This week on the Leftorium, we look at the growing movement within progressive circles to abolish ICE.
First up, Sean McElwee outlines in The Nation how the existence of the agency is incompatible with democracy and how the agency came about thanks to bipartisan efforts going all the way back to the Clinton years to appease white nationalist resentment of the growing immigrant workforce. It’s well worth a read.
Progressive candidates like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Kaniela Ing are already on-board the abolition train while mainstream hopefuls seem to be lagging behind.
ICE is a criminal justice issue. After a long history of sexual assault and uninvestigated ICE custody deaths, it’s time to reset course.
Ocasio2018 is proud to lead the nation on ICE w/ @KanielaIng, @CanonForIndiana, @jessicaramos & @surajpatelnyc ⬇️
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Ocasio2018) March 9, 2018
In a climate where Ted Cruz is boldly advocating the abolition of the IRS, one would think there’d be more voices in the democratic mainstream calling for the defunding of an agency that has only been in existence since 2003 and whose sole purpose is to carry out the wishes of white-supremacist organizations; an agency that is itself a white-supremacist organization. Kamala Harris for example couldn’t even compose a response to the question “should ICE exist” that didn’t employ a generous helping of authoritarian platitudes about violent criminals needing to be brought to justice. With our criminal justice system being what it is already, what we really need is an agency that makes the racism explicit or else violent criminals will just never be brought to justice.
Kamala Harris defends ICE's existence #AbolishICE pic.twitter.com/QjzI1Nq3n2
— Brett Banditelli (@banditelli) March 9, 2018
For a related look into how local and national media outlets are helping (perhaps unwittingly) in the dissemination of ICE propaganda for free, enjoy this from Gabriela Del Valle for The Outline.
The Media is Spreading Immigration Propaganda
In other news:
Elizabeth Breunig, in the Washington Post, asked that it readers consider Socialism and Ben Shapiro popped a blood vessel. It’s Time to Give Socialism a Try
Thanks to Antifa super-soldiers, Richard Spencer is canceling his college tour and retreating to a space even safer than college campuses.
In breaking news, Trump makes history today by appointing the first ever woman who definitely waterboarded a few brown people to head up the CIA. Already, Senator Dianne Feinstein has sent her congratulations on this historic achievement.
Finally, on a very special episode of The Leftorium Asks “What Really Happened?,” we wade into Clinton country and to get a sense for what lessons have been learned in the wake of the democrats historic loss to our cartoon villain president.
Putting it in the comments so everyone can see and hear and the neolibs can't try and trash the article or say the title is hyperbolic or miscontrues what she says. pic.twitter.com/5UNI69ANe3
— Keep Rae Shining (@GuruBluXVIII) March 13, 2018
Friendly reminder, the Leftorium is dezinformatsiya!
What else is happening in your world?