Monica

Trump shared a racist video depicting the Obamas as apes. His press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, aggressively defended it from the White House podium, mocking outrage and calling it a harmless meme. When backlash exploded, Donald Trump suddenly claimed he “didn’t see” the racist content, blamed a staffer, and deleted the post. That creates an inescapable trap: * Either Leavitt was speaking for Trump, which means Trump knowingly shared racist content and then lied to save himself. * Or Trump is telling the truth, which means Karoline Leavitt personally endorsed racist imagery on her own and falsely spoke in his name. If Trump wants to pretend he’s on the “virtuous” side of this, there is exactly one logical outcome: Leavitt must be fired. Keeping her proves the denial is bullshit and confirms the obvious conclusion everyone sees anyway. There is no third option.

Edina Mayor Jim Hovland: “ ​In these trouble-filled days, the nation should know that Minnesota has not resisted legal immigration enforcement; it has resisted excess. It does not reject law; it rejects lawlessness clothed in authority. It does not deny the nation’s right to govern its borders; but it insists that such governance be worthy of and deferential to a free people.​”

When I first paid attention to politics about ten years ago, it looked like the right stood for capitalism and the left stood against it. What I’ve learned since is that this divide was mostly rhetorical. Over time, it’s become clear that the right often gives lip service to capitalism, while the left is at least explicit about opposing it. In practice, both sides are largely arguing over who should do the planning, not whether planning should exist. To the extent someone is obsessed with politics, it’s usually because they believe their version of central planning is the correct one, regardless of tribe or label. By contrast, the people most serious about freedom tend to judge politicians as individuals, based on their words, actions, character, and policies, rather than as representatives of a team. They’re less interested in imposing their dictates on others and more interested in being left free to live their own lives. The real divide isn’t left versus right or top versus bottom. It’s individualists versus collectivists and freedom-lovers versus authoritarians.

@debrajsaunders Always happy to follow whatever you are working on. Subscribed and shared. ✅

North of 65. Age is the Final Frontier. And it’s not just a number. My substack on aging debuted today. open.substack.com/pub/debrajsaun…

My dad was always a "If you got up there on your own, you can get down on your own" sort of man. Fantastic father. Terrible air traffic controller.

They wouldn't wear a mask to save lives but they're wearing a mask to take lives.

LOL. I have edited enough papers in my college days and used the thesaurus to try to speak to the audience, and used appropriate grammar that now when I revert to a more polished response, I am apparently artificial.

ICE officer punches you in the face: "Stop resisting!" They beat you to the ground: "Stop resisting!" They have you on your knees, repeatedly smashing your face with a pistol. "Stop resisting!" They shoot you 10 times in the back. "Stop resisting!" Then they applaud and celebrate. And 75% of conservatives cheer. This is where we're at.

@debrajsaunders Yeah, we both made our points. It is interesting to consider the similarities of J6 & Minneapolis. The other comparison I have appreciated is Ruby Ridge and Minneapolis. As always, thanks for expanding my views.

I stand by my point that Jan. 6 and the Minneapolis riots have much in common. But this is getting circular, and we've both made our points. So...

@debrajsaunders Both Jan 6ers I know & immigrant friends acted from fear—Trump’s rhetoric fuels it. Immigrants with legal status aren’t breaking laws by hiding in fear. Feds must also follow the Constitution; laws change through Congress, not a President.

So you are cool with both groups breaking the law?

@debrajsaunders I hadn’t framed it that way, but yes—the Jan 6 people I know and the immigrants I know both act out of fear. Trump’s rhetoric normalizes panic and turns it into action.

Many of the people who entered the Capitol on Jan. 6 were terrified.

@debrajsaunders Also, we have here documented immigrants that I know are terrified, partly because Trump publicly said he wants to revoke their citizenship (which legally he cannot). But because of the swarm they're scared. It's truly heartbreaking. It's why many here are recording.

@debrajsaunders Being present, it is unlike anything most of us have experienced. I know several American born POC who have been swarmed by ICE agents seeking ID while they're in the grocery parking lot. Is this swarm common in border towns? Seems questionable Constitutionally if so.

Minneapolis is the left’s Jan. 6. Activists with a grudge decide they can flout law enforcement because they are on the side the angels. And there is no one in authority working to de-escalate the tension. In this case, Tim Walz plays Donald Trump 2021.

This is, to my knowledge, the first instance of an official social media account representing the government of a democratic nation intentionally spreading altered imagery maliciously targeting one of its own citizens.

1) There is no such thing as Article II tariff power in the Constitution. It doesn't exist. 2) Why even have a Congress at this point? We're paying a parliament of pundits $7 billion annually to go on TV and explain how they refuse to do their jobs as laid out in the Constitution.

Things are bad right now, but some perspective helps. Not too long ago, leaders of both parties forcibly sent American teenagers to die in Southeast Asia and then the they lied the country into another war that cost $1 trillion and killed a million people — all while the economy was being rigged for bankers and billionaires to loot everything. Maybe the past politicians seemed to you like nicer dudes than the current White House occupant, but things have been going in the wrong direction for a very long time, even if you weren’t paying as much attention because everyone had been a little more polite. The fact is, much of what we’re living through now is less an anomaly and more a horrible culmination.

If the regime really believed Renee Nicole Good weaponized her car against ICE… they would do the investigation. The only reason to decline to investigate is if you know your agent is guilty of murder. It’s a cover up. It’s not even a good one.

The “you’re required to carry ID already” people need to get a grip. You’re not. I leave the house without it all the time. I go for a run, walk to a coffee shop, or go to a park. There’s no federal “keys, phone, wallet, papers, please” law. Stop justifying a descent into fascism

If you're a higher vibration it doesn't matter how kind you are. At some point you're going to run across an absolute miserable person. They're going to project all their negative traits onto you. They're going to be absolutely hateful for no reason. They're going to misunderstand, misperceive, misread your energy. It's never personal, although it will feel very personal. They can only perceive at the level in which they have met their own soul. Many haven't gone very deep when looking at themselves, others and the world around them. Just your mere presence is going to irritate their spirit because they're miserable and you're at peace. Someone at war with themselves cannot bring you peace.

DAMN : ICE grabbed a 17yo Target worker at his job, despite him saying he’s a US citizen. After confirming he was, they dumped him in a Walmart lot 8 min away. Bystanders found him sobbing, bleeding: “They slammed me on the ground.”