Take a ride on the crazy train

By Bob Livingston


Take a ride on the crazy train 

A state of war exists when there is declared or undeclared military conflict. But this is not the only war. A state of war exists when oppressive authority under color of law and seductive persuasion gradually diminishes our natural rights to life, liberty and property.

Today we live in a state of war with the U.S. government. The fact that almost no one is aware is a tribute to the deceptiveness of our political process.

Why do most people not feel the oppression of government in spite of so many things that look so obvious to some of us? I can give you one answer and I believe it to be true: The more dependent one is on government authority, the less likely he is to see government and its politicians as an adversary.

Another answer is the power that government and its change agents have tomanipulate language and stoke class, race and political warfare in order to redirect animus away from government. And if you watch carefully you will see that the government and political class change "sides" on the issues as they ebb and flow in the national discourse. That's because the only side the government and political class is on is their own "side." And it's opposite the people's side.

Nowhere is this more evident than the new debate over Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the evil stepchild of the Department of Homeland Security.

ICE was formed in 2003 in the aftermath of 9/11 as one of the myriad liberty-stealing laws and government agencies created ostensibly to "keep us safe." "Keep us safe" is one of the many code words politicians and other government men use to oppress us. Anything and everything can be justified to "keep us safe" when the elites are stoking fear over created tragedies and crises (hence the "war on drugs" and the "war on terror").

As the largest investigative arm of DHS, ICE "is responsible for identifying and shutting down vulnerabilities in the nation's border, economic, transportation and infrastructure security."

ICE essentially functions as a liaison between the Department of Homeland Security and state and local law enforcement agencies, providing training that allows them to function as federal immigration agents with federal law enforcement powers. In other words, it federalizes state and local police.

It also operates detention centers, jails and prisons for illegals. Due to congressional mandates, ICE is required by law to detain and house at least 34,000 illegals every day. In order to meet its quota, ICE has joined with Border Patrol and become hyper-aggressive in its tactics.

Thanks to the manufactured crisis over family separation and housing facilities being used to detain illegals declaring asylum upon capture, ICE has become the lightning rod in the debate over open borders and President Donald Trump's stated efforts to choke off illegal immigration.

The radical left is now openly calling for defunding and disbanding ICE over its family separation policy, while the more "moderate" Democrat voices are joining with Republicans to support the agency while calling for modest reforms in policy. But any government agency with quotas is going to be abusive and aggressive in its enforcement and investigative techniques.

Many of ICE's investigative and removal tactics often deny 4^th Amendment protections and the right of a fair hearing as the overburdened system seeks to keep pace with the influx of illegals coming to the U.S. due to policies in place and advocacy efforts of certain globalist politicians and government and nongovernment organizations.

ICE and Border Patrol operate in a zone that stretches 100 miles inland from any sea or land border. American citizens are often caught up in their dragnets and their checkpoint operations — which have been codified by the Supreme Court even though the agents at the checkpoints regularly deny American citizens their rights under the 4^th and 5^th Amendments.

Since it is the radical left that is calling for ICE's abolition and the more "moderate" bipartisan voices in the political sphere that are advocating for its continuation, calls for ending the abusive federal agency and its evil kinsmen — Border Patrol and DHS — can and will be labeled a left-wing nuttery.

Here we have the political discussion flipped on its head, demonstrating the power the change agents have our thought processes. Republicans claim to believe in small government. But there is nothing "small government" about the Department of Homeland Security — the American Gestapo.

To DHS, everyone is an enemy of the states. How else does it justify roving checkpoints miles from the U.S. border and the Transportation and Security Administration (TSA) — AKA Thieves and Sexual Assailants — and their requirement that travelers endure airport sexual assaults?

Republicans cannot legitimately claim to stand for liberty and small government and support such an abusive and growing federal agency. But it has been an ongoing trend for many years for Republican voters to advocate for their own slavery and surrender their rights in the name of "keep us safe."

DHS and it's pernicious children TSA, ICE and Border Patrol have become tools of oppression, little different from the way the IRS is used as a cudgel by the political class to beat people into compliance.

Meanwhile, so-called Democrat Socialists (Communists), who have never seen a collectivist, central planning government program they wouldn't give their whole-hearted endorsement to, are calling for the abolition of ICE — but not because it is abusive to Americans. Because it is abusive toward foreigners.

We are truly on board the crazy train.