Trump’s ICE is snatching people like Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist, and a Georgetown University postgrad from city streets, leaving their partners in anguish and confusion. Khalil, a legal resident, was taken from his apartment, his pregnant wife unaware of his fate for days. The Georgetown student vanished similarly, sparking fears of a broader crackdown. These abductions, tied to political speech, signal an authoritarian shift, as loved ones scramble for answers amid silence from authorities.
Trump’s ICE Abductions
Ted Rall
Ted Rall is a syndicated political cartoonist for Andrews McMeel Syndication and WhoWhatWhy.org and Counterpoint. He is a contributor to Centerclip and co-host of "The TMI Show" talk show. He is a graphic novelist and author of many books of art and prose, and an occasional war correspondent. He is, recently, the author of the graphic novel "2024: Revisited."
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Remember during the Cheney presidency when we had “Freedom Zones” to protest in? And what did the protesters do? Well, they made sure their adowable widdle pink hats were on straight, and then followed orders and went, in orderly fashion, to the “Freedom Zone.” Where they were ignored. It was “powerful.” Stopped the war in Afghanistan/Iraq in a heartbeat, as I recall.
And Reagan gave us “preventive detention.” George Carlin riffed on that back in the day: “And the Supreme Court decided about a year ago that it’s all right to put people in jail now if we just think they’re going to commit a crime. It’s called preventive detention.”
The authoritarian state has been assembling for quite some time. Probably all the way back to WWII, when the only free speech permitted was that which furthered the war effort.
And thanks to SocMed, you can’t even put up a post suggesting that people start breaking things (unless they’re Elon Musk and the things are social security, the “health care” system, and what’s left of the education system), not unless you want to end up in a pair of white boxers in a South American prison.
Somehow, I doubt that anyone intimately involved with someone willing to protest the USraeli genocide would be so blase about their disappearance.
On a completely different subject, one of you regular commentators recommended the book “World Without End” to me I had to wait until it was published here in the US, but it was well worth the wait. It’s an excellent overview of the climate/resource/lifestyle situation, and funny besides. Thank you!