ICE officials are not acting in good faith. They are operating like fascist of the past and currently by a secret memo written by ICE acting director Todd Lyons that states that ICE does not have to respect nor pay attention nor follow the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution. The ICE agents are opting to create chaos, perpetrate violence, create fear through large showings of force, very fascist like:  there are 3000 ICE agents in Minneapolis, a city that only has 600 police officers, who confiscated 900 guns from the streets last year WITHOUT killing anyone or firing a shot. But, now……

ICE murdered Renee Good, a mother of 3, and Alex Pretti, a nurse in the ICU of the Minneapolis VA hospital. We all saw both with our own eyes (if you bothered to look).  But, the MAGA end of the Republican spectrum still wants to lie about it and insist that Good was there to cause harm to ICE officers, and that as she tried to move her car, actually turning the car AWAY from the ICE officers, that she was trying to run over them. They had guns; she did not. Hard to believe that someone who said “Hey, we are not mad at you” one minute would try to kill armed officers the next.  Draco II’s administration made sure that Good was called out as a lesbian, throwing red-bait meat to its misogynist and prejudicial base. Pretti was trying to help a woman pepper-sprayed by ICE. Yes, he had a gun and a concealed-carry permit, but the gun was NOT drawn as Draco II administration officials want you to believe. He was holding his phone, not reaching for the gun, tackled to the ground, held there, the gun removed from its holster by ICE, and then shot 10 TIMES by murders standing over him. He was NOT intending a “massacre” like ICE said.  ICE thugs lie to protect themselves; don’t believe a word they say.

Draco II lovers:  American democracy does not agree with these ICE tactics, that “might makes right” or even their “obey or die” edict. Imperfect democracy doesn’t hate or fear you. Imperfect democracy must be worked, with EVERYONE part of the workforce. The fascism of the right wants you to believe that its opposition are domestic terrorists, paid insurrectionists, anti-American, but we are not. America is imperfect; we want to protect it so that it can continue to evolve into a “more perfect union” (it has a long way to go). Nevertheless, violence-loving, lawless fascism cannot be made the norm; it must again be defeated, as it has been many times in the past. Dictatorship, kingship, authoritarianism, kleptocracy, oligarchy, is not part of a true democracy.  True democracy is hard work.

Americans must live in good faith to democracy, our destiny, or we will continue to suffer the pain of the ego’s separative action and evolution will take a different, permanent turn without us.

Bob Bates

Tullahoma