The Recent Awfulness in Review

Here is a recap of some recent awfulness.

This is what's shaking in 47land.  Steven Miller has been positioning to have the 82nd Airborne Division sent to Portland.  Let's think about this.  The 82nd is the quick reaction force for hot-spots abroad.  And yet, there is a desire to send them to Portland.  This is insane.  One really does wonder what the end game is here.  

Based on leaked text messages from early October 2025, an aide to White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller discussed the possibility of sending the 82nd Airborne Division to Portland, Oregon

. The conversation, which involved officials from the Trump administration, revealed that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had considered deploying the elite unit to the city but was concerned about potential backlash. 

Here are the key details from the leaked messages:

• The leaker: Anthony Salisbury, a top deputy to Stephen Miller, was observed sending messages via the Signal app in a public place in Minnesota.  (Note that they're using Signal again, my theory it's an attempt to avoid records of the conversations.)
• The recipients: Salisbury was reportedly communicating with other high-level Trump administration officials, including Patrick Weaver, an adviser to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
• The content: The texts discussed the potential deployment of the 82nd Airborne to Portland in response to protests. Weaver indicated that Hegseth preferred to use the National Guard due to the public relations risk of sending an active-duty combat unit like the 82nd Airborne to an American city. Weaver also noted that Hegseth would want an explicit order from President Trump to provide "top cover" in case the situation went "sideways".
• The outcome: The administration ultimately did not deploy the 82nd Airborne. Instead, 200 federalized National Guard troops were sent to Portland. The state of Oregon and the City of Portland have since filed lawsuits to block this deployment.   

This story originated on the Minnesota Star Tribune.  It's paywalled, but if you give them your email, they'll let you read it.

For those unfamiliar with the 82nd, there is this.

The 82nd Airborne Division, or "All Americans," is an elite, active-duty airborne infantry division of the United States Army, based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Its primary mission is joint forcible entry operations, meaning it can rapidly deploy, parachute in, and secure objectives globally within 18 hours of notification to support U.S. national interests. The division was constituted in 1917 for World War I and gained its "All American" nickname and patch from its initial members from all 48 states.  

Key Characteristics & Mission. 

Rapid Deployment: T

he division is designed for immediate response, capable of strategic deployment to anywhere in the world. 

 Forcible Entry:

It specializes in forcible entry parachute assaults, a hallmark of its operations. 

Who is the enemy here? 

This past week there was an incident of an ICE guy getting caught in traffic.  His solution was to tear gas the entire street.  People were vomiting on the sidewalks, an infant was severely hurt.  In another occupied city, a woman waved at the occupying forces and said hi, their response was to throw a flash bang into her car.  There is video of both events, so I don't think it's urban legend.  The question I always have, is why does the administration hate us so much?  Why does Ross Vought want to destroy the government? 

Here is a Guardian article about Justice Katanji Brown Jackson.  I feel so badly for her, she got the job of a life time, and now is working with the six most corrupt justices ever.  She's warning us, but honestly, with those 6 people on the court, I don't know what can be done about any of this.  They are rubber stamping anything 47 asks for, with no discussion.  

The Guardian also has an article up about how close the US came to leaving NATO in 2016.  We are a feckless ally.

That's it, that's all I've got for now.