You wrote “— moral evidence. It's a human being telling the truth about what is being done to them, in the only language available to them.” Yes! If there’s one thing that Church can do, it is site moral evidence as evidence. Thank you.
That's exactly the gap. Courts require forensic evidence. Journalism requires documentation. But someone has to be able to stand up and say: a child drew a frowning face behind a wire fence, and that counts. The Church is one of the few institutions with both the standing and the tradition to do that.
I majored in history. I take your point and don’t refute it. I thought we were, in the 21st century, better than this. It is heartbreaking to see this level of sadism and hate institutionalized.
The Nazi comparison is apt, but it also lets Americans off the hook.
The logic behind Border Patrol's actions doesn't need European provenance. It's woven through 160 years of American history: Reconstruction Klan terror, Tulsa, Rosewood, the White Citizens' Councils publishing names to destroy livelihoods.
The Border Patrol itself was founded by Klansmen. Its first chief killed a Mexican teenager. This isn't just fascism imported from Europe — it's fascism coming home. I dug into the full lineage here:
It's well known that Hitler used Jim Crow as a blueprint. But for most of the uneducated Americans it's easier to compare the regime to Hitler because they at least have a passing knowledge of him.
That child understands something many adults are still debating. And they're right — but the lineage isn't only European. Mass detention as collective punishment, using internment to terrorize entire communities into compliance, has deep American roots too. The Border Patrol was built on exactly that logic from day one. What's happening now isn't a departure from American history. In some ways, it's a return to it.
You wrote “— moral evidence. It's a human being telling the truth about what is being done to them, in the only language available to them.” Yes! If there’s one thing that Church can do, it is site moral evidence as evidence. Thank you.
That's exactly the gap. Courts require forensic evidence. Journalism requires documentation. But someone has to be able to stand up and say: a child drew a frowning face behind a wire fence, and that counts. The Church is one of the few institutions with both the standing and the tradition to do that.
This is pure evil and cowardice. Heartbreaking, infuriating, and unAmerican.
There is a reason they are trying to hide the evidence -- because it is damning -- and I use that word precisely.
Anne, unfortunately if you read history that isn't written by white people it's very American.
I majored in history. I take your point and don’t refute it. I thought we were, in the 21st century, better than this. It is heartbreaking to see this level of sadism and hate institutionalized.
Anyone who says this is not a Nazi regime can fuck straight off and die! It most certainly is a Nazi regime.
Yes — and it goes deeper than that.
The Nazi comparison is apt, but it also lets Americans off the hook.
The logic behind Border Patrol's actions doesn't need European provenance. It's woven through 160 years of American history: Reconstruction Klan terror, Tulsa, Rosewood, the White Citizens' Councils publishing names to destroy livelihoods.
The Border Patrol itself was founded by Klansmen. Its first chief killed a Mexican teenager. This isn't just fascism imported from Europe — it's fascism coming home. I dug into the full lineage here:
https://theramm.substack.com/p/noems-podium-one-of-ours-all-of-yours
It's well known that Hitler used Jim Crow as a blueprint. But for most of the uneducated Americans it's easier to compare the regime to Hitler because they at least have a passing knowledge of him.
Exactly!
A child's protest sign at this weekend's "No Kings" 3.0 rally:
"The Holocaust started with mass detentions"
That child understands something many adults are still debating. And they're right — but the lineage isn't only European. Mass detention as collective punishment, using internment to terrorize entire communities into compliance, has deep American roots too. The Border Patrol was built on exactly that logic from day one. What's happening now isn't a departure from American history. In some ways, it's a return to it.
Yes. I recommend Andrea Pitzer’s “One Long Night” to a lot of people, including my republican Senators. You never know…
We need to see what is really happening inside those detention centers. And congress has oversight responsibilities.
If you don't already subscribe, I suggest you subscribe to Jenn Budd. She's a former Border Patrol agent turned whistleblower. Well worth reading.
I am a subscriber and have covered her work extensively and she subscribes to me as well. Definitely support her work.