Back in February, I wrote a post called “ICE Out of West Orange,” and sent it to the West Orange Town Council. I’m gratified to see that West Orange Councilwoman Joyce Rudin has endorsed a version of the proposal I made, and done so for the right reasons. I don’t know if my post had any influence on her or not; my point is that what she’s endorsing is exactly consistent with what I said. Continue reading
Category Archives: migrant defense
NJ Transit: No Warrant? No ICE
Soon after she took office, New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill issued an Executive Order (EO-12) requiring that ICE officers have a warrant to enter “nonpublic areas of State property.” On March 19 of this year, however, NJ.com reported that New Jersey Transit “buses, trains and stations” remain open to ICE officers without the need for a warrant–on the grounds that buses, trains, and stations are public areas of State property, hence not covered by EO-12. Continue reading
May Day March
Sponsored by Resistencia en Acción, Princeton, New Jersey
Little Municipality Can’t Be Wrong
Other people’s thoughts, they ain’t your hand-me-downs
Would it be so bad to simply turn around?
–The Spin Doctors, “Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong”
Here’s the latest installment in my ongoing struggle to restore facticity to political discourse in Princeton. My last go-round with Princeton’s Town Topics concerned its misdescription, graciously conceded by the editor, of the municipality’s acquisition of Westminster Choir College. This one concerns the paper’s insistence on repeating the municipality’s PR to the effect that “the Princeton Police Department does not participate in federal immigration enforcement.” Yes, it does. Repeating this “does not participate” mantra doesn’t make it true, but that doesn’t stop either the municipality or its amen-corner at Town Topics from repeating it ad nauseam. Continue reading
No Kings and the Anti-War Movement
We’re about a month into the Iran War at this point. The war is, as predicted, a disaster getting worse by the day. As I’ve argued here before, we desperately need a large-scale anti-war movement, but the movement is, alas, in a low-energy state right now. Not that it’s entirely dead: there are direct actions taking place, some very brave ones, along with some ordinary demonstrations. And there’s no shortage of astute commentary out there as well.
But the movement has a problem in need of solution, and while No Kings seems at first to provide the solution, that appearance quickly evaporates on contact with it. The anti-war movement has a clear goal, ending the war, but lacks the means or numbers to accomplish it. No Kings has the numbers, but seems uninterested in ending the war (or any war), and uninterested even in broaching the topic. So it’s worth discussing the relationship, or anti-relationship, between these things. Continue reading
The Iranian Sleeper Cells Are Here
If I wrote here that the Iranians had scored a major tactical hit on American soil, I doubt that 1 in 100 people would believe me. But in fact they have. The tactical hit is the hack, on March 11, of Stryker, the medical device company (not to be confused with Stryker the eight-wheeled armored fighting vehicle designed by General Dynamics). Continue reading
ICE Out of West Orange
Linked to this post is the text of a letter I sent to the West Orange Town Council on February 12th. Aside from the letter’s face-value message, it illustrates two things: (1) how out of touch the Council is on relevant developments in the state legislature; (2) how ill-conceived is its belief that immigration enforcement is outside of the scope of municipal politics or Council jurisdiction.
Even as West Orange residents have been abducted by ICE off the streets of West Orange and other nearby localities,* much of its Council seems hypnotized by Trumpian propaganda: it can’t act to protect residents, it tells us, because it owes a duty of unquestioning allegiance to the federal government; apparently, if the feds want something, the Township’s only duty is to close its eyes, gag its attorney, and hand over what’s demanded. Continue reading
New Jersey’s Safe Communities Act
A Letter to West Orange Town Council
February 12, 2026
I hadn’t intended to comment again on the Immigrant Trust Act, but I think the Council’s comment on it at the Feb 10 meeting requires emendation. I can’t attend the Feb 24 meeting, so I thought I’d write instead.
The person who spoke just before me during public comments (at about 31:40) asked about the status of a municipal resolution for the Immigrant Trust Act (ITA). The ITA no longer exists in its original form. During the lame duck session of the previous legislature, the ITA was divided into three bills. All three bills passed the legislature, but only one was signed by Governor Murphy; the other two bills were pocket-vetoed. The pocket-vetoed bills are presumptively dead. Continue reading
Regulating Speech at Princeton’s Kiosks
This is the statement I gave tonight on the issue of the kiosks at Princeton Council:
I’m here to speak about the replacement of the kiosks on Nassau St with electronic versions. I should say that I was unconvinced by the Council’s arguments for replacing the kiosks, and remain unconvinced, but my comment tonight is more query than statement.
In the debate over the kiosks back in 2024, Councilwoman Sacks was quoted in The Princeton Patch as saying: Continue reading
Flat World Meets Flat Mind
The word “Minneapolis” is a hybrid of Minnesota and Nablus (“Neapolis”). The Minnesota were an indigenous tribe wiped out by the West, itself inspired by Rome, and Nablus is a Roman city in the Middle Eastern colony the Romans starved, ethnically cleansed, conquered, settled, and ruled. The connection you’re looking for, Tom, is called “imperialism.” If you seek its monument, look around. But start by opening your eyes.
Policy of Truth 