Keep in mind that the primary thing we elect people to do is to show up and vote. You don’t think that the right is itching for any excuse to throw Dems into jail so they can’t show up to the legislative session and vote?
Lamonica McIver, a NJ state rep, was arrested during inspection of an ICE detention facility. Texas Dem reps had arrest warrants issued after they filed the state to block a vote by denying quorum through their absence. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested protesting ICE. Angie Nixon, a Fla rep, was arrested protesting gerrymandered maps just the other day. Judge Hannah Dugan was arrested for “concealing a migrant”. Calif Sen Alex Padilla was forcibly removed from a press conference for asking questions. NYC Comptroller Bead Lander was arrested for asking ICE for a warrant. There are more.
Lots of reps are using their power. As lawless as the right seems, that is mostly at the top. They can be tripped up at the lower levels using the laws and that is what is being done. They could always do more, but every escalation comes with a cost.
Keep in mind that the primary thing we elect people to do is to show up and vote.
Governors, attorneys general, sheriffs, judges, and coroners don’t primarily vote. Different elected officials have different responsibilities.
I do think you’re correct that a lot of legislators do phone in the bare minimum of their duties and primarily vote, but the legislative branch writes the legislation they’re going to vote on, controls the budget, and very importantly, is the check to the executive branch. They control investigations, they have the power of impeachment.
You don’t think that the right is itching for any excuse to throw Dems into jail so they can’t show up to the legislative session and vote?
Democrats had power in previous years to address the practice of gerrymandering. They didn’t because they played the game when it was in their favor. Soon there will be so few Dems their votes won’t matter anyway. And presently, they’re often arrested, refused to be allowed sworn in, and denied access to secret sessions. The executive branch is legislating by executive order and the judicial branch is legislating from the bench, neither of which are how the system is supposed to work but the system has been corrupted.
I’m sure you’re familiar with “First They Came" by Martin Niemöller. Yes, MAGA would love to come for its political enemies. But they don’t need an excuse, victimizers never do. Stand up when it might make a difference or wait for them to consolidate even more power and eventually have the ability to drag elected officials out of their homes in the middle of the night with no consequences.
Lamonica McIver, a NJ state rep, was arrested during inspection of an ICE detention facility. Texas Dem reps had arrest warrants issued after they filed the state to block a vote by denying quorum through their absence. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested protesting ICE. Angie Nixon, a Fla rep, was arrested protesting gerrymandered maps just the other day. Judge Hannah Dugan was arrested for “concealing a migrant”. Calif Sen Alex Padilla was forcibly removed from a press conference for asking questions. NYC Comptroller Bead Lander was arrested for asking ICE for a warrant. There are more.
Yup. That’s an example of how corrupt our law enforcement, courts, and executive branch is. But if you think being blocked from a vote or removed from a press conference is bad, I assure you that after listening to the dehumanization of migrants during his campaign, witnessing the brutality of ICE on the streets, the flaunting of Aligator Alcatraz and El Salvadoran hellpits, what the people picked up by ICE are experiencing is far, far worse than being politely arrested in front of a detention center then booked and released to go back to your home. We know what’s going on in those places, and going in to “inspect” achieves nothing if all one does is go back to discuss what they saw in a committee, a committee that even if it attempts to take action is going to be ignored by the executive branch, dismissed by judges, and the local cops aren’t going to do diddly fuck even if instructed to because they’re on ICE’s side.
As lawless as the right seems, that is mostly at the top.
ICE murdered Alex Periti and Renee Good in cold blood, on the streets, while being video taped, and walked away. Economics don’t trickle down by when the power at the top tells their bottom level goons “do what you want, we’ve got your back”, the lawlessness bleeds out into the community.
They can be tripped up at the lower levels using the laws and that is what is being done.
You just provided a laundry list of the efforts of elected officials trying to trip up the system at lower levels resulting in their arrests, removal, and being ignored. Their current efforts to trip it are pushed aside at every step. That’s the point I’ve been trying to drive home. Their methods are not working, continuing to go down that same path over and over and getting the same result isn’t “doing” something, it’s either optimistic foolishness that “this time I won’t be stopped” when history and evidence points to the contrary, or it’s performative; “look at me, I got arrested in front of an ICE center that I knew beforehand they’d never let me into and we’re all well aware of what horrors occur inside”. If someone being arrested for “concealing a migrant” doesn’t scream these are fucking Nazis and are going to have to be dealt with like Nazis, I don’t know what will. How many times do they have to break the law, violate the Constitution, defy courts, and how many lives have to be destroyed in the process before people start looking around and accepting “our system is not protecting us”. Every day this is debated and discussed in the comfort of a congressional office, human beings are being kidnapped, beaten, raped, imprisoned, and murdered by a regime that doesn’t care if the committee finds them at fault, the committee has no power to force the regime to stop.
They could always do more, but every escalation comes with a cost.
I know. I’m prepared, are you? When they are satisfied with what they’ve done to the immigrants and change gears to come for the trans, the antifascists, and the anarchists, the “undesirables” who couldn’t be as easily rounded up under anti-immigration rhetoric, what’s the plan? Keep hoping leadership will legislate their way out of it? Sit in a detention center and send up a little cheer when your rep bravely got themselves arrested out front? They keep escalating but we’re the ones paying the cost.
Keep in mind that the primary thing we elect people to do is to show up and vote. You don’t think that the right is itching for any excuse to throw Dems into jail so they can’t show up to the legislative session and vote?
Lamonica McIver, a NJ state rep, was arrested during inspection of an ICE detention facility. Texas Dem reps had arrest warrants issued after they filed the state to block a vote by denying quorum through their absence. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested protesting ICE. Angie Nixon, a Fla rep, was arrested protesting gerrymandered maps just the other day. Judge Hannah Dugan was arrested for “concealing a migrant”. Calif Sen Alex Padilla was forcibly removed from a press conference for asking questions. NYC Comptroller Bead Lander was arrested for asking ICE for a warrant. There are more.
Lots of reps are using their power. As lawless as the right seems, that is mostly at the top. They can be tripped up at the lower levels using the laws and that is what is being done. They could always do more, but every escalation comes with a cost.
Governors, attorneys general, sheriffs, judges, and coroners don’t primarily vote. Different elected officials have different responsibilities.
I do think you’re correct that a lot of legislators do phone in the bare minimum of their duties and primarily vote, but the legislative branch writes the legislation they’re going to vote on, controls the budget, and very importantly, is the check to the executive branch. They control investigations, they have the power of impeachment.
Democrats had power in previous years to address the practice of gerrymandering. They didn’t because they played the game when it was in their favor. Soon there will be so few Dems their votes won’t matter anyway. And presently, they’re often arrested, refused to be allowed sworn in, and denied access to secret sessions. The executive branch is legislating by executive order and the judicial branch is legislating from the bench, neither of which are how the system is supposed to work but the system has been corrupted.
I’m sure you’re familiar with “First They Came" by Martin Niemöller. Yes, MAGA would love to come for its political enemies. But they don’t need an excuse, victimizers never do. Stand up when it might make a difference or wait for them to consolidate even more power and eventually have the ability to drag elected officials out of their homes in the middle of the night with no consequences.
Yup. That’s an example of how corrupt our law enforcement, courts, and executive branch is. But if you think being blocked from a vote or removed from a press conference is bad, I assure you that after listening to the dehumanization of migrants during his campaign, witnessing the brutality of ICE on the streets, the flaunting of Aligator Alcatraz and El Salvadoran hellpits, what the people picked up by ICE are experiencing is far, far worse than being politely arrested in front of a detention center then booked and released to go back to your home. We know what’s going on in those places, and going in to “inspect” achieves nothing if all one does is go back to discuss what they saw in a committee, a committee that even if it attempts to take action is going to be ignored by the executive branch, dismissed by judges, and the local cops aren’t going to do diddly fuck even if instructed to because they’re on ICE’s side.
ICE murdered Alex Periti and Renee Good in cold blood, on the streets, while being video taped, and walked away. Economics don’t trickle down by when the power at the top tells their bottom level goons “do what you want, we’ve got your back”, the lawlessness bleeds out into the community.
You just provided a laundry list of the efforts of elected officials trying to trip up the system at lower levels resulting in their arrests, removal, and being ignored. Their current efforts to trip it are pushed aside at every step. That’s the point I’ve been trying to drive home. Their methods are not working, continuing to go down that same path over and over and getting the same result isn’t “doing” something, it’s either optimistic foolishness that “this time I won’t be stopped” when history and evidence points to the contrary, or it’s performative; “look at me, I got arrested in front of an ICE center that I knew beforehand they’d never let me into and we’re all well aware of what horrors occur inside”. If someone being arrested for “concealing a migrant” doesn’t scream these are fucking Nazis and are going to have to be dealt with like Nazis, I don’t know what will. How many times do they have to break the law, violate the Constitution, defy courts, and how many lives have to be destroyed in the process before people start looking around and accepting “our system is not protecting us”. Every day this is debated and discussed in the comfort of a congressional office, human beings are being kidnapped, beaten, raped, imprisoned, and murdered by a regime that doesn’t care if the committee finds them at fault, the committee has no power to force the regime to stop.
I know. I’m prepared, are you? When they are satisfied with what they’ve done to the immigrants and change gears to come for the trans, the antifascists, and the anarchists, the “undesirables” who couldn’t be as easily rounded up under anti-immigration rhetoric, what’s the plan? Keep hoping leadership will legislate their way out of it? Sit in a detention center and send up a little cheer when your rep bravely got themselves arrested out front? They keep escalating but we’re the ones paying the cost.