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This is The Social Contract Community Issue, our free weekly edition built by and for the readers of The Social Contract. If you have something to share with the community, we’d love to hear from you. Please send it our way at [email protected] [ mailto:[email protected] ]. Thank you!
Remember this?
And this?
And this?
This whole damn year has been one long assault on our very identity as Americans—and on what this country we love even stands for anymore. Day in and day out, we see immigrants, residents, and even American citizens falling victim to ICE’s cruelty and lawlessness.
The other day, I introduced you to PAXIS as an AI-powered solution. It offers multilingual, mobile-ready, any-device access to verified information about Constitutional rights, legal support, and real-time guidance for anyone facing down ICE, especially for those who might lack access to traditional legal aid or reliable information.
I have to say that you did not let me down. I’m thrilled to announce that you’ve helped us raise 50% of the funds in less than three days. Thank you!
Two days ago, PAXIS was just a bold idea and a whole lot of determination. And I’ll be brutally honest with you: I was worried whether we could get it off the ground. Not because I doubt your passion for this cause, but because times are tough right now. Donald Trump has fucked up the economy, and it’s the holiday season.
But now that we’re halfway funded, I’m thinking maybe we can pull off something really incredible here. We’re close enough that finishing this by the weekend is well within reach.
If we hit 100% by the weekend, we can start building PAXIS on Monday and begin getting it into the hands of people who need it.
If you’ve already chipped in, thank you. Seriously. You’re part of the reason this thing has a heartbeat. If you haven’t yet, or if you’ve been waiting for a sign—well, consider this your friendly nudge. Or a loving shove.
And if your wallet’s off-duty right now, sharing the link with your personal network is huge. Sometimes that one extra share lands in exactly the right pair of hands.
Here’s the GoFundMe:
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Let’s finish this. Let’s build it. Let’s grow it so huge that Donald Trump, Kristi Noem, and ICE know exactly what PAXIS is and will have no choice but to pay attention to us. And let’s prove that when this community decides to get something done, it gets done.
With my gratitude,
Joe
P.S. As some of you know, I had a surgical procedure this week, and I’m laying low for a couple days. So there will be a bit less activity here while I get myself back to fighting condition. Thanks for your understanding!
Every day I’m fighting this fascist administration—and I won’t stop until together we restore our social contract in America. If you have the means, please help support my small, fiercely pro-democracy team and me, and keep my independent voice out there. Thank you!
I believe the cruelty of the Trump Administration will ultimately help defeat MAGA. Most Americans are not cruel. We are spreading the word about ICE’s cruel and unlawful behavior here every week. Please do the same with your own networks, and share [ mailto:[email protected] ] any stories and videos you find with us.
ICE detainees at Camp East Montana beaten, threatened with illegal removal to Mexico —El Paso Matters [ [link removed] ]
Migrant families paint grim picture of life in Texas ICE detention facility, new court documents show —CNN [ [link removed] ]
ICE prisons are growing deadlier —OtherWords [ [link removed] ]
Screams as ICE agents allegedly drive SUV over man’s foot ‘haunt us’ —Newsweek [ [link removed] ]
Utah family torn apart after soccer coach father who came to U.S. as a minor is detained by ICE at ‘final green card interview’ —Daily Mail [ [link removed] ]
ICE detains woman who has lived in U.S. since she was a baby —Newsweek [ [link removed] ]
ICE arrest Chicago woman days after C-section birth as baby abandoned in NICU —The Mirror [ [link removed] ]
‘Traumatizing’: San Diego mom details ICE arrest while holding baby at green card interview —NBC News [ [link removed] ]
ICE illegally detained woman at LaGuardia Airport before Thanksgiving, New York federal judge rules —CBS News [ [link removed] ]
Immigrants kept from Faneuil Hall citizenship ceremony as feds crackdown nationwide —WGBH [ [link removed] ]
FIGHTING BACK
APPEARANCES FROM THE PAST WEEK:
INTERVIEWS & QUOTES FROM THE PAST WEEK:
Donald Trump Was Furious with a Woman Journalist Who Quoted His Own Words Back at Him, and the Internet Responded as One [ [link removed] ] —The Poke
Trump Vows to Slam America’s Doors Shut as He Heaps Scorn on Immigrants [ [link removed] ] —The Guardian
Trump Finally Got the Peace Prize He’s Always Wanted. The Internet Had a Field Day: ‘Beyond Parody’ [ [link removed] ] —NJ.com
Donald Trump Won the First ‘FIFA Peace Prize’ at the World Cup Draw [ [link removed] ] —The Poke
‘Shame on You’: GOP Senator Blasted for Caving to Trump on Key RFK Jr. Vote [ [link removed] ] —NJ.com
One Trump Foe Could Be ‘The Biggest Political Disruption in a Generation’: Dem Ex-Lawmaker [ [link removed] ] —Raw Story
Trump Is Dragging the White House Press Corps into the Gutter [ [link removed] ] —Salon
Here’s what some of you are thinking about this week…
Hi Joe. The idea of a populist centrist is spot on. I would like to see Mark Kelly, JB Pritzker, or Adam Kinzinger fill that role. On another note, if the Dems had run a more centrist candidate in Tennessee, they would have won. When are they going to believe they cannot beat anyone if they keep identifying as progressive? Especially in Tennessee. —Letitia K.
Put a third political party with legal access to getting candidates on ballots around that idea, and there might just be hope for our democracy. As long as our two current political parties have a monopoly on who gets on ballots, ain’t going to happen. —Bob H.
Hi Joe. I just wanted you to know how much I appreciate your perspective, and I’d like to offer (another) belated WELCOME to the Big Tent. To be honest, I am currently identifying as an Independent, but as a lifelong progressive and proud liberal, I want to validate and endorse your joining the only sane and decent party currently active in the USA. To be completely honest, I chose not to register as a Democrat in Oregon to avoid the constant demands for donations, and I’m not at all happy with the establishment Democrat leadership right now. Before I moved to the West Coast, I was a staunch supporter of the Democratic Party, and was honored to be a tiny blue dot in Ohio, Florida, and North Carolina. :)
I totally agree that we must embrace all of the non-MAGA candidates and flex to fit the localities each representative hails from. I strongly believe the losing strategy is to try to force all communities to fit into a single ideology—embracing our diversity is the only way to go. Period.
So, again, THANK YOU! I cannot say enough about your honesty and enthusiasm—we likely disagree on a lot of policy, but the immediate priority is preserving our democracy and reinforcing the power of the Constitution and the rule of law. Please, let us return to a time where the biggest concern we have is debating how we bring our country into future prosperity and greater accord with the rest of the world. It is unbelievable that we must instead concern ourselves with basic survival—not just as a democratic country, but as individuals struggling to make ends meet.
P.S. I will absolutely also vote for any candidate that pledges to wreck the White House ballroom. I was utterly heartbroken to see the East Wing destroyed, and your emotional devastation resonates deeply. Thanks again. :) —Elisabeth C.
Hey, I want to hear from you! Got some feedback to share? Want to send us a 600+-word op-ed? How about a video clip on how we can mend our frayed social contract? Want to appear with Joe on Substack Live? Just need to vent? Send it our way!
Email our editor at [email protected] [ mailto:[email protected] ]. We look forward to hearing from you!
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