We’re learning America is full of cowards. People who would throw hungry children (insert any other atrocity here) under the bus if it means keeping a few more dollars in their pockets. It’s not left versus right, it’s good versus evil. Those who are capitulating must NEVER be forgiven. Never.
We'll need some of them to fight against what they're now capitulating to. Would I do business with that law firm in D.C. or encourage anyone to get an education at one of the Universities that caved, or buy a Tesla? No. I don't trust their integrity; they abandoned what the said were their principles. Despite that, some who surrender may ultimately act correctly, potentially aiding our fight to preserve democracy. Their past transgressions won't matter to me. Democracy matters---saving democracy for my grandchildren and yours.
Furthermore, lacking hope for reputational repair, they might assist the current corrupt regime. They will only go where it benefits them.
There are so many who inhabit that empty, psychotic space rent-free between his ears: Norm Ornstein, Neil Katyal, Hunter Biden, Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, Rosie O'Donnell, Meryl Streep, Adam Kinzinger, Bette Midler....the list feels endless.
Read this terrible story of real life in the American detention system for anyone (and there are a huge number) caught in it for little bureaucratic infractions. They are mistreated and can't get out:
It was surreal listening to my friends recount everything they had done to get me out — working with lawyers, reaching out to the media, making endless calls to detention centers, desperately trying to get through to ICE or anyone who could help. They said the entire system felt rigged, designed to make it nearly impossible for anyone to get out.
After some research, the reality became clear — ICE detention isn’t just a bureaucratic nightmare. It’s a business. These facilities are privately owned and run for profit.
Companies like CoreCivic and GEO Group receive government funding based on the number of people they detain. The more prisoners, the more money they make. They don’t lobby for stricter immigration policies in the name of national security — they do it to protect their bottom line.
CoreCivic made over $560 million from ICE contracts in a single year. GEO Group rakes in billions.
These companies have no incentive to release people quickly. Instead, they cycle detainees between facilities, profiting off every transfer, every additional day behind bars.
What I had experienced — what I had witnessed — was finally starting to make sense.
You're right: "ICE detention isn’t just a bureaucratic nightmare. It’s a business. These facilities are privately owned and run for profit." Trump knew what he was talking about when his Proclamation spoke of "a hybrid criminal state" of a "predatory" nature in "the United States." That is Trump's vision of his own power. He even put that in his Proclamation. His goal is to seize money:
"All property in the possession of, or traceable to" any person he deems "an Alien Enemy, which is used, intended to be used, or is commonly used to perpetrate the hostile activity and irregular warfare of TdA, along with evidence of such hostile activity and irregular warfare, shall be subject to seizure and forfeiture."
That may be a glass half full. The other half of the glass is found to contain reasonable people with empathy, compassion, common sense, reason, people of honor, and a spirit to correct the wrongs that currently plague us.
Trump is the frontman for a coup he endorses for personal vengeance. He is not the architect of the coup. The domestic architects are Musk, Vance, Thiel and their fellow tech bros who seek a techno-monarchy built on government data; white Chrjstian nationalists, who are also deeply misogynistic; and classic pro-billionaire, anti-democracy, anti-government (that serves the people) fascists of the Heritage Foundation ilk.
They are armed with money, the powers of a police state to control dissent and extort complicity, and an unparalleled propaganda machine.
I doubt most Americans have a clue what is unfolding and will mean for our futures over time. That’s where opposition leadership comes in.
Norm and Jen and their fellow leaders are what we need now and more of from the Democratic Party and private institutions like universities and law firms. History tells us complicity never ever pays off in the long run.
I’m still exhausted from last week’s “seems like two weeks“ and the “25/8“ efforts you all are putting in. This week it seems even more. Do any of the stupendous number of things you’re doing ever reach the outside, where the mainstream media can follow on? What a remarkable service The Contrarian — and all of you! — are doing. Thank you so much!
"This is the third time in the past several weeks that he or his administration has announced that my security clearance has been revoked. Surely he has more important work to be doing?"
Not just the clearest indication of a vindictive mentality bordering on psychosis, but proof of what a micromanaging incompetent he is. An 81-year-old toddler obsessed with spite and malice, a pissy little know-nothing fraud. A "stable genius" who bankrupted his own casinos during an economic boom.
It boggles the mind how much of a gobsmacking fuck-up this loser really is. The idea that he could find his own butt in broad daylight with both hands and a flashlight, let alone cares -- or even knows -- what you pay for eggs never ceases to astonish me. How DUMB do people have to be not to figure out the con?
Thank you for this comprehensive rundown on all that's been happening, most of which has either not been covered at all, or mentioned in only a small way in the main steam media. Compared to what they're pumping out, it does not look as if Trump is "winning" by any more than how he won the election. The resistance is going to get stronger as we remember John Lewis's words about good trouble. We have a bully to stand up to. It's taken a little time to launch, but in these times of instant gratification, sometimes it takes a little longer to get started. One thing is for certain, it will not stop until we restore democracy and reason to the country.
Norm, thank you for this excellent roundup. And first hand news from Wisconsin: Musk’s paid canvassers are here, even is small towns, knocking on door for Musk’s candidate that they explicitly say will be in place to do Trump’s bidding. They don’t even hide it. This is for a Supreme Court Judge position! Plus they deliberately lie about and distort the fine record of Judge Susan Crawford. Judge Crawford is a strong, principled, fair-minded person, guided by the rule of law and the facts of the case. Well, one of these door knockers with a southern accent (definitely not native Wisconsin; I hear but don’t know that Musk is sending them from Texas) knocked on MY DOOR this week in semi-rural Wisconsin. I am so disappointed i wasn’t there to give him a piece of my mind. But I am proud of my husband, who did. This quiet man made it really *bleeping* clear that this guy needed to get the *bleep* out of our yard and there is no chance in *bleep* this household with vote for a fascist shill.
Truth and integrity are taking a beating, but eyes are opening. Hearts are next. Won’t it be fantastic if democracy wins this war? The world has lots of wicked people. The rest of us are dedicated to applying knowledge, experience, and common sense to enabling democracy’s triumph.
In a different Substack column I quoted this, which resonated with a lot of people. Albert Einstein said "The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything."
Thank you, Mr. Eisen and Ms. Rubin and your stalwart associates and interviewees, for standing firm against the horrors! You are indeed heroes, as are all of us who continue to fight against the hitlerian regime inflicted upon our nation. I do not use the adjective lightly: in 1944 my mother was corralled into a ghetto in Transylvania and deported to Auschwitz. I was born after WW2, but my PTSD has been triggered by the reportage about immigrants being snatched from wherever and being sent to concentration camps in El Salvador, where an equally trumpist president is making sure to dehumanize them completely with U.S. funds that come out of our taxes.
Wow. Thank you, Norman, for your efforts towards brevity. Your article would have exceeded its shelf life expectancy if you had included the more subtle and detailed tidbits. We the lowly electorate benefit from your time and steam on these matters.
Trump missed his calling as a Warden of a prison. He could have all the power, make the rules, intimidate, strip rights, let all answer to him and be the ultimate holder of the keys. Instead he is wasting his talents as President trying to rule the free world.
Had he been the warden, with prisoner treatment like this, he would be up on charges, and wouldn't have escaped prison as he has so far in this life. There are standards for the treatment of prisoners which are much less easily bent or ignored.
The Roundup was really exceptional! I hope you all feel great satisfaction with this journalistic achievement. Thank you for your efforts. You all seem really charged up! It's really inspiring.
We’re learning America is full of cowards. People who would throw hungry children (insert any other atrocity here) under the bus if it means keeping a few more dollars in their pockets. It’s not left versus right, it’s good versus evil. Those who are capitulating must NEVER be forgiven. Never.
We'll need some of them to fight against what they're now capitulating to. Would I do business with that law firm in D.C. or encourage anyone to get an education at one of the Universities that caved, or buy a Tesla? No. I don't trust their integrity; they abandoned what the said were their principles. Despite that, some who surrender may ultimately act correctly, potentially aiding our fight to preserve democracy. Their past transgressions won't matter to me. Democracy matters---saving democracy for my grandchildren and yours.
Furthermore, lacking hope for reputational repair, they might assist the current corrupt regime. They will only go where it benefits them.
Saving democracy is our goal.
Sorry state when a well known , respected law firm bends to extortion by a sitting president
Norm congratulations for living rent free inside a certain persons head.
There are so many who inhabit that empty, psychotic space rent-free between his ears: Norm Ornstein, Neil Katyal, Hunter Biden, Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, Rosie O'Donnell, Meryl Streep, Adam Kinzinger, Bette Midler....the list feels endless.
Taylor!
At least there’s something in there!👹
Read this terrible story of real life in the American detention system for anyone (and there are a huge number) caught in it for little bureaucratic infractions. They are mistreated and can't get out:
How people get detained and what happens to them:
https://medium.com/@jasminemooney/youre-not-a-criminal-but-you-re-going-to-jail-my-ice-detention-story-as-a-canadian-citizen-08b4fa77a15c
The "bottom line":
It was surreal listening to my friends recount everything they had done to get me out — working with lawyers, reaching out to the media, making endless calls to detention centers, desperately trying to get through to ICE or anyone who could help. They said the entire system felt rigged, designed to make it nearly impossible for anyone to get out.
After some research, the reality became clear — ICE detention isn’t just a bureaucratic nightmare. It’s a business. These facilities are privately owned and run for profit.
Companies like CoreCivic and GEO Group receive government funding based on the number of people they detain. The more prisoners, the more money they make. They don’t lobby for stricter immigration policies in the name of national security — they do it to protect their bottom line.
CoreCivic made over $560 million from ICE contracts in a single year. GEO Group rakes in billions.
These companies have no incentive to release people quickly. Instead, they cycle detainees between facilities, profiting off every transfer, every additional day behind bars.
What I had experienced — what I had witnessed — was finally starting to make sense.
Thank you for this fact-filled and absolutely necessary comment!
You're right: "ICE detention isn’t just a bureaucratic nightmare. It’s a business. These facilities are privately owned and run for profit." Trump knew what he was talking about when his Proclamation spoke of "a hybrid criminal state" of a "predatory" nature in "the United States." That is Trump's vision of his own power. He even put that in his Proclamation. His goal is to seize money:
"All property in the possession of, or traceable to" any person he deems "an Alien Enemy, which is used, intended to be used, or is commonly used to perpetrate the hostile activity and irregular warfare of TdA, along with evidence of such hostile activity and irregular warfare, shall be subject to seizure and forfeiture."
America is full of cowards, racists, and sexists. So much for a shining city on the hill. I agree with Angie….no forgiveness and never forget.
That may be a glass half full. The other half of the glass is found to contain reasonable people with empathy, compassion, common sense, reason, people of honor, and a spirit to correct the wrongs that currently plague us.
Trump is the frontman for a coup he endorses for personal vengeance. He is not the architect of the coup. The domestic architects are Musk, Vance, Thiel and their fellow tech bros who seek a techno-monarchy built on government data; white Chrjstian nationalists, who are also deeply misogynistic; and classic pro-billionaire, anti-democracy, anti-government (that serves the people) fascists of the Heritage Foundation ilk.
They are armed with money, the powers of a police state to control dissent and extort complicity, and an unparalleled propaganda machine.
I doubt most Americans have a clue what is unfolding and will mean for our futures over time. That’s where opposition leadership comes in.
Norm and Jen and their fellow leaders are what we need now and more of from the Democratic Party and private institutions like universities and law firms. History tells us complicity never ever pays off in the long run.
I’m still exhausted from last week’s “seems like two weeks“ and the “25/8“ efforts you all are putting in. This week it seems even more. Do any of the stupendous number of things you’re doing ever reach the outside, where the mainstream media can follow on? What a remarkable service The Contrarian — and all of you! — are doing. Thank you so much!
"This is the third time in the past several weeks that he or his administration has announced that my security clearance has been revoked. Surely he has more important work to be doing?"
Not just the clearest indication of a vindictive mentality bordering on psychosis, but proof of what a micromanaging incompetent he is. An 81-year-old toddler obsessed with spite and malice, a pissy little know-nothing fraud. A "stable genius" who bankrupted his own casinos during an economic boom.
It boggles the mind how much of a gobsmacking fuck-up this loser really is. The idea that he could find his own butt in broad daylight with both hands and a flashlight, let alone cares -- or even knows -- what you pay for eggs never ceases to astonish me. How DUMB do people have to be not to figure out the con?
Thank you for this comprehensive rundown on all that's been happening, most of which has either not been covered at all, or mentioned in only a small way in the main steam media. Compared to what they're pumping out, it does not look as if Trump is "winning" by any more than how he won the election. The resistance is going to get stronger as we remember John Lewis's words about good trouble. We have a bully to stand up to. It's taken a little time to launch, but in these times of instant gratification, sometimes it takes a little longer to get started. One thing is for certain, it will not stop until we restore democracy and reason to the country.
Norm, thank you for this excellent roundup. And first hand news from Wisconsin: Musk’s paid canvassers are here, even is small towns, knocking on door for Musk’s candidate that they explicitly say will be in place to do Trump’s bidding. They don’t even hide it. This is for a Supreme Court Judge position! Plus they deliberately lie about and distort the fine record of Judge Susan Crawford. Judge Crawford is a strong, principled, fair-minded person, guided by the rule of law and the facts of the case. Well, one of these door knockers with a southern accent (definitely not native Wisconsin; I hear but don’t know that Musk is sending them from Texas) knocked on MY DOOR this week in semi-rural Wisconsin. I am so disappointed i wasn’t there to give him a piece of my mind. But I am proud of my husband, who did. This quiet man made it really *bleeping* clear that this guy needed to get the *bleep* out of our yard and there is no chance in *bleep* this household with vote for a fascist shill.
Truth and integrity are taking a beating, but eyes are opening. Hearts are next. Won’t it be fantastic if democracy wins this war? The world has lots of wicked people. The rest of us are dedicated to applying knowledge, experience, and common sense to enabling democracy’s triumph.
In a different Substack column I quoted this, which resonated with a lot of people. Albert Einstein said "The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything."
Thank you for being such a strong presence in our lives. You are a hero so is Jen.
Thank you, Mr. Eisen and Ms. Rubin and your stalwart associates and interviewees, for standing firm against the horrors! You are indeed heroes, as are all of us who continue to fight against the hitlerian regime inflicted upon our nation. I do not use the adjective lightly: in 1944 my mother was corralled into a ghetto in Transylvania and deported to Auschwitz. I was born after WW2, but my PTSD has been triggered by the reportage about immigrants being snatched from wherever and being sent to concentration camps in El Salvador, where an equally trumpist president is making sure to dehumanize them completely with U.S. funds that come out of our taxes.
Wow. Thank you, Norman, for your efforts towards brevity. Your article would have exceeded its shelf life expectancy if you had included the more subtle and detailed tidbits. We the lowly electorate benefit from your time and steam on these matters.
Trump missed his calling as a Warden of a prison. He could have all the power, make the rules, intimidate, strip rights, let all answer to him and be the ultimate holder of the keys. Instead he is wasting his talents as President trying to rule the free world.
Had he been the warden, with prisoner treatment like this, he would be up on charges, and wouldn't have escaped prison as he has so far in this life. There are standards for the treatment of prisoners which are much less easily bent or ignored.
You are so important- a light in the darkness.
The Roundup was really exceptional! I hope you all feel great satisfaction with this journalistic achievement. Thank you for your efforts. You all seem really charged up! It's really inspiring.