Death Toll From Trump's ICE Brutality Highest In Two Decades

 

We'll continue to monitor and periodically report on the Department of Homeland Security's (ICE/ Border Patrol) deadly toll from their violent immigration dragnets and inhumane detention centers, and ask...

When and how will justice come for the victims of the Malignant Fascist's domestic terrorist organization DHS (ICE and Border Patrol)?  

Where is justice for ICE agent Jonathan Ross, who murdered Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis on January 7?

Where is justice for BP agent Jesus Ochoa and Border Protection officer Raymundo Gutierrez, who murdered Alex Pretti om Minneapolis on January 24?

We know their names well.  But how about those who died in ICE custody like Luis Gustavo Núñez Cáceres (died January 5 in ICE detention in Texas), Geraldo Lunas Campos (died January 3 in ICE custody in Texas), Víctor Manuel Díaz (died January 14 in ICE custody in Texas), Parady La (died January 9 in ICE custody in Pennsylvania), Luis Beltrán Yáñez–Cruz (died January 6 in ICE custody in California), and Heber Sánchez Domínguez (died January 14 in ICE custody in Georgia)?  Read the circumstances of their deaths at the link above and ask yourself, "Why haven't those responsible for these deaths been brought to justice?"

Without justice, there can be no peace.

UPDATE:  As of March 10, 23 people have died in ICE custody since October, more than the entire previous fiscal year and the highest in two decades. 

(Photo:  one of the "lucky ones" who wasn't murdered; U.S. citizen Aliya Rahman being dragged out of her car by ICE agents on January 13, 2026 / Mostafa Bassim / Anadolu via Getty Images)

 

Eight Dead At The Hands Of DHS Domestic Terrorists So Far In 2026

 

Eight.  That we know of.

When and how will justice come for the victims of the Malignant Fascist's domestic terrorist organization DHS (ICE and Border Patrol)?  

Where is justice for ICE agent Jonathan Ross, who murdered Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis on January 7?

Where is justice for BP agent Jesus Ochoa and Border Protection officer Raymundo Gutierrez, who murdered Alex Pretti om Minneapolis on January 24?

We know their names well.  But how about those who died in ICE custody like Luis Gustavo Núñez Cáceres (died January 5 in ICE detention in Texas), Geraldo Lunas Campos (died January 3 in ICE custody in Texas), Víctor Manuel Díaz (died January 14 in ICE custody in Texas), Parady La (died January 9 in ICE custody in Pennsylvania), Luis Beltrán Yáñez–Cruz (died January 6 in ICE custody in California), and Heber Sánchez Domínguez (died January 14 in ICE custody in Georgia)?  Read the circumstances of their deaths at the link above and ask yourself, "Why haven't those responsible for these deaths been brought to justice?"

Without justice, there can be no peace.

BONUS:  Electoral-vote.com has a tally of the MF's track record in mass detention court cases so far.  Fortunately, it's not good.

(Photo:  one of the "lucky ones" who wasn't murdered; U.S. citizen Aliya Rahman being dragged out of her car by ICE agents on January 13, 2026 / Mostafa Bassim / Anadolu via Getty Images)

 

FBI Attacker Supported Trump And The Proud Boys

The 42 year old white submoron who attacked the FBI's Cincinnati office, and who was later killed after a police chase, appeared to support the far-right street fighting fascist "Proud Boys" according to his Twitter account. Ricky Shiffer was also present at the January 5, 2021, so-called "Stop the Steal" rally in Washington, DC,  with Proud Boy and other militia-style extremists as a warm up for the attack on the Capitol the next day, according to a video posted on Facebook. He later admitted he was at the January 6 attack on the Capitol and defended the insurrectionists in a message on Twitter: 

“Save ammunition, get in touch with the Proud Boys and learn how they did it in the Revolutionary War, because submitting to tyranny while lawfully protesting was never the American way.”

Shiffer lost his life by buying into the Big Lie and the various cons perpetrated by the Malignant Loser, whose only concern is saving his own miserable, treasonous hide and not with the cultish mouth breathers who are following him (and his political enablers) to their own destruction.

(photo: Shiffer at the January 6 insurrection. Sedition Hunters)

 

Violent Republican Anti-Government Rhetoric Bears Poisoned Fruit (UPDATED)

 

This was as predictable as they come:

The Clinton County Emergency Management Agency said law enforcement engaged in a firefight with a male in a gray shirt and body armor who fled from an area FBI field office.

In a tweet, the FBI said an armed subject attempted to breach the visitor screening facility at the bureau's field office in Cincinnati at 2012 Ronald Reagan Dr. in Kenwood.

After an alarm and response by special agents, the suspect fled north onto Interstate 71, the tweet states.

Thomas Breckle, director of Clinton County EMA, said his office received a report of troopers with the Ohio State Highway Patrol trying to stop an armed suspect driving a Crown Victoria.

Breckle said the chase entered Clinton County around 9:56 a.m.

Law enforcement traded gunfire with the suspect who was wearing body armor, Breckle said.

Clinton County Emergency Management issued a lockdown for all buildings within a one-mile radius of Smith and Center roads. People in that area are being told to lock their doors and remain inside.

Breckle said northbound and southbound I-71 is closed between US Route 68 and State Route 73. (our emphasis)

They've been called to action by craven, treasonous Republican pols, Fox "News" hosts, web loons, etc.  They think it's time to rise up against the FBI/ "deep state" to protect their cult leader from the Rule of Law.  They're domestic terrorists and must be treated as such.

Be careful out there.

UPDATE:  The now-dead domestic terrorist, Ricky Shiffer, had issued a "call to arms" on the Malignant Loser's social media platform shortly after the FBI raid of Mar-a-Lago.

Low IQAnon To Hold Conference In Las Vegas

QAnon, the group that the FBI has called a potential source of domestic terrorism, is planning to hold a three-day meeting at Caesar's Forum convention center in Las Vegas from October 23 - 25. The unhinged conspiracy movement is billing the shitfling wingding as "For God and Country Patriot Double Down" (although "Shooting Craps" would be a better fit).  The meeting expects to draw an array of lunatic speakers, among them dangerously unbalanced Kremlin-whisperer Gen. Michael Flynn (ret.), the disgraced felon and the former guy's brief National Security Advisor. You'll recall that the treasonous Flynn recently suggested a military coup like that in Myanmar would be a nice thing to have in this country.

From the Las Vegas Sun's report:

"Other scheduled speakers include Jim and Ron Watkins, the father-son duo behind a website that for years featured postings from Q, an anonymous figure linked to a range of bizarre conspiracy theories, many of which involve former President Donald Trump. Some QAnon observers believe the Watkinses post as Q themselves.

The event appears to be both a for-profit effort to enrich people promulgating conspiracies as well as a recruiting effort."  (our emphasis)

There are other small-bore Republican hacks that are on the schedule to speak for now. The conspiracy movement was well represented in the January 6 seditionist insurrection at the Capitol, with one infamous head case dubbed the "QAnon Shaman," bare chested, wearing a buffalo headdress and carrying a spear. But despite the buffoonery, it's a dangerous domestic terrorist movement that targets Dems for violence over insane, vile accusations. From the Las Vegas Sun article, here's what one expert on hate groups says about the coming meeting:

“'Part of the danger here is the potential to spread disinformation on various levels,' said Rachel Goldwasser, a research analyst for the Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors hate groups in the United States. 'QAnon is kind of a choose-your-own-adventure conspiracy theory. There’s a level of paranoia there that is based largely on the belief that there is a ‘deep state’ operating in the shadows of our government. What does happen at these types of events is that people become radicalized.'”  (our emphasis)

The rotted-out Republican / Trumpist Party has as a major component this dangerous movement, which continues to pull them deeper and deeper into radical, violent sedition territory. 

(photo: QAnon "shaman".  AP / Dario Lopez-Mills)

 

Arrest Made In Black Church Arsons

The son of a deputy sheriff in Louisiana has been charged in connection with the burning of three African-American churches in Louisiana over a two-week period. The accused, Holden Matthews, is apparently a fan of pagan and white supremacist internet sites, according to his Facebook page.

"The fires Matthews is apparently suspected of setting occurred at St. Mary Baptist Church, Greater Union Baptist Church, and Mount Pleasant Baptist Church on March 26, April 2, and April 4, respectively. Another “intentionally set” fire was also reported on April 7 at the predominantly white Vivian United Pentecostal Church a few hours away."

Commenting on the arrest and the emboldening of white supremacists, NAACP President Derrick Johnson said,

“The spike in church burnings in the Southern states is a reflection of emboldened racial rhetoric and tension spreading across the country. But this is nothing new. For decades, African-American churches have served as the epicenter of survival and a symbol of hope for many in the African-American community. As a consequence, these houses of faith have historically been targets of violence.”

It's a good day today in Louisiana.

Terrorist Targets Parkland Family

This morning, some vicious piece of excrement made a 911 call claiming that Parkland massacre survivor and gun control advocate David Hogg had been kidnapped and that an armed person was in his home. The Broward Sheriff's Office responded to the call with a SWAT team, who entered the Hogg residence but later discovered that the family was in Washington, DC. The Broward Sheriff's Office have detectives working on finding the sick perpetrator. Although Hogg graciously dismissed the episode as a "silly prank," the practice of "swatting" can have deadly consequences if one or more innocent people are confronted by SWAT officers.

Since the consequences of "swatting" can result in death, this crime is more closely related to a terrorist act, meant to intimidate and cause fear for political purposes. One can be certain that this won't stop David Hogg, the March For Our Lives movement, or young voters going to the polls between now and November.

(photo: CBS Miami. Police vehicles at residence of Hogg family)

Overdue Crackdown On Right-Wing Domestic Terrorists?

Reuters is reporting that the Justice Department is looking at new measures to combat the growing extremism and danger represented by armed right-wing militia and white supremacist groups:

"Extremist groups motivated by a range of U.S.-born philosophies present a 'clear and present danger,' John Carlin, the Justice Department's chief of national security, told Reuters in an interview. 'Based on recent reports and the cases we are seeing, it seems like we’re in a heightened environment.'” (emphasis added)

A barrier to aggressively pursuing domestic terrorists who have bombed schools and religious buildings, etc., is the lack of a domestic terrorist statute that would prohibit giving support to designated domestic terrorist groups.  With the Rethuglican / New Confederate / Stupid / Shooter's Party actively cultivating the support of far right secessionists and groups with extreme anti-Government views, it's unlikely that a Rethug-controlled Congress would pass such legislation, short of a 9-11 style attack perpetrated by a right-wing group.  While the Government has the necessary tools to prosecute supporters of international terrorism under the "material support" rule, supporters of domestic terrorist groups aren't covered:

"The U.S. State Department designates international terrorist organizations to which it is illegal to provide 'material support.' No domestic groups have that designation, helping to create a disparity in charges faced by international extremist suspects compared to domestic ones.

A Reuters analysis of more than 100 federal cases found that domestic terrorism suspects collectively have faced less severe charges than those accused of acting on behalf of Islamic State since prosecutors began targeting that group in early 2014." (emphasis added)

Recall that in April 2009, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a report (ironically initiated on Dumbya's watch) that warned of increased right-wing extremism after the election of the nation's first African-American President and that focused on anti-immigration and anti-gun control activism. The pushback on the report by Rethuglicans was fierce, and also by wingnut welfare recipients like Michelle Malkin and the hacks at the RedState blog.  Bowing to political pressure, the DHS and the Administration shamefully backed off of the report instead of defending it and acting on the evidence of growing right-wing violent extremist activity.

Fast forward to Oregon's Malheur wildlife refuge, and the ongoing standoff with militia loons and one sees the results of not acting earlier.

UPDATE:  At least the indictments are coming in for the Oregon jamokes now, and they should be facing hefty fines, too.

UPDATE II:  You can see the indictment here.

UPDATE III:  Check out Kurt Eichenwald's superb article on right- wing terrorism.

The Terrorists Are Already Here (Cont.)

This happened:

Police in Richmond, California, on Sunday arrested William Celli, days after receiving a tip that the 55-year-old was allegedly building homemade explosives with the intent of targeting the local Muslim community.

Shortly after the arrest, San Francisco's KPIX reported that police evacuated an area around Celli's home while the bomb squad investigated the interior. Officers removed at least one suspicious device from the property and detonated it before allowing neighbors to return to their homes. Police haven't clarified whether the object was actually an explosive, or whether it would have been ready for use if it was.   [snip]

Celli doesn't fit the profile of the "terrorist" who is likely to be invoked on cable news or on a GOP debate stage. In fact, judging by Celli's Facebook page, he seems to be the exact inverse: a disgruntled white man who has bought into the xenophobic rhetoric of people like GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump.  (our emphasis)

(Snark alert)  Prepare for 24/7 pants- shitting news coverage on Fox and CNN, complete with Michael Bay impending doom background music!!   No?  Wonder why not...

Today's Tomorrow Cartoon: Post-Truth Republicans

(click on image to enlarge)

(Tom Tomorrow, via Crooks and Liars).

See post below.

Tweet Of The Day - Republicans Still Demagoguing On Planned Parenthood

Shorter GOP: Just because killer believed in & repeated our lies about PP, doesn't mean we are  responsible. https://t.co/CFRq3yCfkW

— Jeet Heer (@HeerJeet) November 29, 2015

When they finally do come out of their holes to say anything, it's just to repeat vicious lies.

UPDATE:  And make up a few more hateful, despicable ones.

Anti-Planned Parenthood Smears Leading to Violence (UPDATED)

As we noted in an update to our post yesterday, the killer at yesterday's Colorado Springs' Planned Parenthood site, Robert Dear, is reported to have said "no more baby parts" in a rambling interview with police while in custody, a clear indication that he was targeting the facility over the false fetal tissue stories produced by anti-choice zealots . Over the past year, the right wing has mounted an intensive and deceitful attack on Planned Parenthood, posting highly edited and misleading videos purporting to show Planned Parenthood officials "selling" the body parts of aborted fetuses. These attacks on Planned Parenthood are also believed to have prompted cases of arson at several clinics recently.

Rethuglican politicians and candidates have been bashing Planned Parenthood in the most inflammatory way, perhaps none more than failed businesswoman and cynical opportunist Carly "Snarly" Fiorina.  In the second Rethug debate, Snarly repeatedly lied about seeing a nonexistent video  showing an abortion at a Planned Parenthood facility for the purpose of fetal tissue donation. Her graphic (and knowingly false) version was the low-light of the debate, but allowed the media to gush initially about her "knowledge" and "passion," before a factual examination (you know, actual journalism) unraveled Snarly's fictional account days later.

Radical rhetoric by the anti-choice movement in this country encourages violent actions by unbalanced domestic terrorists. Rethuglican politicians won't call for a halt to it because it would be a betrayal of their most rabid, motivated base, for whom life begins at conception, but ends at the impact of a bullet.

UPDATE:  A portrait is emerging:  he's a "conservative, religious, anti-abortion" nut, according to his ex-wife, who also was fond of handing out anti- Obama leaflets.  Knock us over with a feather.

Today's Cartoon - Not Hard To Connect The Dots

(click on image to enlarge)

(Clay Jones, www.claytoonz.com)

See post below.

The Terrorists Are Already Here (UPDATED)

Not Syrian refugees.  Not Muslims.  No, it's the usual mass- murdering terrorist of recent years in America:  a white male:

Robert Lewis Dear was identified as the gunman who allegedly killed three people and wounded nine others Friday during a shooting at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs, Colorado, according to the AP.

Dear, who the AP reported is from North Carolina, was arrested Friday after an hours-long standoff with police.

Right- wing lies and demagoguery about Planned Parenthood don't have consequences?  We'll see how this shooting investigation plays out.  But there's no doubt the Republican Party, which has gone increasingly from dog-whistles to bullhorn hate speech during the term of our first African American President, has been waging war on the well- being of the American people and the institutions of civil society on a front ranging from affordable health care to immigration reform to minority rights to labor unions to climate science to women's reproductive health.  Should anyone doubt that the Republicans' inflammatory hate speech about Planned Parenthood could possibly connect with these evil consequences, remember this, and this, and this, and this, for starters from these loathsome cretins.

UPDATE:  Meanwhile, how did "The Most Trusted Name In News" handle the unfolding events? Joan Walsh captures our feelings:

I'm sorry @cnn what the hell are you doing putting this anti-Planned Parenthood moron on TV as people are being shot?

— Joan Walsh (@joanwalsh) November 27, 2015

UPDATE II:   When confronted with real consequences, the right- wing lies and demagoguery just ramp up.

UPDATE III:   The shooter reportedly talked about "no more baby parts," clearly referencing the language used in connection with the bogus video about Planned Parenthood operations, and thereafter adopted by Republican candidates demagogues.

Right-Wing Domestic Terrorism And The Media

In the aftermath of the Las Vegas shootings, we noted the "mainstream" media's likely aversion to dwelling on the horror, especially the extreme right-wing political motivations of the shooters.  In today's once great Washington Post Bezos Bugle, tucked away in the "Style" section, tv critic Paul Farhi notes the media's instinct to pussyfoot around what it really was:

What do you call a couple who espouse an extremist, anti-government ideology and kill two policemen and a bystander while draping one of their victims in a flag associated with a political movement? 

After Sunday’s shooting spree perpetrated by just such a couple in Las Vegas, many in the media declined to use one potential label: terrorists.

The article goes on to quote several Muslim Americans who are quick to note, rightly, that had the shooters been Muslims, the "terrorist" label would have been slapped on immediately by the media. Why doesn't that term apply to right-wing domestic terrorism of the kind we saw in Las Vegas (or Georgia just a few days earlier)?

“If it’s an al-Qaeda attack, you can bet it will affect the resources and how we respond to it,” [Brookings Institution counterterrorism expert Daniel L.] Byman said. But “many of the objectives [of right-wing extremist groups] are close enough to legitimate political movements. It would be hard to take them on as a whole without causing a lot of discomfort” among people who don’t have violent aims.  (our emphasis)

Ah, that's the crux of it:  it might cause "discomfort" among the (so far) non-violent right-wing crackpots to be too closely associated with the violent ones;  and, of course, that "discomfort" may cause a reaction, which in turn could cause some bottom line "discomfort" to the media companies.  So, it's better to leave it at "anti-government ideology," if you have to mention ideology at all.  Meanwhile, the right-wing domestic terrorists get more and more phobic, more estranged, more hateful, more violent, while they're continuously stoked to mindless rage by their own right-wing media bubble and craven pols.

The "mainstream" media thinks ignoring the reality will make everything nice-nice, but it's only postponing the time when these dangerous loons will have to be weeded out and confronted in order to safeguard our democracy.  Discomforting or not.

Today's Tomorrow Cartoon - Sagebrush Seditionists

(click to enlarge)

(Tom Tomorrow, via Daily Kos)

Worth reading:  the University of Michigan's (Go Blue) Juan Cole on calling these far-right cretins and their "militia" gun fondlers what they are:  domestic terrorists.

Wingnut Terrorist Arrested in Texas

Since the Oklahoma City bombing in April, 1995, cases of homegrown right-wing violence have been on the rise.  So-called "sovereign citizens" groups,"patriot" groups, and other far-right organizations have been revitalized, particularly with the election (and re-election) of a black Democratic President, and progress on the immigration reform, health care reform, and marriage equality fronts.

Thursday, Federal agents arrested the latest of these loons in Texas after a months-long investigation.  Robert Talbot was charged with plotting to blow up Government buildings, robbing banks, and killing police officers, in addition to possessing explosive materials.  Talbot operates a Facebook page for the "American Insurgent Movement," according to reports, which contains a collection of rants against the Government, "libruls," etc., and which provides a link to tea bagger organizations and websites.  If convicted, Talbot faces up to 20 years in Federal prison (where he'd likely join a chapter of the Aryan Brotherhood).

Police Blotter: Right-Wing Terrorist Mastermind Edition

Pinheads:

Homeland Security warned us in 2009 that right wing extremism is on the rise–something we are seeing in recent conservative pushes to overthrow the government. The report stated, among other things, that  “Heightened interest in legislation for tighter firearms…may be invigorating rightwing extremist activity, specifically the white supremacist and militia movements,” as we have seen exemplified in a Tea Party attempt to construct an anti-Muslim death ray. 

Now, Three Georgia “Patriots” tried to buy pipe bombs and other explosives to aid in their effort to attack power grids, water treatment facilities, and other infrastructure. Brian Edward Cannon and Cory Robert Williamson appeared in court on Friday, and Terry Eugene Peace is due for his first appearance on Monday.

And how did the authorities catch on to these right-wing masterminds?

... [T]he three militia members chatted on Facebook about plans to launch guerrilla-style attacks on government facilities, according to the FBI.  [our emphasis]

Even though these three inept patriots buffoons got caught before they could do any harm, the threat from these groups is obviously real and should be taken very seriously by all of us.

Another Day, Another Wingnut Terrorist

Federal prosecutors have charged that a Tyler, TX man left pipe bombs in multiple mailboxes in part because of his anger with the Federal government. Larry "Sloth" North, whose appearance closely resembles Pills Limpballs, distributed 36 explosive devices over the past month in mailboxes. Check out this vignette of Sloth from the Tyler Morning Telegraph:

"Tyler ATF agent Clay Alexander said at least one more explosive device was found in the handicapped-equipped van North was driving. Because of North's size and no special ramp available, trusties had to lift the man into the back of a Smith County Sheriff's Department van."

From the looks of him, it's hard to imagine him escaping quickly from a bomb set to explode. Actually, a prison diet might save his fat ass.

(photo: The big bomber being wheeled off to jail. "Glenn Beck said whut I wuz doin' wuz OK")

Plane Crasher A Tea Bagger?

Possibly. Small plane pilot Joseph Stack crashed his small plane into an Austin, Texas office building apparently housing nearly 200 IRS employees, after he left a suicide note indicating a long-standing beef with Government and the IRS in particular. He has all of the anti-government nuttiness of a tea bagger in full hate mode. We'll be finding out more, but would anyone be surprised if he was a faithful listener of Pills Limpballs and Boo Hoo the Hoot Beck?