Editorial

Yesterday, June 23, concerned people held a demonstration at the Ursula Detention Center in McAllan Texas. This is a place where migrants, including those follow procedure to seek asylum in the United States, are brought for “processing” and detention. At least one bus, loaded exclusively with children, some appearing as young as three years old, was blocked from leaving. An anonymous source from within the temporary blockade provided pictures of sad, frightened and confused children pressed up against the bar studded windows.

Yesterday, June 21st, Donald Trump signed an executive order that he claimed would end the policy of separating children of asylum seekers and other immigrants from their families at the border and putting them in camps until they are parceled out to non-profits, trafficked, or simply lost. 65 children are “processed” in this way on the Texas border alone each and every day. The executive order does not end family separation and in fact makes it worse and permanent.

Since his May 8th arrest, James Robinson has been held incognito, moved, and denied visits. This flaunting of basic human and constitutional rights is unprecedented in any civilian case in American history involving a US Citizen. Reality Winner is held without bail and the case against her is classified, but her location is known and she has a lawyer of her choosing.

The Mockingbird was one of the first, if not the first media outlets to cover the suspicious death of DNC staffer Seth Rich. This publication was the first to get and first to publish the police report. We had questions at the time with the official narrative, and we still do.

Public Records searches, both by Mockingbird staff and sources (plural) that were held back fearing retaliation have revealed a third set of incidents that occurred during the 2017-2018 at YSHS/MS. The incidents, which included unwanted and inappropriate touching, groping and comments by one student to another, occurred over a four month period from August to November 2017. This was happening at the same time that the High School swept a sexual assault by Principal Tim Krier's son under the rug.

7 weeks ago the staff of the Mockingbird began a series of public records requests. There are over 5 outstanding requests right now. We have been met with denials, lies and obfuscation on all of our requests. The law on the matter reads “reasonable amount of time” and in my life I have never seen so much gas lighting, obfuscation and denial. The typical time is ten days.

When my grandparents came here as infants and toddlers in the early 1920s, the great lady of the harbor said “give me your tired, your poor huddled masses yearning to be free.” Today children are greeted at the border with a different refrain. According to the ACLU they are tossed into cages alone and told “Right now, we close the door, we rape you and fuck you.” by Border Patrol Agents.

On May 21st, FBI agents showed up on the doorsteps of at least two rank and file activists involved in recent protests against neo-nazi groups. The two separate incidents were the ones that were reported, but this appears to be part of a trend and it is unknown how many other people may have been targeted and either were not home, or did not talk about the visit. The known targets include a Quaker pacifist who was recently arrested at a demonstration and a younger activist.

If you are a part of the political class in America, nothing turns you on like a dead brown baby. The Democratic Party pushed forward a congressional leader to justify what Republicans high fived on the street. The bare facts of last week's massacres, plural, in Palestine is that they are part of an ongoing program of genocide that has broad bipartisan support. The death toll, when examined proves this. Since the Republicans spoke first, their choicest statement will be addressed first. It provides a lead in to the facts of the death toll.