The most eminent economist of the 20th Century, Milton Friedman, once put it bluntly: no nation can sustain both an open border and an expansive social safety net. That is not a cold abstraction. It is a warning on avoiding national catastrophe and international irrelevance.
Right now, America is engaged in exactly this battle — and the trenches are not in Washington or some distant border, but in Chicago.
All this hit home with the news of a woman armed with a semi-automatic rifle confronting U.S Border agents in Chicago Saturday. The woman, reportedly known to federal law enforcement and the author of numerous threats against them, was part of a group that had used vehicles to box in the agents — who then shot her dead.
The violence is rising, and one gets the feeling that it’s soon to get worse.
Let’s make one thing clear at the outset: Donald Trump has the federal authority to send agents to enforce immigration law. Period. The utterly imbecilic Biden administration ushered in 12 million unvetted illegal aliens that the feds now have to find and remove. Is it blunt surgery? In some cases, yes. But it wasn’t the Republicans who inflicted this mess on us. Forgive us for not going to pieces because the removal process has been less-than-perfectly precise.
In recent days, Chicago has become a clear demonstration of the tension Friedman foresaw. Federal agents have stepped up operations in Chicago, and as tensions escalate, President Trump is about to deploy hundreds of Illinois National Guard personnel — a demand that Governor JB Pritzker resists loudly.
The stakes could not be clearer. On one side is the assertion that sovereignty and responsible government demand limits — limits on how many people one admits and what obligations the state must bear for them. On the other is the assumption — now endemic within the American left — that borders should be porous and the state’s welfare obligations extends to all.
As Friedman points out, the two positions are utterly incompatible in the long run. And as the nation carries $37 trillion in debt, we are, currently, entering the long run’s endpoint.
Pritzker, of course, is playing his role, calling the federal call-up of troops “outrageous and un-American,” insisting that it’s all just an unconstitutional power-grab. But this pose ignores a basic fact: under the Insurrection Act, the President is empowered to use even the National Guard to enforce federal law.
Pritzker is banking that progressive rhetoric will withstand the strain and that hsi base will continue to rally to him. He may well be right. But Chicago is no petri dish for utopian theory. Chaos looms.
But what does not loom for Pritzker is success. He forgets why Donald Trump got elected to begin with. In the months ahead, the fight over immigration, state obligations, and national sovereignty will be cast in Chicago. And its outcome will reverberate across the nation, and into the nation’s future. The moment feels that large.
And when that fight is ultimately judged, Pritzker — who harbors presidential ambitions — will find himself on the wrong side of history.
Let’s hope those ambitions don’t cost any more lives, on either side.
A Chinese Escalation
There is something going on with the Chinese.
Traditionally, Chinese intel operations are subtle, cautious, low-key. They also tend to operate — at least in the U.S. — in no great hurry, taking a long-view of the “great game” between nations.
What to make, then, of the discovery of not one, but now two enormous Chinese SIM card farms located here in the New York area — either capable of taking down the region’s entire cell tower system?
This is an enormous escalation of Chinese operations here in America. It is, to our knowledge here at The Ops Desk, a very new thing.
Perhaps the most benign read is that it was devised to set up an impenetrable network for Chinese organized crime to move narcotics and money. Less benign: it was government-sponsored for long-term offensive operations.
What confuses the issue, of course, is that there is little distinction between Chinese organized crime and the Chinese government.
Add to this persistent rumors that Chinese President Xi Jinping is under pressure and may be on the way out. Is he growing desperate?
Whatever the case, there’s no denying that two major discoveries like this are a new thing — and a bad sign. It all smacks of recklessness and, if indeed Chinese government-sponsored, borders on an act of war.
And if that sounds like hyperbole, consider the reaction if any such American operation were discovered in and around Beijing.
Chris Writes….
It saddened me to learn that Joanne Chesimard died in Cuba last week. It was sad that she died a free woman. Chesimard should have been brought to justice. She should have been in a jail cell in New Jersey wasting away her miserable life. A cop-killer, America hater, and die hard racist, she lived most of her life in the relative freedom of the Castro regime with her fellow communists.
When I worked in the NYPD Major Case Squad, we investigated the murders of NYPD cops, including old cases from the 1960’s and 70’s that remained unsolved. Chesimard was a suspect in the murders of Patrolmen Gregory Foster and Rocco Laurie.
The two rookie patrolmen had recently traded in their Marine fatigues for NYPD blues, the jungles of Vietnam for the urban jungle of New York City. On December 27, 1972, the pair were walking their beat on Avenue B and East 11th Street in the 9th Precinct. The partners were looking into a suspicious vehicle when they passed three men on the street. After passing the two cops, the three men turned and opened fire, hitting both patrolmen. They then walked up to the downed officers and pumped bullet after bullet into their bodies. One of the perps did a jig as the cops died in the street. They fled in the suspicious Chrysler that the two officers were looking into.
Gregory Foster left behind his wife and two children. Rocco Laurie left behind his young wife. Joanne Chesimard was suspected of being the getaway driver, but we never could produce anywhere near enough evidence to prove that. Her BLA cohorts were responsible for the murders.
On May 2, 1973, Chesimard and her crew were stopped on the New Jersey Turnpike by NJ State Troopers James Harper and Werner Foerster. The heavily armed BLA members engaged in a shootout with the two troopers, wounding Harper and killing Vietnam veteran and father of two Werner Foerster. Chesimard was convicted of the killing of Trooper Foerster and sentenced to 33 years in prison.
Chesimard was suspected in numerous other bank robberies, murders, and assaults on police officers. In 1979, she escaped from the Clinton Correctional facility with the help of BLA members and communist revolutionaries, eventually making her way to Cuba.
Chesimard lived in Cuba for the rest of her life, supported by the Communist Castro regime and possibly any money she made from her autobiography, which was published in the United States by Laurence Hill Books. Varying efforts by seven US Presidents failed to make any headway in bringing her to justice.
With a resume like Chesimard’s, you wouldn’t think that there would be any mainstream individuals shedding a tear for this coldblooded killer. That was not the case.
The Democratic Socialists of America, the party of Mamdani and Ocasio-Cortez, posted, “Rest in Power, Assata Shakur” (Assata Shakur is Chesimard’s alias).
US Representative Summer Lee of Pennsylvania posted on X, “We have nothing to lose but our chains” in support of Chesimard.
US Representative Yvette Clarke of New York posted, “As we face the great fight for freedom of our day, may we find strength and purpose in these enduring words from Assata Shakur. If there is a single truth in this world, it is that Assata died a free woman. May she rest in power and paradise for all eternity.” Chesimard allegedly robbed a church at gunpoint and assaulted cops in Clarke’s own 9th District.
US Representative Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts posted, “It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win. We must love each other and support each other. We have nothing to lose but our chains. Rest in Peace and Power, Assata Shakur”.
Even the Chicago Teachers Union released a message in support of Chesimard. They posted a long missive on X, stating, “Rest in Power, Rest in Peace, Assata Shakur. Today we honor the life and legacy of a revolutionary fighter, a fierce writer, a revered elder of Black liberation, and a leader of freedom whose spirit continues to live in our struggle.” It was no surprise that the His Incompetency, the Mayor of Chicago Brandon Johnson, a former member of the CTU, refused to denounce their statement, calling Chesimard an “important person in the black liberation movement.” Can you imagine sending your kid to a school where these people teach support of a cop-killer, career criminal, and fugitive?
These people are despicable. The families of Patrolman Foster and Laurie get together for a ceremony on the anniversary of the killing in front of the 9th Precinct. They are still moved by the support they get from the NYPD. New Jersey keeps the memory of Trooper Foerster alive with ceremonies and tributes. Imagine being a family member who has to listen to elected officials supporting someone like Chesimard. These politicians should never win another election. Alas, they will.
We would like to give credit to New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy for speaking out on behalf of Trooper Foerster and condemning this murderous criminal. Murphy stated that he would, “vigorously oppose any attempts to repatriate her remains to the United States.” He vilified the Chicago Teachers Union for their comments. Glad to see someone in the Democrat Party gets it.
Alas, his was a lone voice amidst the DSA chorus of today’s Democrat party.
Two Trump Successes Collide
A few months ago, the Trump Administration removed funding for the clearly biased Corporation for Public Broadcasting. That organization is mandated by law to be unbiased, and they clearly favor the left as evidenced by any metric. Trump’s defunding through the Rescissions Act of 2025 was a warning shot across the bow for subsidiaries NPR and PBS.
It seems like Trump wins again. I was looking up information on the rollout of federal resources to help with the out-of-control crime in Memphis and came across an NPR article on the topic written by Kat Lonsdorf. I almost didn’t bother reading what I assumed would be the left-wing talking points about a military takeover, illegal federal overreach, and citizens of Memphis oppressed by machine gun wielding Trump minions. You know – the usual Orange-Man-Bad tripe.
Instead, the article shocked me. It was a fair and balanced look at the issue. The main takeaway was that many of the citizens of Memphis are fed up with crime and are looking forward to seeing less of it in the near future. Not everyone was in favor of the federal initiative, but both sides were portrayed. I know that sounds like a reasonable take – but this is NPR! I never for a minute suspected nuanced rationality would rear its heretofore unseen head.
And just as shocking was a quote from a Memphis Democrat. State Representative Antonion Parkinson said that the federal task force and troops are not what he would have asked for, but that Memphis should make the most of the help. That sounds downright reasonable.
I was so shocked I almost forgot to see how Trump’s anti-crime initiative was going. The rollout started slowly on September 29th, with federal agents leading the initiative. Pam Bondi recently posted that there have been 153 arrests made by the feds since then. Both she and Pete Hegseth were present in Memphis to support the influx of federal agents.
I was able to find some numbers from this small sample of time. For the period of September 22-26th,, pre-rollout, there were 2 homicides, 47 aggravated assaults, 72 vehicle thefts, and 12 robberies. In the period of the fed rollout from September 29 – October 3rd there was 1 homicide, 31 aggravated assaults, 23 vehicle thefts, and 6 robberies. That’s a very nice drop, but not enough data to call the rollout a success yet (unlike in D.C, which has been an undeniable success).
In the coming weeks there will be more federal resources and likely the addition of soldiers to safeguard particular areas. The rollout will be gradual – which is a surprise both tactically and given our knowledge of the way Trump operates. We are hoping for a safer city for the residents and tourists of this iconic American city.
We know one person who is resting easy in light of the federal anti-crime initiative – Elvis Presley. The King of Rock and Roll was a huge police buff. He had dozens of honorary police shields, was a deputy sheriff in Shelby County, sometimes went on ride-alongs with Memphis cops, and was always strapped. He would have loved this return of law and order to his hometown.
(And if you want to see a great movie about Elvis’s police obsession, check out Elvis and Nixon. It’s bizarre, surprising, and completely fantastic – check our review here).
The Sunday Podcast: A Conversation With Randy Mastro
This week we talk to New York City First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro — the only two-time First Deputy (under two different political parties!), former mafia prosecutor, and one of the nation’s pre-eminent attorneys.
Is there hope for New York? For the nation’s blue cities? If crime is supposedly down, why does NYC feel scarier than ever? Is Zohran Mamdani indeed the end of western civilization?
And — is the mafia really gone for good?
There isn’t much that’s happened in NYC in a long time that Randy hasn’t been a player in. So click below for the sizzle — and HERE for this week’s full pod.
So How Bad Will Mamdani Be?
Put it this way: he plans to put final say on all NYPD discipline under the Civilian Complaint Review Board, an unelected civilian body rife with cop-hating progressives who know nothing about police work.
Who is the current head of the CCRB? A Staten Island dentist.
Expect poor flossing to become a fire-able offense.
The Government Shutdown
Really, it’s quite simple:
Twelve million unvetted migrants + Obamacare = national financial disaster.
Republicans: Hold the line.
(And for anyone who tells you that illegals are not accessing our health system, show them this — and see below. Just 10 years ago, this was thought scandalous).
And finally…
Problem is, they always land on us.
NEW: Multiple law enforcement sources confirm to @FoxNews that Chicago police officers were instructed by their Chief of Patrol to NOT respond to Border Patrol agents call for help yesterday after they were reportedly surrounded by a large crowd of protesters following a ramming incident & shooting of an armed woman. Chicago PD CAD screenshot below.
This is borderline criminal — and clearly a violation of CPD policy. Two things are certain: this Patrol Chief has lost the respect of the men and women of the Chicago Police Department, and his reputation is permanently stained.
Well done. When will the Feds be allowed to fire on the recently declared terrorists. I know if they even think to come here(Florida) they won’t need the Feds. We’ll take care of business. It won’t be pain free, that I can tell you.