Time to Think

Birthright #343

By Hank Silverberg

Commentary

U.S. Constitution

Fourteenth Amendment

Section 1

All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

There really is no room for interpretation here. And let's be clear, the U. S. Supreme Court decision this past week did NOT do away with Birthright Citizenship. The ruling simply said that Federal District Courts can not impose a nationwide injunction on ANY issue being challenged in the courts. It may have implications way beyond Birthright Citizenship, but right now, there is no change in the interpretation of the amendment.

Eventually, an individual will take the Birthright Citizenship issue to the Supreme Court where there is precedent (United States v. Wong Kim Ark, 169 U.S. 649 in1898) to uphold the basic concept stated in the amendment. If you were born here you are automatically a citizen, no matter what the status of your parents.

But the ruling this past week did give the Trump Administration a loophole to try to enforce their efforts to deport the American-born children of illegal immigrants. You can expect to see a great deal more on this fight. It is just hard to believe that any court can read the above amendment, look at the precedent from 1898, and change the concept of America.

https://constitutioncenter.org/the-constitution/supreme-court-case-library/united-states-v-wong-kim-ark-1898

ICE Cops

One of the most disturbing aspects of the crackdown on illegal immigration is the use of plain- clothes police, wearing masks, but not wearing badges. If I was confronted by one of these "officers" my first thought would be. "are they really the police or are they thugs?"

Unless they are working undercover, police, whether they be federal, state or local, are supposed to identify themselves with badges and names. What would your reaction be if you were standing on a street or looking out your living room window and saw several men armed with automatic weapons, dressed in camouflage and wearing masks pile out of an unmarked car into your neighborhood? Is it the police or an invading army? Or maybe some right-wing militia group who doesn't like your skin color or ethnicity?

Before you say I'm exaggerating, there have been several incidents over the last six month with men dressed this way claiming to be police stopping people on the roadside or coming to their front door. The attack of two state legislators and their spouses in Minnesota was the worst of these, but there have been others.

You are an American citizen, law abiding, so you have no worries? The intimidation factor alone should have you on guard.

This may be an incidental, but every time I see video of an ICE raid it reminds me of the Nazi Brown Shirts of the 1930's.

I have respect for law enforcement. But they too are being placed in an awkward position, and I would bet many of them don't like what they are being asked to do.

At the very least, these ICE cops should be wearing their badges and leave their faces uncovered.

But it is legal for them to work this way under rules set up after the 9/11 attacks. It probably won't be changed any time in the near future, leaving ICE the closest thing America has to Secret Police.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/04/us/ice-impersonators-on-the-rise-arrests-made-as-authorities-issue-national-warning

News You May Have Missed

President Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" continues to make its way through Congress with key hurdles breached in the late night hours of Saturday into Sunday. There are lots of disturbing things in that bill which have been highlighted in many places, but I will point out just one which illustrates how hypocritical the entire package is. It is being billed as a tax cutting, cost trimming piece of legislation that will slash the federal deficit. But buried inside it are things like this:

(Space Shuttle Discovery
at Air and Space Museum)

There is an $85 million allocation to move the space shuttle Discovery from its popular location at the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum branch in Virginia. It would be going to Texas, the home state of Republican Senator Ted Cruz, who pushed for the move. This is the kind of pork-barrel politics that voters have complained about for years, but buried in a bill that takes Medicare away from about 11 million people, gives tax breaks to huge corporations, and cuts food assistance programs, it is downright disgusting.

The bill will increase the federal debt by $2.3 trillion over ten years. Don't be fooled by the rhetoric. There is nothing beautiful about this "big bill."

Here is a list of some other things in the bill:

*It will cut Medicare by $490 billion over ten years, which would affect about 65 million elderly and retired Americans.

* It will cut $715 billion off Medicaid. More than 860,000 Americans rely on Medicaid to pay for their nursing home care.

* It cuts $290 billion from the Supplemental Assistance Program (SNAP) which helps both the elderly, poor and children.

* On the environment, the $7,500 tax credit for electric vehicles and a $4,000 tax break for boosting your home's energy efficiency are being eliminated.

* For veterans, the actual budget for their care is being increased by $134 billion (4%), but the bill imposes significant limits on health and individual rights for veterans. It removes and restricts reports on veterans deemed financially incompetent from being sent to the national background checks system for firearms.

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5312712-house-gop-bill-medicare-cuts/

There is much more. The bill is a thousand pages long. This link will take you to the full text: https://kpmg.com/kpmg-us/content/dam/kpmg/taxnewsflash/pdf/2025/05/25166.pdf

New Scam To Watch For!

That package that came in the mail with a product

you didn't order is part of a new scam. The United States Postal Service calls it "brushing," and it's growing fast. So don't get excited about the package. It's a red flag that cybercriminals have your vital statistics, name, address and maybe even your credit card or social security number.

"Brushing" involves unsolicited deliveries from an online seller looking to boost their product. It's usually a cheap, low-value item and they leave fake "verified" reviews.

The Post Office is on to this and is going after the crooks. But they have suggestions for you on how to NOT become a victim.

*Report it to USPIS.gov. That's the Post office Inspection Service.

* Check all your accounts for unusual charges.

* Update your passwords, which is always a good thing to do periodically.

*Don't engage. You are not obligated to return or review the item. That may actually validate your address and other information for the scammers.

*Don't scan any QR code on the package, which could lead to malicious websites or put malware on your phone or computer.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/usps-warns-americans-brushing-scam-140000360.html?

Dumbest Quote of The Week!

This week's dumbest quote comes from former Trump staffer Kellyanne Conway. When asked about the millions of people who will lose their health insurance if the Big Beautiful Bill passes, she said:

"Those on Medicaid who will lose health insurance can always get a job!"

Right, Kellyanne. That will work for the 80 year-old nursing home patient who has dementia. What is wrong with the MAGA people?

(You suggestions and comments are welcome)

My recent book "The Campaign" can be purchased at the links below. Or you can buy a copy by emailing me at: HankSilverberg@gmail.com for instructions on how to get a copy at a reduced price and with my signature)