Yes, I admit this is an exaggeration. We are not a fascist police state, at least not yet. But try convincing an undocumented immigrant who was beaten and arrested by masked ICE police on his way to work and then ends up in one of the 225 so-called “detention camps” holding some 70,000 immigrants and operated by private, for-profit prison companies mostly in remote locations. Many more are in the pipeline including massive warehouses. According to the Washington Post, 80 percent of the detainees in these detention camps do not have a criminal record. The detainee’s only “crime’ is living and working in the United States without proper papers. Chances are most of the immigrants were doing work Americans did not want to do.

A story appeared yesterday in many newspapers about “Camp East Montana” located in a remote part of Texas.

Here is the description of the camp from Wikipedia:
Camp East Montana is an ICE detention facility located at Fort Blis, Texas. The camp is a tent encampment, reported to be run by a company called Acquisition Logistics LLC, with a contract value of around $1.2 billion. The facility has a planned capacity of up to 5,000 detainees.[3] The ACLU has described it as the largest internment facility in the United States.
Camp East Montana was opened on August 17, 2025. During its first 50 days, conditions at the camp violated at least 60 federal standards, according to ICE’s own detention oversight unit. The ACLU and other human-rights organizations called for its closure after interviewed detainees reported “physical and sexual abuse, medical neglect, and intimidation to self-deport”.

Two inmates have reported having their testicles crushed by guards as a form of punishment.

As of January 2026, three detainees have died there in a period of 44 days.] An autopsy ruled the death of a 55-year old Cuban as a homicide caused by asphyxia. ICE officials stated that his death was a suicide, but witnesses told the press that he had been handcuffed and choked by guards before his death. Campos had previously been arrested for sexual contact with an 11-year-old minor and illegal possession of a weapon leading to his detention by ICE. After the El Paso medical examiner ruled Lunas Campos’ death a homicide, El Paso mayor Renard Johnson called for an independent investigation. Individuals attempting to visit detainees from Minneapolis where Lunas Campos had been detained, were told those inmates were no longer allowed to have visitors.

On January 14, another immigrant, Victor Manuel Diaz, died while detained at Camp East Montana, said by ICE to be due to “presumed suicide.”

At the end of January 2026, Victor Manuel Diaz’s family questioned the information provided by ICE, pointing out that the agency had not sent them detailed information about Victor’s death and describing the procedures as “suspicious” and irregular, leading them to launch an independent investigation to clarify the case.

Widespread disease occurred within the facilities, including two cases of tuberculosis and 18 cases of COVID-19. Alarms about poor healthcare for immigrants were raised by Democrat Veronica Escobar, who said that one-third of detainees have a chronic illness and around 200 to 300 need daily insulin, citing that conditions at Camp East Montana are deteriorating to the point of violating basic human rights.

Escobar pointed out that Camp East Montana had many immigrants in poor health, citing cases of pregnant women who had lost a lot of weight due to malnutrition while in ICE custody. She also noted that some immigrants had collapsed during her visit on January 29. On March 3, 2026, Camp East Montana was closed to visitors due to a measles outbreak with the center reporting 14 active measles cases.

Another notorious camp is “Alligator Alcatraz” near the swamps in South Florida.

Also from Wikipedia:
In the report “Torture and Enforced Disappearances in the Sunshine State: Human Rights Violations at ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ and Krome in Florida” published by Amnesty International concluded that the camp’s conditions, including routine and prolonged use of shackles and retention in a “box” described as a 2×2 foot cage-like structure “constitutes torture”.

While these two camps are probably the most notorious, it is probable that similar conditions are prevalent in most if not all of these prisons. Good heavens! Think about what if this happened to you or to a loved one. No one without a criminal record should be arrested, let alone tortured. Period. And yet that this is happening right now is bad enough, but it is just the beginning. There are 14 million undocumented immigrants in the United States. How many does Trump plan to arrest and lock up? And think of the cost to the taxpayer and the impact on the deficit if this madness continues. This is cruel and insane.

So, I will concede that it is an exaggeration to label us a fascist police state. And it is perhaps too early to panic. We American are not evil people. When it becomes obvious that we are on the wrong path, maybe there will be an outcry and these camps will quietly disappear.

But don’t bet on it. And reform will not happen if we don’t speak out.

 

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On Saturday on the way back from visiting a friend in Baltimore, our GPS took Embry and me through the heart of what used to be strong working class neighborhoods in the city. My career was in the field of developing affordable housing and seniors housing, and years ago I did a lot of work in Baltimore. My, how things have changed from what I remember!

I was stunned. We drove though block after block of boarded up, dilapidated town homes and apartments, giving the feel of a war zone. I had no idea of how challenging the situation must be in Baltimore today. I checked with AI and learned that in 2022, Baltimore had 16,000 vacant buildings. There are probably more today. In many low income neighborhoods, particularly in West and East Baltimore, vacancy rates are over 30%. In other words, in these “tough neighborhoods,” one out of every three townhomes is vacant and boarded up. Some apartment buildings are totally empty and abandoned. Add to that graffiti on the doors and walls, broken windows, trash on the street, and crime in the neighborhood and you wonder how anyone could be happy living on these troubled blocks and in these neighborhoods.

There is nothing like this in Washington, not even close.

When I started in the housing development field fifty years ago, the Washington and Baltimore metro areas were about the same size, around 3.5 million people in the early 1970s. In 2026, the Washington metropolitan population is more than twice the size of the Baltimore metropolitan area population. The Washington metro area today has a population exceeding 6.3 million, while the Baltimore metro area has lost population, which is estimated to be around 2.4 million in 2026. The median income in Washington is almost $110,000. In Baltimore it is about $60,000. Try living on that if you part of a family of four or more people.

In my thinking the decline of Baltimore is due mainly to three factors–loss of jobs, loss of jobs, and loss of jobs. The union, blue collar jobs have almost vanished in Baltimore, which fifty years ago was driven by a manufacturing economy. The city lost about 75% of its industrial employment between 1950 and 1995. By 1998, Baltimore had lost 90,000 manufacturing jobs compared to 1970 levels. A major factor was Bethlehem Steel, which shrank from 30,000 workers in the 1970s to just 8,000 by the late 1980s before closing entirely. What was left were mainly service jobs, paying much less and with fewer benefits. One could argue whether Baltimore could have done a better job in keeping these jobs, but the loss of higher paying, blue collar jobs affected most older, industrial cities in the United States.

Washington on the other hand has an information-based economy aided by the high growth in federal employment. And over the last 50 years, the Washington metropolitan area has transitioned from a government-centric workforce to a diversified, private-sector-led economy, nearly tripling its total employment. Employment in the metro area grew from roughly 1.2 million jobs in the mid-1970s to over 3.3 million by 2025. The private sector now accounts for approximately 78% of total employment, up from being a minority share 50 years ago. And the region has historically outperformed the nation during recessions, often returning to pre-recession employment levels within five years.

This does not mean that all is well in Washington. The city currently has a substantially larger homeless population than Baltimore, more than twice as many–5,138 in Washington versus 2,024 in Baltimore. And homeless encampments have been prolific in Washington until recently. Trump’s threats to the mayor have resulted in their mysterious disappearance, out of sight out of mind.

Housing affordability is also a huge problem in Washington, but not in Baltimore. In Washington, D.C. average rents are over 50% higher and home listing prices more than double what they are in Baltimore. The median rent in D.C. is $2,600 , compared to Baltimore with a median rent of under $1,500. The median sales price of a home in Baltimore is $210,000 compared to $650,00 in DC. If you want a good deal and are willing to commute a long way for work in Washington, Baltimore is appealing. We know people who have done that.

The experience prompted me to see what I could find on the internet about Baltimore. I was surprised to find a lot of positive initiatives and reasons for optimism.

Baltimore achieved a significant decline in violent crime in 2025, recording its lowest homicide count in nearly 50 years. A lot of progress has been made since the filming of “The Wire.” The city attributes this progress to a “comprehensive, public health-centered” strategy led by the mayor and the police department.

As for housing and urban development, Baltimore is currently undertaking the largest housing redevelopment program in the nation, centered on a massive $6 billion community reinvestment plan. This 15-year initiative, formally coordinated through “Reinvest Baltimore,” aims to revitalize over 65,000 vacant or at-risk properties across the city. The next five years the goal is to demolish 5,000 units. That is a start but still about 60,000 vacant units would remain. Renewal efforts now focus on “whole blocks, and whole neighborhoods.” Small parks will fill in some of the vacant sites. The strategy is to encourage large-scale, private investment rather than scattered rehabilitation. These efforts are targeted to the distressed neighborhoods like the ones we drove through. So, there is hope that in a few years the drive we took would be very different, though it seems to me to be a heavy lift.

My reaction in driving through the Baltimore neighborhoods was similar to my attitude about the homeless encampments in DC– both disbelief and shame that in a country as rich as ours, these stark disparities still exist and in many cities poor and working class people are worse off because the federal government under Trump has retreated in supporting affordable housing and supportive services. In a word, it is outrageous. Will the situation change? Unlikely in my lifetime, but the course we are on now is unsustainable. We have to do better.

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The same cast of characters is assembled to discuss the Iran War and next steps. It is March 3, 2026, four days after the bombings began. Present are Trump, Miller, Hegseth, Rubio, and Vance. Here is the conversation:

Trump: Welcome all and congratulate me. I am kicking the hell out of the Iranians, and any time now they will surrender and I will be acknowledged as the greatest President in the history of America or anywhere else for that matter. It will only be a matter of time before the idiots in Greenland give me the Nobel Peace Prize I so richly deserve.
Miller: “Norway.” Mr. President.
Trump: That is what I meant. “Norway.”
Miller: Mr. President, things are going well and we are destroying Iran, but I am afraid there is some bad news as well. The generals tell us that for us to win, a ground invasion will be necessary and that will cost American Lives.
Hegseth: Kill kill, kill, kill!
Miller: Mr. Secretary. Please. Control yourself.
Trump: What do you mean, Stephen?
Miller: I will let the Secretary of State explain.
Rubio: The generals say that a ground invasion is the only way we will bring these infidels to their knees. American lives will be lost. Perhaps thousands, maybe more. The invasion would take months perhaps longer. At least that is what the generals are telling us. This could get messy.
Hegseth: Kill, kill, kill, kill!
Miller: Please, Mr. Secretary, for God’s sake. But fear not, Mr. President. We have a solution that won’t cost any American lives.
Trump: Tell me more.
Hegseth: I will jump in here. We will use our nuclear weapons. Look, we have the nukes, why not use them? They don’t have them and we do. There is no Mutually Assured Destruction. It does not apply here. There is no “mutual.” We strike, they die. Lots of them and there is not a damn thing they can do about it. So, if you have them like we do, put them to use against an opponent who does not have them. Iran is nuke-less. Plus, this is a chance in a lifetime to get our money’s worth from all we have spent on nuclear weapons up to now and to show Iran and the world who is boss. The bombs are just sitting there gathering dust. Our country has paid a fortune for this arsenal and yet we never use them. What is the point? It is a no-brainer. Not to use them would be a derelict of duty.
Trump: I am all ears. Tell me more.
Miller: I will jump in here. Look, this is exactly the same situation which occurred when we won World War II. Japan did not have an atomic bomb, but we did. We nuked Hiroshima and Nagasaki and that was the end of that. Truman ordered the bombing and became a hero. Everyone respected him. He saved countless American lives and probably Japanese lives since the bombing put an end to the war. You can do the same. You will be a hero!
Vance: You already are a hero, Mr. President.
Rubio: I would just say that I am not in agreement on this. Iran might not have nuclear weapons, but a lot of other countries do. An action like this could unleash forces beyond anyone’s control and could result in a nuclear catastrophe beyond anything we can imagine.
Hegseth: Wimp. Forget Marco, Mr. President, he does not know what he is talking about. Go for it. This is your big chance. MAGA will love you for it. You are killing infidels. Remember the Crusades. Wipe out the infidels!
Trump: Just so I understand this. Since we have the nukes and Iran doesn’t, that means that we should use what we have to save American lives and I will be a hero. No country will dare come to the aid of Iran. And this will make me a hero?
Vance: You already are a hero, Mr. President.
Trump: Then I think Stephen has a point. Why would I waste American lives if I could end the whole thing with tapping in the nuclear code and giving an order? This is what Truman did and he got high marks for it. So, Pete, how many nukes will it take and how many Iranian lives will be lost?
Hegseth: 65-70 nukes and perhaps a few more. We plan to hit every city with a population of 100,000 or more and there are 61 cities that meet this threshold. Our military is poised and ready, Mr. President. All you need to do is give the ok. A lot of people will die and that is the way it is. Better them than us. You will make the world a safer place.
Rubio: Don’t do it, Mr. President. You are talking causalities in the millions. There are over 90 million people who live in Iran. Over 70 million would likely not survive. This is morally abhorrent. It could lead to all out nuclear war between the major powers.
Hegseth: You are no one to talk about morals, Marco. And would you prefer that Americans die in a land invasion? Try getting votes in the midterms for this. This is a chance of a lifetime, Mr. President! Besides no one likes Iran. No country will risk nuclear war and come to their aid. This is about as risk free as you can get.
Miller: Agree fully.
Trump: Something to think about. Vance, what do you think?
Vance: I think you are the greatest President of all time and will do the right thing. Plus, you can be sure that the Epstein stuff will pass.
And so the meeting ends.

What do you think the odds are that discussions like this are happening right now in the White House? What are the odds that Trump would follow the advice of Miller and Hegseth?

If there are discussions like this happening right now, we are perilously close to a catastrophe beyond anything we can even comprehend. The planet has already had five mass extinctions each of which knocked out 90% or more of the plant and animal life on the planet. But the Earth rebounded and came back each time. However, the recoveries took millions of years. We have about a billion years left before our sun turns into a red giant, making the planet uninhabitable. Certainly, more mass extinctions and recoveries will happen between now and then. The point is right here, right now we have the capacity to unleash the Sixth Mass Extinction. And we are getting close to our time. The last mass extinction was 66 million years ago when the dinosaurs were wiped out. Mass extinctions tend to happen every 50-100 million years.

Pray that it does not happen to us right now.

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It is Thursday evening, February 25, 2026. In the oval office are President Trump, JD Vance, Pete Hegseth, Marco Rubio and Stephen Miller.

Stephen Miller, Trump’s most trusted and influential advisor, gives Trump the bad news: the Epstein files are now starting to implicate Trump, and his popularity is reaching historic lows. Something must be done. He recommends starting a war to deflect attention from Epstein. Here is the conversation:

Trump: A War? Never thought of that.
Miller: All you have to do is decide whom you want to attack.
Hegseth: Yes, a war, a war! Show the world who is Number One!
Trump: How about Canada? They don’t like us anyway, and besides it would be a great opportunity to take over the country and expand our boundaries. Plus, it would be a pushover. Their army sucks.
Vance: Great idea, Mr. President!
Hegseth: Yes, yes!
Rubio: No, not a great idea. They are our allies and our friends. This would lose votes for us in the midterms.
Trump: Ok, what about Norway? That way we could pick up Greenland, and they don’t have much of an army, do they?
Vance: Terrific idea, Mr. President!
Hegseth: Wipe ‘em out, the bastards!
Rubio: No, it is not a great idea! Norway is part of the European Union. It would mean a war with Europe.
Trump: Well, what about North Korea?
Vance: Terrific idea , Mr. President!
Rubio: They have nukes. This could start a nuclear holocaust that could mean the end of life on the planet.
Trump: Is there no country that we could attack to show how tough I am and get people to stop talking about Epstein?
Hegseth: What about Iraq?
Miller: Been there done that.
Vance: Cuba?
Miller: Too small. You have got to show the world how powerful you are. Think big. Plus, Putin might object.
Vance: China?
Hegseth: Yes, great idea.
Miller: They also have nukes and a powerful military.
Hegseth: California?
Miller: That is a state, Mr. Secretary. Yes, there is a country, Mr. President– Iran. Most of the world would go along with you, and this would make Bibi happy. Israel might even join us. The Iranians are a bunch of scoundrels, and everyone knows it. You would be a hero!
Trump: Ok, then it is Iran. Get ‘em before they get us.
Rubio: But we are getting close to another agreement on limiting their nuclear capability even further.
Trump: Well then, you tell me what country might be better.

The group huddles together and tries unsuccessfully  to come up with a better alternative. They all agree that Iran is probably the only country that the Unites States could unleash its vast military arsenal on, demonstrate how powerful the United States is, and not suffer serious consequences.

Miller: Don’t worry, Mr. President. This Epstein thing will be a thing of the past.

On Friday, February 26, 2026, the bombing began.

No one knows how the movie will end.

 

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