When The Robber Barons Come Back Wearing Red Hats

Conspiracy theater is a distraction from a collapsing economy and rising oligarchy.

As you are all now aware, this morning, a man with a rifle shot at an ICE facility in Dallas. Three detainees were shot, one dead, 2 in critical condition, before the gunman turned his rifle on himself. No law enforcement officers were injured. During the initial press conference, officials said a bullet found near the shooter bore messages that were “anti-ICE in nature.” Shortly after, FBI Director Kash Patel released photo evidence on Twitter, showing a bullet that literally said, “ANTI-ICE,” in what appears to be blue ink pen.

Here’s what Aaron Rupar had to say about it:

And for those not local, yes, it was raining this morning. Before many outlets reported on this incident, Trump, Vance, and Patel were on social media and Republican TV, blaming “Democrats” and “the left.”

We, the left, and most sane people, don’t DO conspiracies. That’s for the “other side” to get their masses worked up about frogs turning them gay and people urinating in toilets that don’t match their genitals. But at best, no one left of Romney trusts one word Patel says, at worst, a lot of sane people believe in conspiracies now.

Me? I knew that when Trump appointed a conspiracy theorist in charge of the FBI, it was going to be bad.

Further reading:

• NPR 2024: How Kash Patel has used children’s books and podcasts to promote conspiracy theories

• Wired 2025: Kash Patel Says He Never Promoted QAnon. Here Are All The Times He Did

• NBC News 2025: FBI Director Kash Patel feeds 2020 election conspiracy theories with documents about unverified tip

Most of America has known, dating back to the Nunes Memo, that Patel cannot be trusted. Whether you decide that what happened this morning is part of a broader conspiracy, that’s up to you. Be aware that Kash Patel has a long, verifiable history of lying… and never, ever has a Democrat, or anyone left of them, been scared to say FUCK or FUCK ICE.

Operation Himmler, circa 1939, Germany.

In 1939, Germany, the mustache man, wanted to make it look like Poland provoked their own invasion, so the SS (a.k.a. Nazis) staged numerous false-flag operations. This was known as Operation Himmler. One of the most famous was when they staged an attack at a radio station on the German-Polish border, then left bodies at the location as “evidence.”

And then Nazi-propagandist Joseph Goebbels had a field day exploiting this incident as the justification to invade Poland. And that’s what led up to the Nazis invading Poland.

Depending on how much of a news-junky you are, this may be the second reference to Joseph Goebbels this week:

Further reading:

• Daily Kos: Stephen Miller, The Pompatus Maurice, Goebbels’s Gangster of Love

• The National (Scotland): Stephen Miller’s Charlie Kirk speech draws Joseph Goebbels comparisons

• Raw Story: ‘Scary as all hell’: Onlookers horrified as Stephen Miller parrots Nazi speech

I’m not sure what else we’re supposed to do now than laugh.

Now, a message from Bernie Sanders.

Ground beef is nearly $10 per lb., and coffee prices have almost doubled from where they were last year, and egg costs are still through the roof.

67% of Americans are living paycheck-to-paycheck, yet the oligarchs have more money than ever. And Trump is building a $200 million ballroom.

Here’s some economic news you may have missed:

• The GDP growth has slowed to a crawl.

• Home sales are headed for their worst year since 1995.

• Rent price growth is outpacing inflation.

• A once-in-a-generation crisis is hitting American farms.

• Houston’s unemployment rate has reached an eight-year high.

The only reason our economy hasn’t crashed yet is that the top 10% of earners account for 49% of spending. Actually.

This is the reality of Republican governance.

Of course, in Texas, most of us have known this for a long time, but hopefully the few Republicans left who aren’t brainwashed can see poor leadership when it’s right in their faces. Or maybe they’re all brainwashed and we’re completely screwed.

They’ve got the White House, Congress, and the Supreme Court in their pocket. They have unified power, and what have we gotten for it?

This is straight out of the Gilded Age playbook. Let the robber barons hoard yachts and bunkers while ordinary Americans decide between rent and groceries. Back then, it was Carnegie and Rockefeller. Today, it’s Musk and Bezos. Different century, same scam.

So when Republicans shove conspiracy theater in our faces, it’s not just nonsense, it’s a distraction.

They want us chasing ghosts while they shovel wealth upward and gut every institution that’s supposed to serve the rest of us.

Yes, these shootings and “ANTI-ICE” bullets are disturbing, and yes, Patel is the last person on Earth who should be running the FBI, but let’s keep our eyes on the prize. Elections matter. They mattered in the Gilded Age when workers organized to break the chokehold of monopolists, and they matter now as we stare down a Republican Party perfectly comfortable dragging us back there.

If we don’t treat 2026 like the fight of our lives, we’re not going to have a country anymore.

• Have you signed up to be a precinct chair yet?

• What about volunteering with Powered by People to help register and turnout voters?

• Or Mothers Against Greg Abbott?

• Have you considered signing up to RideShare2Vote and helping people get to the polls?

• Just do something.

• November 4: Constitutional/TX18/SD09 Election

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