Down for the count

While we’ve been distracted by disgusting displays of hateful rhetoric at rallies that are only missing tiki torches to achieve full effect, and unhinged tweets from golf courses and gold-plated toilets, the Secretary of Commerce (who—as documented in a story in Forbes—has a history of theft that ranges from pilfering artificial sweetener from restaurants to defrauding colleagues and investors to the tune of hundreds of millions in his various financial management jobs) has been perverting the 2020 Census by adding new questions that not only have no bearing on its Constitutional purpose, they are downright terrifying.

You’ll no doubt have heard of the one demanding to know whether the respondent is a citizen. That’s the one that allegedly originated in what is pleased to call itself the Department of Justice, but Ross entered his office with the idea in mind. We’re told that this is in aid of counteracting “voter fraud”, even though it will clearly have no effect whatsoever on the only actual industrial-scale election fraud perpetrated in the United States. That came (and will come again) from the Russians, but since it solidified the GOP hold on the federal government, the Kleptocrat Syndicate (both the Executive and Legislative branches; Judicial is as yet not entirely affected by kompromat) is not interested.

No, asking about citizenship is clearly aimed at intimidating non-citizens (I was about to say “regardless of whether they’re here legally” because legalities do not matter a whit to this lot). It may also help in GOP gerrymandering efforts, although that would be a secondary benefit to Congress.

However, take a look at the question:

It’s not just a binary—are you or aren’t you; it’s got layers of “how many ways can we invalidate your right to be here” embedded in response options 2 and 3. What the everloving does it matter where you were born if you are a citizen by right of birth?

But then we come to naturalization—that’s the chilling one. Well, it wouldn’t be particularly problematic in any other administration. But the present government has quietly been revoking naturalized citizenship and deporting people as a tool of political intimidation. This response is a way of identifying targets for these activities.

And here’s another kicker—if you tick a box under race claiming to be either white or black, you’re required to elaborate on your country of origin.

What on earth has where your (in many cases) distant ancestors came from got to do with anything? And how do you pick a country? If great-great-great-grandpa came from Vilnius, for example, do you put down Russia, Germany, Poland or Lithuania, all of which claimed the city at one time or another? What if the family hung out in Spain, then moved to Italy and on to Libya—which one do you choose? (You know what would be super fun? Say you’re white and then name countries in Africa or Asia, because generations of your ancestors were adventurers or colonists.)

They give you 16 spaces for letters; that’s a joke. What conceivably valid information could be gained by someone whose forebears from Bohemia, Portugal, Sweden, Hungary, Morocco, Wales and Lichtenstein mixed and mingled in Pittsburgh or Chicago picking any single one of those points of origin to put in those 16 spaces?

Maybe they’d prefer that we all just send in DNA samples. Yeah, that would be swell. Except that—so far—you can’t be forced to cough up one of those until you’ve been arrested on a felony charge.

I dunno—it’s possible that this crowd of white supremacists may declare US residency a felony and move toward mandatory DNA collection as a way of identifying “undesirables” so they can be culled, whether by deportation or mass graves probably wouldn’t matter to them.

Meanwhile, I left my opinion on these despicable questions on the government comments site, for all the good that will do. And I’m considering how I’ll respond when the time comes. Because I’ll have to cram “You can kiss my [none of your fucking business] ass” into those 16 spaces.