Thank you again, Mr. Rather, for another remarkable piece. My sister's father-in-law from CA was put in a camp in Utah, and her future mother-in-law's family was relocated to Texas. Thanks to Chinese friends, they did not lose all their property, which years later sold for enough (millions) to ensure a nice retirement for them. They are still alive and well in the Bay area -- about 5 years older than you. While the $20K was nice, it did not make up for the horrific land grab that occurred during this shameful period in history. Many families lost everything. The Smithsonian had a wonderful exhibit on this many years ago -- around 1990.
Thank you, Dan. Please keep sharing your extensive knowledge and experience of history that as many as possible can be informed, reminded, and encouraged not to repeat injustices of the past nor create new ones for present and future.
I hate to be so negative, but, unfortunately, it isn't a new phenomenon.
It almost seems as though Americans are at their best when there is a catastrophic event, such as 911, and then we just go back to the unfortunate status quo, everyone for themselves. It is everywhere
An excellent lesson well told. One wonders why the Alien and Sedition Acts weren't repealed after the Supreme Court's decision. Same applies to the Comstock Act of 1873. When we talk about a dysfunctional Congress the reference is usually to an inability to enact new legislation or fulfill minimum requirements like passing a budget instead of a Continuing Resolution, but the potential abuse of these laws illustrates the problem when Congress doesn't police its own past performance and clean up the act. Another area needing attention is the large number of Authorizations for the use of Military Force still open and available for abuse.
Patriotism in Jackboots: The GOP's Embrace of Authoritarian Cruelty
Over half of Republican voters—and their messianic figurehead, Donald Trump—are openly embracing one of the darkest chapters of modern history, endorsing policies that echo the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II or, worse, the grotesque state-led oppression seen in totalitarian regimes. According to a poll—conducted by the nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI)—a staggering 56% of GOP voters support rounding up undocumented immigrants and locking them in military-run detention camps.
This chilling endorsement is not just a reflection of Trump’s authoritarian rhetoric but a damning indictment of his base, a faction increasingly divorced from democratic norms and unbothered by the stench of militarized xenophobia. These voters—claiming the mantle of “patriotism”—apparently believe that tanks and armed soldiers should police their imagined racial purity.
Even Robert P. Jones, the president of PRRI, admitted to feeling a kind of moral nausea at having to ask these questions in the first place, yet here we are. Trump’s playbook of exploiting baseless fear and resentment to target vulnerable populations seems to be working, with his supporters willing to abandon reason, humanity, and basic arithmetic (since there are far fewer undocumented immigrants than Trump falsely claims).
Trump’s ludicrous suggestion of deporting 21 million people—a number he manufactured out of thin air—is as impractical as it is draconian, requiring a network of camps and a military apparatus that reeks of fascist ambition. Worse, this same demographic cheers him on as he hints at using the military not just against immigrants but against his political enemies—activists, journalists, and anyone daring to challenge his authority—whom he ominously calls “the enemy within.”
What does it say about a political party when over half its members are comfortable aligning with policies that would necessitate military force, disregard civil liberties, and perpetuate human suffering on an industrial scale? This isn’t just ignorance; it’s a willful embrace of authoritarian cruelty. If these are the policies Trump and his supporters celebrate, then they are not conservatives—they are extremists masquerading as patriots, and they represent a grave threat to the ideals America claims to stand for.
Another mark of shame upon our country. One in which we vilify fellow human beings in order to boost our importance and influence. Shame shame shame. Not for first time and not, sadly , for the last. We should appeal to God, The Great Spirit, Nature and Harmony NOW.
It's time to abolish the Alien & Sedition Act, which has been weaponized selectively, over multiple centuries, to harm entire classes of people, or vocal individuals who advocate views unpopular during crises, such as wartime. Eugene Debs, a prominent labor activist and Socialist, was jailed for years for merely saying that WWI was a capitalist tool! Journalists Max Eastman and Emma Goldman, who held similar liberal views, were also thrown into prison for opposing the war. Not unlike the Patriot Act, the law is, on its face, discriminatory, and designed only to enable governmental over reach.
Thank you for the history and civil liberties lesson. I guess now is the time to up the monthly donation to the ACLU. This was a perfect reminder of our strength in times of adversity.
Very cool. Also interesting: if you do some searches on 'women code breakers World War 2 cryptography' or similar words, you'll find that there was a large contingent of brilliant, totally unrecognized African-American women who made vitally important contributions at Arlington Hall VA and other government cyber cracking installations (like a U.S. Bletchley Park). They were kept segregated and their names hidden after the war. They should be rewarded by some public recognition.
21st Century ethnic cleansing method as exposed in 2025 MAGA’S Work Plan to round up immigrants residing in USA and send them back to their country of origin or keep them in deplorable camps.
He will fail in all he attempts. That is certain. That is Trump's track record. Never lose sight of just how incompetent he is. Never forgive his enablers.
Thank you Dan Rather for this reminder of the fragility of freedom and also for paying honor to Mitsuye Endo who courageously fought to correct this atrocity done to American citizens who happened to be of Japanese ancestry.
Thank you for sharing this important story.
Thank you again, Mr. Rather, for another remarkable piece. My sister's father-in-law from CA was put in a camp in Utah, and her future mother-in-law's family was relocated to Texas. Thanks to Chinese friends, they did not lose all their property, which years later sold for enough (millions) to ensure a nice retirement for them. They are still alive and well in the Bay area -- about 5 years older than you. While the $20K was nice, it did not make up for the horrific land grab that occurred during this shameful period in history. Many families lost everything. The Smithsonian had a wonderful exhibit on this many years ago -- around 1990.
Forget great. Let's work on making America kind again.
Thank you, Dan. Please keep sharing your extensive knowledge and experience of history that as many as possible can be informed, reminded, and encouraged not to repeat injustices of the past nor create new ones for present and future.
When did we get so cruel????
I hate to be so negative, but, unfortunately, it isn't a new phenomenon.
It almost seems as though Americans are at their best when there is a catastrophic event, such as 911, and then we just go back to the unfortunate status quo, everyone for themselves. It is everywhere
An excellent lesson well told. One wonders why the Alien and Sedition Acts weren't repealed after the Supreme Court's decision. Same applies to the Comstock Act of 1873. When we talk about a dysfunctional Congress the reference is usually to an inability to enact new legislation or fulfill minimum requirements like passing a budget instead of a Continuing Resolution, but the potential abuse of these laws illustrates the problem when Congress doesn't police its own past performance and clean up the act. Another area needing attention is the large number of Authorizations for the use of Military Force still open and available for abuse.
Patriotism in Jackboots: The GOP's Embrace of Authoritarian Cruelty
Over half of Republican voters—and their messianic figurehead, Donald Trump—are openly embracing one of the darkest chapters of modern history, endorsing policies that echo the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II or, worse, the grotesque state-led oppression seen in totalitarian regimes. According to a poll—conducted by the nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI)—a staggering 56% of GOP voters support rounding up undocumented immigrants and locking them in military-run detention camps.
This chilling endorsement is not just a reflection of Trump’s authoritarian rhetoric but a damning indictment of his base, a faction increasingly divorced from democratic norms and unbothered by the stench of militarized xenophobia. These voters—claiming the mantle of “patriotism”—apparently believe that tanks and armed soldiers should police their imagined racial purity.
Even Robert P. Jones, the president of PRRI, admitted to feeling a kind of moral nausea at having to ask these questions in the first place, yet here we are. Trump’s playbook of exploiting baseless fear and resentment to target vulnerable populations seems to be working, with his supporters willing to abandon reason, humanity, and basic arithmetic (since there are far fewer undocumented immigrants than Trump falsely claims).
Trump’s ludicrous suggestion of deporting 21 million people—a number he manufactured out of thin air—is as impractical as it is draconian, requiring a network of camps and a military apparatus that reeks of fascist ambition. Worse, this same demographic cheers him on as he hints at using the military not just against immigrants but against his political enemies—activists, journalists, and anyone daring to challenge his authority—whom he ominously calls “the enemy within.”
What does it say about a political party when over half its members are comfortable aligning with policies that would necessitate military force, disregard civil liberties, and perpetuate human suffering on an industrial scale? This isn’t just ignorance; it’s a willful embrace of authoritarian cruelty. If these are the policies Trump and his supporters celebrate, then they are not conservatives—they are extremists masquerading as patriots, and they represent a grave threat to the ideals America claims to stand for.
https://substack.com/@patricemersault
Thank you for the history lesson.
Diversity is a strength not a weakness!
Another mark of shame upon our country. One in which we vilify fellow human beings in order to boost our importance and influence. Shame shame shame. Not for first time and not, sadly , for the last. We should appeal to God, The Great Spirit, Nature and Harmony NOW.
It's time to abolish the Alien & Sedition Act, which has been weaponized selectively, over multiple centuries, to harm entire classes of people, or vocal individuals who advocate views unpopular during crises, such as wartime. Eugene Debs, a prominent labor activist and Socialist, was jailed for years for merely saying that WWI was a capitalist tool! Journalists Max Eastman and Emma Goldman, who held similar liberal views, were also thrown into prison for opposing the war. Not unlike the Patriot Act, the law is, on its face, discriminatory, and designed only to enable governmental over reach.
Thank you for the history and civil liberties lesson. I guess now is the time to up the monthly donation to the ACLU. This was a perfect reminder of our strength in times of adversity.
Very cool. Also interesting: if you do some searches on 'women code breakers World War 2 cryptography' or similar words, you'll find that there was a large contingent of brilliant, totally unrecognized African-American women who made vitally important contributions at Arlington Hall VA and other government cyber cracking installations (like a U.S. Bletchley Park). They were kept segregated and their names hidden after the war. They should be rewarded by some public recognition.
John T. Cullen JTC Sheep Heil!
johntcullen.substack.com
https://www.johntcullen.com
https://www.galleycity.com
MARA Make America Real Again
21st Century ethnic cleansing method as exposed in 2025 MAGA’S Work Plan to round up immigrants residing in USA and send them back to their country of origin or keep them in deplorable camps.
What’s wrong with humanity???
He will fail in all he attempts. That is certain. That is Trump's track record. Never lose sight of just how incompetent he is. Never forgive his enablers.
Thank you Dan Rather for this reminder of the fragility of freedom and also for paying honor to Mitsuye Endo who courageously fought to correct this atrocity done to American citizens who happened to be of Japanese ancestry.