So this thread on #abolishICE took off, and clearly hit a nerve. Mostly of people open to learning, just like I did. And since I'm not the expert, I wanted to share a few nuggets shared with me. 1/
The first is this piece showing that #ICE investigators are flagging the problem too. They can't work on the issues that are a thread to national security. 2/ texasobserver.org/ice-hsi-letter…
This made me 😳. They site that their mission, though separate from detention and removal is impacted by the politics. THAT is making us less safe. 3/
the second is from everyone's favorite future member of Congress, @Ocasio2018 who makes a pretty reasonable oversight case. 4/
It's commonly accepted that @DHSgov does not have strong oversight capacity of the 26 agencies it oversees. The agencies love that. In many cases they have statutory authority that predates the 15 yo Department where technically they don't have to check with DHS on things. 5/
The link for the Intercept article quoting @Ocasio2018 (as well as a few old school Dems who may be re-thinking their position in the wake of Joe Crowley's defeat) is here. theintercept.com/2018/06/27/abo… 6/
The last is a failure on my part: when we critique agencies we have a tendency to focus on the bad and not the good. And to the credit of the 5 people who dreamt this up in the first place, they were focused on the good government could bring to bear and the people who do it. 7/
Agents break big cases on smuggling and drugs and do serious work that protects America. They die doing that duty. So when they ask for their agency to shut down, want to move out and tell us the politics are out of hand, it might be a good idea to listen to them. 8/
Also, lets not overstate the extremity of abolishing a 15 yo agency. Feds will still have jobs, and done responsibly it can actually help the missions being currently ignored. We have done this. We moved rebuilding out of FEMA and to DHS. We moved FPS into DHS. Did you notice? 9/
Since it's formation, DHS has absorbed ODP (formerly Justice), FPS (formerly GSA), NCS (now in NPPD) and OHA and DNDO are now CWMD. Get all that? Congress hasn't given a flip about any of this. So don't overstate the panic. END 10/10
*rebuilding moved to HHS from FEMA. Typo.
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
see, those of us in the #nationalsecurity world know that you consider rape a #humanrights thing and a little more fluffy than the big toys you all usually write about. But that's exactly the point, and why you should take the message that is being sent to you. 2/
The @NobelPrize was awarded to Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad for their efforts to end sexual abuse AS A WEAPON OF WAR.
So you guys cover wars, right? So where is the discussion of this? From what I can see, you didn't even cover it. 3/
The fact that this woman has stepped forward--and the response for Kavanaugh and the White House--shows they still don't get it.
Dr. Ford was not slowed down by Kavanaugh. She achieved great things. But the point is that there are a million Kavanaughs out there. 1/
It is possible that this event was so insignificant to Kavanaugh that he doesn't remember it because he was too drunk. On the other hand, this is etched in Dr. Ford's mind. Every time a professor talked down to her, a person got a promotion she did not. It came back to him. 2/
she talks about how it came up in her own marriage. This is a feeling MOST WOMEN UNDERSTAND. And we're over it. And crazy thing about it, we don't have faith you will apply the same treatment to us as you do to yourself mainly because this demonstrates that you don't. 3/
Sheryl Sandberg and @jack have just gotten started at #SSCi but a few opening thoughts:
1) important to remember that right now, taking things down is what defines success for social media platforms. that is not a sustainable business model. 2/
2) criticisms of the platforms have been extensive and warranted, but the fact is, not many people left. 3/
Context: one of the top stories about America that our embassies tell is about Martin Luther King. And they don't just tell the "I have a Dream" part. They tell the Selma and Memphis parts too. This is a critical message for our country. 2/
Because MLK protested against his government. He fought to change his government. That is the American story: Standing up against your government. There is almost no other part of the world you can do that without fear of losing everything. 3/
Here is a thread about some rude protesters who probably should have just stayed home and written letters which of course is just NOT what Americans do. 1/
The first is a shoemaker who led riots, hung stuff from trees and set it on fire. He also followed the dude he was protesting to his house and pushed him to step down. We named a beer after one of the people he hung out with. 2/ en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loyal_Nine
and these trollops? they WALKED IN THE STREET ALONE. Ladies do NOT do that. They stood outside of a dude's house for days on end with obnoxious banners. 3/ loc.gov/collections/st…