Our first “Why are you complaining?”

I’ve been saying since the election that the most useful phrase we may well have over the next several months to years is this:

“Why are you complaining? This is exactly what you voted for.”

You may add, “you stupid-ass motherfuckers” onto the end as your taste dictates.

And we have our very first true case already, as the Fraternal Order of Police have condemned Donald Trump for doing exactly what he said he would do in pardoning January 6th insurrectionists, including those who attacked police.

All together now, everyone! Three, two, one:

Why are you complaining? This is exactly what you voted for, you stupid-ass motherfuckers.

Now. Isn’t that nice?

After all, it’s not like he didn’t tell everyone who would listen. Over and over again.

This is what people get for voting like complete fucking morons, voting with the single goal of hurting people they don’t like.

You see, there’s a fact here, and it’s very simple:

Every psychopath who tells you they’ll deliver your retribution and pain onto others will not hesitate for a single goddamn second to turn around and deliver it onto you, too, if they decide it’s in their interest.

Or that it would just be fun.

And to those people, I further say this:

Get smart, dumbshits, and for once in your useless goddamn lives, learn something.

No. I do not intend to be gracious. Not about any of this.

Posted via Solarbird{y|z|yz}, Collected.

a first report of passport confiscation UPDATED

In my writeup about the Trump administration’s declaration of war against trans people in particular but LGBTNI people in general, I highlighted that the first thing to watch for would be confiscation of travel documents.

Unfortunately, we already have our first report of travel documents confiscation.

Now, from what I can tell, here’s what you need to know:

One: this is unconfirmed upgraded to CREDIBLE. There are rumours flying around everywhere and while this is very close to the aggrieved party, I don’t have a direct link to an aggrieved party, much less a name or details.

ETA: The Guardian (US) report that Marco Rubio has issued a freeze on all issuance of “X”-marked passports and gender-change requests on passports. This is not the same as a passport seizure order, however; the issuance applies only to passport applications, both current and future.

Which would make the seizure of an existing document outside that memo’s authority.

Two: Assuming it’s real, this was someone who went in for a change to document, as opposed to just having it grabbed at a point of entry, or receiving a call or letter telling them their document is now invalid. This happening at an active change of state request is relevant, because that’s the easiest point of enforcement.

This aligns with the late-afternoon reports of Rubio’s email.

Three: the best news is that this is too early. There’s no implementation of this order yet, not even by the terms of the EO itself. We’re in the 30-day policy-implementation period, where State (et al) are supposed to come up with new rules for how they’re supposed to implement this, not just go out and start doing random shit.

Moreso, even the supposed agent saying all these things referenced pending legislation, as in, there will have to be changes in law to make this an actual change in law, and acting before this is the law is a violation of the law.

ETA: However, as per Rubio’s order above, they can suspend processing of whatever they want. That appears to have been the order issued – not for documents seizure but suspension of processing of new and changed documents.

If there was a seizure of an existing passport, then it is most certainly someone acting with independent initiative. That’s good for us, as it makes the court cases that will happen (assuming it’s real) more favourable to our side. Supposedly, the ACLU has been contacted and The Independent is investigating.

That doesn’t make it as much better as one might like. There are plenty of christofash and/or MAGAt people in these agencies, and they will soon by joined by many more. Maximalist interpretation and implementation – and just sheer harassment because they can – is the intent and will be the rule, whenever possible.

They also just like to hurt people and will do so whenever they think they can get away with it.

Four: Passports fall under treaty law, which is a peer to constitutional law, under the terms of the Constitution itself. You can’t really throw out treaty law with an EO under most circumstances. They will definitely try to ignore that, but that’s not something anyone less nakedly hyper-ideological than Samuel Alito or Aileen Cannon will override.

Five: People are being confused about the “Driver’s License” commentary, asking why a Federal agent would be talking about State-issued documents.

If you are in a state with Real ID compliant driver’s licenses, they fall under Federal rules.

That’s why.

This is one of the reasons some of us have fought them since they were introduced, and that is one of the reasons Washington State’s driver’s licenses by default are not Real ID compliant. You need a Real ID-compliant document for air travel in the US (as well as a few other things), so a lot of driver’s licenses are part of the system.

So. What do you do?

Keep watching this, because travel-document seizure is no fucking joke and is very much some rubber-hitting-the-road time, if it’s allowed to stand.

And they very much will want it to stand.

Eyes up, team.

Red alert.

Posted via Solarbird{y|z|yz}, Collected.