America is not an idea
The U.S. has been built atop not merely one but many ideas—simple ideas and complex ones, some good ideas, some bad ones.
Yet while America has consistently failed to meet the promises of its best ideas (and ideals), a great many of these ideas have held real, “exceptional” meaning to billions of people and their families over the past 250 years—including women, and people of color, and workers, disabled and queer folks and others nowhere near being included in the minds of the wealthy men who first “founded” the nation, or who have governed it since. These ideas have inspired people to demonstrate, to agitate, to immigrate, to fundraise, to vote, and to invest their time, money, and effort into their communities (including in countries elsewhere).
The men who now govern America have no ideas beyond their rank desire for power and wealth and the subjugation of others (“For my friends, everything; for my enemies, the law.”).
Attorneys for the government admitted in a court filing on Monday that an “administrative error” led to the forcible removal and trafficking of Kilmar Abrego Garcia. In a feat of circular logic they then asserted that since Abrego Garcia was no longer in the U.S. that the government has no ability (and thus responsibility) to correct this error.
I use the phrase “forcible removal and trafficking” here rather than “deportation”, because deportation in the United States is governed by laws, including the right to due process.
As Greg Sargent wrote about the case today, the lawlessness is the point. These men in government are not denying due process based on citizenship or immigration or legal status; they are denying the premises of due process itself.
Due process is not an American idea—or rather, it is an idea that predates the United States by more than five centuries. From clause 39 of the Magna Carta (issued in the year 1215):
“No free man shall be seized or imprisoned, or stripped of his rights or possessions, or outlawed or exiled, or deprived of his standing in any other way, nor will we proceed with force against him, or send others to do so, except by the lawful judgment of his equals or by the law of the land.”
The assertion that there is nothing to be done to retrieve this father (of a nonspeaking autistic five year old) and husband (to a US citizen), who had been ruled in a court of law to have protection from deportation (to El Salvador specifically), is a falsehood intended to claim governance over law and truth.
It is wrong, and it is un-@#$%ing-American.
Brighter spots elsewhere
Senator Cory Booker spoke on the floor of the Senate for more than 25 hours to draw attention to the wrongs of the administration, unseating segregationist Strom Thurmond as the previous record-holder in the process. In his concluding minutes (video) he evoked the memory of his late mentor and colleague John Lewis, and his call to engage in “good trouble, necessary trouble.”
In Wisconsin’s special Supreme Court election today, judge Susan Crawford defeated the right wing candidate despite Memlon Fuchs investing $25 million and his personal brand into the race (in ways which likely violated Wisconsin election laws).
Also estimates now suggest that Tesla is sitting on $200 million dollars in unsold Cybertruck inventory.
So, that’s pretty fun.
One @#$%ing thing
I was pointed to this data visualization and tracker of individuals who have been “disappeared” by ICE and the administration. So far it lists more than 700.
As with the USA Disappeared Tracker account on Bluesky, this appears to be the work of a single individual, and verification of the information may be hazy, imprecise, or inaccurate.
Reliable sources of information are hard to come by these days, especially as the administration continues its work to dismantle departments and eliminate jobs designed to provide just that.
All the @#$%ing things
Night 42: Learned more about Louis Armstrong, in his own words
Night 41: Revisited 20 lessons on tyranny
Night 40: Donated to victims of the LA fires
Night 39: Donated to a non-profit disaster alert service
Night 38: Removed Meta apps from my phone
Night 37: Added a new subscription for politics and culture news
Night 36: Catalogued things we know about Memlon Fuchs
Night 35: Described an early MAGA rift
Night 34: The gap between what voters want and what they’re getting
Night 33: An editorial policy of sorts
Night 32: Requesting records when medical claims are denied
Night 31: Things I’ve learned about money laundering
Night 30: Turned to the words of Frederick Douglass
Night 29: Canceled my OpenAI subscription
Night 28: Donated money to three orgs
Night 27: Addressed a hazardous tile floor
Night 26: Picked up trash with the Trash Falcons
Night 25: Learned more about Pete Hegseth than I wanted to
Night 24: Canceled recurring subscriptions I no longer need
Night 23: Dwelt in gratitude
Night 22: Picked up pie from a favorite local business
Night 21: Downsized my clothes closet
Night 20: Increased my monthly contribution to the ACLU
Night 19: Deleted a blog from two decades ago
Night 18: Researched nonprofit board opportunities
Night 17: Contributed to Trans Lifeline
Night 16: Spent time together with loved ones
Night 15: Bought from a not-for-profit online store
Night 14: Refined an icon and wordmark
Night 13: Contributed to the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund
Night 12: Contributed to The Guardian
Night 11: Read, reflected, and rested
Night 10: Sent money to support vaccinations in Nigeria
Night 9: Sent money to a friend in need
Night 8: Gave gifts and spoke words of appreciation aloud
Night 7: Contributed to a California-focused nonprofit newsroom
Night 6: Made homemade donuts for my team
Night 5: Opted into a paid Buttondown tier
Night 4: Reviewed my local election results
Night 3: Deactivated my X account
Night 2: Contributed to my local nonprofit newsroom
Night 1: Started by starting
Words, sorts, thinks, and actions by Chris Ereneta, from Oakland, California. Thanks for reading! Consider forwarding this to a friend! Thoughtful feedback and questions are welcomed at that.often@gmail.com