Police, ranchers, computer programmers, letter carriers. Dance instructors, pipefitters, direct marketers, labor contractors. Truckers, soldiers, lifeguards, cooks. Teachers, lawyers, journalists, priests. All of these workers can stand up against tyranny. All have voices to share: Against lies. Against war. Against hate. Against terror.
Be heard. Be seen. Be felt.
This tragic shooting, of two National Guard members in D.C., didn’t have to happen.
But when you threaten thousands of refugees and say that you want to send them back to Afghanistan, one of them might snap. And when you shut down the Refugee program so that they lose any hope of bringing their family members who are still in Afghanistan, one of them might snap. And when you stop issuing visas to anyone from their country, one of them might snap. And when you terrorize American cities and states with armed soldiers so that it looks more like the war-torn Afghanistan they fled than like America, one of them might snap. And when you shut down the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, stop funding violence prevention programs, stop enforcing our gun laws, and allow guns to spread like wildfire, one of them might snap and find a gun.
That makes you responsible for this tragedy. It would not have happened but for your misguided actions and failures, as our President. Our President who doesn’t even care.
[sent to White House Nov. 28, 2025]
Senator John Thune,
One of two things is true. Either you are –
**You decide which one is true, and let me know once you’ve decided.
Sincerely, Chuck Redman
P.S. My Dad was from South Dakota. He was a Republican. I shudder to think what he would have thought of your “leadership”.
[sent to the above Senator and others Oct 31, 2025]
On March 15, 2025, Donald Trump signed a Presidential Proclamation titled “Invocation of the Alien Enemies Act Regarding the Invasion of The United States by Tren De Aragua”
The Proclamation asserted that the TdA (Tren de Aragua) is “based in Venezuela, and commits brutal crimes, including murders, kidnappings, extortions, and human, drug, and weapons trafficking.” The Proclamation ordered various actions, particularly detention and removal, against “all Venezuelan citizens 14 years of age or older” who are members of TdA and are in the U.S. without permanent status.
The Trump administration itself thereby acknowledged that TdA members could be as young as 14, and that the gang engages in human trafficking.
Beginning on or about September 2, 2025, the U.S. military has aerially firebombed at least seven vessels in the Caribbean, alleging that the boats were South American drug smugglers heading to the United States. The attacks killed upwards of two dozen individuals. How could the U.S. have known for sure that those boats were involved in anything illegal? But even if they were gang-operated, those boats that were fireballed by U.S. forces may have contained innocent victims of human trafficking. In addition, some of the murdered gang members themselves may have been juveniles as young as 14, possibly themselves victims of duress or trafficking.
Even the summary execution of adult drug smugglers is murder, under U.S. and international law. How much more unlawful and immoral is the murder of innocent victims of human trafficking or the summary execution of adolescent gang members?
(Note: The Presidential Proclamation, by its own terms, did not apply to international waters, and did not explicitly authorize the use of lethal force.)
If you agree that the U.S. may have committed murder under international or domestic law, please sign my petition to the U.S. Congress for a full investigation of these deadly and unprecedented attacks: https://c.org/HkTRmn9Nsv Thank you.
We know that Trump is corrupt, but what does that mean? “Corruption” is kind of a vague term. But specifically, it can include some things that are dishonest that aren’t technically illegal, AND it can definitely include quite a few things that are TOTALLY illegal.
The CRIMES of corruption include: Bribery, Extortion, Fraud, Mail Fraud, Wire Fraud, Theft (including Theft of Personal Identity Information), Embezzlement, Money Laundering, Racketeering, Insider Trading, Perjury, Witness Tampering, Obstruction of Justice, Contempt, and Conspiracy. It can also include crimes of violence. (Please sign and share my petition at: https://chng.it/jdMDPC44hT )
Trump has done many of these things, even in just the last few months. None of these crimes are “official or core duties” of the President. These are his “extracurricular” activities. There is no immunity for such criminal enterprises. He can, and hopefully will, be brought to justice when circumstances catch up with him. Americans don’t like corruption. Especially when they find out all the sordid little things that are part of it.
Live and let live.
Republicans have forgotten that.
For example, I believe that it’s wrong, morally wrong , to kill animals and eat meat. But I don’t want Congress to make it a crime for anyone to eat meat. I don’t want people who eat meat to be fired from their jobs because of it. I don’t want people deported because they eat meat. You see the point? Our beliefs, our lifestyles, our bodies, are nobody’s business unless we are actually hurting the health or welfare of others. Only then should government step in, and only according to the Constitution.
“We can do this the easy way or the hard way.” — It’s called INNUENDO. Trump and his cronies have perfected the art of mafia-style innuendo. But we know that implied threats are just as real, and just as illegal, as the more prosaic variety.
Our Courts understand the criminal intent behind such innuendo. Section 2905.11(A)(6), Ohio Revised Code: “”Threat” includes a direct threat and a threat by innuendo.” Therefore, he who threatens by subtle means will be punished just as surely as he who lacks a poetic bent. And both will be punished in no uncertain terms.
[Pictured: Al Capone]
The only thing as chilling and sickening as Trump gleefully telling reporters in February that the U.S. was going to take over Gaza, level it and make it “the Riviera of the Middle East”, was Putin and Xi Jinping walking together on Wednesday and jauntily talking about “achieving immortality” through continuous organ transplants that make you live longer and become younger and younger. This is what unlimited power can do to the brain, stoking feelings of sanctity and invincibility that allow those brains to treat the world as their personal plaything and the lives of mere mortals as ants on the sandpile.
Don’t you feel safer knowing that, instead of prosecuting and punishing the people who attacked the U.S. Capitol and Capitol Police, the FBI has decided to pursue people who buy houses (Leticia James, Adam Schiff), people who write books and speak on television (John Bolton, John Brennan, etc), people who throw sandwiches at officers (who were probably hungry), and people they just don’t like because they just don’t like them (Kilmar Abrego Garcia)? Aren’t you glad that the FBI has its priorities all straightened out? I’ve been so afraid that John Bolton might attempt to write another book.
Trump doesn’t own the government. He’s not majority stockholder of our public institutions. The government belongs to us, all of us, together. Not to individuals or groups. Not to Trump or the Republicans or the Democrats.
Loyalty to a politician, rather than a principle, has no place in our Constitution, our government, or our legal system.
No, Comrade Trump, President Zelenskyy cannot end the war, because he didn’t start it. Putin started it, he’s the only one who can end it if he wants. And you haven’t done a single thing to stop Putin or make him end this war. You are basically complicit in Putin’s crimes.
[sent to White House aug 18, 2025]
President Trump,
Again you have made verbal concessions – territorial and other concessions — ahead of Russia talks, not because you or Ukraine are receiving something in return from Russia, but simply because you couldn’t care less about Ukraine and just like hearing yourself talk. Did you clear these concessions with President Zelenskyy before you announced them to the world? You have been appallingly irresponsible, committing the most foolish, costly diplomatic and military error conceivable: giving something for nothing. Unless you start supporting Ukraine and standing up to Russia, please stay out of the situation and let Ukraine and our NATO allies do their jobs.
Thank you.
[sent to White House aug 9 2025]
Congressional redistricting for all states should be controlled by a nonpartisan, interstate commission made up of election officials from all 50 states, and should adhere to the principle of geographic integrity, which requires that district lines make as much geographic sense as possible, given the need for districts to be equal in population. When periodic redistricting is necessary, district lines will be adjusted in a way that will cause the minimum of disturbance to the communities and the voters of the respective districts.
I just don’t understand how scientists and engineers can land robots on Mars to collect and preserve soil samples, and can create artificial intelligence to construct a self-sustainable microsystem, but they can’t figure out how to make a nursing home in Fall River, Massachusetts, that won’t burn down and leave a dozen elderly or handicapped patients to perish. Can anybody explain this to me?
It is one of the ugliest things any of us will ever see. This Frenzy of Authoritarian Zeal. It is revolting. Repulsive. They are high on the venom of their own sadistic impulses. They are practically salivating over their joyous expanding spree of cruelty. They will not stop until they are satiated with the blood of all their innocent victims. This is barely metaphor. This is very nearly literal.
How do you stop a sick demented reactionary mob? With sheer numbers. A solid line of thinking, speaking, resisting folks, standing up straight and saying no. Uh-uh. You fascists ain’t messing with us. You barking up the wrong tree. This madness is over and done. You go to your room and think about what you’ve done. You’re grounded until you ready to behave and treat folks right. That’s all it takes. A solid, unflinching line of Us. Saying no more, no more, no more.
I’m not sure about now, but in the past the L.A. County Jail cooperated with ICE in the following way: ICE Deportation officers could review the lists of County Jail inmates and could interview any inmates who were foreign-born to determine if they were deportable for being unlawfully present or for their criminal convictions. If the Deportation Officer determined they were deportable, an immigration hold would be placed on them so that, when their County custody ends, they would be turned over to ICE and placed in Deportation (Removal) proceedings. They would have a case before an Immigration Judge, and would have all the due process rights set by statute, including the right to hire counsel, the right (in most cases) to request bond or release, and the right to a full adversarial Deportation hearing. If they are not proven to be deportable, or if they have a valid claim to some form of lawful status, then they will be allowed to remain lawfully in the United States. If they lose their case, they have the right to appeal.
The system was very fair and orderly. Our agency (DHS/ICE) only sought to enforce the immigration laws fairly and objectively, and to see that justice was done. If we believed that the decision should be in the alien’s favor, we would so inform the Immigration Judge, and generally the Judge would defer to our recommendation.
Under the above system, it made sense for the County Jail to cooperate with the Immigration authorities. But today, our federal Immigration agencies have been politicized and some individuals in the agencies are acting in corrupt and lawless ways. I don’t believe that state and local law enforcement should assist the federal authorities who engage in such lawless conduct. Local law enforcement should abide by the Constitution and laws, even if federal agencies do not.
Donald Trump didn’t invent corruption, but he has normalized it to new heights of flagrancy and impunity. This was easy for him because he has no shame, he enjoys being a villain, he enjoys shocking people, and our political system had been growing more and more corrupt every year even before he discovered it to be the ultimate money machine. The corruption will grow, and grow, and grow, until we the people throw them all out of office. And in jail.
Every American university has a fight song. Every college, every technical school, every high school has a rousing anthem to unite and enspirit the students and faculty and alumni against a common “enemy”, usually the cross-state rival or last year’s conference champ. Well, now American schools have a REAL enemy, one that wants to conquer them, not physically, but intellectually. Morally.
NOW is when schools need to get tough. Now is when all educational institutions need to UNITE and support one another, against a genuine common enemy: the tyranny that is advancing day by day and is not playing by any rules or listening to any referees. The tyranny that wants to break your spirit and make you back down and forfeit this game and every other game on your schedule this season and every season to come.
Now is when Lions need to Roar. Now is when Wolverines need to Hail Victory. Now is when Cornhuskers need to All Stick Together for the Dear Old U. THIS is the big game. If you don’t show up and play your hearts out, you might as well hang up your cleats and helmets because pretty soon the only events happening in your proud stadium will be public executions.
Roar, Lion, Roar — Columbia Fight Song
Dear Mr. Trump:
That is so great that you are going to turn Mar-a-Lago and all your other golf courses and properties into residential developments for 100,000 or more Gaza refugees, while you rebuild their land for them, as you promised. That is really nice of you to make that personal sacrifice.
And that’s so nice of Elon Musk to promise to pay for a brand new Gaza. Although that will cost him 200 billion, he will still have 250 billion left to live on. You can stay with him on the weekends if you get bored in the White House. He will probably let you look at the plans for the Gaza Beach Trump Resort and Golf Course. Oh—just make sure he has a plan for excavating all the human remains of dead Gazans before landscaping the golf courses and planting the fairways and putting greens.
Sincerely, Chuck Redman
An Attorney General needs three basic qualities. She or he needs to be a leader. Someone who has the maturity, temperament and expertise to run the world’s foremost law enforcement agency, from preliminary investigation to complex litigation.
She or he needs to be respected. She needs to be respected by her vast workforce, which includes the agents of the FBI, ATF and DEA, Immigration Judges, U.S. Attorneys, subject-matter attorneys in all areas of federal law, the Bureau of Prisons, the Antitrust Division, and the Environment and Natural Resources Division. She needs to be respected by the federal bench, before whom her Department will appear and argue its cases, if the interests of the United States are to be effectively prosecuted or defended. She needs to be respected by opposing parties and opposing counsel. This includes opposing parties who are foreign states and foreign nationals who may be subject to U.S. jurisdiction.
Finally, the Attorney General needs to have personal and professional integrity. Just like a Justice of the Supreme Court, the Attorney General must be beyond reproach in terms of integrity. There must be no trace of bias, personal interest or conflict of interest in any of her words or actions. Blind loyalty to a party or a President should be nowhere in her character. She should protect elections, not undermine them. Malice or retribution should be ideas she repudiates, not endorses. She must serve only the interests of the American people and their Constitution and laws. Not the interests of wealthy individuals, wealthy foreign entities, or corporate monopolies.
Can we say, with a straight face, that the person whom President-elect Trump wants to be our next Attorney General possesses any of these three qualities? Rarely has a negative answer to such a question been so embarrassingly obvious.
Chuck Redman, retired federal trial attorney, U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Chuck Redman 