Internment Camp Redux (and Rebrand!)

If anyone is having trouble keeping track of the number of asylum-seeking children who have been separated from their parents (yes, it's still happening) or of the steady decline in their safety and well-being, don't fret. You're not alone. The U.S. judiciary system continues to be just as confounded and confused by the Trump regime's continued attempts to circumvent the rule of law and carry on with its inhumane disappearing and warehousing of these innocent and now deeply traumatized children.

And before my fellow white liberal/progressive types start waving their hands like scarecrows, sputtering and fuming about how all of this debauchery of "American values" only began under Trump, well, all I can say is, you're wrong. Many of the conditions to which I refer - refrigerator-like temperatures, overcrowding, limited/no access to toiletries, basic supplies for washing and cleaning; insufficient supply of nutritious food; and conditions that make sleep near impossible - all began under...wait for it...

Wait for it...

Wait for it...

...under the administration of none other than the "Deporter-in-Chief" himself, one Barack H. Obama.

Okay, here's the obligatory disclaimer: I am not engaged in "what-aboutism." This fact by no means excuses either anything the Trump has done so far or anything it appears hellbent on continuing to do to these children. But can we all just please stop deluding ourselves that Democratic administrations were somehow qualitatively different (i.e., better) in their treatment of migrants and asylum-seekers coming from developing countries? Sure, there was a greater respect for due process, the rule of law and there was even a more efficient administration of justice in enforcing these laws.

But - News FLASH! - many of these laws were unjust and their enforcement robbed people of their dignity.

They were also part of the grand bargain the Democrats made with the white supremacist wahoos in their own party and those on the other side of the aisle to inure themselves from said wahoos' attacks along the lines of, "You're for open (insecure) borders and unregulated immigration." That sort of line would be a variation on theme of "weak on crime/defense/etc." attack line that has struck so much fear in Democrats' hearts and led them to do commit so many unspeakable acts of spineless pandering to white voters anxious about their racial status. And now that the 2020 election cycle is almost about to go into full swing - with Speaker Nancy insisting on a laser-like focus on healthcare and such - I don't see too many vertebrae being aligned and girded for this kind of fight.

Back to Trump regime's moral depravity...I just wonder how much hatred must be oozing out of these folks' pores such that they don't bat so much as an eyelash in carrying out these policies. I realize that these acts are but one small subset of their ever-expanding body of foulness, but for Pete's sake, these are children, many of who are mere toddlers. They were traumatized during their journey from their home countries, ripped out of their parents' arms by U.S. law enforcement and then thrown into enormous, caged walk-in refrigerators. The conditions of which are so mind-numbingly inhumane that you wonder if we are finally hitting rock bottom as a society.

I guess not, since ICE will only begin its nationwide deportation operation will begin tomorrow. As a dear friend of mine once said about another nation in dire straits, "I guess there's always one more swish in the toilet bowl." Flush twice! It's a long way to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.!

Down the Hatch (Act)!

We're probably running out of special places down you know where for members of the Creep Show that is the Trump Administration. They are nothing, if not consistent, continuing to outdo each other with their outlandish examples of moral turpitude. No surprise, since they're only following the lead of the Immoral Twerp-Dude-in-Chief. Still, you had to be left just a little gobsmacked by the lip-sneering show of entitlement by Kellyanne Conway when she dismissed charges made by the (Trump-appointed) head of the Office of Special Counsel (OSC), who called Conway a "repeat offender" of the Hatch Act. N.B. That's the law that forbids federal employees from engaging in campaign activities while on the clock at their taxpayer-funded jobs.

Conway's response? Essentially, she told the OSC, "Hatch Act, Shmatch Act, you can kiss my hairy Hatch (Act)!"

Not to be outdone, and just to make sure they cover their boss's prodigious backside, Trumpista flunkies fell over reach other, rushing to embrace their collective sense of victimhood - an increasingly regular occurrence these days - to claim the OLC was violating Conway's first amendment rights. Hoo, boy! Where do we start with that one? This little whiny bit of legalish-sounded horse puckey from the same crowd that supported Trump's calling journalists the "enemy of the people"? This from the followers of the wannabe-dictator who enjoyed whipping up his supporters into a frenzy at his rallies and urging them to assault reporters? I don't have enough time or space in this blog to list the many examples where Trump & Co. have shown their utter disdain and disregard for the first amendment (and most of the rest of the Constitution, too, for that matter).

But never mind all that, let's just sit for a moment and let it sink in that Conway's act of audacious impunity is likely to go unpunished, since the Democrats, despite winning back the House, are too busy wringing their hands and fingering their worry beads to lift, well, a finger. Okay, okay, to be fair, Conway's lawbreaking is probably exhibit #3,024 in the long, running list of crimes committed by Trump and his Creepies, but still. Couldn't the Dems muster just a little bit of moral outrage. Would it be asking too much to call before a Congressional committee or three to account for her behavior? Can a committee chair get a witness? Nope, Trump has defied and ignored all of the subpoenas issued by the oversight committees.

Doh!

But besides, we're told, the Democrats have been much too busy passing and sending bills to show us just how much better they are at governing than the other guys. You know, all that policy and legislative stuff that we, the public, are supposed to be paying attention to? And what has happened to said bills? They get sent over to the black hole that is Mitch McConnell's Senate where they promptly are given a bullet to the head and die a quiet death without so much as a proper burial. 

Which is another reason why Nancy, Chuck and the gang refuse to begin initiating the impeachment process, because they fear Mitch going all grim reaper on their you know whatsits.If you don't think you win a battle and you don't feel like doing the work to increase the probability of winning, then I guess it's okay to just delay, obfuscate, look the other way, and hope history treats you kindly in a few decades.

Hello, Mcfly? Anybody home? Impeachment IS your Constitutional obligation, even and especially more so in this dangerous political moment in which we find ourselves. Indeed, the Democrats need to figure out how to do both more effectively, but sadly, it is becoming painfully obvious that undertaking anything other than what they consider to be a safe political slam dunk is nowhere to be found in the Democratic Party's wheelhouse. So much for the loyal opposition sucking it up and putting on their big girl (and boy) pants.

I've ranted and raved enough. Time to take a break. Meanwhile, enjoy the toon and happy Father's Day to all you Dads out there. Just be sure not to let your daughters grow up to be like Kellyanne Conway, because there might still be some room in one of those special places somewhere you know where...

Tirade Policy

Score another one for the Donald. Serial crises, the likes of which would have normally sunk most presidencies, seem to buoy Trump instead. Indeed, the formula is now well-known and familiar:

Step 1 - create a totally unnecessary crisis of your own making.

Step 2 - threaten and bully your adversary with demands that are completely out of the realm of possibility.

Step 3 - wait until the world bites its collective fingernails to the quick.

Step 4 -  back down.

Step 5 - claim victory for having defused the bogus crisis, regardless of actual costs to yourself or anyone else.

In this particular case, Trump decided to conflate immigration with trade policy, which carried some significant economic costs for his wealthy GOP enablers - so much so that GOP politicos suffered a momentary lapse of spinefulness and muttered and sputtered about swallowing these costs while making maximum effort to avoid provoking the Donald's infamous temper.'

And, to make this whole exercise all the more absurd, the details of the actual "deal" reached with the Government of Mexico turned out to have been negotiated months ago between Mexico and the U.S. It makes me wonder, "Was this all a distraction? What the <bleep> was actually going on while we were so focused on the scary possibility of rapidly escalating tariffs on our #1 trading partner?

The list is probably too long, and probably involves a mixture of gross corrupt practices, obstruction of justice, and evisceration of some critical cornerstone of one of our long-established institutions. Good grief, why does all of that sound so familiar It must be déjà vu all over again and again and again and again...I think I need a nap.