A WSJ investigation tracked the U.S. citizens caught in the crosshairs of an aggressive government campaign to detain and demonize dissenters
This post uses a gift link with a view count limit. If it runs out, there is a second one and somewhat unreliable archived copy which has the text but not the visuals.
Many Americans can use their library card to generate additional gift links
We always where. If you live here you’re an american. Sorry if that’s insulting to some of you who’ve moved here lol.
I love how scrolling has no visible effect for quite some time. I thought it was broken. These things are cute, but have no place in journalism.
Yeah, that was unpleasant.
First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist
Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist
Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me
– Martin Niemöller
Actually first they came for the LGBTQ+ people,
but Martin did not speak out
Because as a conservative catholic priest,
he agreed with it.
-History, actually. We CANNOT afford to leave Anyone behind like this.
EDIT: okay, he was Lutheran. And Both the LGBTQ+ and Communist hate were slow-simmering among the German Nazis, breaking out in state-sanctioned violence almost concurrently.
Its fascinating to see just how much the history parallels what we have today.
That this poem is easily available makes it a great tool. But that it so easily glosses over others that the Nazis targeted as being “un-German” is not something we can accept.
Martin Niemoller, famously a prominent Lutheran pastor, was actually not a Catholic priest.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Niemöller
I agree with your sentiment, but his piece is timeless and too important to history to misrepresent.
EDIT: it’s also my understanding (not a historian though) that communists were the first targets. Political opponents when the nazis first achieved power because they were not strong. The moved on to ideological targets after they had established power.
Your wikipedia link shows this priest excited for Hitler’s rise, even voting for Hitler in 1933, after the burning of the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institut_für_Sexualwissenschaft Instititute for Sexual Science.
While this poem is a useful tool, we cannot accept it being used by even the author to obscure the deaths of those he agreed with the Nazis about.
The Nazis had a slow simmer of hate for both Communists and the LGBTQ+ community. Each received state sanctioned violence at the hands of Nazis simultaneously, both being labelled as “un-German”
If you’ll pardon the inflammatory language, I’m going to continue communicating the same thought. That priest was a product of his time and place, and fully teaching his poem demands passing on critique of that basis.
While this poem is a useful tool, we cannot accept it being used by even the author to obscure the deaths of those he agreed with the Nazis about.
That priest was a product of his time and place, and fully teaching his poem demands passing on critique of that basis.
Wholly agree with you here in the goal, sentiment, and calling out he’s a product of his time. Once again, here’s a conservative that only cared about something once it affected him. At least he left his words to the ages in hopes others would learn from them instead.
The Nazis and Freikorps went for the commies first though. They were founded like all fascists as an explicitly anti-Marxist group.
Pretty much, “Never again” means “never again to anyone, ever”
Wondered why the attack on trans people was omitted from the poem.
A little lacking in self-awareness, that guy.
Maybe the idiots that voted Trump will think twice next time…
Nah who am I kidding?
The MAGA idiots that voted for Trump still support Trump. My neighbor is overjoyed that we are at war. I’ve never been so disgusted by a boomer’s behavior.
My other idiot boomer friend is not MAGA, but he is Republican. And he will continue to vote Republican, even though he hates Trump.
They never learn. It’s always “well, next time it’ll be different”. And, in that respect, they are exactly like Democrats.
Yep, last I heard Trump still has above 30% support among Americans, including all the shit about ICE, tax cuts for the 1%, taking affordable healthcare away from people, undermining the economy with tariffs, breaking relations with former allies, failing to support Ukraine, and now entering a completely unnecessary illegal and war destabilizing the region and and even Europe to some degree, that benefit no-one but Israel and Putin.
I mean, what else could they even do? Vote for the DEMONcrats? They believe all kinds of wild things about the Democratic Party. They think the Democrats are going to defund the police, have boys get made into girls at school, flood the country with illegals that will rape your wife and daughters, and on and on…
flood the country with illegals that will rape your wife and daughters
That would take jobs away from good American presidents and his friends.
I mean, what else could they even do? Vote for the DEMONcrats?
Yes ABSOLUTELY!! And then join the party, and participate actively in politics to move Democrats to improve (reform) democracy in USA.
That’s what they should have done at least since the 80’s, where it became clear there was a problem.
Instead Americans have abandoned both politics and unions, and are now completely without power, that has been yielded to the 1% instead!No one likes democrats. They lost (or worse, didn’t fight a stolen election) to a pedophile loser rapist reality tv piece of shit.
This has been a problem since the 80’s, it’s not a new problem that suddenly happened. It may be to late now, but in case it isn’t, this is the best way forward for Americans.
Think twice? They didn’t even think once.
They thought three times and made the same decision.
They won’t need to vote anymore.
Doesn’t make much difference anyway. When they elect someone like Trump twice, Americans have shown very clearly they don’t deserve to have democracy as a people.
It’s sad for the ones that are more moderate and responsible, but they are a minority, and we can’t judge a country by a minority.
they don’t deserve to have democracy as a people
Hey fuck you. Eat shit. Die in a fucking chemical car fire. No, better yet, live through one and be horribly disfigured and live out your days in unbearable pain.
The political compass normalizes most right wingers as being moderate. Liberalism has created this situation. You cannot legislate your way to ethical capitalism.
You cannot legislate your way to ethical capitalism.
I disagree, that’s exactly what we’ve done in Scandinavia.
You make it sound like creative tax planning, union busting, gig economy and other forms of exploitation of workers don’t exist in Scandinavia… And I’m just naming a few of the many problems with “ethical capitalism”, as you call it.
Nope union busting does not exist, and the gig economy is tiny, and the little there is, is based on fair pay.
Obviously there is creative tax planning, that’s kind of a game of whack a mole. Difference here is that we try to have fair tax regulation, contrary to USA that favor the rich, so much so they don’t even have to be creative.There is actually a difference between a democracy that works for the people, and one that works for the rich.
People are being threatened and/or fired for organizing workers at their workplace. I don’t know what your definition of union busting is, but it happens over and over in Sweden.
Example:
Another example, from Finland:
Strikebreaking is still a thing, and while very much illegal in its traditional form employers have figured out new ways to legally do it by importing labour from other countries:
https://www.transportarbetaren.se/strejkbryteriet-ar-tillbaka/
And regarding the general exploitation of workers, especially low-paying precarious jobs that require hard labour:
https://www.dagensmedicin.se/arbetsliv/arbetsmiljo/fack-stammer-apotea-for-manga-overtidstimmar/
I don’t know which country you are from, but it doesn’t really matter is I am quite sure these things happen there as well.
Capitalism is an antithesis to ethics; you can’t have a capitalist economy without exploiting your workers, and while you can have more or less “nice” employers the absolute majority of them will find ways to fuck you over when push comes to shove.
Companies exist to make as much profit as possible, and they lose their power if their workers start organizing. That’s why they will find every way to (legally or not) stop that from happening (as seen in the examples I have linked to above).
Better than some countries, but still participating in capitalism, which cannot exist without exploitation.
You’re a member of NATO, yeah?
Capitalism is not the basis of society, the law is. And just because we have free markets, doesn’t automatically lead to exploitation. Exploitation is way worse in countries that claim they are not capitalist. All the best countries in the world to live in, are free market democracies.
Spoken like a truly indoctrinated westerner. Everything about your life has been defined by capitalism, including the “law” you mention. Our capitalist societies have enabled the elites to create those laws which do not apply to them.
The lesser developed countries that have had the western boots on their throats would also like a word.
France, Great Britain, and the US, along with it’s NATO allies have been fist fucking the world for a very long. It’s ignorant to call it a free market. It’s looting the global south.
Now? This isn’t new information if you’ve been paying attention. It’s been this way for quite a while. They don’t care who gets caught in their sweeps. Illegals, legals, natural born citizens. Fucking guilty until proven innocent. The exact opposite of what our justice system is supposed to stand for.
Oh, and you don’t get a chance to prove your innocence. It’s purely just ICE points a finger at you and you go to a gulag. Or worse. Ask Alex Pretty or Renee Good or Ruben Ray Martinez. Your citizenship doesn’t matter. Your skin color doesn’t really matter.
you don’t get a chance to prove your innocenc
The law doesn’t require you to prove your innocence. It’s up to the prosecution to prove otherwise. Any system that operates otherwise does so in violation of the constitution.
And?
The whole reason that habeus is the first requirement of the law is without a right to trial, what the law says doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter if ICE has no right to jail you if nobody is stopping them.
For US citizens, that’s not so true. People do seem to be getting no-bills from grand juries and acquitted at trial.
The problem will be getting a trial. Theres been several stories of people getting deported hours after being whisked away because ICE didnt want a judge to step in
Always been a risk with ICE and the Border Patrol. About 1% of deportations have long been of US citizens. You need to get a friend to bring your proof of citizenship and try repeatedly to come home if that happens. A lawyer helps too.
No, ICE needs to follow the fucking law.
Having your buddies ready to drop off ‘papers please’ documents is not fucking American.
About 1% of deportations have long been of US citizens
Cool, and what % have been legal permanent residents or green card holders?
What % have no criminal record (this one I can answer: 98%)
I’m glad I’m not the first one alarmed by the ‘now’ part. We’re borderline, if not completely in Historic Pre-WW2 Nazi playbook, and have been for the past several years.
If you’re surprised, you haven’t been paying attention
Unfortunately a lot of people haven’t been paying attention.
So then it’s not an “immigration crackdown”
its THE crackdown
Don’t you mean “it’s ÞE crackdown”
i got downvoted for þorn so i dont use it as much here 🥀
liſen here u little ſhit
Protesters, observers and passersby taken into custody by federal agents were declared terrorists and attackers in hundreds of social-media posts by U.S. officials and departments since the start of the immigration sweeps in cities. This includes Minneapolis, where two citizens were excoriated by officials after they were killed by federal agents in January.
The Wall Street Journa?!? Trump managed to lose the Wall Street Journal?
Not really. Their editorial board and page are 100% on board with him.
However, the WSJ still does actual reporting, and it’s usually fairly good/accurate. Just don’t read the editorials, ever.
I feel like the beginning was a little too complicated and didnt have the best UX but I really loved the more multimedia way of presenting all the details together, with audio, video, textual information, and data visualization all brought together
Just now?
