by Linda Schmitt, Corvallis
If you’re tired of these letters, let me tell you I am too. But every week brings a new outrage. Yes, I am outraged and you should be too. Here’s the lineup this week:
• Secret police who arrest without warrants, without any process, denying their victims any chance to even tell their families where they are, where they are going, much less why. BECAUSE THEY DON’T KNOW and they are denied the information.
• Birthright citizenship under attack. Even children of legal citizens, such as naturalized citizens, denied citizenship.
• Demand that states give him their voter rolls. The states control elections: it was set up that way, has been that way and Trump now defies it. The separation of federal government and state government is threatened. The separation stems from our constitutional “separation of powers” doctrine. It operates in two spheres: federal government (Legislative/Executive/Judicial) and across the country (federal government/state government, each with its own authorities). Trump wants total control. Eliminating state authorities gets him there.
• $8 million a day for ICE. FEMA personnel and Air Marshalls moved to ICE. ICE thugs operate with impunity: face masks, no identification, loaded up with military gear. In any neighborhood, anywhere, snatching people off the streets.
• Prisons being constructed on military bases. Prisons! On military bases! Our military defends our country, not attack our citizens! Not any more.
The shades falling from my eyes. I wanted to believe Trump would only make gestures of autocracy, enough to bring him money but not threaten our democracy. I was wrong. He is a full-fledged autocrat, determined to dismantle all the guardrails of our democracy so he can assume total control. If you don’t believe me, recall him saying that after arresting immigrants, he thinks he should go after “homegrown terrorists.”
Who do you think he means? Me? You? Your kids?
John Grant says
Mr, Stover, can you supply an address, a phone number or an email address for “Antifa”? Who are “they”? Where are they? Any of ‘em in Ravalli County?
Making up enemies has to be hard work in the absence of evidence as to who, what, what, where and when?
Mike Mercer says
As long as people see gaming the system as a solution to their personal problems, we will see harsh consequences visited upon those who refuse to respect the community they claim to want to be a part of.
Gomez says
Mike. You’re talking about corporations, millionaires and billionaires, right?
Mike Mercer says
I don’t separate between tax brackets, rich or poor, a man without honor is nothing but if that is what they choose, let the chips fall.
david stover says
After reading the opinion of Linda Schmitt. I would like to say in response, that we are not a democracy as she proclaims, but are a Constitutional Republic. And the difference is: if you own a bicycle and the majority (under a democracy) decide they wish to take your bicycle, then they take it but we are governed by a set of laws that are under the umbrella of our Constitution.
She states: prisons being constructed on military bases, it is shocking I tell you. Every military base that I have ever been on has a prison, some called stockades, some called brigs but all the same.
She states: birthright citizenship is under attack. Nowhere in our Constitution does it so indicate that children born from people who have violated our immigration laws have the right to be citizens. When children are brought to this country at a tender age by illegal alien parents and their parents lied on their applications for citizenship, then that negates the legality of the act. It is satisfying to see that people like ms. Schmitt are in a minority in Mt. and especially in Ravalli County.
Howard S. says
A) Democracy comes in many flavors and a constitutional republic is one of the flavors.
B) The 14th amendment specifically states that any “person” born in the US is a citizen. It doesn’t say anything about the legal status of the parents. Based on how your party and it’s leader treat them, it wouldn’t surprise me if you were willing to say that you do not consider undocumented immigrants people, but they definitely are.
Like it our not, our country is dependent on immigrants, both legal and illegal, to function. They are a huge part of the economy and the US population would be shrinking if it weren’t for them.
Tracy says
NOT! This Country is NOT dependent on any Illegal!
Bridget Dolan says
Linda may be in the minority in MT and Ravalli County, but in the real world (aka the populated coastal states that fund the poor red states) the views held by the majority here are deplorable.
John Grant says
They wear masks. They do not identify themselves. How come we don’t see ICE “sweeping” Trump Resorts/Golf Courses? Or the Stock Farm? Or the Yellowstone Club. In 3rd world countries , when an autocrat purges its political opposition, it simply called to “disappear” them.
Like the cop in Maine? Like the father of three U.S. Marines in Los Angeles?
So Kevin, that would be your view of Trump doing what you voted for him to do?
Can we expect to see you out there moving Stock Farm sprinkler pipe in the hay fields by the Mansion? Or swabbing toilets up at the Clubhouse?
Or are you even aware there are decent hard working people doing those jobs ?
If the “good guys” are wearing masks and do not identify their authority, how can you be sure you are not next? If that happens my guess is you’d expect “due process”.
You see that as a “right” should have? But not a right to be extended to any who disagree with you?
Sure, right Kevin, that must be what the Founding Fathers intended? And Jesus too?
Did you miss Civics Class in the 8th grade?
david stover says
John, you seem to be OK with the bad guys wearing masks, such as antifa or hamas or hezbollah but you object to the police to wear a mask to prevent retaliation against their families. They are identified by their badges and the flak vests that they wear so indicating POLICE, ICE, FBI or whatever other organization to which they may belong.
They are arrested by ICE and given due process in courts at a later day, but due process has nothing to do with the arrests just as the arrest of any criminal.
You speak of what aboutism: well, was the cop in Maine here illegally, was the father of the 3 marines here illegally? What is it about illegal that democrats do not understand?
Howard S. says
A lot of the ICE agents and others are wearing plain clothes displaying no badge of any other indication that they’re with law enforcement. Someone would be within their rights to shoot them in self defense if they broke into their home. Only a matter of time until something like that happens. Trump’s probably rooting for it to.
These people are being grabbed off the street and deported without ever going before a judge and getting a chance to defend themselves. That’s not due process. A lot of them were here legally pending review of their application for asylum when they were arrested. Some are citizens, green card holders or on visas. They are being deported to countries they aren’t from, where they may never get a chance to be freed.
If this can happen to some people here, then no one is this country is truly free.
Kevin says
Still basking in winning!! What a great country and getting better by the day.
Kevin says
Linda, is the Judge from Wisconsin, or the Mayor of New York a relative of yours? Trump was elected to fix this mess. Thank God he is keeping his promise. I voted for him to do exactly what you don’t want. Sooooo glad I won.
Gomez says
Kevin, let me guess, you were all good with Trump letting rioters who beat policemen with flag poles & sprayed them with pepper spray on 1/6 out of prison though, right?
david stover says
Well, gomez, just another lie from the left like so many others. you and your ilk have said for the past 8 months. The only person “killed” was a female veteran who was gunned down by a rogue CPD lieutenant who should have been convicted of murder. When Trump addressed the people on the day after the election, he said: Go peacefully to the capitol and make your voices heard. The operative word hers is “peacefully” but democrats do not understand that.
Gomez says
We all saw what happened with our own eyes.
You are lost forever to the cult, and history will not treat you kindly.
Have a nice day.
david stover says
If you saw with your own eyes what happened that day, they you are as blind as a bat. As I said and for a fact, the only person killed that day was an air force veteran female who was gunned down by a rogue police LT. No other person was killed, just a fact.
I am btw an independent and not part of any cult but you do seem to be one.