But hey, CoreCivic and the GEO Group are raking in the cash, and that’s all that matters.

/s

Well, you have produced the richest man in history, who is a Nazi and, apart from his wealth, does not seem to be particularly intelligent—but all the more greedy for it.

I always found it absurd that in the richest country in the world, there is no universal health insurance, no parental leave, no public holidays, that a college education costs hundreds of thousands of dollars, that there is no protection against dismissal, that people are starving or working but still homeless because they cannot afford an apartment—all of this is inhumane, uncivilized, and a disgrace to the US, not its recipe for success; it is its downfall, as the current regime is demonstrating.

Robin Hood, but modernized as a 21st-century hacker type so that he can cope in today’s world. But I’d still like him to look like he belongs in an edgy 90s movie, complete with green tights, for authenticity’s sake.

Is “tariff” now the new “woke”? A term without any meaning that Republicans throw around just to give their brainless followers a starting point from which they can see their deluded fantasies as seemingly rooted in reality?

So something along the lines of: “100 percent tariffs will teach you what happens when you are woke” or some other stupid crap like that.

It’s hard to believe, but somehow US news are getting more absurd by the day, even though it should have reached rock bottom long ago…

Due process is recognized as a human‑rights protection in almost all democratic countries and generally applies regardless of citizenship; it helps prevent arbitrariness and abuse of power.

The fundamental safeguard against arbitrary state detention is habeas corpus or its functional equivalent: a person detained must be brought before a judge so the lawfulness of the detention can be reviewed and so the detainee can be informed of the charges against them.

ICE denies detainees even this, for which there can be absolutely no excuse in any reasonably civilized country.

That’s my impression too. After everything the regime has done so far, I think it’s pretty clear that it can no longer be removed by legal means - the legal system already seems to me to have been infiltrated too deeply for that.

It also seems likely to me that MAGA will no longer allow free elections, because that would carry the risk of being voted out of office, which, even in the corrupt US system, could mean severe legal consequences for many of the regime’s followers and for all the misdeeds that have already been committed in less than a year. I don’t think MAGA will take that chance, especially since ICE is already set up as a kind of secret police force with a budget equivalent to the military spending of a medium-sized country. I mean, what else could an agency like this possibly need such an astronomical budget for other than as a private army loyal to the regime and thus a safeguard in case of resistance from the regular army or the police?

In short: I think the outlook is very bleak, and like you, I’m not convinced that the majority of US citizens are aware of how dangerous the situation is.

I am German and I am appalled by the behavior of our government: Instead of standing up to Trump and his henchmen and becoming independent from the US, they are kowtowing to him, even though it is completely obvious how little Trump cares about his so called allies—and since the US is nowadays blackmailing Europe with tariffs and so on, it takes a lot of imagination to still call them allies, especially when all halfway rational people are particularly disturbed by all the inhuman Nazi shit.

Unfortunately, however, the weak position of the current German government was already absolutely foreseeable before the last federal election, because the Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, is actually more of a US lobbyist than a politician (among other things, he was chairman of the supervisory board of Black Rock Germany until 2022 and held various positions in business lobby organizations such as the Atlantik-Brücke – a conservative think tank). Nothing can be expected from these people, although I unfortunately also think that US citizens should not count on any external support anyway.

Does the US legal system still exist in any sense that it should in a democracy?

I ask because I don’t understand how all this is possible in a constitutional state: Masked brutes who arbitrarily kidnap people on the open street without even identifying themselves, people who are interned without due process and then often simply disappear without a trace in the administrative system, total surveillance without cause, and many other massive violations that the US legal system seems to enable rather than prevent, as it should.

All of this already looks very much like a dictatorship to me, i.e., an unjust state, as none of this can be possible with a democratic constitution - at least not with one that is actually upheld by the legal system.

In itself, yes, but not according to Musk’s definition, which he is gradually spreading via this propaganda tool. Unfortunately, this is also very successful, considering how many people already reject science in favor of random and very obvious lies.

The vast wealth of information on the internet should have had an enlightening effect on humanity, but because of influential monsters like Musk, the opposite is unfortunately the case. How they do this can be easily seen here.

More will certainly want to buy in.

It is also in the regime’s interest for soldiers to be dissatisfied with ramen noodles instead of wages, because ICE has a budget that corresponds to the military spending of medium-sized countries now: Either soldiers with a fitting fascist mindset can be poached, and/or the military can be weakened as a potential opponent in the establishment of a dictatorship (no pay = layoffs, and these will mainly be people who have a problem with an autocratic America under an orange dictator).

I’m not from the US, but it all looks pretty grim to me.

I think ICE, with its astronomical budget, has two main functions for MAGA: to embezzle state funds, for example through private prison companies, and to set up a secret police force loyal to the regime.

Incidentally, as of November 15, the military will no longer be paid, which I would say fits in with the picture - but hey, private patrons are stepping in and distributing money “without any strings attached”…

Neither Chat Control nor Palantir are necessary to take decisive action against those responsible. Isn’t it telling that this is obviously not happening? When it comes to money, it’s no longer about the children, or how else should we interpret this? A small fine and then carry on as usual, or what?

Yes, that’s the thing: driving around in such a ridiculous car in the US is stupid enough, but in Europe it’s even more so.

A quick reminder in this context: The German government wants to introduce Palantir nationwide, even though this violates applicable law - both at the European and national levels. Contracts have even already been signed in some federal states.

Here is a link to a Campact petition calling on the SPD to block the CDU/CSU’s plans.

And here is a petition addressed directly to the state parliament of Baden-Württemberg, demanding that the contract already signed with Palantir be disclosed and revoked.

In my opinion, everyone living in Germany should sign both petitions - it is scandalous that this is even necessary, but unfortunately, conservative german politicians in particular continue to pursue their shady dealings.

I really wonder whether this administration is too simple-minded to realize how absurd they are, or whether they don’t care because they know that no matter what they say or do, their behavior will have no consequences whatsoever.

Yes, I think so too. And I think that ICE is intended for this purpose, since the regime cannot be sure of the loyalty of the police, let alone the military. I mean, why else would ICE need such an astronomical budget? Further embezzlement of public funds via private prison companies, in which members of the government are certainly involved, surely also plays a role. But when you look at the ruthless actions of ICE and what die-hard fascists they are, it seems pretty obvious to me that it’s already an SS-like secret police force. Maybe it will be renamed once they have seized absolute power.

They are not there yet, but I think it is very likely that the regime will not allow free elections anymore—then it would risk being held accountable for all its crimes, which is unlikely under the US legal system, but not impossible.

Perhaps the Millers will learn their lesson on political terror when ICE comes knocking on their door. Traditionally, the goddamned Nazis end up stabbing each other in the back sooner or later—see “The Night of the Long Knives”.

They are therefore by no means only a threat to their opponents.

Looks like Taylor Greene will probably be one of the first to be dealt with, but of course, no one is safe from narcissistic psychopaths without a conscience. So, like anyone else, it could happen to the Millers at any time.

It wouldn’t surprise me or make me sad in any way—quite the contrary.

It probably won’t be long before the Supreme Court declares the Constitution unconstitutional.

Yes, you’re absolutely right. I was thinking more about maintenance, so that the infrastructure doesn’t break down in the first place, which would definitely be noticeable.