Thoughts for the Day, January 20, 2026: ICE's version of ready, shoot, aim.
Is it asking too that ICE does its homework before knocking down someone's front door.
Intimidate, Detain, Arrest, and then check the facts.
Is it asking too much for ICE to do their homework and confirm facts before breaking down doors and removing U.S. citizens from their homes?
From Mary Geddry today and confirmed by other sources.
Consider Minnesota, where the federal government has decided to turn immigration enforcement into a live-action stress test for the Constitution. On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, of all days, ICE agents broke into the home of ChongLy “Scott” Thao, a 56-year-old Hmong American citizen who has lived in the United States since childhood and became a citizen in 1991. They entered without a warrant, pointed guns at his family, handcuffed him in front of his five-year-old grandson, and dragged him outside into 14-degree weather wearing only boxer shorts and Crocs. He was denied the chance to dress. He wrapped himself in his grandson’s blanket while neighbors watched in horror.
After an hour of questioning, fingerprinting, and humiliation, ICE confirmed what basic paperwork would have revealed immediately: Thao is a U.S. citizen with no criminal record. He was dropped back home without apology, or explanation. Just the quiet administrative shrug of a government that believes accountability is for pussies.
It gets worse. The Hmong community didn’t “wander” into America, they were recruited by the CIA to fight alongside U.S. forces in Laos during the Vietnam War’s so-called “Secret War.” Tens of thousands were killed. Those who survived were resettled here after facing retribution for serving U.S. interests. Watching federal agents terrorize an elderly Hmong American on MLK Day is not just cruel, but a betrayal layered atop an unpaid moral debt.
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It’s not deportation that is the problem; it is the tactics.
I am sure my view is like most Americans. Enforcing existing immigration laws is important. Securing our border is important. Doing it by following existing laws is important.
Deportation and immigration enforcement is nothing new. Since 1980 every president’s administration has deported millions of illegal citizens (Obama’s administration deported nearly 3,000,000 over eight years, an average of over 1,000 per day) Yet we heard very little about the deportations. Not because the media didn’t want to cover it, but because previous presidents’ administrations went about it within the framework of our constitution and existing laws.
The focus was on people with criminal records. The process respected the rights of the illegal alien, including confirming prior criminal behavior and convictions before deportation. The process was completed within the rules and regulations established and funded by Congress. Was it perfect? Hell no. But at least it was humane.
People’s rights mattered even if they were in the country illegally. As a good defense attorney told me, even the worst of the worst criminals in the U.S. have legal rights that we must respect and honor. The same goes for illegal aliens.
The difference between what happened prior to Trump 2 and what is happening now, is that under previous administrations, the rules and laws for arresting, prosecuting, and deporting illegal aliens were followed by ICE and Border Patrol agents.
Under the current administration, innocent until proven guilty has been thrown out the window. Protection from illegal search and seizure doesn’t exist. Obeying existing laws including federal court rulings is optional. Terrorizing someone who looks like they might be an illegal alien is a strategy, even if they are a U.S. citizen.
If you are brown, black, red, yellow, or non-white your rights are a matter of convenience and subject to the interpretation and whims of ICE members and its current leadership. Living in a city or state that didn’t vote for Trump in 2024 makes it worse.
It is not the deportation of illegal aliens that is the problem, it is the method used by ICE that I object to.
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Another reason to not trust Michigan AG Dana Nessel
This comes from multiple media sources, including Charlie LeDuff.
Former Michigan Democrat Party Treasurer Tracy Kornak has been hauled into probate court this week amid allegations she embezzled substantial funds from an elderly, brain-damaged woman under her legal conservatorship, according to court filings and local reporting.
Kornak, an attorney who served on Attorney General Dana Nessel’s own transition team, was appointed as the legal guardian for a woman residing at “The Village of Heather Hills,” an assisted living facility.
Rather than protecting the women, allegations suggest Kornak used the facility’s sensitive tax information to fraudulently bill an insurance company for nearly $50,000 in “care services” that were never authorized.
The director of the facility, Joe LeBlanc, blew the whistle on the operation, leading to a criminal investigation by the Attorney General’s office.
The Michigan Department of Attorney General’s Financial Crimes and Health Care Fraud divisions investigated the claims. In 2023, the department announced that no criminal wrongdoing was found, citing a lack of a cooperating complainant and unsubstantiated claims.
However, bombshell records obtained through FOIA requests tell a different story.
The AG’s office supposedly set up an “ethical firewall” to prevent Nessel from interfering. Emails reveal that Nessel allegedly shattered that wall, demanding updates on the case and pressuring staff to provide Kornak with documentation to clear her name. THIS SOUNDS FAMILAR TO THE FLINT WATER CRISIS.
What began as a story about a simple insurance scam perpetrated by Kornak in the name of the old woman has morphed into a scandal implicating AG Dana Nessel and governor Whitmer.
Kornak was a suspected embezzler, and Whitmer and Nessel knew about the allegations. Nevertheless, they allowed her to continue in her political position as treasurer of the state Democratic Party. In fact, Whitmer was planning to appoint Kornak to a judgeship as soon as the criminal investigation went away.
The Kent County Sheriff’s Office has completed its own two-year investigation into Kornak’s stewardship of the old woman’s financial affairs. Among its recommendations are charges of felony embezzlement, which carries a 20-year prison term. That report now sits on the desk of Chris Becker, the Kent County prosecutor, who is considering charges.
I feel sorry for the people of Michigan. Not only do we have to deal with a politicized Department of Justice and Attorney General, but we also have to deal with a politicized state Attorney General’s office. It makes me feel that justice is no longer blind. Justice is now based on who you know and how much money you have contributed to the party in power
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Speak up, speak out and make good trouble.
Today is the one-year anniversary of the beginning of Trump 2. Here is what I learned during the first year.
· Project 2025 was and is Trump’s game plan, even though he denied during the campaign that he knew nothing about project 2025.
· Everything he does is transactional. Does it enhance his power? Does it increase his control? Does it enhance his pocketbook. Does it provide leverage over others. Does it punish his enemies?
· For Trump’s staff, loyalty to Trump is more important than honoring the oath of office.
· Human beings are collateral to be used as bargaining chips.
· Existing agreements, treaties, alliances, and norms mean nothing.
· Facts will never get in the way of Trump’s message
The above will continue until we speak up and speak out. We need to make good trouble. Write your congress members and ask them to do their job by honoring their oath of office. Ask them to stand up to the president’s actions that strengthen the executive branch by weakening the legislative branch. Ask them to exert the powers the legislative branch has been given by the Constitution.
Speak up, speak out, and make good trouble.
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Quote of the Day: “People can cling to an old way of thinking, categorizing teams as this or that or conferences as this or that, or they can adjust to the new world, the shift in the power dynamic in college football today.” Indiana coach Curt Cignetti explaining how IU went from the losingest college football team in history to winning the national championship in two years following his arrival as head coach.
Orchid of the Day: The Indiana University football team for winning the College Football Playoff National Title Game. See my Video of the Day.
Onion of the Day: AG Dana Nessel for her continued politicization of the AG’s office.
Question of the Day: Is it asking too much to make sure ICE agents do their homework prior to knocking down a U.S. citizen’s door and detaining the person in error.
Lyrics of the Day: Home, to a new and a shiny place. Make our bed, we’ll say our grace.
Freedom’s light burning warm. Freedom’s light burning warm.
Everywhere around the world. They’re coming to America
Hint: One of the artist’s song’s is popular with the Red Sox
Lyrics of the Day for January 19, 2026. Abraham, Martin, and John: by Dion DeMuchi
Video of the Day: Miami vs Indiana - NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP HIGHLIGHTS | College Football Playoff
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