The Trump cabal has begun rounding up undocumented Americans
for summary deportation. With
characteristic bullying bravado, Trump characterized this effort as “military,”
a description he was then forced to walk back.
But be not misled – it is military in its spirit and inspiration, and I
have no doubt the effort will be expanded, to the cheers of his
supporters. This morning, during my
walk, I began to speculate on ways that I might seek to protect targets of this
round-up were the opportunity to present itself.
There is, of course, historical precedent for such an effort
in this country, namely the Underground Railroad that helped runaway slaves
make their way to territories where they would be free. America is a large and varied country. There are cities, and in some cases entire states,
prepared to serve as sanctuaries for prospective deportees. It may become necessary – indeed it may
already be happening – for networks of citizens to form who can help the
undocumented to move from areas of maximum danger to areas of relative safety.
I invite anyone reading this blog who is aware of such
efforts to contact me by email, which is relatively a good deal more private
than a blog, to let me know whether there is anything I can do to assist such efforts.
Yes, I am aware that the Obama Administration deported
upwards of two and a half million undocumented persons. I did not support that action, and I hold no
brief for Obama. So let us not become
distracted by the keeping of scores. Our
country is under siege, and such democracy as we have is at peril.
I'm posting a link to a blog post by Kevin Drum that offers some useful perspective on Obama's immigration policies. Deportations fall into two categories, removals and returns, and evidently, in light of this distinction, Obama's policies appear a good deal more humane than they've been portrayed. In fact, Drum claims that "the total number of people who were actually sent home [under Obama] was lower than any other president."
ReplyDeleteOf course, none of this compares to what will transpire under the current so-called president, who has declared open season on people who unlike him have been contributing to the economy with their work and tax dollars.
http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2017/02/whos-deporter-chief
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3__BnVpArpE
ReplyDeleteAnd Obama-Clinton backed Perez just won DNC chair over Sanders backed Ellison, after voting to continue to allow corporate lobbyist donations into the DNC.
ReplyDeleteThis party is a fucking joke, and backing them in any fashion is only a roundabout way of ensuring more Trumpism. Sorry, I'm washing my hands of the Democratic party for good.
I lean toward Chris' contempt for corporate Democrats; however, until or unless there are structural changes
ReplyDeletewhich transform our two party system into a multi-party system, I think efforts to take-over the Democratic party
- perhaps through leftist primary challenges - ought to be considered.
Regarding the blog: excellent, necessary, and uplifting.