Last night my former boss called me.

[Trueblue Texan]

She told me she she had never paid much attention to politics but she was ready to get involved and I was the first one she thought of... I tried never to talk politics at work, but I guess I earned a reputation somehow. Anyway she told me the reason she finally woke up is that one of her friends had been kidnapped by ICE in a Houston suburb. She said they shut off the electricity to the house and when the family came out to investigate the cause, they wrestled the man to the ground and beat him up in front of his wife and kids and took him away. She said she couldn't sleep at all that night and that she realized it could have happened to anyone. She said she'd known this couple from church for more than 20 years and they were close friends and good people and didn't deserve to be treated that way.

It's a sad way for people to finally wake up like this, but it is happening. Will there be enough of us left when people wake up to realize things won't get better until we stand together and resist?

[gab13by13]

1. Our politicians are not going to save us,

it is up to us, the people, to throw out the billionaires. To do this we will need a significant number of unwashed Magats to get on board and join us.

[ananda]

8. This has been true since Reagan.

If we had stood up for vote counting in 2000,
we wouildn't be here.

[Bluetus]

14. Yet we still have lots of people who think dragging their feet

and ignoring these things will make the problems go away.

We really are at war and must have that level of intensity and purpose for our actions. And that includes pushing the status quo people out of the way.

[popsdenver]

21. yup !

Since the 1980 Election was stolen from Carter, corruptly, and HWBush's CABAL committing Treason to win, and giving the presidency to Reagan....

These "people" you mention.............for decades,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

"they" all have been walking down the jungle path, swatting at mosquitoes, and oblivious to the herd of charging elephants.......pun intended....

These same "people" stood by during the 2000 Election, then in the 2004 election, again in the 2016 election, (which was the biggest travesty ever),
and again in the 2024 election as far as I am concerned........

AND, why weren't there a million or two demonstrators, peacefully amassing at the U.S. Capitol, as the Republicans flagrantly refused to impeach ring-leader Trump for inciting an extremely violent crowd, of 5,000, that seditiously attacked the Capitol, to corruptly overthrow an election, maiming and killing police officers trying to protect the U.S. Capitol and the Senators and Congress ?????????????

[Bluetus]

22. And if we want to go back one cycle earlier

Nixon committed treason by making a deal to delay Vietnam peace talks to win that election See Chennault Affair.

The only Republicans to take the Presidency in the past 70 years without an obvious case of Treason or vote rigging were Ford and GHW Bush. But of course, GHW Bush was the point man on Reagan's rotten deal to delay the hostage release in 1980, so we can hardly let him off the hook.

As I have been saying here, our problems did not begin with Trump. The fascists have been at it, using any means available, for 75 years. FDR was the very definition of populism, and that connects with the people. After FDR, Democrats were fat, dumb, and happy, thinking things would just carry on as they had under FDR. We now have 3 generations of Dems who have never stood up for much of anything, never really taken on the fight with any urgency. They became the party of white papers, and in the process, became much less connected with broad America.

Those generation are a lost cause, yet the last of them (Boomers) cling to power ferociously, even though they have no intention of using the power when they actually have the opportunities. We now have about 100 progressives in the House, but they are mostly blocked from leadership by the Boomer hangers-on. We really can't wait for all the boomers to die. We need to aggressively push and promote the younger progressives into leadership.

[popsdenver]

23. I cannot disagree

with you Bluetus..........Except the part about WBush and him not getting elected corruptly......(U.S.S.C.???)...........And W's brain was gone due to coke and ETOH, (word salad, malaprops, three word sentences) and the election and country was truly being run by Cheney/Rumsfeld, .......WBush was truly, just a pawn, same as Reagan and Trump........

[Bluetus]

25. The last honorable Republican President was Ike, and the last Dem fighter as POTUS was LBJ

All of the Dem Presidents since then have been decent honorable, mostly trustworthy people with a strong sense of humanity and genuine concern for the well-being of the entire country. But every one of them underestimated the forces that were being stacked up against our democracy, and consequently, missed most opportunities to take important stands when necessary.

That is what it is and we are where we are because of it. I'm not trying to re-litigate it, but we really must LEARN from this, and I still see far too many Dems just sitting on their hands. I will never understand why the DNC is not 100% behind the work that Bernie, AOC and others are doing at the grass roots. I will never understand how anybody could support Cuomo over Mamdani, and why anybody thought it was a good idea to kick out David Hogg, whose sin was to try to bring in new blood that isn't 75 years old already.

And still the DNC sends me emails every day cheerfully asking for my money while never giving the slightest indication that are willing to change ANYTHING that has put us in this position.

[popsdenver]

33. I could not agree with you more Blue

The Dems don't realize they have been fighting Republican Guerrilla Warfare, with spit balls and pea shooters for Decades.....
And, they are still doing the same, and not learning from all they have faced. Now that it is near checkmate, in my opinion, they don't
have a clue of what to do......
There are a number of us here, who have been shouting about it for decades, ever since HWBush's CABAL committed outright Treason to throw the election to Reagan...............Us outraged Dems were treated as fanatics, especially by the so called.....REAGAN DEMOCRATS. HWBush's CABAL did devistating damage to the Middle class, and some of his crap still continues rearing its ugly head even now.....


Eisenhower, besides warning us of the Military Industrial Complex, gave another speech warning us of a Republican party that was determined to take complete power, and that was not what the U.S. and our beloved democracy was all about.......

"IF A POLITICAL PARTY DOES NOT HAVE IT'S FOUNDATION IN THE DETERMINATION TO ADVANCE A CAUSE THAT IS RIGHT AND THAT IS MORAL, THEN IT IS NOT A POLITICAL PARTY; IT IS MERELY A CONSPIRACY TO SEIZE POWER........"

Dwight Eisenhower.....March 6th, 1956

He was the last decent and moral Republican in recent history...........

[Jack Valentino]

40. I'm a 'late boomer', but support the idea of younger candidates!

Don't throw ALL of us 'under the bus', I've been a white male progressive Democrat since my youth....

[Bluetus]

42. Same here. I am not blaming voters. I have never had a choice.

The Party filters out the people it wants, and sometime about 30 years ago, it largely became frozen in time.

People like Hogg, AOC, Mamdani, and Plattner have elevated this to the conscious level, but it has been there for decades.

[TheProle]

15. What does "throwing out" billionaires look like?

[Wednesdays]

17. Well, electing Democrats, for one

If the Democratic Party held the Presidency, the House, and the Senate, there'd be a whole lot fewer billionaires in power, n'est-ce pas?

[TheProle]

18. I mean, yes, inasmuch as their power and billions reside in offices held.

But I fail to see how even holding the White House and both houses of Congress equals fewer billionaires in general. I also hope that Gabby would/could explain exactly what they'd be "thrown out" of.

This whole line of discussion seems mighty magical in its thinking.

[gab13by13]

28. Throwing them out of government,

One big example, we have a hedge fund manager as Secretary of the Treasury. We have an idiot WWE owner as secretary of Education.

Elon Musk rigged the election for Krasnov.

Too many more to list.

We are becoming Russia where a handful of oligarchs skim from the people and own 30% of the country.

[leftstreet]

26. Taxing the fuckers would be a start n/t

[Traildogbob]

29. Unwashed repubs??

MAGA’ts have already been skull scrubbed and repacked the cavity with Fux Shit.
But damn right, we have to get through to repubs that are hanging on to the party and have enough skull paste to hear and SEE the truth, and care enough to recoup and save what we have lost and what is obviously in our face gonna be taken, as fast as they can steal before the orange carcass falls over when the Cankles Fail. We have to fight with the urgency they are destroying.
Then……..prosecute all of them.
Seize all stolen wealth and send checks back to us.
Trump Jr wins drone engine military contract and no bid. Not fucking word. Hunter Hunter Hunter.

[vanlassie]

38. In Chicago neighbors have LOUD whistles that they blow if

they see ICE on their neighborhood. Then lots of people stream outside. They chastise, question, and ask “what if?” questions. They disrupt.

[TommieMommy]

2. This is terrifying what is happening

[70sEraVet]

3. This is why FOX News wants us in front of our TVs 24/7

They don't want us looking outside!

[Diamond_Dog]

4. That is horrendous!

Staunch Fox “News” viewers will never see it, though.

[Scrivener7]

5. I knew at the outset it would have to get very bad before people woke up.

I knew it was going to be awful, but nothing prepared me for how bad this feels.

[PatSeg]

10. Same here

Somehow the reality is far worse than I had imagined. And yes, eventually everyone will be affected by this brutal regime and they'll have to wake up. They've been warned repeatedly for years.

[Tree Lady]

6. Until something happens to them personally

They usually won't wake up. Healthcare is waking up someone I know who helps support their 27 yr old daughter and her cost going from $100 to $900.

We can choose to be mean and judgmental or help them continue to see the light and change for good to our side. Many have been lied into what they have been following.

[txwhitedove]

7. Damn. We've had an unusual number of power outages in my surrounding area of northeast

Harris County. I just put my first post on Ring app which was quickly denied and taken down.
"PSA: just heard chilling report of some people taken away after going outside to check power outage. So Post away, call Centerpoint, be aware!"

Since getting Ring, there were too many posts about power outages, gun shots, wierd. But actually seemed quiet on ICE activity compared to CA and NY. Our ICE must be doing night raids.

[Playingmantis]

9. Well they do this in Russia ..so i guess Trump thinks its okay here..

But its only going to get worse as Miller thinks ICE is to slow

[Farmer-Rick]

13. They do this in China and Saudi too

ICE has access to the same dictator spy ware. Bidden outlawed it. Pedo Trump gave it to ICE. It's what helped the Saudis to murder and chop up Jamal Khashoggi.

It's a spyware that can get in your phone and sends all your info like location, camera images and text/phone call info to who ever wants it. Pedo allows ICE to use it on all of us. It does all this without you knowing or even having to click on it.

Here is one version of it:

Paragon Solutions' Graphite

Zero-click capability: The spyware can infect a phone through "zero-click" exploits, meaning it does not require the user to interact with a link or file to gain access.

Extensive data extraction: Once deployed, Graphite can give ICE agents access to a device's messages, encrypted chats (including Signal and WhatsApp), photos, and real-time location data.

Uses as a listening device: The spyware can also be used to turn a phone into a remote listening device by manipulating the phone's microphone.

Concerns over misuse: The Biden administration had previously placed a "stop-work order" on the $2 million contract due to concerns over the software's potential for human rights abuses. This pause was lifted in August 2025.

Probably all our phones are infected with it.

[jfz9580m]

34. How is that not straight up a ransomware risk?

I have long been worried that much like that pandemic resulted from those awful wet markets, this sort of irresponsible spyware will among other things be the thing that leads to the next massive global cyberwar or ransomware type event that takes out half the globe ..

As with wet markets, cruelty aside, these really terrible ideas have other consequences.

It worries me a lot. I never go on shady internet websites, am pretty careful to be anonymous online, protect my privacy as much as I can and have no social media. But I do have a DU account and donate to groups like the Humane League.

I am always most worried about my bank info. This Paragon and NSO shit is what will one day lead to some sort of ghastly cyber attack that takes down banking systems across the globe.

Spyware is extra irresponsible when promoted by the state. PRC, Russia etc are not places to emulate.

And after that I bet they pretend that it is any online presence ever that was the issue. That is just lame. Not cracking down on shit like Paragon or NSO creepware is the issue.

These guys perpetuate undemocratic and low data hygiene practices and that will set off the next major cataclysm..

That reminds me, I should update my phone and change my banking passwords more often.
I try to lower my “attack surface” to the extent I can - if with my signature ineptitude..oh well..

I could really use an Adderall prescription.

[pfitz59]

11. I've had previously apolitical co-workers relate similar stories.

This ICE/Gestapo nonsense is turning the tide.

[rubbersole]

12. First they came for the Houston suburbanites but I didn't speak up...

Last edited Wed Oct 29, 2025, 01:15 PM - Edit history (1)

..because I wasn't a Houston suburbanite...

(Not trying to be flippant. This is internment camp time that they're laying the groundwork for. Scary.)

[txwhitedove]

19. ICE at a restaurant less than a mile from me, alert on Next Door app 1 hour ago. We are trying to

alert people.

[JustAnotherGen]

16. It's awful all the way around

But it's a stress test to take Americans. That's why I think the last number I saw was `200 Americans who had been kidnapped and held against their will.

Tomorrow it could be you or me.

I'm extremely happy that judge in Chicago is holding Bovino's feet to the fire. Every day at 6 PM until he gets right with the Constitution. He's a sadistic psychopath. In a different timeline he's in prison as a serial killer.

[maxsolomon]

20. He must have been a criminal alien - the worst of the worst.

Otherwise, the professional officers of ICE wouldn't have contacted him at his house.

Does your ex-boss know which Latino gang he was in? Tren de Agua, or MS13?

Yes,

at "never paid much attention to politics".

[Trueblue Texan]

35. I know it's really easy to judge and I do it too...

But let's not forget how much pressure is on young parents (which my former boss is one). They work more than full time frequently, they take care of their kids, their homes, cook all the meals, take care of kids social activities, sports, extra curricular activities, school demands, and are almost always overworked. I think this is a deliberate part of the system which was designed to oppress. There is very little bandwidth beyond survival for many of these people. I'm just glad she finally woke up. And I'm sorry it took ICE getting so close to home for her to awaken.

[maxsolomon]

43. I guess.

somehow I managed to be politically aware and be a parent.

[Trueblue Texan]

44. Thank you for using your abilities to do good in the world.

I appreciate you and those who did the same.

[pat_k]

24. I think that as families get together for Thanksgiving, more people are going to be hearing such stories...

... and that we'll see the level of opposition take an up tick as even families in MAGA strongholds realize that there are serious cracks. So many have invested so much of their identities in "belonging" to the cult of personality that they've been pushing aside regrets and doubts. As they hear more dissent within the ranks, little cracks can become big cracks.

And, like your boss, those who have simply believed "politics isn't for the likes of me" or "politics is for the professionals," I would bet many will be hearing things from family members that inspire them to step up because ultimately, We the People who share this nation -- however we got here -- are the ultimate check on tyrannical rule.

What the regime is doing is harming so many in so many ways. Not just the ICE brutality. People on a health care cliff, mass layoffs inside and outside of government, cost of essentials, disaster relief withheld, wonton power grabs and corruption.

Anyone who once "poo pooed" the notion that character matters in our electeds -- believing that they all have no character -- are learning what it actually means to have absolutely no moral integrity or respect for the oath of office. Character does matter and I think it is becoming crystal clear to more and more people that it is not just We the People that are the ultimate check, it is also the character and integrity of the people we elect that makes for decency in government. We are a government of institutions and laws. but none of that matters if the institutions are populated by people who can only be described as evil.

[Klarkashton]

27. They kidnap people that are here legally. They are doing it to people that have had a traffic ticket 10 years ago and

bogus shit like that. The only people that are going to safe in this goddamn place are those pardoned for J6.

[Torchlight]

30. I think the Apathy Demographic is waking up against its will

It wants to remain huddled behind consumerism, affordable food and healthcare, streets in good repair and equity in the eyes of the law, and is beginning to realize mr. trump is a little 12 year old fella who throws tantrums and shits himself. They might end up voting in the midterms due to his behavior and its consequences, and should that happen, trump's brain plaque build-up will quickly become a tertiary problem tp the maladmin.

[Bluetus]

31. This is like the steel cables holding up a suspension bridge

Everything looks fine for years. The bridge passes inspection. No problems.

But then something happens on one of the 10 mighty cables. Each of those cables consists of 20 smaller cables intertwined. And each of those smaller cables consists of 100 steel wires.

When put into service, the engineers calculated the cables could hold twice the weight of a fully loaded bridge. But 2 months ago, one of those little wires snapped. Maybe it was rust. Maybe it was the years of stress swinging randomly in the wind trying to hold up this heavy bridge. We don't know, and nobody noticed. Maybe that breakage was actually inside one of the larger bundles and not visible.

But that little wire is no longer holding anything up. Days pass. Another wire snaps, then 5, then 10. Still nobody notices because it was not time for an inspection. But now the remaining wires and cables are feeling more weight.

Today we can start to see cables fraying with our own eyes. The bridge is not coming down tomorrow, but all the remaining cables and wires are under more stress than the engineers planned for. By the time we can see badly frayed cables, things are accelerating. Now engineers are called in. Can they repair this before the bridge crashes? We don't know. It is now a race against time. And what we do know is that the insiders who thought they were perfectly safe on that bridge are now worried. They are looking for a way out. They don't know if the bridge will collapse tomorrow or 2 years from now, but they an see it is in serious trouble, and if it does collapse, they want to be 1000 miles away from that bridge so they can't be blamed.

That's where we are. The early warnings have been happening for months. MTG coming out directly against Trump is perhaps the first time we actually saw the cables fraying with our own eyes. But then there is Massie and Rand Paul. People are openly opposing Trump and living to tell the tale. Meanwhile, we have Mamdani who would normally be crushed by quasi-Republican Cuomo, but the opposite is happening. We have Trump holding no rallies, but Bernie and AOC are getting thousands, and No Kings gets 8 million.

The signs are everywhere. This could move quickly now.

[benfranklin1776]

39. Excellent engineering analogy!

Now the question is whether We The People, together, can support the weight of the bridge, stop the unraveling and make permanent structural repairs. Impossible for any one individual but doable with a sizable majority of the population simultaneously engaged in this vital task.

[Joinfortmill]

32. Yes, it's a good sign when folks show some empathy, but I still think the human race need a reboot.

[The Wizard]

36. The former boss

is now woke. With pain comes awareness.

[spanone]

37. K&R

[Joinfortmill]

41. I do hope so.