The Assassination of the Fourth Amendment by the Coward, John Roberts

A few weeks ago, I wrote about John Roberts taking a piss on the Fourth Amendment. The practical consequences have been predictably horrifying–particularly in my beloved home town of Chicago

On the South Shore early Tuesday morning, ICE agents indiscriminately battered down doors and dragged sleeping residents out to who knows where. One man–a 67-year-old American citizen for what that matters these days– described being dragged out of his home in zip ties and then being detained for three hours with no explanation. Witnesses saw naked children dragged out of the building and thrown into the back of a van. In all, thirty seven people were arrested, supposedly for drug and weapons charges, but given that no evidence is being paraded around I’m skeptical that these people are guilty of any crimes.

Meanwhile, United States Border Patrol commander-at-large Gregory Bovino told the Chicago Sun Times that they’re detaining people based on “how they look,” in comparison to the reporter, a middle-aged white man.

These incidents make a mockery (except it damn sure ain’t funny) of Brett “I like beer” Kavanaugh’s concurring opinion in the recent Noem v Vasquez Perdomo Supreme Court order, which glibly gave ICE agents carte blanche to racially profile while also falsely asserting that “the questioning in those circumstances is typically brief, and those individuals may promptly go free after making clear to the immigration officers that they are U. S. citizens or otherwise legally in the United States.”

Yeah Brett, tell that to the guy dragged out of his home and held in zip ties for three hours. Kavanaugh must’ve been blacked out at oral arguments, since the record below established that ICE agents were pointing guns at people and throwing them to the ground.

And if you think ICE’s lawlessness is going to be confined to Latinos, I’ve got news for you: their lawlessness knows no bounds. They just targeted a CBS reporter passing by their suburban headquarters by firing a pepper round into her vehicle. And they’ve been using tear gas in Broadview so liberally that even the local police have been exposed.

And now Trump is telling his generals that American cities are going to be “training grounds” for the military, which would be a gross violation of the Posse Comitatus Act.

I’m starting to wonder if this is what it felt like in 1933 Germany.