Stunning Cruelty
We’ve already seen the results of putting poorly disciplined, poorly self-restrained, poorly trained, poorly vetted young men in a pseudo-police position to work with immigration. Homeland Security used to be filled with normal bureaucratic professionals, people with a mission to control immigration who had the skills and maturity to do their jobs without resorting to violence when faced with a challenging situation. We call that professionalism.
You put excitable, poorly trained young men in a position of control, and it brings out their worst instincts. It becomes a We vs. Them situation. There is no insight, no compassion, no priority on de-escalation.
So what could possibly go wrong if you issue this volatile work force the new stun gloves to deal with their mission? These gloves inflict pain, and can be very dangerous to children, the elderly, pregnant women and other vulnerable populations. Do we trust these excitable agents will have the presence of mind to remove their gloves when faced with children, the elderly, pregnant women, etc.?
This is how the glove gets its name and a compilation of what they do and how things could go very wrong:
The device’s name stands for Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter. Manufactured by the Kentucky-based company Compliant Technologies, it operates as a “Conductive Distraction and De-escalation Device” (this is the AI generated description on Google)
What is the G.L.O.V.E.?
The device’s name stands for Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter. Manufactured by the Kentucky-based company Compliant Technologies, it operates as a “Conductive Distraction and De-escalation Device”. [1, 2, 3]
- Mechanism: Activated by a small button on the wrist, the gloves deliver an electric shock when they make direct contact with bare skin. They are ineffective through heavy clothing or hair. [1, 2]
- Comparison to Tasers: Unlike a conventional Taser, the gloves do not fire prongs to break the skin or cause full neuromuscular incapacitation. Instead, they inflict localized, intense pain that subsides as soon as the glove is removed. [1, 2]
- Voltage: The G.L.O.V.E. generates roughly 324 to 362 volts, compared to a Taser which can reach up to 50,000 open-circuit volts. [1]
The Defense and Push for Deployment
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) submitted paperwork for a no-bid contract to purchase thousands of these devices. White House border czar Tom Homan defended the plan, stating that the gloves provide a non-lethal alternative—similar to pepper spray or Tasers—to end confrontations safely without escalating to deadly force. [1, 2, 3, 4]
According to an agency contracting notice, DHS may begin distributing the gloves to field officers as early as March 2027, following the development of training and use policies. [1]
Criticism and Backlash
The plan has drawn immediate outrage from civil rights groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the National Immigration Law Center. [1]
- Lack of Accountability: Critics point out that because the shock can be delivered imperceptibly with a simple touch, the tool is highly vulnerable to undocumented abuse and hidden use of force. [1]
- Safety Concerns: Though marketed as non-lethal, 404 Media uncovered a manufacturer’s user manual noting that the gloves could potentially contribute to “sudden death” under certain conditions. The guidelines explicitly warn against using the device on high-risk populations, including pregnant women, children, the elderly, or disabled individuals. [1, 2]
This is a weapon created to deal with a situation CREATED by this administration. We are a nation of immigrants. You don’t need shock gloves to deal with us.
Mr. Homan, give your agents professional training. Teach them self-control, help them not to panic when they face demonstrators. Give them de-escalation techniques. Help your ICE agents deal compassionately with the population, and give them tools for self-restraint and crowd control. Stun gloves and guns are overkill, cruel, and often fatal. Do you want your agents to deal with the lifelong regrets of their impulsive behaviors?
Everyday Heroes Teach Our Children
I live in a state with one of the worst education systems in the country. I live in a county in that state that has one of the highest proportions of children under the poverty line in our schools. I work in one of the poorest schools in the county as a volunteer. With great pride, I say, “I am a laminator.”
With great laughter, my grandchildren call out, “See you later, laminator!”
I LOVE laminating. I get to operate this hot shot machine, and I get to see materials our teachers are using to teach our children. With my graduate degrees, I still have a lot to learn. Last year, laminating, I learned the properties of minerals. Yesterday, I was reminded of the critical components of fiction.
I love the school, which this past year earned an award for its test score improvements. I love the children, so fresh, so adorable, so full of energy. The librarian sings “Bye Bye Butterfly” waving her arms, and all the eager kindergarteners sing loudly and wave their arms, too. “See you soon, big baboon” makes them laugh their heads off. They are fully engaged. They are learning what a baboon looks like. With any luck at all, this year they will get a field trip to the nearby zoo.
Most of all, I love these brave heroes who work in our schools. Our state has policies which seem anti-public education. The state supports vouchers for private schools that show no accountability, and the state is proposing we lower or eliminate property taxes, further indenturing our local governments to the poohbahs in control of our state house of representatives, the state senate, and the state governor. The state has placed on the ballot a proposition to make the school superintendent of schools an elected office, not an office selected by the Board of Education, not going through any vetting process, but making the Superintendent of Education a popularity contest.
In a county known for banning more books in the schools than any other county in the United States, we NEED professionals at the highest levels.
By the grace of God, we already have them in the classrooms at the school where I volunteer. Our teachers are educated, trained, and mentor one another. They are busy at the beginning of the year laying out strict boundaries to keep the education process flowing productively. They are gathering our youngsters, corralling them, teaching them civil behavior, and best practices to achieve the standards which will propel them upwards through the system.
These teachers and administrators are planners, and their good planning gives daily examples to the students of how to succeed – in school, and in life. They live their truth. They demonstrate self-restraint, humility, humor, and toughness. They give their students the tools to succeed. They give them the basics; the ABC’s, the maths, and they polish the rough edges and develop their social skills.
With little thanks, they get up early to be at school to greet the students with a smile, even joy, so early in the morning.
These are my heroes. Their reward is touching and changing lives.
These heroes are in every school in our county, educating our citizens of tomorrow.
Pray for them, my friends, that their burden be light and that the Spirit refreshes them as they face their daily teaching responsibilities and challenges. They do the Lord’s work, welcoming the stranger, teaching the children to be kind to one another, helping them treat one another with respect and civility, how to take turns, how to make room for differences, and the fundamentals of democratic society. God bless the work of their hands!
When the U.S. Guts the State Department
The new diminished Department of State showed this slide at a recent global conference, which misplaces every single African Country. Take a look. The Côte d’Ivoire, like it’s name, has a coast. The map shows it is landlocked. The nations are scattered. In Africa, right enough, but with no concern for their actual location. The Department of State took full responsibility and pointed the finger at a young person who OK’d an AI reprentation of the map, and who clearly had no idea where the nations really were.
State Department professionals were once educated. They were once conscientious about presentations. This map is more than inaccurate. It is disrespectful.
Please. Bring back professionalism. Please. Bring back real facts, data, and respectful behavior. Bring back a focus on creating and maintaining diplomatic relationships. Our current representation brings shame and disrespect upon our country.
We are neither feared nor respected “like never before.” The world looks in horror at our tasteless, ignorant, ill-mannered leader’s infatuation with trophies, gilt, flattery, and explosions, at the cost of dignified, peaceful relationships with our allies.
Life is so much smoother with friends, allies, and good will.
If nothing else, get the maps right.
How a Grown Up Ends a War and Wins
It is not my intention here to give our current president a strategy for a gracious exit from the War with Iran. I am writing this only because I believe he is incapable of adopting my solution.
Years ago, my very smart husband, AdventureMan and I played strategic board games. One time, I beat him in only six moves, at which point he stood up and stomped his foot (a very strong statement from a normally restrained man) and yelled “You can’t do that! It’s unorthodox!”
And that’s how wars are won. Yes, you can waste billions on sophisticated weaponry, and have a lot of fun with bombs and destruction. High T at work. You can also waste lives, and I believe that is a crime against your country. Our young people are not expendable.
We’ve all started fights we can’t win. It’s wired into us as human beings. What is the way out?
“I’ve made a big mistake. I take full responsibility. I’m sorry I got us into this mess, and now, I am going to do everything in my power to make it right.”
Those words, and the humility it takes to say them, save relationships, re-establish peace, and a firm foundation for moving forward.
It takes a grown-up to say them. It takes a grown-up to even think them. To continue on a losing path is wasteful and self-destructive.
We are not winning.
It’s time to own up, exit, and begin rebuilding our alliances.
New York’s Participation Trophy for Trump and his Iranian debacle. Everyone invited to contribute; no achievement too paltry to commemorate. The more gilt, the merrier.
CrisisGroup.Org
Because I follow – or try to follow – piracy in Somalia, I go down rabbit holes. Some rabbit holes lead you to the most amazing places, including a comprehensive update on an upsurge in Somalian piracy and root causes.
The rabbit holes led me to this fascinating group, Crisisgroup.org. I’m always curious who is behind these organizations – this organization, out of Brussels, seems to keep watch on some far-flung and, to U.S. readers, sometimes obscure potential events, which, when they explode, we wonder why we never heard of these fomenting conflicts.
And Then – A Miracle Happened
In the middle of the night, with no crowd to celebrate, with no acclaim, The Affordable Housing Bill became law.
During a time when Democrats and Republicans can hardly talk to one another without spitting, 85 Senators, Democrat and Republican, joined 358 Democrat and Republican Representatives to pass a bill to help strapped young Americans get back into the housing market.
The President refused to sign the bill. He called it a “Yawn.” He said he wouldn’t sign it until the Senate and House agreed to institute the SAVE Act. He is attempting to create issues in American elections that don’t exist, to limit voting, to limit who can vote, and to make it harder for American citizens to vote. To emphasize his point, he fired the last two remaining watchdogs on the Election Assistance Commission. He FIRED the people who are in place to make sure our elections are fair and ACCURATE.
I guess he hoped nobody was looking, and that no one would care.
The President did not, however, veto the bill. My guess is that he was facing a revolution in his own party if he vetoed Affordable Housing. So he just let it slide.
He let it slide, and this adorable little bill, The 21st Century ROAD to Housing, supported by members of both parties (who, admittedly, want to get re-elected) quietly became law because it was not vetoed.
In truth, if the president had vetoed, the bill, the numbers are so solid that it would have passed again and become law anyway, but to have foregone that extra struggle, where anything can happen, another distraction, another unnecessary way, it is a small, very welcome, miracle.
Didn’t you learn in your high school classes that laws are made by clasping hands across the aisle? There is so much we all have in common. I believe that most of us have intentions for the common good.
This is a small step in that direction, clearing a small path forward of create common solutions by joining together. Get out the brooms! Clear these cobwebs of hate and chaos! Bring back civility!
Celebrate small miracles!
Celebrate the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act.
“Thieves, Radicals and Lunatics”: The Nation Laughs
The leader of our country describes his own crowd of fundamental ideologists, corrupt nepotism, the severance of watchdogs protecting the public, and broken promises about releasing incriminating Epstein files. He points his fingers at others, blaming them for violations evident in his own administration. He lies, and he doesn’t even care.
We have to laugh. It is that or cry.
Education: Florida Ranks LAST in United States
My husband and I volunteer at a public elementary school. The teachers and administrators are heroes, battling a cynical Republican administration that increasingly limits public spending on education and local initiatives. This is a heartbreaking but accurate indictment. I ask myself why an administration would NOT want an educated population?
Florida schools rank last in new national report
ALAIJAH CROSS, TALLAHASSEE DEMOCRAT
Tue, June 23, 2026 at 4:06 AM CDT
Among other national education research institutions, the Network for Public Education ranked Florida last for its lack of commitment and support for public schools.
The network, a nonprofit advocacy group that promotes and researches policies supporting traditional public schools, has evaluated and held states accountable for how public education is managed and upheld.
With scores up to 100, each state was evaluated based on privatization, school finance, and student and teacher supports.
“The grades in this report are not merely academic assessments influenced by demographics or changing test standards. They are a measure of how seriously each statehouse takes its obligation to the children who attend public schools within its borders,” says the report, released through a press release.
Florida earned an F, with 14 out of 100 possible points earned.
“The states most aggressively redirecting public funds toward private alternatives were also the states most neglectful of their public schools, their teachers, and their students. Privatization and disinvestment, it turns out, go hand in hand,” the report adds.
Florida has steered billions in taxpayer funding to private school programs with limited oversight, a policy critics say disenfranchises public schools and the communities they serve.
Proponents contend that private school programs increase educational choice and competition, potentially improving outcomes for students and families seeking alternatives to traditional public schools.
A lawsuit filed by the Florida Education Association against the State Board of Education argues that traditional public schools must comply with a growing set of laws governing safety, staffing, student services, facilities and finances, while charter and private schools receiving public funds operate under significantly fewer requirements.
FEA President Andrew Spar said the last straw which prompted legal action was the 2026 legislative session.
“We saw bills that were going to address the massive teacher and staff shortage, address the pay and equity gaps that exist, address the funding inequities we have between public schools, charter schools and private schools; and lawmakers didn’t act on any of those,” Spar previously told the Tallahassee Democrat in May at a press conference.
Including Florida, 17 states received F grades, 13 states received B grades and 13 additional states earned a C grade. Seven states were scored a D and only two states earned an A, Nebraska and Vermont.
The report says: “States that most aggressively expand vouchers and charter schools are the same states that underfund their public schools, underpay their teachers, and provide the weakest protections for students. Our analysis found what statisticians consider a moderate/strong relationship with a probability of occurring well beyond chance between the expansion of irresponsible ‘choice policies.’ ”
Florida lawmakers reached an agreement May 29 on a $115 billion state budget, boasting a total of $21 billion in funding for education at a time when critics are calling out the state for chronically underfunding public schools.
For example the base student allocation, which is also considered “per student” funding, increased by $85, from roughly $8,900 to about $9,000.
After rising expenses, however, some say it isn’t an increase at all. With rising health insurance, supply costs and labor, advocates say the increase should be at least $1,000 per student.
Spar said the budget “ignores the needs of hurting communities.”
Florida has now ranked at the bottom of several national research reports on education, including the National Education Association’s listing on teacher pay, and the Education Scorecard’s state-by-state analysis on academic achievement.
“It’s no surprise that a failing woke institution would rank Florida, a national leader in education, last whenever possible,” a state education department spokesperson previously told the Tallahassee Democrat in response to its low ranking on the Education Scorecard in May.
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Early Voting in Florida
