Courtesy of wikipedia.org
“Are we there yet?” A child too long confined to a car will often ask this question. Who would have guessed that as Donald Trump bends the rule of law, drawing the country near to a Constitutional crisis, we can hear a similar query on the lips of people in the streets? “Are we there yet? Are we a third-world country?”
An old law, written in 1798, is the reason for the present conundrum. Sitting presidents have used The Alien Enemies Act three times in our history to detain non-citizens during times of war. Recently, Donald Trump used it to deport 238 Venzuelans without due process to a prison in El Salvador.
The United States is not at war with Venezuela, but Trump contends Venezuelan gangs act as a de facto foreign government in our country and are subject to the provisions of that 1798 law. He may be right, but his opinion is subject to judicial review. In the case of (Baker v. Carr), the jurists gave themselves the power to enter a dispute if a President appears to have exceeded his authority. Unfortunately, there is little history or clarity regarding when and how Baker v. Carr can be applied, so it will have to be tested.
At the moment, the Supreme Court appears to be tap-dancing around the limits of presidential authority, hoping to avoid a Constitutional crisis. Meanwhile, public resentment against disappearing people off the streets is mounting. The case of one man has become the focal point of the public’s concern. Kilmar Abrego Garcia was among those snatched and flown to a foreign prison. The government admits that was a mistake but refuses to remedy its error. Worse, while an innocent man rots in jail, Trump explores ways to deport homegrown troublemakers as well. Already, one innocent citizen has been mistakenly threatened.
Periods of unrest bring out pundits of every persuasion. They gather like flies to a dung heap, though they are no more capable of peering into the future than anyone else. One former member of Congress advised Democrats to stop vexing about Kilmar Abrego Garci. “Stick to kitchen table issues. Worry about the price of eggs,” he said.
I caught my breath when I heard him. Did he regard the sensibilities of ordinary people to be so heartless? Yes, we ordinary citizens worry about the price of eggs, but we worry about injustice, too. Knowing mine was a senseless act, I screamed at the image on the television. “It’s not about the economy, stupid. It’s about our freedom.”
Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s fate matters because he is us. True, no one likes inflation. Most of us live from paycheck to paycheck. But, when ICE agents snatched a man off an American street and forced him onto a plane headed for El Salvador without due process, we snapped to attention. If it could happen to Kilmar Abrego Garcia, it could happen to anyone. And, like him, we’d have no way to defend ourselves. Until Garci’s abduction, we relied on the rule of law. Now, we realize that walking down a street on an ordinary day could suddenly become less ordinary.
Americans have awakened to the knowledge that their democracy is in trouble. We see it in the bent knees of the Republican Congress, a gathering of sheep willing to placate a senile old man with delusions of grandeur and a thirst for vengeance. Where were you, Joni Ernst, when you could have saved us from Pete Hegsmith, the clown who serves as our Secretary of Defense? You voted for him against your better judgment. A love of country would have served you more than an allegiance to your party and your reelection.
Yes, Americans worry about inflation. But we fear the oligarchs more, billionaires who promise government efficiency while stuffing their pockets with money stolen from Social Security, health care, and our schools.
Remember this, you dark lords of profit, despite our fear, we will not break. We will defend our rights and our country. Now is the time for you to worry because we the people are angry–masses of us in red states or blue states. You have given us a common cause and we will answer it.
BOYCOT TESLA
