The Real Gulf of America

Between Canada and Mexico exists an ever-darkening expanse of medieval terror in a place we can reasonably refer to as the Gulf of America. With rampant corruption, mask-wearing goon squads kidnapping people off the streets, and a pedophile sovereign propped up by tech industry leaders and the religious right, the United States is no longer a safe place to visit or to live.

The brazen corruption is hard to overstate. By now you have likely heard about the cancelation by CBS of the Late Show with Stephen Colbert, one of the most popular television shows in the United States. Trump had frivolously sued CBS owner Paramount over a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris last October, which he claimed was edited to tip the scales in the election. He claimed $20 billion in damages and Paramount initially contested the lawsuit as “baseless.”

The suit was filed before he regained the presidency. That he claimed so much in damages when he thought the interview would cost him the election suggests he expected that winning the presidency would be worth $20 billion to him.

Meanwhile Paramount and another entertainment company, Skydance, worked out an $8 billion merger. The CEO of Skydance is David Ellison, son of Oracle CEO and tech centibillionaire Larry Ellison.

Unfortunately for the two corporations, and fortunately for the thief-in-chief of the United States, the merger required federal approval. On July 2nd, Paramount settled with Trump for $16 million in cash, which he received on July 21st. The settlement also included $20 million worth in free advertising for Trump on their networks — following the merger.

In the space of just a few days, in chronological order, Late Show host Stephen Colbert derided the settlement as a bribe, CBS canceled the Late Show, Trump announced that he “absolutely loved that Colbert got fired,” Trump received the $16 million cheque, and the FCC approved the merger. About as subtle as a firework display.

Aside from the obvious corruption of a settlement with the President as an individual that includes a component specific to a government decision, the many other fascist tendencies of the American state are manifesting themselves ever-more severely.

The continued use of masked federal agents to execute the President’s million deportations a year mandate should be sending shivers down the spine of every person within a lightyear of the American orbit, which is all of us. These federal agents refuse to identify themselves when asked, hide their faces, and use unmarked vehicles. They go into places of work to arrest undocumented workers, enter immigration courtrooms to kidnap people who are following the legal processes in place, and have started using concentration camps to gather their victims.

Want to work as an ICE officer, professionally kidnapping people that don’t look American enough? Easy — they are hiring 10,000 people, offering each a $50,000 signing bonus and starting pay north of $100,000 a year. No education required.

American school teachers, by contrast, require significant education and have an average starting salary less than an ICE goon’s hiring bonus, at $46,526. One in six American teachers take on second jobs.

It is clear where American priorities lie.

In case immigration enforcement runs out of brown-looking people to deport, Trump Friday signed an executive order to facilitate detaining and imprisoning homeless people. He calls it “Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets.”

For those who feel safe from American aggression because we’re in Canada, it should be noted that last Sunday, a Canadian fishing in Lake Champlain was accosted by the American coast guard, who capsized his boat and arrested him, nearly drowning him in the process — in Canadian waters. We also know of at least 55 Canadians in ICE custody in the United States.

The nightmare is far from over. While Trump sues Fox News owner Rupert Murdoch as he has a melt down over being exposed as a pedophile, vice president JD Vance has held a secret meeting with the billionaire right-wing media mogul. Is it to lay the groundwork for a 25th amendment transition of power to a far more dangerous leader — an intelligent MAGA?

Dictators are not defeated, they are deposed. Those thinking that next year’s mid-term elections will defang the Trump administration and restore world order may find themselves in for a rather rude awakening.