#racialized borders

[raffaellopalandri]

Book of the Day – Border and Rule

Today’s Book of the Day is Border and Rule, written by Harsha Walia in 2021 and published by Haymarket Books. Harsha Walia is a Canadian activist and writer based in Vancouver. She is active in immigration politics, Indigenous rights, feminist, anti-racist, anti-statist, and anti-capitalist movements. Border & Rule, by Harsha Walia I have chosen this book because I often cite it in discussions…

[alinahdee]

[desianarchist]

I hate this country I hate this country I hate this country I hate this country I hate this country I hate this country

[chronic-high-achiever]

So uh…

Anyone gonna acknowledge that Trump is making an executive disorder to declassify non-binary and other genders, therefore only leaving male and female?

SO wild to me how we used to think America was this superpower first world country but like… it’s starting to smell a bit dictatorship-core idk

[sukibenders]

I laugh every time someone says Penelope is more of a feminist who understands women's rights more than Eloise simply because she's LW because, be so for real right now, that is such a lie. Like Eloise has her moments and her feminism is very yte and privileged, but at least she takes the time to actually consider from other's perspective, even if she's rude here and there, and appears to make attempts to grow as a character (when the narrative allows her to rather than picking favorites). Penelope exposing secrets and being feared by most of the Ton, especially the women and young girls, for the amount of power she has does not scream feminist to me but go off.

[karadin]

while you were sleeping ...

The U.S. Army has told units to prepare for deployment at the U.S.-Mexico border in the next 24 to 48 hours.

Trump declared a 'state of emergency' at the border, despite the fact that we have a fully staffed border patrol and we are not in a wartime footing with Mexico.

National Science Foundation freezes grants in response to Trump executive orders

Native Americans concerned that they may be rounded up in mass deportation efforts due to racial profiling

Trump states that GAZA should be 'swept clean' and over one million refugees to be moved to Egypt and Jordan. (these countries have refused by the way)

Trump also mentions that Gaza has 'great beachfront property' and his son in law Jared Kushner, a friend of Netanyahu since childhood, has made the same statements that Gaza would be great place to build condos (and not for Palestinians)

Despite a 'cease fire' attacks have continued in Gaza, many by settler groups with police esorts, as soon as Trump lifted Biden era sanctions on settler incursions.

some USAID officials were put on leave for not abiding Trump's order to halt all international aid.

Trump has placed all Diversity and Inclusion federal employees across agencies on paid leave for 30 days until their positions are terminated.

The US Air Force took down a video for new recruits showcasing the Tuskegee Airmen, a famous all black fighting force from WW2, as well as the WAVES, women who joined the service during WW2.

The advisory office of DOGE now run solely by Elon Musk, a US government contractor puts him in nominal charge of government programs, a conflict of interest, however he has been booted from an office next to Trump in the White House to another building.

This Department of Government Efficiency now is taking over the US Digital Service in charge of all US gov websites, including the new IRS Free File (where you can do your taxes online for free, a holdover from the Biden Administration.)

Trump is paving the way for the Pentagon to remove transgender service members

The Quaker faith have taken the Trump administration to court over a new policy to enter churches and religious spaces in mass deportation efforts.

Trump puts hold on refugees - hundreds of thousands of people fleeing strife in Ukraine, Afghanistan, Haiti and Venezuela have been stopped from entering the US - the program was bipartisan and many have waited years in a legal process to enter.

Trump has revoked a Biden admin program that allowed 530,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans and nearly 1 million migrants allowed into the country through an app called CBP One, all of these individuals are now targeted for deportation.

Vice President Vance complained when U.S. Catholic bishops condemned ICE entering places of employment, churches and schools in mass deportation raids (lifting an Obama era restriction)

Vice President Vance states that Big Tech is too powerful in the US, at the same time Musk, Bezos and Zuckerberg, along with other 'tech bros' were featured at Trump's inauguration, seated in front of his cabinet picks.

Trump fires DOJ employees who worked on Trump's prosecution for insurrection on Jan 6 as well as his stolen US government 'eyes only' documents. Republicans are investigating the bi-partisan Jan 6th investigations under the Biden administration.

Trump pardoned more than 1,500 individuals for their crimes during the Jan 6th insurrection, this has lead to backlash among a bi-partisan Congress as well as the public. One of the insurrectionists was killed by police at a conflict on his day of release, another was re-arrested for breaking his parole for previous convictions.

[gwydionmisha]

US military to send additional 1,500 troops to border

It is illegal for them to detain anyone or help in detention. Some of this is optics, but there is a real slippery slope feel to it. Since SCOTUS abolished rule of law and laws no longer constrain the president, I don't like or trust this.

After all Hegseth has promised to purge any generals with ethics and they confirmed him with Vance breaking the tie. Generals with ethics were what constrained Trump from turning the military loose on peaceful protesters last time he tried to do it.

I was always against raids and the general shittiness of our immigration/CBP militarized system even before I heard the story I'm going to tell here. This has haunted my since the early '90's when a prof told it to me.

So she and her husband are Native Americans, with four tribes between them. The tribes were all Northern plains ones. I can't remember which of them was Lakota, but they were enrolled members of different tribes. As indigenous to the United States as it's possible to be.

So they get jobs teaching down in L.A. and one day, the husband is taking a bus home and the bus gets raided and he has no proof of citizenship on him just normal ID, so they are going to deport him to Mexico even though he speaks no Spanish and his Ancestors have been here since they walked over the land bridge.

She had to rush home and dig through the moving boxes, trying to find all his documentation and she manages to rescue him and bring him home. It was terrifying. They didn't know that they could be deported for looking native to the country in which they and their ancestors had always lived. They started looking for jobs in the North right away.

I've been thinking about it multiple times a day all year. I assumed it would start happening in large amounts as soon as the "mass deportation" sweeps started, that they'd try to deport Native Americans and natural born citizens. Likely even on purpose as they were saying that was what they were going to do since at least the election.

Quakers sue to keep US immigration agents out of houses of worship

[tomorrowusa]

One word I didn't expect to hear describing Joe Biden's State of the Union speech was "energetic" – but there it was bigtime. 😎

Dark Brandon was in the House and wasn't taking any prisoners. His fervent advocacy for progressive and pro-democracy policies left no one in doubt that he is The Anti-MAGA.

President Biden sounded like an older version of Harry Truman though without swear words. And much of the speech was aimed directly at the Republicans and at the GOP Supreme Court – calling them out right to their faces.

Biden wasn't just energetic, he absolutely taunted Republicans on an issue they've shot themselves in both feet on – immigration reform.

Biden’s Border Taunts Clearly Hit a Republican Nerve

Finally, he arrived at the topic that he knew Republicans couldn’t resist, because it represents that party’s most embarrassing recent failure. He reminded the country that at Donald Trump’s direction, Republicans had killed the strongest immigration bill in years, one that would reduce the flood of asylum seekers and bolster security at the southern border. And immediately the boos poured in from the red side of the chamber. “What are you against?” he asked, finally laughing at the opportunity to expose a bit of rampant hypocrisy. “Oh, you don’t like that bill?” It would save lives and bring order to the chaos at the border, he said, reducing fentanyl smuggling and giving every president the ability to shut down crossings when the surge of migrants became too great. [ ... ] Biden’s provocation on this issue may have been the most successful moment of the evening, one that will be replayed many times in the months to come on the campaign trail. And the power of it could be seen in the downcast face behind him of Speaker Mike Johnson, who wouldn’t bring the border bill to the House floor. All he could do was shake his head and hope Biden changed the subject.

Democrats have reason to feel good about this speech and it showed. His departure from the chamber was delayed by enthusiastic Democratic House members who were asking for selfies and getting autographs from Biden while chatting with him. If they had thought the speech was a dud they would have fled immediately.

On a somewhat funny note, the extended post-speech coverage of Biden's socializing on the House floor delayed the start of the GOP reply by the rather wooden Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama. Many viewers may have tuned out before her speech finally started a little before 11 PM Eastern Time.

[aeriondripflame]

i am aware that it is fiction and it’s not that serious but god can you tell when someone doesn’t know the difference between nationality and ethnicity when they talk about criston being dornish

[zip-toonz]

OMG THERES A FUCKING HONDURAN FLAG EMOJI 🇭🇳 !!!!!

[shannaraisles]

Apparently this needs to be said again.

The experience of oppression/racism in the United States of America is not the only experience of oppression/racism in the world. There are nuances in other countries that you cannot grasp, just as I cannot fully grasp the experiences you are having.

No one owes you the full recounting of their own experience to justify an artistic choice. If you don't like something, that does not give you the right to make a public comment drawing attention to it in such a way as will draw the ire of those "fans" who like to go looking for people to pile in on.

People are flawed, and surprisingly enough, that means that their fictional creations are also flawed. If the character you are reading isn't absolutely perfect in every way, that's a good thing.

But the main thing, my lovelies, is that your experience is not the universal experience, and your reaction to a piece of art is not the universal reaction to it. Please stop trying to tell artists of all mediums to conform to your narrow world view.

We would all be so much poorer without the diversity of global culture and experience available to us, shown through the lens of that same diversity.

[tocitynews]

Video Shows Border Agents With Guns Drawn, Detain Family Returning From Mexico For A Family Funeral In Mistaken Identity Freak Out – Los Angeles California reporting

Durazo said the officers drew their weapons and told everyone to get out of the car, one by one, including two children and his 75-year-old aunt who had just laid her son to rest.

“It was terrible. The worst part is seeing the kids, you know, getting detained with guns drawn,” he said. “Honestly, I was really scared for my kids, you know. That's the hardest part.”

Customs and Border Protection has not responded to requests for information, including questions on protocol for these kinds of encounters as well as if the agency is investigating this incident.

[girl4music]

I love seeing characters on TV shows breaking the law to do good things. Helpful things. Justful things.

That sentence is so odd to say but sadly it’s the truth.

Because… as Xena taught me. There’s a big difference between what justice is and what the law is.

And we should never wait around for justice.

[vague-humanoid]

Why do I, as a Japanese person, enjoy creating Black characters?

To put it simply, I started creating Black characters because a Black fan once said to me, 'Thank you for creating Black characters beautifully. It's a simple reason, but those words really made me happy.

A foreign fan told me, "Japanese anime art and entertainment are racially discriminatory". As a Japanese illustrator, I had never heard such an opinion from Japanese people. This perspective was new to me.

If Japanese anime art and entertainment are perceived as racially discriminatory from an international perspective, then we as Japanese must face this issue.

Unfortunately, I have heard some Japanese people say, "If foreigners don't like it, they shouldn't watch Japanese entertainment. It's made for Japanese people". This is a foolish thought.

No matter how much they claim that Japanese entertainment is "just for Japan," the Internet has erased borders. Japanese art and entertainment are no longer just for Japanese consumers. Can we go against the tide of this era?

No, it's impossible.

Some understanding Japanese have said to me, appreciating my efforts to create ethnic diversity and racial differences, "If you continue to draw Black characters, maybe one day Japanese people will deepen their understanding of diverse racial representation and your work will be properly recognized.

I would be happy if one day I could draw beautiful Black characters in my work for Japanese clients and for foreign fans.

@moonisneveralone @positively--speculative @meanmisscharles

[ushypocrisy]

Texas passes law allowing police to arrest anyone suspected of crossing the border

December 23, 2023 Since taking office in 2015, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has been waging an unrelenting war on immigrants across the state. From the horrific Operation Lone Star, which saw thousands of National Guard troops deployed to the Texas-Mexico border and the installation of razor wire and buoys, to the forced bussing of migrants to Chicago, Los Angeles and New York, Governor Abbott has…

[liberalsarecool]

From Professor Christopher Robichaud, Senior Lecturer in Ethics and Public Policy, Harvard:

“I'll say this, and then I likely won't be saying much more on here for quite some time, to the relief of some, I'm sure. But my farewell warning is this.

Everyone in the days and weeks ahead will use this loss as an opportunity to seek validation for their own hobby horse complaint. Harris lost because she campaigned with Liz Cheney. Harris lost because she didn't embrace Gaza. Harris lost because she didn't choose Shapiro. Harris lost because she wasn't progressive enough (possibly my favorite one).

Take a good, hard look at the map, my friends. Trump has won the popular vote. Trump ran the table. Explaining that with your hobby horse issue isn't going to cut it, tempting and consoling as it may be. The problem isn't the electoral college. The problem isn't that we didn't have a full primary. The problem isn't Harris. The problem isn't that Dems didn't have the right message. The problem isn't even inflation or the border.

The problem is so much worse than any of those things. Those are all technical problems, with straightforward expertise fixes. If only it were so! No, our problem is not technical. It's very much adaptive. A party that embraced the Big Lie, supported an insurrection, and has been selling conspiracy-addled madness for years, [which] was widely and enthusiastically embraced. Voter turnout was profound! People didn't sit this out.

Simply put, the problem--as some of you have rightly posted--is cultural. America, culturally, has completely abandoned a politics of decency and respect and has embraced instead a politics of resentment, revenge, false nostalgia, and bullying. And if you look at the demographics, you also won't be able to comfort yourself that it's just a white thing, or a working class thing, or an education thing. It's multi-class, multi-gender, multi-educational, and multi-racial. That's what winning the popular vote means. That's what running the table amounts to.

A culture that has descended to this level of debasement is not easily fixed. In fact it may not ever be fixed. The timeline for changing something like this is decades--at best--not two-to-four year election cycles. You can extend that in this case, because with the GOP likely controlling all branches of federal government and the courts, they will ensure that mechanisms are in place to keep them in power long after their popularity has waned. You can count on that.

The GOP evolved into a party of rage, lies, and revenge--and it correctly diagnosed that there was and is a large appetite for that. That's what the country wants. At least enough of the country wants it to ensure broad appeal and widespread electoral success. The old GOP will never return, and the Dems have nothing to say to American culture at the moment. Nothing. They've been speaking to a country that's gone, like dust in the wind.

And that's my final thought, which my posts last night alluded to. The America I knew and loved is gone. This new America--nah, I won't even bother. I will say that cultural change is less likely to occur in politics or in the academy. You're not going to get people to see how vulgar they've become through a clever argument or a nice campaign speech, that's for sure.

This would be time for the arts, broadly understood, to step in. The arts can change hearts and minds. Too bad the arts have been systematically dismantled in education in this country, and on the other end, the tech industry's assault on the arts through AI is sure to hollow out any good-faith efforts that might emerge.

And for the rest of the world, America's rightward lurch is, I'm afraid, bad news for you too. I know you know this. Because it's not isolated, is it? It's just at the moment the most prominent example of a burgeoning trend. And this will embolden others in other countries, to be sure. We need not speculate what happens when countries become mired in lies, embrace resentment, and savor bullying. We know exactly what happens. Bloody conflict and global destabilization.

The first quarter of the 21st century will, therefore, in hindsight, be viewed as the seed-planting stage for the absolute shit show that's about to unfold globally over the next two and a half decades. Count on it.

Adopt whatever coping and endurance strategies you have available. You're going to need it.

I think that's all I've left to say.”

The least evolved. The most paternalistic.

The bully. The liar. The most resentful.

This is the reality we are in. FOX and Republicans have been repeating the script for decades.

The Dark Ages are conservative aspirations.

The abdication of values/principles is complete.

'Good faith' no longer exists on the Right. The more reprehensible the action/person, the bigger the addiction. Trump proves this.

Anti-paternalism, anti-fascism and anti-bullying are my paths forward. Join me.