We hear the term “gaslighting” a lot these days. When words become jargon, they tend to lose their original meaning and become generalized. Gaslighting is not persuasion, argument, or convincing others through logic. It is an insidious form of manipulation. Gaslighting is used to manipulate people into doing what somebody else wants them to do by causing them to doubt their beliefs, the facts, their judgment, even their very selves and their motives. “Fear mongering” is used to cause them to do the bidding of the gaslighter. Gaslighting is destructive for those reasons. Nevertheless, we see it in interpersonal relationships, news broadcasting, politics, and even religion. Persuasion respects the other person. Gaslighting is used to control others by destroying their confidence in themselves.
The national discussion about the deportation of illegal migrants from the United States has become heated, irrational, and disrespectful. It is time that we look at things clearly and rationally. Inflammatory rhetoric is putting people at risk of injury and death.
How so? Let me explain. In war, soldiers develop nicknames for the enemy soldiers they are fighting. We do not need to restate them here lest we be accused of racism or hate speech. Everyone knows them well enough. But why? Why does this happen?
Well, first it happens because the bad guys are trying to kill you, and you take offense to that. For our purposes here, however, consider this. If you can call the other guy some sort of derogatory nickname, it makes them seem subhuman. If they aren’t fully human, then you don’t have to feel so bad about killing them.
In the same way, if you can call a law officer a Nazi, fascist, gestapo, or pig then it becomes easier to throw a bag of urine or facies on them, pelt them with rocks, throw incendiaries at them, or run them down with a car. And that, class, is how inflammatory rhetoric endangers law officers.
Now, the cops are just as human as the rest of us. They can endure provocation longer because they are trained to deal with it, but sooner or later somebody is going to get fed up. They are remarkably able to refrain from using excessive force most of the time, but they may not be inclined to be gentle. So, in a heated situation (or any situation really) if the police give you an order it is best practice to comply. If you feel you are being wronged there are plenty of lawyers who are willing to dip into the government’s deep pockets on your behalf – especially if you get it on film. For example, if a cop says, “Step out of the car.” It is wise to do so. If you don’t they may drag you out, put you down on the ground, and cuff you up. I hope a word to the wise will be sufficient. Seditious “loud talking” can, and will get more people hurt than just the police.
Please understand, the following is not intended to be name calling. It is intended to clarify terms. When used as a noun in the US, the word “criminal” means, “a person who has committed a crime or been found guilty of committing a crime.” [1] Consequently, anyone who enters or remains in the Unties States illegally is (by definition) a “criminal illegal migrant.” Those who help someone to enter or remain in the US illegally are criminals. By extension, those who employ illegal migrants are criminals. (8 USC 1324, 1325)
Therefore, law officers and other officials who detain, arrest, and deport illegal migrants are enforcing the law. It is what we hire them to do. It’s their job.
As American citizens, persons who object to the deportation of illegal migrants have the right to all the legal recourse available to them. The US Constitution guarantees them the right to petition the government for the redress of their grievances. They are free to speak out against deportation, or the manner in which it is being conducted. They may file lawsuits, publish articles, give speeches, vote, peacefully demonstrate, and so forth.
They do not have the right to be violent or engage in riots and insurrection. No American citizen may impede law officers from doing their duty, set things on fire, throw things, destroy public or private property, cross established police barriers, block streets and highways, assault those who disagree with them, threaten, injure, or kill law officers, or engage in other illegal activities. If they do – they become criminals and are subject to arrest and legal prosecution.
In previous posts, we have stated that we support the deportation of illegal migrants. Given the enormity of the problem created by President Joe Biden and others by admitting millions of illegal migrants into the country, we suggested that the government should prioritize their efforts by focusing on deporting those whose criminal activities present the greatest threat to public safety. By that we did not mean to imply that only the worst of the worst should be deported. We suggested that illegal migrants who are not an imminent threat to public safety should also be deported – as humanely as possible.
In the beginning, the Trump Administration publicly announced that their deportation efforts would be focused on those illegal migrants whose past or present criminal behavior included criminal associations (gangs and cartels) and past or present involvement in serious crimes such as narcotics, human trafficking, illegal reentry, terrorism, rape, murder, domestic violence, and drunken driving. However, the government made no promise that the deportation of other illegal migrants would be excluded. We have heard President Trump’s “Border Czar,” Tom Homan, plainly say as much, during interviews on television.
We commend the administration’s humane policy of offering financial incentives to illegal migrants who voluntarily “self-deport.” It also saves money over forcible deportation, and it provides deportees with some startup money after they reach their country of origin. Reports indicate that the policy has resulted in up to 1.6 million self-deportations. [2] Win-win policies are usually successful.
To offer another alternative solution, we have advocated discouraging people from illegally entering and remaining in the USA by removing the incentives that motivate illegal migration. These include, but are not limited to, public assistance, employment, adequate housing, medical care, freedom of movement, free public education, drivers’ licenses, property ownership, birthright citizenship, and full constitutional rights. Depriving people of these things is less humane than financial incentives, but it is still better and more cost-effective than forced deportation.
Lamp in a Corner calls upon the local government officials to stop refusing to allow local law enforcement to take the actions necessary to safeguard federal law officers while they are conducting deportation operations. They are endangering both federal law officers and civilians by failing to maintain order. What these Democratic governors and mayors are doing is a dereliction of duty. It is shameful and disgusting. It is putting law officers and civilians at risk of injury and death for the sake of political gain.
