Cracks in the Vase (Part 1 of 2)
Trump’s crazy & evil leadership could cost the GOP in the Midterms
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A DEEP DIVE INTO POLITICS
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Email to Canadian Employers (GQM, Scythia, Kindred, Pageboy, Stellar)
Slideshow For Canadian Employers
Open Video For Seth MacFarlane
Slideshow for Fuzzy Door & Hollywood Employers
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Reality is created by the mind: we can change our reality by changing our mind.
-Plato (428/423 BC-348/347 BC) An ancient Greek philosopher, he is considered a foundational thinker in Western philosophy and an innovator of the written dialogue and dialectic forms.
And
- Arno Gruen (1923 – 2015) A Swiss-German psychologist and psychoanalyst, he was born in Berlin and emigrated to the US in 1936: his parents – James and Rosa Gruen – fled Germany to save their lives. During the journey, he celebrated his Bar Mitzvah in the Great Synagogue of Warsaw (June 6, 1936). Both quotes are from his book The Insanity of Normality: Toward Understanding Human Destructiveness.
<><><> INTRODUCTION<><><>
On October 30, 1938, Orson Welles and the Mercury Theatre on the Air aired a radio adaptation of H.G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds.
The program was presented as a series of real-time news bulletins, describing a Martian invasion beginning in Grovers Mill, New Jersey. The broadcast’s realism—complete with breathless reporters, military updates, and a faux presidential address—was so convincing that many listeners believed it was real, especially those who tuned in late and missed the disclaimer.
The show mimicked the format of breaking news: a familiar and trusted style during a tense pre-WWII era. Using real locations and scientific jargon to heighten credibility, the first half had no commercial breaks, it created the illusion of an uninterrupted news broadcast. At the same time, there were quirky and comedic flourishes.
The collective panic ranged from calls flooding police stations to families fleeing their homes (in reaction to the alien attack).
Police departments, newspapers and CBS were besieged with phone-calls, and in New Jersey, where the fictitious invasion took place, national guardsmen were said to have asked where to report for duty. The Trenton police department fielded 2,000 calls in under 2 hours, and in Providence, Rhode Island, hysterical callers begged for the power to be cut to keep the city safe from the invaders.
Jumping to current events, far-right media outlets such as Fox News and Newsmax – along with influential social media accounts like Libs of TikTok – have played a central role in amplifying false narratives that LGBTQ individuals are “grooming” children for pedophilia and that transgender people pose a threat to women in public bathrooms. These claims surged dramatically—by over 400% on social media—following legislation like Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay or Trans” bill. Despite being repeatedly debunked by law enforcement and advocacy groups, these outlets have continued to promote isolated or misrepresented incidents as evidence of systemic danger (often ignoring the fact that such bathroom-related assaults are statistically nonexistent). The rhetoric has been widely condemned by civil rights organizations as a form of moral panic and digital hate, with real-world consequences including increased harassment, bomb threats, and violence against LGBTQ individuals.
And the false narratives found resonance among segments of white Americans who identify with a strident, often politicized form of Christianity: these beliefs were rooted in purity culture and traditional gender roles. Tapping into longstanding religious anxieties about moral decay, childhood innocence, and the perceived erosion of patriarchal norms, the incessant far-right narrative framed LGBTQ visibility as a direct challenge to divine order and social stability. Scholars have noted that such rhetoric often revives historical tropes—like the blood libel or homosexual seduction myths—and repackages them for modern culture wars, reinforcing group identity through fear and moral panic. Portraying opposition to anti-LGBTQ legislation as complicity in child abuse, far-right media and social platforms galvanized support among religious conservatives who view themselves as cultural guardians against secular liberalism.
Returning back 1938, newspapers were threatened by radio’s rising influence: they amplified the panic by portraying it as mass hysteria in subsequent accounts. Some historians argue this was exaggerated to discredit radio as a reliable medium. The broadcast became a symbol of the media’s power to shape perception, sparking debates about regulation and responsibility.
Social media is a huge part of the information age.
Academic and cultural commentators have long argued that the public reaction to Orson Welles’ War of the Worlds broadcast was not merely a case of gullibility: it was a psychological flashpoint ignited by the geopolitical tinder of the time.
In the weeks leading up to the broadcast, Americans were inundated with grim news from Europe.
Hitler had just annexed the Sudetenland, and the Munich Crisis had dominated radio coverage with real-time “flash” bulletins. Listeners were primed to expect sudden, catastrophic updates. Scholars like Hadley Cantril and Paul Lerner have argued that this climate of dread predisposed the public to interpret Welles’ fictional Martian invasion as a plausible foreign attack.
Radio’s intimacy: Radio was a voice in a family’s living room: making it feel personal and urgent.
CBS’s reputation for breaking news lent unintended credibility to the broadcast’s format.
Listeners’ fear of gas attacks and aerial bombardment mirrored anxieties about Nazi Germany’s military capabilities.
By the late 20th century, many adherents of strident conservative Christianity had come to rely heavily on mass communications—particularly television and radio—as primary conduits for both doctrinal instruction and interpretive frameworks that aligned world events with apocalyptic prophecy and moral decline.
Figures like Pat Robertson – through the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) and its flagship program The 700 Club – pioneered a fusion of charismatic theology, political commentary, and slick production values that framed global affairs as signs of religious persecution and the impending end times.
Simultaneously, Jimmy Swaggart’s auditorium crusades—broadcast to millions—used emotionally charged sermons, music, and theatrical staging to reinforce themes of societal decay and spiritual warfare: making media-driven revivalism a dominant form of religious education for many evangelicals.
These platforms didn’t just disseminate beliefs; they cultivated a shared worldview, where polished media presentations became synonymous with spiritual authority and prophetic insight.
The 1938 broadcast was laced with theatrical absurdity. Welles himself described it as “dressing up in a sheet and jumping out of a bush and saying ‘boo!’”. The script included:
A tango orchestra interrupted by Martian news flashes.
A reporter narrating his own incineration in real time.
A Secretary of the Interior who sounded suspiciously like FDR.
These elements, when viewed in hindsight, border on parody. Scholars have argued that a reasonable listener, especially one who heard the opening disclaimer or the intermission announcement, should have recognized the broadcast as a dramatization. Yet many tuned in late or were distracted, and the realism of the format—especially the use of faux experts and place names—blurred the line between fiction and fact.
The panic wasn’t just about fear: it was about social contagion.
Cantril’s 1940 study The Invasion from Mars and later sociological analyses suggest that the broadcast revealed a deeper vulnerability: the ease with which groupthink can override individual skepticism.
People didn’t just panic alone: they panicked together.
Rumors spread faster than the broadcast itself, with many reacting based on hearsay rather than firsthand listening.
The broadcast became a test case for media effects theory, supporting models like the hypodermic needle theory, which posits that media can inject ideas directly into passive audiences.
Some scholars have gone further, suggesting that the event was a moral panic, amplified by newspapers eager to discredit radio as a competitor. But even if the scale of hysteria was exaggerated, the incident remains a potent example of how collective anxiety, media realism, and social dynamics can converge into mass delusion.
Back to the future, false narratives alleging that LGBTQ individuals are “grooming” children for pedophilia and that transgender people pose a threat in public bathrooms were embraced as fact by a segment of white Americans aligned with a strident, politicized form of Christianity: the allegations – however bogus – aligned with a theology of purity culture and rigid gender roles.
These claims resonated deeply because they echoed longstanding religious anxieties about moral decay, the sanctity of childhood innocence, and the perceived collapse of patriarchal order. LGBTQ visibility was not seen as social progress but as a direct affront to divine design (triggering fears of cultural and spiritual destabilization).
Even when confronted with empirical evidence disproving these assertions—such as the absence of any statistical link between transgender bathroom access and assault—many adherents remained unmoved (viewing counterarguments as secular – meaning Satanic – deception or moral compromise). This resistance reflects a broader pattern of ideological entrenchment: where theological identity and cultural grievance override factual rebuttal, reinforcing a closed epistemic loop that treats dissent as heresy rather than dialogue.
Trump strategically amplified false narratives—not only the aforementioned but others —to galvanize hard-core Christian whites.
By playing into their apocalyptic fantasy – by aligning these fears with broader themes of religious persecution and societal decay – Trump positioned himself as a cultural savior: promising to restore divine order and protect Christian values from secular encroachment. His rhetoric – echoed across far-right media and social platforms – transformed these anxieties into political loyalty.
By forging a fervent voting bloc that proved decisive in both the 2016 and 2024 elections, he created a robust political power that belied his intense unlikability and complete absence of credibility. In 2016, over 80% of white evangelical Christians voted for Trump: and in 2024, that support remained robust (with Christian nationalism emerging as a key ideological driver of his victory). This bloc’s unwavering allegiance—despite countervailing facts or shifting cultural norms—ensured high turnout and minimal defection (effectively securing Trump’s electoral margins in swing states and cementing their role as the backbone of his political coalition).
The 1938 radio drama concluded with a twist faithful to the original novel: the Martians succumbed not to human weapons, but to Earth’s microbes. Welles then broke character, assuring listeners it was all a Halloween prank: “dressing up in a sheet and jumping out of a bush and saying ‘boo!’”.
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In the Introduction, I conflate the story of Orson Welles’ War of the Worlds broadcast with MAGA’s attitudes regarding LGBTQ. Our great challenge is that people believe what they believe.
In Part One, I talk about how a fringe minority of people believe real crazy things. But – because their crazy beliefs caused them to vote – it elected a lunatic (twice). This has led to a fascist government.
In Part Two, I discuss how this violent fascist government – which built the first post-WWII concentration camp on US soil – is causing serious pushback from cultural institutions (that define the beliefs & attitudes of large numbers of people). I will expand on this in next week’s essay. This phenomenon will hopefully crush the GOP: this will hopefully save our democracy.
<><><> PART ONE<><><>
White evangelical Christians formed a decisive voting bloc for Donald Trump in both 2016 and 2024.
In 2016, roughly 81% of white evangelicals voted for Trump: that support remained strong: that support base remained strong in ’24. That impassioned assistance got a powerful assist with Christian nationalism emerging as a more explicit ideological driver. Many evangelical leaders framed Trump’s presidency as divinely ordained, and some viewed his victory as a fulfillment of prophecy.
Social media and ideologically aligned platforms like Newsmax, OANN, and Gab played a critical role in consolidating this bloc. These platforms:
Amplified narratives of religious persecution and cultural decline.
Promoted Christian nationalist influencers like Lance Wallnau and Andrew Torba (founder of the social media platform called Gab).
Provided alternative news ecosystems that reinforced Trump’s messaging and delegitimized mainstream media.
This media environment helped sustain loyalty, even when Trump’s personal behavior clashed with traditional evangelical values. As one analysis put it, many evangelicals saw Trump as a “flawed vessel” chosen by God.
This theological perspective led to Trump’s victories.
While Trump won a majority of white and Hispanic Christians, he failed to capture anywhere near a majority of votes from:
<<>> Black Protestants (13% voted for Trump).
<<>> Jews (21%).
<<>> The religiously unaffiliated (25%).
<<>> Americans from other religions (33%).
Vice President Kamala Harris’ strong performance among these groups reflects their broader presence in the religious composition of the Democratic Party. The 2023 PRRI Census of American Religion found that Christians of color, members of minority faiths, and the religious “nones” are disproportionately represented among Americans who identify as Democrats.
GOTV (Get Out The Vote) refers to the strategic efforts by political campaigns, advocacy groups, or civic organizations to mobilize voters and increase turnout during elections. Rather than persuading undecided voters, GOTV focuses on identifying supporters and ensuring they actually cast their ballots—whether through early voting, absentee ballots, or on Election Day. Tactics range from door-to-door canvassing and phone banking to digital outreach and transportation assistance. GOTV is especially critical in close races, where activating low-propensity voters can tip the balance. Its effectiveness hinges on timing, personalization, and leveraging trusted networks to turn passive support into active participation.
The GOP’s GOTV approach in 2024 was unconventional but highly targeted:
The Trump campaign outsourced GOTV to outside groups like Turning Point Action and America PAC, which focused on low-propensity voters in rural and exurban areas.
These efforts were amplified by digital outreach, including social media campaigns and influencer-driven mobilization.
Evangelical churches and networks also served as informal mobilization hubs, especially in swing states like Pennsylvania and Arizona.
While some Republicans expressed concern about the lack of traditional field offices, the strategy appeared to pay off — especially in states where evangelical turnout surged.
What’s striking is how identity politics, religious conviction, and media reinforcement created a feedback loop. Trump’s messaging — often framed in apocalyptic or messianic terms — resonated with evangelicals who felt culturally marginalized. Platforms like Newsmax didn’t just inform; they validated those feelings and mobilized them.
An example of this feedback loop is the totally bogus threat of transgenderism that is an obsession amongst hardcore MAGA on social media and on far-right news/commentary outlets like Newsmax.
As of the most recent data from 2024, approximately 0.95% of U.S. adults—about 2.3 million people—identify as transgender. That figure comes from the Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey, which began collecting gender identity data in 2021.
Here's a quick breakdown:
Cisgender female: 50.26%
Cisgender male: 47.09%
Transgender: 0.95%
Other identities (e.g., non-binary, gender non-conforming): 1.70%
Despite the prominence of this issue in political discourse – because of the incessant drumbeat from right-wing social media and outlets like Newsmax – there is no verified statistical evidence of trans women assaulting cis women in public bathrooms.
Multiple studies and law enforcement surveys across U.S. states have found zero documented cases of such incidents. Even in cities with trans-inclusive bathroom policies, researchers found no increase in safety violations or assaults.
(1) Marcie Bianco, writing for Impact (April 2, 2015), reported that spokespeople from the Transgender Law Center, the Human Rights Campaign, and the ACLU all confirmed they had never found a single documented case of a trans woman attacking a cis woman in a bathroom.
(2) A Media Matters study led by Luke Brinker and Carlos Maza surveyed law enforcement officials, sexual assault advocates, and government employees in 12 U.S. states. None of them reported a single case of a trans person harassing or assaulting someone in a restroom.
(3) Ashley Flattery, a victims advocate at the Alachua County Crisis Center, said in the Miami Herald that the idea of trans people being a threat in bathrooms is “imaginary.”
When comparing violence between groups, the data paints a stark picture:
Trans people are over 4 times more likely to be victims of violent crime than cis people.
Transgender men and women both experiences significantly higher rates of physical, sexual, and intimate partner violence than their cisgender counterparts.
In public restrooms, trans people are far more likely to be harassed, denied access, or assaulted than to perpetrate violence.
If there were evidence supporting Trump’s position, you would be hearing about it 24/7.
Hysteria among Trump’s extremist base concerning a totally fictitious “problem”, drove the idiots to the polls. But what about an actual problem?
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has issued increasingly urgent warnings about climate change: describing it as an existential threat to humanity.
Here are some of his most striking statements from recent speeches:
(1) At the 2023 Climate Ambition Summit, Guterres used a vivid metaphor to describe the accelerating impacts of climate change (raging wildfires, deadly floods, and rising disease that are all driven by human activity: Humanity has opened the gates of hell.
(2) In June 2025, at the Financing for Development Conference in Sevilla, he emphasized that climate chaos is already here, citing record-breaking heatwaves, floods, and droughts. He warned that two-thirds of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals are off track, largely due to climate-related disruptions.
(3) At COP29 in Baku, Guterres called for urgent climate financing, especially for developing nations. He stressed that climate finance is not charity but an investment in global stability, and that failure to act will result in catastrophic economic and humanitarian consequences.
(4) In his 2025 Davos address, he criticized industries and governments backtracking on climate commitments. He warned that rising seas—caused by fossil fuel emissions—could overwhelm major oil ports. He concluded that ignoring climate science is both selfish and self-defeating.
Guterres consistently frames climate change not just as an environmental issue, but as a crisis multiplier: one that threatens peace, development, and human rights.
In his campaigns, Trump emphasized an aggressive hostility towards science: calling climate change a “hoax”. Instead, he emphasized total BS – like a totally imaginary crisis of trans women attacking cis women.
While I could find no single poll that isolates “MAGA” individuals and asks specifically about belief in the Book of Revelation’s end-times prophecy, we can triangulate from broader data on evangelical Christians and Trump supporters:
A 2010 Pew Research poll found that 41% of all Americans believed Jesus would return by 2050. Among white evangelical Protestants, that number rose to 58%.
In a 2021 PRRI survey, 29% of Republicans agreed that “the world is coming to an end,” compared to 16% of Democrats.
A 2022 survey by the University of Chicago found that 10% of Americans believed “the government is controlled by Satan-worshiping pedophiles”: a QAnon-linked belief often intertwined with apocalyptic thinking.
Simultaneously, only about half of Americans now say they are certain that God exists. It is fair to say that people who hold an extreme view of God are responsible for both of Trump’s election.
Given that MAGA adherents tend to overlap heavily with white evangelical Protestants, Christian nationalists, and QAnon sympathizers, it’s reasonable to estimate that 40–60% of MAGA supporters hold some form of end-times belief rooted in Revelation (probably more).
It’s worth noting:
The popularity of books like Left Behind and prophecy-themed media among MAGA-aligned Christians suggests a strong cultural appetite for apocalyptic narratives.
MAGA influencers have described Trump as a “modern-day Cyrus” or even a figure aligned with Revelation prophecy.
End-times belief isn’t just theological: it shapes political behavior, foreign policy views (especially regarding Israel and Iran), and resistance to climate action or global cooperation. For many, the idea that the world is ending justifies urgency, defiance, and distrust of secular institutions. Taken together, this means the embrace of truly bats--- actions: like electing a stupid and deluded sociopath president.
The MAGA movement—Trump’s most fervent base—has been closely tracked through polling, especially in terms of self-identification and approval ratings. Here's what the data shows:
Among Republicans: As of March 2025, 71% of Republicans identified as MAGA supporters, up from 55% in late 2024 and 40% in early 2024.
Among all U.S. adults: MAGA identification peaked at 20% in March 2025, but has since declined to 16% as of June.
Recent dip: A June 2025 Economist/YouGov poll found 49% of Republicans now identify as MAGA, suggesting a plateau or slight decline from the March high.
MAGA Republicans show near-unanimous support for Trump:
97% approve of his job performance.
68% say they like him personally “a lot”, compared to just 23% of non-MAGA Republicans.
There is a popular misconception that a majority of the American public are MAGA (or nearly so). This is untrue. It was always a fringe movement: peaking at 20% in March and dropping to 16% in June.
We are looking at two very different things:
(1) An election is determined by those who bother to vote. In the case of Trump, a significant block of his voters were religious fanatics. This resulted in a really crazy man assuming great political power (which did not reflect the true popular will).
(2) Once elected, a powerful leader – like Trump – is evaluated by both those who voted in the last election and those who did not. Trump has been an indescribably bad president. The potential consequences will be discussed in Part Two.
<><><> PART TWO <><><>
Many of my previous essays have discussed Trump’s mass deportation policy.
The numbers are staggering…and still unfolding. Here's what we know so far about the scale of Trump’s mass deportation policy and the controversial transfers to CECOT and other locations:
(1) Total U.S. Deportations (2025): Over 253,000 (Includes both border removals and interior ICE arrests).
(2) Deportations to CECOT (El Salvador): 261 estimated (Includes 238 Venezuelans, 23 Salvadorans: held without due process).
(3) Deportations to Guantánamo Bay (Cuba): Total Unknown.
Under President Trump, Guantánamo Bay was dramatically repurposed to detain immigrants from 26 countries—including individuals merely suspected of being undocumented—marking a stark departure from its post-9/11 role as a terrorism detention site.
The administration invested over $21 million to fly detainees to the base and expanded its use to include both “high-risk” and “low-risk” individuals: held without trial or legal counsel.
This stands in sharp contrast to the Obama and Biden administrations, which sought to shutter the facility entirely. Obama signed Executive Order 13492 in 2009 to close Guantánamo within a year, transferring over 190 detainees and reducing its population to 41 by the end of his term. Biden continued this trajectory quietly: clearing detainees for release and expressing intent to close the prison (though progress stalled amid congressional resistance and legal complexities). Where Obama and Biden viewed Guantánamo as morally reprehensible, Trump reframed it to further his psychotic hatred of nonwhites.
(4) Deportations to Panama & South Sudan: Total Unknown.
The Trump administration’s deportations to Panama involved a bilateral agreement that allowed the U.S. to transfer non-Panamanian migrants—primarily from Asia and Africa—to Panama as a temporary holding site before repatriation.
This arrangement – formalized in early 2025 – was framed as a “diplomatic breakthrough”: Panama agreed to host migrants from countries that typically refuse U.S. deportation flights. Practically, migrants were flown in via U.S. military aircraft, housed under police watch in hotels, and later moved to the San Vicente migration facility near the Darién Gap if they refused repatriation. Many were held without passports or phones, and legal access was severely limited, prompting criticism from human rights organizations.
Deportations to South Sudan were far more contentious, involving third-country removals of migrants with no ties to the nation.
After securing diplomatic assurances from South Sudan that deportees would not face torture, the Trump administration attempted to deport eight men—most from Latin America and Asia—via a flight from a U.S. military base in Djibouti.
Legal challenges delayed the transfer, with courts initially blocking the move due to due process concerns. However, the Supreme Court ultimately cleared the way, ruling that the administration could proceed without notifying migrants of their destination or assessing risk. The men were held in a converted shipping container under guard before being flown to South Sudan on July 4, 2025, marking a precedent-setting use of third-country deportation authority.
And…Who is being targeted:
Interior arrests have more than doubled, focusing on long-term residents, asylum seekers, and even legal visa holders.
Deportees include individuals with no criminal record, some detained during routine immigration check-ins or court appearances.
At least seven U.S. citizens have been mistakenly detained or deported.
Nayib Bukele, the President of El Salvador since 2019, has been a polarizing figure in global politics. While he has gained popularity for his tough stance on gang violence and his ambitious economic initiatives, his administration has been marred by widespread human rights abuses. Under Bukele's leadership, El Salvador declared a state of emergency in 2022: suspending constitutional rights and leading to the arbitrary detention of over 85,000 individuals, including children. Reports from human rights organizations have documented cases of torture, enforced disappearances, and deaths in custody, particularly in the country's notorious mega-prison, CECOT.
Bukele’s CECOT is at the epicenter of Trump’s demonic policies.
The mega-prison is housing migrants under a $6 million U.S. contract.
Many detainees were accused of gang affiliation without evidence, and some were deported in violation of court orders. All were deported without due process.
El Salvador has clarified that legal responsibility lies with the U.S., contradicting Trump’s claim that they cannot be returned.
This is not just a numbers game: it’s a human rights reckoning. Trump is cueing up mass-genocide. This is not the 70’s: partisan bickering of economic policy.
è TRUMP IS AS BAD AS HITLER.
We are looking at two very different things:
(1) An election is determined by those who bother to vote. In the case of Trump, a significant block of his voters were religious fanatics. This resulted in a really crazy man assuming great political power (which did not reflect the true popular will).
(2) Once elected, a powerful leader – like Trump – is evaluated by both those who voted in the last election and those who did not. Trump has been an indescribably bad president.
The broader public is becoming aware that Trump is a demented s--- show. This means two things:
His most fervent voting block are beginning to peel away. While a pseudo-religious cabal – MAGA – drives that block, there are voters who haven’t drunk the Kool-Aid. Catholics – for example – have long been conditioned to vote Republican. Having watched Trump in action, they are primed to vote against his government in the midterms (or – at least – not vote.). Even the MAGA core is beginning to break up.
Many think this is a pitched battle between MAGA and…well…sane people.
No.
A big chunk of the available electorate does not vote or only sporadically.
I work blue-collar, I know that a lot of people don’t vote because they are busting their a— to stay above water. But the mess that Trump is causing is undeniable (and is being brought to their attention).
A large chunk of nonvoters will vote in the midterms. This will mean a tsunami of support for the Dems.
The Catholic Church has mounted a multi-pronged resistance to the Trump administration’s mass deportation policy, blending moral condemnation, grassroots mobilization, and institutional defiance.
I was raised Catholic. In recent history, the Church has been a reliable block for the GOP. But there has been a turn at the top. As a former Catholic, I can tell you that the laity takes that seriously.
Here's a breakdown of how this activism is unfolding:
Cardinal Robert McElroy, Archbishop of Washington, has called the policy “inhumane” and “morally repugnant,” arguing it violates core Catholic teachings on human dignity and family unity.
Pope Francis, in a February 2025 letter to U.S. bishops, warned that mass deportations “damage the dignity of many men and women” and urged Catholics not to accept narratives that criminalize migrants indiscriminately.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) ended its 50-year refugee resettlement partnership with the federal government in April 2025, citing irreconcilable differences with Trump’s immigration policies.
Bishops have condemned executive orders that allow immigration enforcement in churches and schools: calling them a violation of religious liberty and pastoral mission.
Catholic sisters and lay organizations have organized protests, including a Capitol Hill rally with over 300 sisters from 40 states, opposing the administration’s budget bill that funds mass deportations.
Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso and others have pledged to accompany undocumented immigrants spiritually and materially, even in defiance of state restrictions.
The USCCB has filed lawsuits to restore refugee resettlement programs and challenged policies that end birthright citizenship.
Bishops have signed interfaith letters urging Congress to reject immigration enforcement funding and calling for humane reforms.
A rift has emerged within the Church hierarchy: “Francis-aligned” bishops like Archbishop John Wester are pushing for more vocal opposition, while others urge caution to avoid political backlash.
Vice President J.D. Vance accused the bishops of being motivated by financial interests, prompting public rebuttals from Church leaders defending their moral stance.
A lot of bullet points. That last one summarizes the functional death-wish of the Trump administration. The whole lot has bought into the weird psycho’s narcissism. In a pitched battle between the inter-generational support of the concept of spiritual infallibility of the Church and their government, these dumb-asses think that they will win.
This isn’t just a policy disagreement: it’s a spiritual and ethical confrontation. The Church is framing its resistance as a defense of the vulnerable, a stand for justice, and a refusal to let fear dictate policy.
Pope Leo XIV—Francis’s American-born successor—has emerged as a vocal and morally uncompromising critic of the Trump administration’s mass deportation policy. His stance is not only theological…but deeply personal (shaped by his own immigrant heritage and decades of missionary work in Latin America).
And…there are more bullet points:
In his first public statements as pontiff, Leo invoked the legacy of Catholic social teaching: emphasizing the right to migrate in search of dignity and safety.
He has condemned the deportation campaign as “a betrayal of Christian love”, stating that “Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank our love for others,” directly rebuking Vice President J.D. Vance’s “hierarchical love” doctrine.
Leo has called for compassion over nationalism, urging Catholics to resist policies that “criminalize poverty and vulnerability”.
His papacy has inspired a wave of activism among U.S. bishops, many of whom were appointed or elevated by Francis and Leo, including Cardinal McElroy and Bishop Michael Pham.
On World Refugee Day (June 20, 2025), a group of Catholic priests and faith leaders in Florida, led by Bishop Michael Pham of San Diego, began accompanying migrants to their immigration court hearings.
Their presence is meant to offer spiritual solidarity and public witness, while deterring aggressive ICE tactics. One observer likened the agents’ retreat to “the Red Sea parting”.
The initiative includes simultaneous Masses across dioceses dedicated to immigrants, reinforcing the Church’s pastoral commitment.
Bishop Pham, himself a refugee from Vietnam, has said that “the presence of faith leaders makes a difference in how the migrants are treated”, and that this ministry is a direct response to Pope Leo’s call to “be close in order to serve”.
The bishop also said
This movement is part of a broader faith-based resistance that blends moral theology, public advocacy, and direct action. It is analogous to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s.
And Trump’s fascist regime keeps supplying fuel…
As of now, Alligator Alcatraz—the migrant detention facility in the Florida Everglades—has a capacity of up to 5,000 detainees, though it was initially built to house around 3,000. The first group of detainees arrived on July 3, 2025: marking the start of operations. However, the exact number of people currently being held hasn’t been publicly confirmed.
People need to understand ICE officers and Border Patrol don't need probable cause to walk up to somebody, briefly detain them, and question them ... **based on their physical appearance**.
- Tom Homan (President Trump’s border czar) during a Fox News interview on July 11, 2025 (**emphasis mine**).
It was argued by the Trump administration that "Alligator Alcatraz" was built to house truly dangerous people. However, the truth is that people are being pulled over in bogus traffic stops for dubious reasons (like an unworking signal light) and are being questioned and detained if they are nonwhite.
That’s exactly what many civil rights groups and immigration attorneys have been warning about.
While the Trump administration claims Alligator Alcatraz is reserved for “dangerous individuals,” multiple reports suggest that racial profiling during traffic stops is contributing to the facility’s population:
Florida law enforcement, under the federal 287(g) program, has broad authority to detain individuals for immigration purposes—even during routine traffic stops.
Attorneys and advocates have documented cases where nonwhite drivers were pulled over for minor infractions (e.g., broken taillights, expired tags) and then questioned about their immigration status.
In several instances, individuals were detained and transferred to Alligator Alcatraz without being charged with any crime.
Critics argue this practice violates Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable searches and seizures.
The American Immigration Council and other watchdogs have raised alarms about the lack of oversight and the potential for systemic racial bias in enforcement.
Despite claims that the facility houses “criminal illegal aliens,” aerial footage and legal filings show detainees arriving in handcuffs from routine traffic stops and court check-ins, not from violent crime scenes.
Lawmakers and journalists have been denied access, fueling concerns that the site is being used to disappear vulnerable individuals under the guise of public safety.
The facility is managed by the Florida Division of Emergency Management in partnership with U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and it’s designed to be “completely self-contained,” with FEMA trailers and temporary structures surrounded by Everglades wildlife as a natural deterrent.
The first post-WWII concentration camp on US soil was built with money earmarked for assisting immigrants.
Yes, that’s right.
But not from FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund (which is the pot typically reserved for hurricanes and other natural disasters).
Instead, the Trump administration tapped into FEMA’s Shelter and Services Program (SSP), a separate fund originally created to support temporary housing, food, and medical care for migrants released from DHS custody. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed that over $600 million from SSP was redirected to cover the construction and operation of Alligator Alcatraz. This includes FEMA trailers and tents repurposed for detention rather than disaster relief.
Critics argue this move undermines elements of FEMA’s core mission (as hurricane season intensifies.). Even while the funding restructuring does not affect disaster assistance, it underscores Trump’s irrational hatred of it.
Trump has signaled plans to significantly reduce FEMA’s role and funding. His administration has already taken steps to dismantle key FEMA programs (including canceling the $4.5 billion Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) initiative, which helped communities prepare for disasters like floods and hurricanes).
And this means Trump will keep botching natural disasters, this translates into incessant media: endlessly crucifying the GOP.
SSP was designed to support temporary housing for migrants (not mass detention). Per DHS:
Alligator Alcatraz is officially described as “temporary housing”, but the specifics around detention limits, release criteria, and behavioral conditions are murky and largely undefined.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem have repeatedly referred to the facility as “temporary housing”: built to alleviate overcrowding and expedite deportations. These officials DO NOT state that the inmates are awaiting the outcome of immigration hearings: in fact, people are being detained without due process (immigration status is irrelevant):
<<>> Until the inmates were ***snatched***, they were minding their business and had homes.
<<>> Until they were ***snatched***, they were not in prison (and AA is NOT alleviating prison overcrowding).
Based on DHS’ own criteria, it is completely unjustifiable to use SSP money to build and maintain it.
Furthermore, ICE’s 2025 National Detention Standards state that there is no fixed amount of time for detainees to be held. Detention can last weeks, months, or longer depending on legal proceedings, deportation logistics, or administrative delays.
The facility is purportedly intended to house undocumented immigrants awaiting deportation, including those arrested under Florida’s revised 287(g) agreements, which allow local law enforcement to detain individuals suspected of immigration violations.
FEMA is publicly redefining SSP’s scope to support ICE-related infrastructure: raising legal and ethical concerns. Since due process is being skirted, does FEMA share an ethical responsibility? Can it be named in lawsuits?
So…while technically legal under emergency powers, the funding shift has sparked outrage from environmentalists, Indigenous leaders, and disaster preparedness advocates.
On June 27, Friends of the Everglades in Stuart and the Center for Biological Diversity filed a federal lawsuit to protect the Florida Everglades from plans to become a massive detention center to confine people who are detained in immigration raids.
That is not the only lawsuit. Several were filed over issues that range from the environment to cruel living conditions.
Here’s a summary of the key lawsuits that were sparked by issues with Alligator Alcatraz, the migrant detention facility (concentration camp) in Florida’s Everglades:
State Lawmakers vs. Governor Ron DeSantis
Filed by: Five Democratic state legislators
Claim: Denial of access to the facility violates their constitutional oversight authority
Details: Lawmakers were blocked from conducting an unannounced inspection on July 5, prompting a suit in the Florida Supreme Court. They argue the governor overstepped his powers and is hiding abuses.
Miami-Dade County Mayor vs. Florida Attorney General
Filed by: Mayor Daniella Levine Cava (pending)
Claim: The state commandeered county-owned land without consent
Details: The mayor demanded weekly site reports, remote monitoring, and oversight visits. She’s considering legal action to shut down the facility due to environmental and human rights concerns.
Environmental Groups vs. Trump Administration (Previously Mentioned)
Filed by: Friends of the Everglades, Center for Biological Diversity
Claim: Violations of the Endangered Species Act and Clean Water Act
Details: Lawsuit targets the facility’s impact on protected Everglades land and species like the Florida panther and wood stork. Filed in federal court to halt operations.
These lawsuits reflect a multi-front legal challenge—from constitutional oversight and land use to environmental protection and human rights.
This all translates into incessant media: endlessly crucifying the GOP.
Besides being very evil, the Trump administration has set up a situation where nonvoters & wavering Trump supporters will be continuously reminded of the chaos. The probable result will be the GOP being trashed in the midterms. The next essay will look at other examples of the vase being cracked.
Namaste and Shalom,
John Eisenhauer