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M. St. Mitchels's avatar

Making them masked and anonymous gives them unmitigated freedom to impose terror and violence. Legal action would have to be directed at the entire ICE agency. Going after individual agents for any crime, even murder, is impossible without first naming the individual. This is particularly insidious. Sadistic, violent, weightlifting assholes who dream of injuring people need counterveillance to maintain some fear of punishment and reprisals. Being a nameless, faceless robot of state power releases them from all constraint.

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ConnieDee's avatar

I refuse to throw up my hands. Seems like ICE et al would need some kind of visual ID in order to identify each other. My thoughts move towards us recording & identifying surreptiously (tiny zooming cameras connected to phones, sending video to the cloud.) We could get line of sight without even being on the street. There a lot more of us than them. I think "ICE" alerts are becoming available for quick responses.

I don't know where the title photo comes from (HSI=Homeland Security Investigations, I guess) but those faces are supposedly identifiable by facial ID, even if their mouths are covered. No one ever talks about ears, but they are also unique and I can't imagine that serious facial id algorithms don't include ears.

Congratulations: this post is showing up in Memeorandum.

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MissAnneThrope's avatar

I read this through my tears. I know it's coming. I doubt "we can stop it." And some people I called friends can't see the utter fascist insanity. THAT'S what compounds my dread. Everyday-people not seeing the consequences. Heartbreaking. Sickening. Terrifying. Thanks, tho,

Hammy, for your excellent reporting.

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Henry Strozier's avatar

You can be sure that Adolf and Goering are dancing in Hell over all this. Their dreams come true.

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DamnBlondi's avatar

It's just sickening that two people out of 350 million are doing this to us. Death to all tyrants!!!!!!

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Auxiedada Ekster's avatar

Brilliant connecting of the dots in the bill to the zeitgeist, Hamilton Hambone. Loved the part about the 2028 Plank "Zero out the budget line for ICE" as well. We are aligned in that every one who resists this presidency must also be thinking on the future electoral strategy as well.

To the commenters afraid of the d-bags who will take these jobs, it takes some time to get these people in place...and anyone who wants this type of job probably wont be smart enough to keep their mouth shut about the actual work they do...so there might be ways to "name and shame" them.

But an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, as they say. Lets work not to get this item passed in whatever version of OBBBA does pass.

Onward against the oligarchs, comrade readers.

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Kathleen Weber's avatar

Brilliant analysis. Thank you so much.

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JohnnyGee's avatar

Trump knew what he was doing when he recruited only those who were deeply devoted to him. They're goons, necessary for any criminal organization, and/or oppressive government to succeed. I'm not just talking about uniformed thugs, but Administrators like Steve Miller, and Tom Homan. Recently Josh Hawley chair of the Senate sub-committee on Crime and Terrorism sent a letter to the Party of Socialism and Liberation as well as NGO's supporting rights of immigrants, accusing these groups of "banking rolling civil unrest", which Hawley believes is not supported by the first amendment. But regardless of where you stand on socialism or immigration we now have a shot over the bow to threaten and crackdown on legitimate political groups who in reality are not a threat to anyone, let alone our government. Point being its no longer immigrants who are targeted, its groups of organized citizens who have disagreements with those in power and are not afraid to exercise them.

What frightens me even more than the goons on the streets are the goons in the government.

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Gail Otteson's avatar

Don’t give up, people! Harass your elected officials whether you elected them or not to vote against this budget! Find every Republican who is a swing voter and insist they vote agsinst it! Do what you can. And then do it again.

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Steve H.'s avatar

Oh, they will eventually be accountable. Remember Nuremberg?

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Kathleen Weber's avatar

Maybe not, There are no allied armies preparing to invade the United States and save us from ourselves.

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Steve H.'s avatar

WE THE PEOPLE need to be that army.

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Eric Deamer's avatar

lol how dude? Are we gonna use 2nd amendment sidearms to fight drones and nukes?

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Carl Selfe's avatar

The steps s he is using come from a playbook. https://hotbuttons.substack.com/p/dictatorship-is-choreographed?r=3m1bs

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Bill Lumbergh's avatar

The American incel sleeper cell.

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Bill Murray's avatar

I think this is really smart. Thanks.

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Mary Lilith Ruth's avatar

Even before this budget is passed in whatever horrific form it will be. I believe he has given explicit consent to violence while selling white privilege cc‘’s at his fort bragg rally for the non fat , white male only service members. On this card it says under white privilege ,” trumps anything “ . I have been wondering if there’s an 800 number on it to connect them or any cardholder to one of the lawfirms that buckled to his threats . There is a backup plan here, within those cards. He also said something like of you crime on my behalf it’s not a crime. I didn’t quote that because it’s not exactly what was said. I can’t look for quote now but these cards seem as dangerous.

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Jim James's avatar

Cry harder!

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Marc T.'s avatar

Mmmmmmmlf

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