Latest news with #Suspects
Atlantic
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Atlantic
How to Tell If Someone Is a Criminal (According to the DHS)
Confronted with the bald fact that, of the people in Florida's just-constructed swamp internment facility for the ' worst of the worst,' more than 250 had neither criminal convictions nor pending charges, the Department of Homeland Security was untroubled. 'Many of the individuals that are counted as 'non-criminals' are actually terrorists, human rights abusers, gangsters and more; they just don't have a rap sheet in the U.S.,' DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told the Miami Herald / Tampa Bay Times. 'Further, every single one of these individuals committed a crime when they came into this country illegally. It is not an accurate description to say they are 'non-criminals.'' Except for the fact that they have not technically committed any crimes, these are criminals. Except for the tiny, tiny, minuscule (I hate to even mention it) quibble that we have no evidence they've done any crimes, these people deserve to be locked up. Except for the minor, minor technicality that they haven't violated any laws, other than by arriving here—which might not even have violated a law! We have asylum, or used to, before we decided to pull the rug out from under thousands of people—these are the worst of the worst. The total lack of any evidence against them, except that Trump border czar Tom Homan thought they seemed suspicious, is just proof of what good criminals they are. Evidence, schmevidence! All you need to do is look at them, listen to them! (Homan has subsequently walked this back, or tried to.) You can simply tell when someone is a criminal, even when they keep trying to abide by the law, showing up for immigration hearings and paying taxes on time. Perhaps especially then. So many neighbors of serial killers say that the killers were quiet, kept to themselves, and seemed like productive members of their community. If these detainees' neighbors say the same, that's so much more proof that they are some of history's greatest monsters, or would be, if they ever took up crime. These would be hardened assassins if they had ever killed anyone. If they had done a single war crime, it would have been worse than those of Slobodan Milošević. The only reason these serial killers' names don't ring in the ear with the horror of Jeffrey Dahmer's and Ed Gein's is because they have not killed or eaten anyone. But we'd better keep them behind bars to be safe. They could start at any time! Indeed, all that stands between them and crime is means, motive, and opportunity. That's why it's good that in addition to the preemptive measure of putting some of these all-but-criminals behind bars, the DHS has also taken the extraordinarily un-racist precaution of collecting immigrant DNA into a large database for the ease and convenience of suspecting them of crimes. If these toddlers weren't criminals, would their DNA already be in this Usual Suspects Database? Unlikely. These are almost certainly terrorists, human-rights abusers, gangsters, and more! And some of them even have parking tickets. That's why they belong in a facility that we laughingly refer to as 'Alligator Alcatraz.' ('If there's alliteration, it's not a human-rights violation.') They are probably human-rights abusers, which is why we have locked them up without due process or any kind of publicly posted list to let anyone know their whereabouts. Remember, criminals are to be found around other criminals. ('I think we all know that criminals tend to hang out with criminals,' Deputy ICE Director Madison Sheahan noted.) And there they all are now, in a facility that we have insisted is for the worst of the worst. Sounds pretty dispositive. If they weren't the worst of the worst, what would they be doing there? You can tell they are human-rights abusers because they are sleeping on cots 32 to a room in a just-constructed internment camp. The human-rights abusers are the ones who have been seized by masked men because they looked or sounded a certain way. The human-rights abusers are the ones packed into cages in the oppressive heat. The human-rights abusers are the ones brushing their teeth with toilet water, unable to shower for days, crammed together in a mosquito-infested swamp, struggling to access lawyers. You can tell they are criminals because of the side of the fence they're on.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Madlib Teams With Your Old Droog for ‘Droogie Otis' Project, the Hip-Hop Producer's First Since Altadena Fires Claimed His Home Studio (EXCLUSIVE)
With the release of 'Everything Designer,' his third single since the release of 'Movie' in June 2024, Your Old Droog continues to maintain a reputation as one of the most prolific rappers in the music industry. Released under the pseudonym Droogie Otis, the track featuring Boldy James marks the first song from Droog's upcoming album-length collaboration with Madlib (nee Otis Lee Jackson, Jr.), the acclaimed producer for MF Doom, Freddie Gibbs, De La Soul, Kanye West, Erykah Badu and dozens more. It's also the first work from Madlib since he lost his home, studio and legendary record collection in the fires that destroyed much of Altadena, California in Jan. 2025. More from Variety Your Old Droog Premieres 'Movie' Album Follow-Up Single 'Suspects,' Produced by Edan (EXCLUSIVE) Madlib, Producer for Kanye West and Mos Def, Sues Former Manager Over Deceptive Business Practices Your Old Droog Reveals How MF Doom, Madlib and Frank Zappa Led to the Full-Circle Moment of 'Movie' 'I think, just on a personal level, it's a horrible thing,' Droog tells Variety. 'But we keep working. I think when things like that happen, it pushes you to be greater and try to keep going.' With both his and James' verses, the track showcases the kind of lyrical dexterity that's become a cornerstone of Droog's music. 'Remember all them days we stepped out, left to wander / Bumping Jimi Hendrix Red House over yonder,' Droog raps. 'Flunking out of grammar school, fucking up some commas / Slow at math, always going half like Arnold Palmer.' Droog says that the Droogie Otis project fulfills a goal he set for himself at the beginning of his career. 'When I recorded my self-titled debut, my mindset was, I'm in here trying to showcase what I can do from a lyrical standpoint so I could get beats from somebody of the caliber of a Madlib,' he says. 'So I kept turning out projects year after year. Then in the fall of 2021, I get a text from [rapper and producer] Edan, who got a text from [former Stones Throw Records manager] Egon saying that Madlib wanted to get in touch with me and work. So we immediately started working on joints.' Insisting 'it's not rocket science,' Droog says their collaboration quickly bore fruit. 'His beats are pretty great, so they're easy to write to.' But even after releasing a number of tracks produced by Madlib as a solo artist, the rapper says that the idea to create a full album evolved slowly. 'Personally for me, the bar is always 'Madvillain',' he says, referring to Madlib's supergroup team-up album with MF Doom. 'But we've kind of got our own thing. We'd dabble in a lot of different sounds and stuff, but it's almost been just making music for the love of it. 'Eventually you've got to snap out of it and be like, 'Okay, we should probably make some money',' he says. 'But I don't think money is the motive with this … it's just making great art with somebody you consider a brother.' Fusing together the rapper's stage name with Madlib's government name, Droogie Otis was born. Droog says the album doesn't have an official title yet, but it's due out 'this summer.' Part of the uncertainty, Droog says, is because he has been taking his cues from Madlib, who shares a spontaneity that frequently supersedes more traditional release plans and marketing strategies. 'We do it because we love it regardless of what's going on in our lives. There's always been that approach where he's hit me multiple times like, 'Yo, drop this joint,' and the song will come out that week or the following week. The business comes after. We're centered around the art.' In the meantime, Droog continues to develop projects with other collaborators; he says that he's got tracks in the works with Edan, who produced his December 2024 single 'Suspects,' and with rapper-producer Count Bass D. Otherwise, he remains part of the group of colleagues and collaborators helping to raise money and resources so that Madlib can rebuild his record collection and studio. 'We did the tribute shows, I think they're doing one in LA,' he says. 'I know [producer] Pete Rock said he's going to give Otis some records. So we're all coming together.' 'I think when things like [the fires] happen, it pushes you to be greater and try to keep going.' 'Everything Designer' debuts on streaming services March 21. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Oscars 2026: First Blind Predictions Including Timothée Chalamet, Emma Stone, 'Wicked: For Good' and More What's Coming to Disney+ in March 2025
