we are better than this. The “ICE reign of terror”, as U.S. Representative and senatorial candidate from the Chicago area Raja Krishnamoorthi succinctly put it, this “must end.” Her former sister-in-law Morgan Fletcher said, “she never expected a loved one’s death to be ‘so high profile’ or a ‘massively divisive, political topic.’” This lovely human being sure does not sound like a “domestic terrorist” to the millions mourning her death, myself and my spouse included. Slander is speaking ill of the dead and Ms. Good’s children don’t deserve to hear awful lies about the mommy they mourn.

No ‘Absolute Immunity”

Our eyeliner wearing “Vice President JD Vance claimed agent Jonathan Ross, who fatally shot Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis, had “absolute immunity” because he was engaged in a federal law enforcement action. Although federal officials have some constitutional shields against state prosecution, the immunity isn’t absolute.” Legal experts, including the University of Wisconsin Law School, conclude that Vance is wrong. There is no “absolute immunity.”

Stars Wear ‘Be Good’ Pins

At the 2026 Golden Globe awards in support of Renee and her family, prominent attenders such as Mark Ruffalo, Wanda Sykes, Natasha Lyonne, Jean Smart, Tessa Thompson, Bella Ramsey, and Ariana Grande, wore “BE GOOD” pins. Such buttons are available from multiple sources online. Rest in peace Renee. Rest in peace Alex. We will fight for your memory – your lives stood for Good and no gaslighting from the Nazi’s in the White House can change that.

More atrocities of ICE:

  1. In North Aurora, IL, a woman was pepper sprayed in the face by an ICE agent while standing still with her arms at her sides.
  2. ICE agents, per tribal leaders, detained four Native Americans, with only one being released a short time after.
  3. Chicago area U.S. Representative Delia Ramirez is calling for ICE to be defunded – her comment that funding ICE only fuels our own destruction is spot on…
  4. A U.S. appeals court has lifted the restrictions on ICE using force on protesters in Minnesota – this sickens and scares me.
  5. A recent CNN poll shows 3/4 of the respondents agree ICE used excessive force and killing Renee Good was unjustified.
  6. Mark Ruffalo, while wearing a “Be Good” button, spoke against Trump in a heartfelt red carpet interview.
  7. Lehigh County is cooperating with ICE to the fullest extent of the law, sad to report this.
  8. Anti-ICE activist Mark Pinsley is seeking to run for office in Lehigh County.
  9. There is an unpaid rent allegation against ICE for a facility(s) being used by them in Pennsylvania
  10. Homeland Security via email has confirmed there is a “Catch of the Day” in Maine after over 50 arrests were made.
  11. Tom Homan claims the ICE agent that killed Renee Good is fearing for his life and that of his family. Renee Good feared for her life before she was killed by him.
  12. A photo on social media shows an elderly man in boxers and a robe being taken by an ICE agent. His door was broken down and a gun put to the head of his daughter-in-law. His name is Saly, a naturalized US citizen.He was driven around and frightened by ICE, then dropped back at his residence as if this was normal.
  13. Democrats now control Virginia and have moved to stop cooperating with Trump’s ICE.
  14. Renee Good’s mother spoke of her daughter’s kindness and fear in her final moments of life.
  15. A doctor who wanted to try to save Renee Goods life was stopped by an ICE agent that said he didn’t care. Help was kept at bay with the use of weapons while a shocked and angry crowd watched in fear and horror.

Know what’s right – know your rights: https://www.aclu.org/know-your-rights-share-your-rights-immigrants-rights

Used Car

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Used Car

Used Car

By John Curran

I needed a car and I needed it bad, and I needed it fast. So I got online ‘n found an outfit called ‘Used Cars From Hell.’ Hmmm…thinks I, what ‘hell’ indeed; I decided I’d check it out. So, I went on down there, it was down in the fiery pit of town, a rough area supposedly known for a lot of radical left activity; whatever that was. No matter, I went in the daytime and it all seemed pretty peaceful to me, the action was down a ways, I could see something going on, another shooting probably but oh well, whatever, none of my affair, more a them outside agitators, communist infiltrators, who knows, life goes on.

I was no sooner off the bus, not even feet on the ground, when this guy comes running up to me and says, “I know what you’re looking for, and I got it right here, a hot one, just got it in yesterday. It’s another sad story but the deal I got for you will fire ya up sure, so much good coming from so much bad would you not agree?” Well, I didn’t know what he was talking about but as we walked on to the lot he pointed out what he was so excited about.

“Yeah,” he says, “we got some doozies here alright, confiscated cars from murderers, thieves, bootleggers…every kind of mayhem you could imagine. If there was a car involved ‘n it got confiscated I get a shot at it after the initial investigation is done. A little deal I have with Big D.” He looks me in the eyes then real significantly like, kinda wink wink, adds, “You do know of Mr. D.,  don’t ‘cha?”

I just kinda’ nodded, and asked, “watcha got?”

“Well then,” he says, “got a beauty. Like new.” And pointing at a maroon SUV, “barely used. She didn’t get far you might say,” kinda chuckling, “Let’s have a look.”

So we walk up to the rig an the first thing I noticed, besides it being a really pretty nice, newish SUV was a rather large caliber well defined bullet hole in the front windshield. The airbag had been engaged and looking inside the rig I could see there was blood all over it ‘n other areas as well; there was even blood covering a child’s toy tiger laying on the front passenger seat.

“I call it the DT SPECIAL. A real conversation piece, this one.”

“DT SPECIAL?” I mumble.

“Domestic Terrorism SPECIAL.”

“Oh, yeah,” I say, a little weirded out actually, “so what’s the story?” Too weird actually I’m thinking.

“Well, so you want the story then?” and he’s kinda rubbing his hands together like, yeah, sure, I’ll give you a story, but before he can go on there’s a commotion outside the gates, people running, shots being fired.

“Damn,” he says, “I really wish they’d taken it somewhere else,” and then turning back to me says, “we can replace the airbag if ya like. But, my boss, Big D says we gotta leave the windshield as is, just so they’ll know we mean business.”

Was he joking? “Who is your boss then sir, the damn devil?”

But he would not answer me, not that I was serious, just looking for a car, fast and cheap. I’ll spare you the gory details but I gotta get the hell out this town, now. Speaking of hell.

 

OPINION: For What It’s Worth

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OPINION: For What It’s Worth

OPINION: For What It’s Worth

 

D. S. Mitchell

 

I didn’t sleep well last night. I was agitated, angry, and broken hearted over what appears to be a murder in Minneapolis, MN, by a masked ICE agent. ICE stands for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the woman, a white woman, a 37 year old mother of three, was an American citizen, Renee Nicole Good.  The gaslighting by DHS Secretary, Kristi Noem  and the Mango Menace himself began  immediately. Rather than wait for an investigation the woman is being labeled “a domestic terrorist”. I tried to put myself in Renee Good’s place, being menaced by a masked man attempting to drag me out of my car. Holy crap, I’ve seen a lot in my long life but I don’t know if I could have behaved any less fearful than Renee did. This bullshit has gone way too far. I don’t know how many people have to hit the streets to sway the direction of this government, but I’ve heard that about 12 million protesters on the streets at one time can overwhelm the bad politics of this MAGA mad man and force a change in policy.

This isn’t El Salvador, yet; or maybe, people like Trump and Stephen Miller think it already is. Well, I’m not willing to surrender to thugs and criminals. I’m asking a mere 12 million protesters take to the streets. No Kings and Indivisible will be planning events coming into the spring. Watch for them and participate. We need an overwhelming outpouring of dissatisfaction against this mob boss president.  Just 12 million citizens yelling and waving signs can change the direction of this country.

All I keep thinking of are the words of that iconic protest song from the 1960’s, “For What It’s Worth“, by Stephen Stills.  I included a verse to stir your memory banks. Pull it up on YouTube. Buffalo Springfield.

Verse 1

There’s something happening here

But what it is ain’t exactly clear

There’s a man with a gun over there

A-telling me I got to beware

Chorus

Hey its time we stop

Hey what’s that sound

Everybody look what’s goin down

 

Thank you, For What it’s Worth Lyrics

OPINION: Dementia and Corruption at 20500

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OPINION:

Dementia and Corruption at 20500Not every president of the United States is remembered well.

OPINION:

Dementia and Corruption at 20500 

Editor: The number 20500 most commonly refers to the Zip code for Washington, D.C., often associated with federal buildings like the White House (1600 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Washington, D.C. 20500)

By D. S. Mitchell

I started the Calamity News and Politics website to vent my frustrations and to keep from losing my frigging liberal mind; that was at the end of 2016, right after Trump’s first presidential win. I joined the Women’s March and the Resistance. Well, its 2026 and the Mango Menace is running wild through the government.  I have always tried to focus on facts and also try to support my statements with at least two sources. With this post, I’ve thrown all those established behaviors to the wind. Fuck Trump and that Project 2025 crowd, here’s what I as an average everyday American am  seeing from Trump and his cronies, and this list of ten terrible things Trump has done in his first year, not one damn one of them has helped lower grocery prices or made life better for the average American.

1.) Presidential dementia should be a big concern for us as Americans and as citizens of the world. This near  80 year  old guy that we call “president” is a babbling, wandering, impulsive, mentally disabled individual encumbered by several severe personality disorders and undeniable and worsening dementia.  Trump has always been evil and cruel, now he is demented too. Seriously, I worry who is running the damn country? What, you say, Trump may not be running the country? It is obvious after listening to 2 or 3 minutes of Trump’s indiscernible  word salad that he’s not running much but his mouth. I believe this guy is incapable of finding his own ass with a handful of toilet paper. They were doing MRI’s of the brain and multiple cognitive tests at his second, or was it his third annual physical. LOL. I thought annual physical meant once a year. However, in our guys case he needs more testing. Shit, folks, I’m 3,500 miles away and I can tell you, without MRI’s and cognitive tests that Trump is deep into his decline into dementia. So; a couple likely suspects for running the country in Trump’s mental absence are the Jewish pretend Nazi, Stephen Miller and the anti-humanist, Russell Vogt. Scary combo. As far as the Trump kids go, they’re out making billions of dollars from foreign governments. Gotta make it while Daddy is in the White House appears to be the combined mantra.

2.)  Images of the masked ICE agents massively funded, newly emboldened and empowered handcuffing and loading people into vans and disappearing them without access to legal representation, without due process. This crap isn’t supposed to happen in America. It definitely reminds me of the Nazi’s rounding up the Jews eighty-five years ago in Germany.  Obviously, hate lives on. But, in some ways this goes beyond hate and straight to the pocketbook of several Trump supporters. These allies intend to make billions of dollars running government concentration camps, like Alligator Alcatraz. The plan is not to remove the immigrants from our country, but to instead, imprison the immigrants and pay some company owned by a card carrying MAGA to operate a government prison at the cost of millions of dollars a year; until then we’ll be filling prisons in Sudan, Cuba, and El Salvador at the cost of the American tax payer.

3.)  I once had a husband.  He believed and practiced the theory, “if you repeat a lie enough times, most people believe it.”  I am more of the,  “You can fool all the people some of the time.  You can fool some of the people, part of the time,  but you can never fool all the people, all of the time.”  I’m watching Trump and he’s lost his luster even to many of the diehards. I’ve got my fingers crossed.  There’s a lot at stake here, our country is celebrating 250 years as a constitutional republic (democracy). But, for how much longer. We need 3 active branches of government each religiously exerting its guaranteed checks and balance power. You would think the reps and senators and the black robed justices on the Supreme Court would cherish their power and guard that power, but since Trump came down the escalator the reps, the senators and the all powerful justices have turned over their power to a 35 count felon.

4.)  In 1973, Richard Nixon declared, “there can be no whitewash at the White House.” A thought that is needed now more than ever; because there is a stench rising out of  Washington, D.C. the stink so foul it can be smelled around the world. I have never smelled anything so disgusting, except the odor that hovers over a rendering plant in mid-August.  a.) A “free” jet for the prez from Qatar. Qatar?? The prez of the U.S. is taking “a gift” from one of the biggest troublemakers in the middle east. Qatar is a supporter of Hamas. This new, “free” Air Force One that’s going to cost at least a billion dollars of U.S government money to retro-fit, and then the old fossil takes it home with him. Wow. Sounds wrong. b.) And then there’s the billions of dollars in profit for the prez and his family from their crypto currency shenanigan’s. Who’s writing the rules on this made up currency?  Oh, silly me, there are no rules and regulations and that’s what makes it so lucrative, folks. c.) With a series of million dollar a plate dinner dates with Donald and the fossil fuel barons have reversed United States environmental policy and Trump is quickly returning to a “drill baby drill” mentality, opening up wide swaths of public lands, most dramatically in Alaska. d.) And the “maybe you” or  “maybe not you” tariffs, I wonder how much is costs to be a “maybe not you” in the tariff war the prez has decided to unleash on the American consumer. e.)  What is the price of a pardon? We may never find out but the pardons being issued by this president seem to have a lot of donor money behind the presidential action.

5.)  The unrelenting attacks and insults against the media, by President Trump, are inexcusable and dangerous.  A little contention is good, but what is going on is unprecedented.  Since when does the top liar in the country have the right to accuse anyone of being “fake.”  The fabricated accusations by Trump are disgusting and unnecessary.  Trump’s assault against the press must stop. The press in an indispensable part of our democracy, understood by our founding fathers that’s why we have the First Amendment to the Constitution.  Free speech whether written or spoken is the foundation of democracy. Calling people “fat”, “nasty”, and “stupid” demeans the office of president and calls into question the abilities and motives of anyone that dares tell the world the emperor has no clothes.

6.) “Who knew, health care was so complicated?” President Trump expressed Monday, February 27, 2017.   OMG.  Move forward to 2026. Nine years later and the dumb ass has participated in the biggest bait and switch in American history. Well, at least now, he admits, not everything can be solved on Truth Social.  In fact, the Republicans are so mean and cruel that they are about to give billionaires the biggest tax cuts in history while making health insurance skyrocket in price for the average American. On top of that health care calamity this country is designated as #42 on the world health care service effectiveness list.  That’s a pathetic placement.  “42”?  That means 41  other countries in the world are providing better and cheaper health care than we are. Absolutely, heartbreaking.  41 other countries provide both  better and cheaper health care for their citizens than we do here in the United States.  Has anyone thought to go to the  number 1 country, or even the number  2 country; and see how they do it?  Universal health care; that’s where I’d start, if I really wanted the best for the American people.  Let’s find out how to do it right.  We can still learn.

7.) What a bungled mess the Trump Administration has made of the Epstein files, nothing unusual for this crew of idiots. Trump’s AG, Pam Bondi said she was about ready to make Epstein’s client list public, whipping up public furor for the big reveal. In fact, Ms. AG said the file was “sitting on my desk right now,” leading to expectations that the information would soon be released. For Trump, a candidate that had made a big deal of releasing the Epstein files was now treading water, doing a lot of backscene arm twisting to keep the files secret. Then by memo the DOJ stated it would not be releasing the promised files. Reports indicate that Trump is mentioned at least 1500 times (maybe more) in the documents received from the Epstein estate. In at least one photo it sure looked like a 50-ish year old Trump had hold of a young beauty contestant’s breast. But, it must contain a lot more than a couple inappropriate pictures otherwise Donnie wouldn’t be so damn scared of what the full reveal will expose. Trump says “people will get hurt.” What the F? Epstein is believed to have sexually abused and trafficked over a 1,000 women and under age girls, perhaps more. These women have been hurt and continue to be hurt. It was about this time that even the Republicans began to break from the official dogma. Marjorie Taylor Green the most famous MAGA in the House, said, “no more”  to the coverup and announced plans to resign from office in January 2026,  after a very public falling out with Donald Trump.

8.)  Trump was impeached twice during his first term, but the Republican dominated Senate refused to convict. and it didn’t seem to slow the 35 count felon down. After a try at insurrection Trump and his followers went loudly into the political night…until 2024 when this friken’ criminal was re-elected by an amnesic electorate and the first thing he did was commute or pardon the January 6th, rioters. The only saving grace in this situation has been that many of them were criminals and kept offending which led to further incarceration. His second term has been different; the Republicans control the house, the senate, and the White House. In 2017 the Democrats were in charge of the House, led by spit fire Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi. It seems that the Republicans have no intention to bring this dog to heel. Soo00, folks we need to send the MAGA’s reps and senators home with their tails between their legs and send a whole new generation of Democrats to Washington.

9.) First our troops were attacking “narco” fishing boats off the coast of Venezuela. Trump upped the ante when he began boarding and seizing Venezuelan oil tankers. Then on 1/3/2026, according to Trump in a morning news conference, flanked by Pete Hegseth and Pam Bondi, announced that Nicolas Maduro along with his wife was  apprehended by the U.S military, following a large scale strike on Venezuela. I find this action alarming. What the hell? I’m not alone, the UN’s top counterterrorism expert has condemned the US actions, calling the strikes and “abduction” of Maduro an “illegal aggression.”  Such activities by our government should be alarming. Since when does the U.S. swoop in and kidnap a government leader of a sovereign country? What? Didn’t Trump just pardon Juan Hernandez the former president of Honduras or the crimes Trump is now accusing Venezuela’s leader Maduro. This is not the American way. Really dangerous, folks. Having our demented president Trump claim “we are going to run the country…” should make the hair on your arms stand up. What next, Greenland? Cuba? Mexico? Columbia? Iran?

10.) It was Saturday afternoon and I wasn’t doing anything…so I decided I’d watch former Special Counsel Jack Smith’s testimony to the Republican led House Judiciary Committee on YouTube. Mr. Smith testified in a closed-door deposition in December 2025. He defended his investigations into Donald Trump regarding the 2020 Russian election interference and the missing classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago. Smith pushed back against accusations that his investigation was politically motivated, and stated categorically that Trump was guilty of all charges brought by the Special Counsel team. Smith denied emphatically  that the probes were in anyway political. I think if you have 6 or so hours, please watch it.

My big question, why are we ‘effin around in Venezuela, Nigeria, Argentina? We have hungry kids in this country, we have sick old people, we have nearly 30 million people about to be unable to pay for health insurance. Stop the bullshit, its time for our government to start taking care of the needy in this country. The cost of Trump’s demented government policy is dangerous and costly. And I want to remind you, just because it hasn’t happened (yet), doesn’t mean it can’t, or won’t.

Hot Damn

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Hot Damn 

Hot Damn 

ON TOUR

Hollowed Out Heg and the Hit Squad with ICE  

Editor: John Curran states his short story, “Hot Damn” is total, complete, fiction.

 

By John Curran

“Hollowed out Heg and the Hit Squad with ICE,” said the poster, “On Tour with special guests,” to perhaps include Lord Lord, the big one himself, live out of the cage. And that was enough, baby, leave ’em dangling, the way they always do. Wow, Heg and the Hits, coming ‘right here’ to little Scranton, PA and we were the kickoff site. ‘Course it made perfect sense though, this was Scrappy Joe’s turf and the ‘here’ had more meaning ‘here’ than was stated on any poster.

We all knew what was coming though, perfect sense ‘n no surprise. I headed back home and got out the old zoot suit that I’d been saving for just such an occasion. The thing was on this very night. Whatever night it was, it didn’t even matter. It was always chaos with this bunch anyway; ‘ya expected it by now ‘n just went with it, whatever ‘it’ was.  What ‘ya might not know is that, in fact, Scrappy Joe’s back, believe it, and he’s been briefed on things. He’s feeln’ good, that cancer thing is done…maybe, and the Corvette’s never been faster, nor more dangerous.

“Let’s roll boys,” Joe said, pulling out of New York, headed to Scranton, to answer the challenge.

So, I pull up. Yeah, it’s a scene.  Hot Tulsi, “da Silver Streaks” is working the door; handing out red hats and small cups of green Kool Aid.

“Make you strong,” she says.

I ignore her and just bust my way in. That’s how ‘ya gotta be at these things now, act like you’re big, ‘ya know somebody, like you are somebody, it’s easy ‘ya just gotta show balls, is all. So I’m in ‘n right away I notice the little drones, sorta buzzing around. I remember that great novel, “Dune,” how prescient that was.

‘N then center stage it’s the Heg, up there face into the mike, doin’ the scowl, the famous scowl, the tough guy things he does, wow…’n then he’s into that latest ‘n greatest the Two Tap Shuffle, like he just don’t care. Well…

After that, I can’t remember much, I mighta’ had some of that green Kool Aid stuff…things got fuzzy…seems at some point a bear handler with a big ass bear, wearin’ an orange diaper ‘n a red hat, did a great rendition of ‘Heaven, It’s a Hoax, Its only Hell That’s Real,” and brought down the house, literally, as when the bomb blew up.

I was nowhere around, and Scrappy Joe in that ‘vette was half-way home, but I heard all about it.

 

Chilling ICE Sightings

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More Chilling ICE Sightings

That Leave Us Cold and Frozen in Fear

More Chilling ICE Sightings

That Leave Us Cold and Frozen in Fear

 

ICE Reporting Guidelines:

ICE Sightings: When reporting ICE sightings, REMEMBER S.A.L.U.T.Ε. Provide as much information as possible when reporting threats to our communities:

S as in Size/ Strength How many agents? How many vehicles? WRITE DOWN LICENSE PLATES

A as in Activity What you are seeing. Raid at a workplace, traffic stop? Is violence involved?

L as in Location What is the precise address? Intersections? Nearby landmarks?

U as in Uniform/Clothing What are they wearing? Do they have masks, vests, or badges?

T as in Time and Date Precise time and date of the sighting.

E as in Equipment/Weapons What equipment/weapons? Are they using them?

** Remember keep your whistle close and your cell phone camera ready. We need to draw attention to these masked  thugs and the more pictures and stories the better.

 

By Cate Rees-Hessel with Wes Hessel

 

Below is a list of ICE sightings and stories regarding these occurrences in the Chicago area. This is our second report on ICE activities in the Chicago and surrounding communities for Calamity Politics. Instead of showing any interest in the running of our government, slowing inflation, protecting health care for American citizens, or ensuring that American children have enough food to eat, Trump is busy sending out ICE to arrest fast food workers, gardeners, maids, and wait staff. Most all are hard workers just trying to feed their families, not criminals, in fact, as it turns out, many arrested and hauled off by ICE are US citizens, or legal residents and green card holders. The billions of dollars wasted on this pathetic show of deportation raids and videos of Kristi Noem riding horses and playing Secretary of Homeland Security is disgusting. Remember, one in five children in America goes to bed hungry. It’s sad that Trump is more interested in gold toilets and distracting from the Epstein scandal than doing even the most basic work of a United States president.

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