By Tommy Acosta
Sedona, AZ — We all know that one of my favorite pastimes is placing myself in the shoes of someone else and imagining what I would do if I were them.
So, let’s do exactly that. Let’s step into the shoes of the Trump administration and then into the shoes of the Democrats and fantasize about what each side might do in the current immigration battle.
First, let’s imagine I am Trump right now. What would I do about the undocumented immigrants, the demonstrations, the riots, the car ram-mings, the injuries and deaths?
Honestly? I wouldn’t want the riots to end. In fact, I’d want them to get worse — so that people at home watching on television and their devices become increasingly convinced that in-order-to maintain safety, we must call in the army and submit ourselves to military rule “to save our system of government and country.”
I would plant agents inside demonstrations to foment even more violence, giving me the excuse to clamp down harder with the forces I am building — forces ready to bend to my will once the courts are forced into allowing me to remain in power forever.
The more chaos and mayhem, the more willing the sheep become to accept rule by an iron fist.
We would continue pushing the narrative that the country is being overrun by criminals, murderers, rapists, child traffickers, lesbians and invading cartels — any enemy we can invent or exaggerate including domestic terrorists and friends.
I’ll make sure my servants on Fox News keep broadcasting the violence ad nauseum.
Meanwhile, we pour billions into sprawling detention centers — not only to hold undocumented immigrants, but eventually to detain American citizens who refuse to cooperate once there are no more immigrants left to deport.
And yes, another crucial step would be designing sharp, intimidating tactical uniforms for ICE agents. We’d want them looking like futuristic stormtroopers, head to toe in black, militarized, imposing, armed to the teeth!
The goal is psychological discord: an “us versus them” mindset where both sides believe the other must be crushed to save the country.
We would deliberately create a rift between agents and citizens, manipulating both into fearing and hating one another.
While the streets burn, we quietly catalog the rioters, where they live, who they know, ready to pluck them off the map when the time comes.
Control would be complete. Dissent would disappear. And anyone who spoke out would risk finding themselves in a detention camp in El Salvador.
Now let’s flip the script.
What would I do if I were a Democrat with real influence, say, someone like AOC or Mamdani?
I would abandon protests and instead build a massive nationwide voting bloc to remove every Republican possible from office.
Not demonstrations. Not protests— rallies. Rallies aimed at restoring healthcare subsidies, Planned Parenthood funding, food assistance, childcare, Obama Care subsidies, Medicare, Social Security, and the many programs that were cut: Pell Grants, TRIO, environmental protections, housing assistance, public health funding, scientific research, and support for low-income families. Take your pick.
I would mobilize every voter whose life was directly or indirectly harmed by those cuts. There are millions who are feeling the blade of that knife and the only way to stop the bleeding is to take it away with focused revenge voting.
Add to that the citizens disturbed by mass deportations, the cruelty of ICE raids, and the sight of soldiers marching through quaint residential neighborhoods; people that fear a military takeover and the erosion of constitutional freedoms. Citizens held prisoners in their homes. Children being teargassed. Mothers killed in their cars. Families torn apart. Being discriminated against for the color of your skin, or your accent.
And of course, the brutal arrests of illegals that have lived here for decades working and contributing.
Take the anger you have for these bullies and turn it into votes.
Demonstrators need to understand that street fighting only strengthens the authoritarian narrative. Chaos helps the oppressor. They want you out there rioting.
The real power is in voter turnout.
Register every disillusioned citizen. Organize relentlessly. Focus on the midterms. Flip enough seats to block any attempt to transform the country into a fascist state.
Whew!! I do get carried away sometimes.
Know that I try as hard as possible to get into the role and answer as honestly as I can, no punches pulled.
I know I might sound a bit cold and perhaps a tad socio-pathological but that’s how the big boys and girls play the game in real life.
25 Comments
You lost me at :
“Take the anger you have for these bullies and turn it into votes.
Demonstrators need to understand that street fighting only strengthens the authoritarian narrative. Chaos helps the oppressor. They want you out there rioting.
The real power is in voter turnout.“
That’s a grand sentiment and one based upon voting rights, civil rights and the rule of law! All of which have been, are being and will be destroyed by Trump/MAGA to ensure they never lose their crime ridden grip upon our country and Democracy. You must think we’re going to have another Presidential election or better yet a free and fair one? Trump and his sycophants in the house, senate, DOJ, SCOTUS, Military etc. have made it abundantly clear that the only valid elections are the ones they win. Fat chance we’ll ever see another Democrat or even Independent POTUS if MAGA continues to hold the power and immunity they have thanks to their “deep state” corruption. Remember, Trump’s mouth leaks like a siv and he tends to say what he intends to do regardless of how unlawful or inhumane. He admits that only his “morality” can stop him! He has no damned morality and that is evident from his word and actions. He has spread the outright lie that he legitimately won an election he clearly lost (many brain dead MAGA sycophant has admitted his loss as well only to later deny it out of fear of being blacklisted and booted from the MAGA Cult of a single personality.
No need for the Storm Trooper look for ICE, they already look and incompetently act the part of the storm troopers on the movie Space Balls-
https://www.google.com/search?q=storm+troopers+on+the+movie+Space+Balls&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari&sei=sIdtaealHc6nqtsP9vm3kAM
And they don’t need “agent” agitators either. They have plenty a MAGA FOOL, Proud Boy, Oath Keepers, Black Water types who have a long track record of creating chaos and agitation during what would otherwise be peaceful protests who will gladly fill those jackboots. During the BLM/George Floyd protests this was evident with the likes of armed protest agitators such as Kyle Rittenhouse who shot and killed unarmed protesters after agitating them with his presence and the AR-15 being held at the low ready as he put himself in the center of those already agitated protesters.
I’m afraid that the only hope this country has of remotely surviving Trump and MAGA are for more of their own to wake up to the lies and bullshit they have literally been sold by the biggest grifter in M’erican history. That’s generally how dictatorships end, from self imploding or internal assasination/fratracide of their own by their own. Some end in suicide. None end well and MAGA will be no exception. History and historical records will be their downfall and they’re already on a very slippery slope with the Epstein coverup, ICE fiasco and a failing economy they cannot wish away no matter how much Trump lies about it.
I will agree with lots of Tommy. I think you nailed the Trump side as It looks like it is playing out exactly like that.
The flaw I see on the other side is your simplicity of change.You have to remember the Trump base is low information and looking to blame someone on their problems. Remember that the Medicaid cuts come after the Nov. elections. By then to late. Now the people on the ACA are starting to see how a party can make their lives harder!
You cant stop Fox from their propaganda, they still show a burning Tesla in LA. Every election they show 2 black panthers in front of a voting location! They been playing that for 20 years now!
We must be on the streets waking people up. Now if Trump sends his ICE Nazis, maybe protesters should be away from the hot spots?
You can see the playbook in clear sight. This isnt an accident, this is the playbook. We are around 1933 if not a little later?
As Americans get detained, the administration says we should be carrying prof of ID.
No matter how you slice it, we are and have been in a Constitutional crises each time Trump has been in power.
Can you imagine how bad this economy would be if it wasnt for trillions invested in the data centers and AI?
Some are saying that 60% of stock market is because of those 2 things. But many are not even lucky enough to have a 401k!
I like the part where we plant agitators in the small crowds that are rioting. The playbook of January 6th.
So you believe that our FBI actually planted agitators in the insane MAGA crowd that Donald J Trump Inc. stirred up like a hornets nest to “March down to the Capitol and “FIGHT LIKE HELL”? You really believe everything you’re told by the Felonious Emperor don’t you? Keep on keeping on even when his actions bring your world crashing down all around you just like it did for Dan Boing Boing Bongino after he discovered he has been guilty of spreading lies and disinformation on behalf of Trump after he accessed the truth about Jan 6th and the Epstein file coverup! Sometimes it takes a sledgehammer to the head to wake people up from their propaganda dreams!
I like the part about Democrats being “deep state” after the King Criminal dismantled our government from the top down and installed absolute loyalists in place of non partisan government officials.
Sounds like you’ve been hanging out with Bear Howard too much.
Here’s something from Bernie Sanders for you both to enjoy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIukLEQczAg
Glad you like Bernie. Must make you a socialist communist terrorist?
Coming in hot, huh?
All I did was post a video that should make everyone reflect on just how far left the spectrum has shifted. You can find clips from Bernie to Bill Clinton to Obama that sound way closer to MAGA than Minneapolis.
But no, I’m not a fan of a lot of Bernie’s politics. Maybe he’d be a nice neighbor tho if he retires from politics to Sedona. He can afford it.
Just stating the facts as they are.
Rather vote for old Bernie than criminal Donnie anytime any day. At least Bernie actually has “a a a brain”! How’s your stock portfolio doing this morning as Trump is crashing the markets with his Greenland ignorance and criminal contempt for the rule of law. Threatening to militarily take over a sovereign NATO country is probably the dumbest thing America has done since Vietnam.
I mostly dollar-cost average so these dips really help.
Sometimes I make extra buys in moments like these, and have gotten pretty lucky so far, but that’s not my norm.
Bear Howard doesn’t exist. “He” is just the AI-generated pseudonym Tommy uses to espouse “liberal” viewpoints and generate content for this one-man website.
I don’t know who Tommy is either. 🙂
I actually just read the About Page for the first time just moments ago.
But whoever is writing most of these opinion pieces… they seem just so far off the rails to me. They seem more and more unserious and unwise.
What seems off the rails for you is coverage of off the rails MAGA activity you don’t realize is happening because you live in an Alternative Facts bubble.
Maybe.
But many of my current and former news subscriptions include rags that likely match even the most liberal academics and policymakers. But just because I read The Economist it doesn’t mean I support their views on migration or globalism. I don’t.
And I disagree that there are alternative facts bubbles. I think that’s a misread of the moment. I think the postmodern goons have won and captured the zeitgeist, especially among lazy academic simps. It’s moment of narratives, “my truth,” performance, and laughable binaries of victim and villain. They’ve made a truthless world, and thus a trustless one.
Great excuses for excusing the inexcusable and ignorance befalling our country by using lies and propaganda aka the Alternative Facts and Fake News that is MAGA. Guess you’re just proud to be part of the ignorance that has made this country a pariah state non grata.
Don’t think any of this is MAGA nonsense about “my truths”. It’s solely and solidly based upon ethnic and economic hatred of your fellow man in order to load your vaults full of ill gotten treasures that belong to those you who are most ignorant have stolen from and oppressed. You have disdain for globalists because you hate your fellow man unless they are wealth, white and full of hate.
No. I ain’t them. They make statements. I write prose. Also. note that the pages of Sedona.biz are open to anyone to share whatever they want with as little censorship as possible. We welcome contributions from all political persuasions as letters to the editor or opinion pieces. You got something to say, say it. I would be glad to publish it.
Good to know. Thanks!
Don’t think Tommy will publish anything you say. There are limits and parameters to what you can say here. You can NOT physically threaten anyone. You can NOT use racial slurs etc.
And any lies or gaslighting will be met with fact checking and proof that you lied or are gaslighting. Not by Tommy but by me. Tommy likes discourse as do I but not when it is full of blatant lies and bullshit designed to protect a known serial liar and gas lighter. Just sayin!
Want to talk about pros vs cons of migrants? Or the pros vs the cons of having a convicted felon as POTUS? I’d be more than happy to debate you my fellow illegal MIGRANT American any time any day! That’s right pal- you’re an illegal Migrant unless you are 100% Native American which you are not!
I knew Tommy back when we were in college together in NYC where he was the editor of our newspaper. One thing you got too know is he does not give a crap about political affiliations. All he cares about is creating emotional responses and using his platform to make people doubt and think. He perceives the world as run by bloodlines since Jump Street and all governments remain under their dominion.
Bloodlines? I’ve seen zero evidence of Tommy being racist. Please elaborate.
Here’s another more likely scenario-
We ran high-level US civil war simulations. Minnesota is exactly how they start
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jan/21/ice-minnesota-trump
GO GREENLAND! GO UKRAINE! GO CANADA! GO MEXICO!
MAGA excuses for not wearing masks during a pandemic that killed millions of Americans and millions more around the world-
The MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement’s defense of not wearing masks during the COVID-19 pandemic was largely framed around principles of individual liberty, distrust of government mandates, and the weaponization of mask-wearing as a political and cultural symbol. Proponents often viewed mask mandates as “anti-American,” a “culture of silence,” and an example of “indefinite government expansion”.
Key arguments in the MAGA defense of not masking included:
Individual Liberty and Freedom: Opponents argued that wearing a mask should be a personal choice rather than a government requirement, framing mandates as a form of tyranny or authoritarian overreach.
Symbol of Political Identity: Resistance to masks became a way to distinguish, or “own,” opposing political views, transforming a public health measure into a, “culture war” marker.
Distrust of Public Health Guidance: The shifting advice from officials early in the pandemic (initially not recommending masks, then advising them) was used to justify ignoring later, more consistent guidance.
Perceived Lack of Effectiveness/Unnecessary: Some argued that masks were ineffective, uncomfortable, or that they were not needed if a person was not symptomatic or if they had already tested negative.
Economic Reopening: There was a belief that mask mandates and shutdowns were harming the economy and that not wearing masks was necessary for a full return to normalcy.
Symbolic Defiance: Refusing to wear a mask was often a public, visible show of support for3 President Trump and a rejection of the “liberal” consensus.
“Patriotic” Reframe: While resisting, some proponents, including Trump, later adopted the idea that wearing a mask was a “patriotic” act, though this was often in direct conflict with their ongoing refusal to wear them in public.
Medical Exemption/Testing: Some supporters cited the fact that they were in the close proximity of people who were regularly tested, making them feel protected without a mask.
The refusal to mask was often framed as a, “culture of resistance” to, “deep state” or expert-driven policy, allowing proponents to, “stand up” for a, “normal” way of life.
MAGA’s excuses as to why ICE/CBP/DHS law enforcement officers need to wear masks that city, state and county police do not-
Arguments from supporters of the Trump administration and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials for allowing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other federal agents to wear face masks during operations center on safety, security, and protection against threats.
The primary reasons cited include:
Preventing Doxing and Threats: DHS officials argue that agents face increased threats, including “bounties” and attempts to identify them to harass their families at home.
Safety in Dangerous Operations: Masking is described as a protective tool for agents when targeting violent criminal organizations, such as the Tren de Aragua and MS-13 gangs.
Protection Against “Anti-ICE” Activity: Proponents argue that in areas with high opposition to immigration enforcement, masks prevent agents from being personally targeted or harassed by protesters.
Protection Against Impersonation: While critics argue masks allow for impersonation, supporters sometimes argue masks are part of tactical gear and that agents still identify themselves with badges and vests.
Conversely, opponents, including Democratic lawmakers and civil rights groups, argue that the masks are used to evade accountability, hide identities, and instill fear, with some calling it a “police-state” tactic. In response to these actions, California passed a law in 2025 banning law enforcement from wearing masks, though its enforcement was immediately challenged by the federal government.
So plain and simple- Masking is used as a political weapon by MAGA using extremely hypocritical logic and illogical arguments both for and against masking when convenient to the weaponization of their criminal agendas. For decades the GOP/Tea Party/MAGA and all other white supremacists first criminals have sounded the alarm about Democrats kicking in doors, taking away guns and disappearing of political opponents. And now we see they were inadvertently warning us against themselves and their crime ridden agendas that ignore law and the Constitution when convenient to their cause and defends them whenever they can use them as weapons against the rest of the country in order to strip them of their Constitutional and legal rights. They claim “the law is the law”! Until they are indicted for breaking them and then suddenly it’s “a witch hunt” or “deep state” vengeance as an excuse for their criminality. If we are to survive MAGA we must enforce laws and the Constitution equally at all times for all peoples! Not selectively breaking and ignoring them out of legal convenience to avoid Justice.
As for today’s Senate hearing-
MAGA loyalists who on Jan 7th blamed their Führe Donald J Trump for the insurrection, are now desperately trying to save their political lives by changing their stories and blaming Nancy Pelosi for not calling out DC National Guard units which can only be deployed at the discretion of the POTUS not speaker of the house. It was a cowardly but unsurprising day of MAGA lies, gas lighting and covering up of crimes committed by them and Donald J Trump. History can not be changed! It is what it is no matter how hard they try to erase or re-write it to their benefit. They may be “in charge” at this moment in time but the second they are not Justice will be coming for every last one of the MAGA criminals which is why they lie and gaslight to desperately retain their criminal grip upon this country and its citizens. They want to live like Russians and Hungarians under the rule of criminal despotic dictators. Well they should heed their own advice about the “grass being greener” and go live in Commie Land with the likes of Snowden and Segal and let the rest of us live in the DEMOCRACY our founders created laws and the Constitution to protect- not weaponize!
Our government murdered the second American citizen legally and lawfully protesting in a week today (3rd ICE shooting in a month). Still think an election (we will never have if the King gets his way)will fix the problem?
Sure would be nice but that’s not how things are playing out on the streets of MAGA America. America is dying and jackasses are cheering it on for a tax break!
When our Democracy dies Democracy will die! If we fail as a Democracy like MAGA and Putin are hoping that we will, the few remaining democracies of the world will tumble like dominoes. Rusher wins! And somehow MAGA thinks that is ok? They won’t think so when reality bitch slaps them and they are Putin’s dogs.