These are not agents of any government. These are thugs, total criminal element. I have never seen that in a civilised country people are treated like this! Masked agents! No due process of law! Accusations without proof! Hatred of immigrants in a country of immigrants! Incredible! And this is tolerated by honest, decent citizens? That is even more incredible because it is! This rule of terror has been going on since Trump’s inauguration and no one, except the brave immigrants themselves, have done anything about it. What will you do when an armed gang of thugs comes for you? This could have been expected in the Soviet Union, North Korea and communist China and Cuba, but in the US?
CHEERS
JaZzArt en València 
calling them thugs is way too kind
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So true Beth…
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I was once fortunate enough to be able to choose between Europe and the US. I made the correct decision.
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Yes, as I did in returning to Europe…
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although it often feels like the Anglo Saxon world likes to stick together.
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It does feel like that at times, for sure…
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Well stated, Francisco. Thugs with majwdd mugs and now Trump has given hiring bonuses and enticements and looser requirements to hire thousands more!!!
Some small towns that thought Trump’s anti immigrant programs were a great idea until their local farms, companies, and ‘good’ neighbors also became casualties.
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It’s incredible to see and to hear what they are doing…
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When he was in Scotland, several newscasts in the US carried pictures of him being roundly booed. A Trump supporter in the UK, told me that was all fake news, so the Kool-aid drinkers are not just in the US anymore. You lived here for a number of years and served in a variety of first responder roles so you know what this place could be and should be like, as opposed to those who only believe what their news outlet or conspiracy theory of preference tells them.
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Without a doubt Pat. I have heard the same from friends that came to visit recently from California and told me that the Democrats were destroying their state!
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I have read in a couple of places, that the Democrats in California, particularly San Francisco, are backing away from the more extreme portions of their tolerance for homelessness and not arresting comparatively low cost low cost store thefts (I think it was an unrealistically high amount of theft before the police would bother to show up to gather evidence of the break in or smash and grab. It was hurting downtown businesses and tourism.
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Same as in Spain, it is not a crime unless it is a certain amount, the theft that is…
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Interesting. If a kid has shoplifted a candy bar or some other small item, yes it’s illegal and petty theft can increase to grand theft or armed larceny, but at what point does it become worth sending out an officer? From what I have read in San Francisco, the smash and grabs were resulting in thousands of dollars of inventory and the stores did not bother reporting it because the police wouldn’t show up. How much of that is literally true, I do not know.
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I’ve heard stories like that but I too am doubtful…
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A while ago you asked the question whether artists should engage in politics. If you remember, I said that everybody is entitled to an opinion, especially if they express that opinion on their own website. I also said that by doing so they run the risk of alienating half their followers. I’m sorry to tell you that I belong in that category.
I’ve always enjoyed your posts about art and you’ve educated me no end. I can’t thank you enough for that, but I think it’s time to distance myself now, because as Pat knows, it’s not just the posts I read but the comments that accompany them, and as many of those comments have a different opinion to mine, I’m finding it increasingly difficult to enjoy reading them.
Personally, I enjoy using WordPress to get away from political opinion. Yes, I write about contentious issues on my travel pages, but I try really hard to remain neutral whatever I think, so that people can make up their own minds.
J.D. Vance may alienate a lot of American Democrats, but when he said that the UK could become America’s enemy it isn’t as daft as it may sound because the way things are going we could quite easily become the first Muslim country with a nuclear arsenal. You may think that’s delusional, but I think it’s more of a warning that if we don’t do something soon then that could easily happen.
If you let that sink in for a moment, then you may begin to understand why I don’t want to keep reading people’s opposite point of view. The time for debating has long gone now and it’s a time for people like me to stand by our ancestors who fought and died for our freedom. I refuse to let their efforts be in vain.
Keep painting my friend and I hope there are no hard feelings.
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Absolutely not. No hard feelings whatsoever. I believe in personal and individual freedoms and I would never challenge or debate anyone’s decision, especially if they are someone that I like and respect. I am sorry you feel this way, but I do feel that as a human being I have to say certain things. I am not defending or attacking, I am exposing what is general knowledge. I also feel very frustrated when in the morning news all I hear is how Israel is bombing, starving and killing people in Gaza, but I accept that they have the right to say it, although to me it is vile propaganda. I hope you reconsider one day my friend. All the best to you. And these are not Muslims that those «agents» are terrorising and abusing, they are just people…
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Thanks for your considered response Francesc. Deep down, I do think we have a lot in common, as was shown in our agreement about msm propaganda, but it’s just a shame that we both have to deal with the world’s problems in different ways. Hopefully, it won’t always be like this.
Either way, you’ll always be a good virtual friend of mine and I’m convinced that we could have sorted it all out over a glass of Sangria or two in Valencia.
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That was just what I was thinking… Cheers Malc and all the best.
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What do you expect people to do ? Not everyone in this country owns a gun
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Not a clue (as to what I expect people to do) and not a clue reference to your reply…
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I just realized this was probably rhetorical..
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The solution to civil matters is not found with guns but by doing one’s civic duties like voting…
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Right. In theory up until the man in office cried about unfair elections…and well here we are with half the country duped by this stupidity
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So true Matt, but, imperfect as they might be, elections are still the best approach to having a democratically elected representative government.
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Francis i vote, and I understand what you saying..it just feels beyond that. Laws keep getting broken, people keep getting sued without punishment.
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I understand Matt. I vote too and I can see, and regret that many democrats did not vote. Could it be that the majority of democrats are misogynists? Two women, completely different one from the other and both lost to the same man? Coincidence? Or a bad sign?
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Had Biden dropped out in the begining and let Harris campaign longer, she may have reached more people. But you may be right, I think there is rampant misogony on both sides of the political spectrum to ever see 1 or 2 women lead this country 😑
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Agreed. Cheers Matt and a great Friday to you!
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Cheers to you as well 🍹
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It is not a scene I ever expected to see in the United States. Unfortunately, I’ve seen thousands of such pictures since January 20th and there is no end in sight. And for all my reporting and rants and pleadings on my blog and in letters to my U.S. Senators and U.S. Representative, I may as well have been spitting into the wind. My only power is my vote and my voice. I won’t get to vote again until November 2026 — if Trump does not cancel the mid-term elections! — and my voice is falling on deaf ears. I’m 72 years old and I feel like I’m living in a parallel universe.
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You and me both. Already they’re trying to gerrymander in Texas for the 2026 elections.
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Yes! It’s going from bad to worse…
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They certainly are and making no bones about it! Corruption in plain view!
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Totally in plain view. It’s like looking at a bad, repulsive movie!
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It’s definitely surreal and sad Janet. But voting in the next election is crucial…
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I believe if Trump thinks he is going to lose control of Congress he will declare a bogus national emergency and cancel the election. I can’t believe I’m sitting in America saying that, but it is a real possibility. We know he declares emergencies at the drop of a hat.
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Although it has never happened and it would be disastrous, it’s always a possibility… scary though Janet…
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Some of us worked hard to elect his opponent to no avail. We continue to fight. Nothing seems to work. My biggest battle is against a sense of futility.
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So true…
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