So, Yeah, We're Building Concentration Camps Now
Is this what it means to be complicit?
That was a phrase that became known during Trump’s first term. It more than haunts me right now because it is getting so much worse. We’re now getting into territory out beyond cruelty, whatever that is. This first salvo of sociopathy has been full of cruelty, to be sure. But January 29th, 2025, takes the cake. Today, it was reported that the United States of America is now in the business of creating concentration camps (again). Oh, they won’t call it that—maybe “deportee camp” or maybe “Trump Suites Guantanamo”—but if it, y’know, concentrates people in a camp with horrible conditions, little accountability, which will function outside any judicial protections, well, then (it’s more fun if you think of Jeff Foxworthy saying this part) it just might be a concentration camp.
How long until we read the story by some intrepid reporter where they have evidence that flight manifests show that 60,000 people have been sent to Guantanamo, and yet the concentration camp population is still at 30,000.
When asked about the discrepancy in numbers, the administration responded, “You’ll have to ask Stephen Miller, he is in charge of the Deportee Holding Facility.”* When asked where Mr. Miller was, the adminstration responded, “We don’t know, you’ll have to ask him.”
[*That’s a good one, right? “Deportee Holding Facility?” “DHF” works as an acronym, too. Have to have a good acronym, of course. #DOGE.]
I have to give them credit, putting the DHF in Guantanamo is pretty smart, being away from prying eyes and whatnot. For the record, they told us months ago that they were going to build DHFs, and they are doing it. People much smarter than I have said that when authoritarians tell you what they’re going to do, believe them. I did. I do. Another point for the record - the Germans first concentration camp was at Dachau, built to hold political prisoners. Maybe Gen. Milley will be the first lucky winner to join the deportees before too long.
Other cruelties include attempts to cancel foreign aid to places where people genuinely rely on the help to, y’know, live. It’s what the U.S. Government used to do, after all. Help people, that is. Now we seemingly want to sentence them to death because they’re from “shithole countries,” so no one cares, right? Or, maybe said more simply, because maybe they are transgender or black or brown or sick with AIDS—just, y’know, “shithole people.” Like I said, no one cares.
Are all of these cruelties going to play out in a dying kind of way? No, probably not, but at a minimum it’s sure striking fear into everyone. It’s like we’re all part of some kind of giant psy-op to break us. Maybe Trump did learn something from Putin, after all. In any case, what’s happening is going to cause real harm to at least some, that’s evident. To be clear: “some” is too many. As Rev. King said:
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
Which brings me to another, related, quote that has been screaming in my head, and is adapted from Martin Niemöller:
“First, they came for the [deportees,] but I did not speak out, becauses I was not a [deportee].”
I can keep going if you want. Yeah?
Then they came for the transgender people, but I did not speak out, because I was not transgender.
Then they came for homosexuals, but I did not speak out, because I was not a homosexual.
Then they came for the disabled, but I didn’t speak out, because I was not disabled.
Then they came for the homeless, but I did not speak out, because I was not homeless.
Then they came for the left-wing radicals, but I did not speak out, because I was not a left-wing radical.
It’s pretty easy once you get started. Hmm, wait a second. I might get swept up in that last one.
Ok, so, yeah, it’s time to speak out. We all should be speaking out. We all should be protesting, loudly, clearly, consistently, and non-violently. We should be protesting anyone who has anything to do with creating the United States’ first concentration camp since we imprisoned Japanese Americans during WWII (quick point about that one—that was a big mistake). And we should be getting the attention of anyone who might be able to do something about it.
Along with this most heinous cruelty of building a concentration camp and the others mentioned, there is a pretty solid and growing list of abuses and usurpations going on. And it’s only day 10 with these jackwagons! I’m starting to wonder, honestly, how long that list has to get before we really start caring, before it rises to the point of becoming our duty to throw off a despotic government. Does anyone have notes on that?
#NeverAgain
#IWillNotBeComplicit
#AllLivesMatter (that’s the argument, right?)
#TrumpSuitesGuantanamo