Reprise: and yet they come One thing about the migratory caravans we know for sure—Trump is politicizing and enfolding them into his hysterical extremist rhetoric through which he continues to incite in the populous fear and hatred.  I believe Trump is using the migrant caravans to yet again attempt consolidation of power. He has always included illegal immigration in his vitriolic speeches espousing what he himself now has called his nationalist ideology. By sewing division and hatred and creating chaos through incessant lying T rump increasingly destabilizes democracy and consolidates personal and party power. The more fear and hatred of others he can generate among Americans, the more he undermines the people's unity and therefore the people's power, and the less able we will be as a country to function democratically. A refresher on constitutional democracy Constitutional democracy is government of the people, by the people, for the people. It is not government

The Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration began as soon as Trump took office. It clearly has not worked. Instead it has caused misery and strife.  Trumpeting across the Americas that you are not welcome here, and if you cross our border illegally we will separate your families, lock up your children, deport you without them has produced no gains except in the accounts of private contractors and corporations operating detention centers.  Trump's  vitriolic threats have not stopped refugees and asylum seekers fleeing violence and poverty en masse . The caravans of thousands currently walking through Guatemala and Mexico are fleeing combinations of poverty, extortion, and life-threatening gang, cartel, and militia violence.   What began as one group of 160 people leaving  the city of San Pedro Sula on the northeastern coast of Honduras, grew rapidly within a few weeks, into multiple caravans of thousands from the  Northern Triangle of Central America—Honduras, El Salva

Freedom is everything. What is constrained, controlled, and oppressed withers and dies. Resilience is finding a way to be free every day. Today I am thinking of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford. I had created a blogpost during the week she testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee regarding her allegations that Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when they were both teenagers. Now I am thinking about how casually I posted to my blog the sketch portrait and very short summary account. Now I am thinking I was relatively callous as I did. Until one actually confronts what it is to testify as she did about her trauma and post-trauma experience, in a way that is in itself traumatic, one cannot know the complexity of doing so. I have seen nothing for days in the news about Dr. Blasey Ford, and maybe it’s better that way. I have no doubt her life has been impacted in a huge way both personally and publicly, that her life will never be the same. She may be relieved to slip away to

Today the Trump party, formerly known as the GOP, scored a big one. They violated the democratic process, flagrantly, and it was a brutal takeover, but they scored one. I can only hope there still will be justice and that justice rights wrong. No sooner was the fix in, they secreted their confirmed Supreme Court judge nominee Brett the Bart Kavanaugh into court and administered the oath. The rush to oath followed the rush to confirm. It all had an air of desperation and stealth like the Trump party was running from a crime scene, making a mad dash with hundreds of American Bar Association lawyers and leaders; hundreds of thousands of church leaders and parishioners; and millions of Americans at their heels, not to speak of journalists at major newspapers and media outlets, arguing that Brett the Bart Kavanaugh did not qualify to be seated on the Supreme Court.  Trump party members like McConnell, Grassley, Graham, Hatch, and a woman, Collins, and all the rest ran away with the