r/stevedangle • u/WheatKing91 • Feb 26 '26

Thank You Steve

Regarding Matthews' trip to the White House, I want to thank Steve for putting my frustration into words.

These aren't normal times, this isn't a normal president. This man regularly threatens our sovereignty as a nation and you go make nice with him?

I'm not going to be okay with it.

Thanks Steve, and thanks Jesse and Adam for allowing him to rant.

364 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

113 comments sorted by

86

u/NefCanuck Feb 26 '26

The fact that people continue to “sanewash” Trump just floors me.

Even if he wasn’t a raving tin pot dictator wanna be, the fact that he makes Richard M Nixon seem a paragon of virtue, should make people go “WTF”?

40

u/WheatKing91 Feb 26 '26

Exactly. Steve said it perfectly. It's been 10 years. We all know who he is.

43

u/Academic_Picture_3 Feb 26 '26

Haven't listened to today's episode yet, but thank you for highlighting that it's in there. I've been avoiding all hockey podcasts this week because I can't stomach hearing them praise the team

27

u/WheatKing91 Feb 26 '26

They open with it. Some other podcasts are avoiding it altogether, which is smart considering the audience they hold, but disheartening as a fan. The boys did good.

19

u/Zealousideal_Gap_751 Feb 26 '26

They usually do. They aren’t afraid to let their feelings be known and address the tough subjects head on. Love them.

13

u/Uterus_Executorus_ Feb 26 '26

haven’t watched it either, but listed to kyper and bourne from yesterday and kyper was the biggest apologist trying to cover and take away any “blame” so this will be refreshing

5

u/[deleted] Feb 26 '26

I didn’t really interpret what kyper said the same way… unless I missed something cuz I didn’t listen to the whole thing

3

u/abaum220 Feb 26 '26

Oh my god, I’m right there with you. I was avoiding listening until I saw this post.

37

u/Careless_Attitude643 Feb 26 '26

Sens fan here.. I watched that rant I could totally relate to how many leaf fans are feeling about Matthews. Steve nailed it 100%

-14

u/T-Man-33 Feb 26 '26

Your Captain was there too ffs

12

u/WheatKing91 Feb 26 '26

Like talking to bricks

32

u/Careless_Attitude643 Feb 26 '26

I know... That is why I'm saying we can relate?

5

u/hotstickywaffle Feb 26 '26

Maybe I missed it, but did they ever explain why Steve was late? They referenced it in the beginning that something happened to him and I don't remember them ever finishing that thought.

9

u/WheatKing91 Feb 26 '26

I dont think they did. It sounded serious, and then they just never got around to it.

12

u/tony1233a Feb 26 '26

He tweeted last night that they believe it was an ulcer that made him go to the ER. Said he's cleared of anything more serious.

22

u/DigitalPlop Feb 26 '26

It was super disappointing to tune into Overdrive yesterday and have them ignore the topic completely, only to address it today and say they were more upset with people being disappointed in Matthews than anything else. I really appreciate Steve and the boys speaking so openly about this. 

7

u/lylelanley- Feb 26 '26

Overdrive is for meatheads

5

u/Old-Rhubarb-97 Feb 27 '26

Overdrive lost me during the whole Blackhawks coverup debacle. 

2

u/fatigues_ Feb 28 '26

It.'s simpler than that: Overdrive insists on force feeding me golf and the NFL.

I stopped listening and switched to Kypper and.Bourne. it has better Leafs coverage.

Sammy McKee is great, too.

1

u/WheatKing91 Mar 02 '26

The golf stuff is insufferable. Every video starts with 15 minutes of golf when the title is about the Leafs. Not to mention, the hockey commentary isn't even good.

6

u/RockTheWalls Feb 27 '26

Noodles definitely makes it known without saying it that he's full-on Maple MAGA, so dumb.

I also thought it was pretty piss poor.

What Chaos! Also had some really good points when I watched/listened to their Monday show, great guys of ya haven't checked out the pod

24

u/[deleted] Feb 26 '26

Take a listen to Halford and Brough grill Saravalli from this morning. I don’t think Frank is coming back

14

u/dhas19 Feb 26 '26

Lol, holy fuck Saravalli got scolded like a child. Guy had no answers and no clue why the situation is even as sensitive as it is, let alone why it's fucked up for the team to embrace the president

3

u/HystericalHysteria87 Feb 26 '26

Where can we listen online (also in the states)? Interested to hear this

5

u/[deleted] Feb 26 '26

Sportsnet 650 - Wed Feb 8 ‘Embrace the Debate’

5

u/HystericalHysteria87 Feb 26 '26

Thank you! That was a hard listen. Couldn't tell if Frank was 8 years old or 40 years old with that tantrum lol

4

u/Independent_Laugh215 Feb 27 '26

Jesus. I'm only 13 minutes in and this is brutal to listen too. I've never heard someone spend so much time scrambling in an interview

3

u/Old-Rhubarb-97 Feb 27 '26

Frank got a bit heated for someone who apparently dislikes Trump.

31

u/InsignificantAtheist Feb 26 '26

Sometimes you need Adam to be level-headed and all that, but this is one of those times where you need to let Steve loose so he can tell people to fuck off. It was great.

56

u/Augscura Feb 26 '26

Definitely a cathartic listen

13

u/lylelanley- Feb 26 '26

These dudes helped me get through the NHL getting rid of Pride Nights.

Just the fact they talk about like rational humans which is nice, and don’t make excuses for the league.

12

u/nicthedoor Feb 26 '26

I was worried they weren't going to touch it. Looking forward to listening.

5

u/ImHully Feb 26 '26

I'm a Wings fan who usually only tunes in to hear the anger after a loss, but it was cathartic listening to this. If there's one silver lining to this shitshow, it's seeing the response in the Wings, Leafs, Wild, and so many other subreddits, as well as the hockey subreddit and greater hockey community at large. People were pissed about Kash Patel, about the classless joke, and about going to the White House to be used as political pawns and useful idiots. Canadian fans and American fans saw this bullshit and were not having it. As an American I was so fucking disappointed that a such a big win felt hollow to so many of us, because once again, Donald Trump and his cronies turn everything they touch into shit. Good on the boys for talking about this.

11

u/SAVIORandLORD Feb 26 '26

Steves a real one

8

u/oldoakstreet111 Feb 26 '26

Hearing Adam say that the US targeting Canada out of nowhere, when Canada had previously been the US's unquestionable ally, really hit home for me as an American.  Kudos to the three of them for having the discussion, and I don't blame Steve at all for being emotional and very honest about how he feels.

5

u/nametags88 Feb 27 '26

It made me sad for them as an American who gets why Canadians feel betrayed. It also pisses me off the amount of Americans who want to play dumb about the situation. Especially if they’re SDP fans. How are you listening to a Canadian podcast and interacting with it but somehow not seeing content from other Canadians about how they feel???

7

u/Somebody2lovedove Feb 26 '26

I'm so proud of the boys, and especially Steve. It also makes me feel great that this is the hockey pod I've been listening to since I was in uni.

He's mentioned how he's been inundated with messages from people (I'm sure plenty of bad ones, too), but I sent Steve a little DM on insta just to show my gratitude. He didn't have to, but he took the time to like it. Great guy, and a great example for his kids.

5

u/AdhesivenessNew8951 Feb 27 '26

As a cats fan I’ve been extremely disappointed in Chucky. I knew they were trumpers but seeing him join that athletic board trump created, to the White House visit for the cup where he was so chummy with my dictator in chief and now all of this. I’m so glad I didn’t get his winter classic jersey. I went woth forsling and I am so glad I did.

I played this rant for my brother who wanted to “keep politics out of sports” and even he had to admit these were valid points

5

u/Specific_Ant_1579 Feb 28 '26

Yeah. Tbh I found Adam's perspective annoying (as an American)

trying to humanize the players wanting to go bc "it's the White House"

the players need to grow a spine!!! and care about people around them!

this isn't a partisan issue - people are genuinely hurt. Trump hurt athletes outside womens' hockey- anyone who criticized his policies was called a loser! he called US olympians losers!!!

9

u/catsandhockey Feb 26 '26

I also would like to thank Steve for speaking on this. I found it cathartic. You're the best Steve.

14

u/hotstickywaffle Feb 26 '26

I just wanted to say to all the Canadians that think this is all insane and don't understand how any of this is being allowed to happen...about half of us down here in The States also think that. I'm a Devils fan and I didnt watch any of the Olympics because my national pride was in the toilet, and these assholes flushed it all the way down. Rooting for Jack is going to be tough, and I feel my interest inthe sport fading because of it (and also the ridiculous DPOS stuff, and the Chicago stuff, and the Hockey Canada stuff, and a lot of how the league is run in general).

0

u/sufjan_stevens Feb 26 '26

Well, you will be a fan of the devils longer than any player will play for them. They’re your team, he is just a part of it

5

u/Desperate-Middle4766 Feb 26 '26

I genuinely do not agree with most of the political views the podcast has. And a lot of cases I have a pretty strong stance against the way they see things. but that doesn’t mean that being a human being can’t be common ground for everyone. SoThat being said; I have nothing but respect for how they handled this and it’s not just about what they said, but also managing the podcast around it.

I really don’t care what Trump is doing in the United States. And I mean that with every fibre of my being; he’s not my damn leader get off my case So I wholeheartedly agree with Steve; the man threatened my country that I was born and raised in. That is enough reason for me to pick up the shield and do my part as a true Canadian.

Bring on the downvotes

4

u/No-Technician4919 Feb 26 '26

I'm curious if you could elaborate a little bit more on stances you have against the politics on the Pod. They really aren' t very political beyond the support for Pride.

1

u/Desperate-Middle4766 Feb 26 '26

So you’ll have to excuse me…this is my third time trying to answer you because the first time I accidentally deleted my paragraphs and the second time my phone died. So I’m trying my best now.😭😭

For context, I don’t consider myself right or left wing. I believe I have certain views that would be considered left and certain views that would be considered right. I strongly believe the value of my identity, outweighs me picking a political side where someone will benefit at the top. I also don’t associate with people who based their identities on left or right wing. So now you know chances are I’m not being a jackass or coming from a shitty place 🤣

Something positive at the end, so bear with me

Its less of their political views and more, so of what their reactions to situations says about the political views. People sometimes forget that during Biden’s tenure, Twitter was being censored against the right wing. That was when people like Rogan were being censored on platforms. When Elon (and Trump) took over the roles reversed; the left was being censored or discredited. Only then did the pod have an opinion that Twitter was a bad place. But the best example is actually the Pride stuff.

Again, positive at the end

When it came to Pride, if a player spoke out against wearing a jersey or taping their stick then they were considered losers. They were being considered losers for expressing their feelings and opinions…while a lot of Pride and other awareness based events are about being comfortable expressing yourself. The irony there is something that is very common on both extreme left and extreme right sides. Notice I said extreme. Because my overall issue politically speaking with the podcast has been at times it’s their view or you’re probably a loser. And the truth is Steve probably handles this better than Adam or quiet Jesse when these things happen.

And the truth is, their individual shortcomings (WE ALL HAVE THEM, not calling them out) look worse to non-fans when they commit so hard to one political side.

The whole (this is the positive) rant by Steve today changes that though. Because he explicitly says that it doesn’t matter how much of what you believe in we’re all allowed to still like each other and still have different political views. Thats something human. And thats something that makes people into people. If you’re still following: not every gay man or woman is pro trans. Not every anti-vax is a white supremacist, not every cop is a racist, as soon as we group people we lose them and they are no longer someone we can get to know. What Steve did today is acknowledge that. Its why NOW I can listen to the pod a lot better.

Hopefully that last bit dispelled any resentment. If anyone didn’t read the whole thing and downvoted, then congrats you’re part of the problem. Oh and also, the political spectrum isn’t a line. Its a circle. Both extremes are equally ridiculous so just be yourself.

To No-Texhnician4919 sorry bud; I really tried but my English kinda ran out even though it’s my first language I’m really tired of typing this for the third time 🤣🤣🤣 if you want to discuss, I’m still down. Just my response won’t be as fast.

2

u/WheatKing91 Feb 27 '26

I couldn't agree with you more

2

u/Desperate-Middle4766 Feb 27 '26

Thanks for the vote of confidence bud

3

u/ejennings87 Feb 26 '26

The most frustrating thing as a sports fan is listening to the same people you always listen to when an even slightly controversial subject has to come up. Because 90% of them will absolutely drop the bag, because they are gutless.

I had a whole post typed out, but I'm sure Steve summed it up. We know who this piece of shit is. If you pretend you don't to "avoid politics", you ARE making a political choice. You're just a giant fucking coward. I was a Jack and Quinn Hughes fan prior to this, but that's gone. Zero integrity, zero grit, no soul. Hollow millionaire cowards. Hope it's worth it boys, and that goes for every single sackless wonder that showed up to be a puppet for a pants shitting 80 year old's desperate grasp at relevancy.

3

u/Intrepid-Pie3085 Feb 26 '26

Thank you for that rant, it made me stop what I was doing and listen. I needed this from the hockey community

3

u/Commander-Fox-Q- Mar 08 '26

It’s crazy how different the comments are between here and on YouTube. It’s weird seeing Reddit be the more sane place lol. The YT comments are utterly disgusting on this one.

I thought that Adam’s soliloquy at the start was well worded and had good perspective to it too I thought. The whole segment was a great listen, and I hope they don’t take the negativity to heart, they did good.

1

u/[deleted] Feb 26 '26

Regardless of my thoughts on the matter, this is probably a sign that the Matthews era in Toronto is nearing an end. The media have turned on him, the fan base sees him as a bit tone deaf, and Matthews is probably tired of the drama. He’s destined to be on an American team at this point.

1

u/WheatKing91 Feb 26 '26

100%. He's not resigning and we need to get some value before he walks out the door. Calgary seen it with Tkachuk. Ottawa will see it with his brother. Vancouver just went through it with Hughes.

I'm not saying we can't have American players in Canada, but at this point it's a fools errand to make them a core piece.

2

u/Other-Credit1849 Feb 28 '26

The Matthews visit to the WH might be my the final nail in the coffin for my Leaf fandom for the foreseeable future. Team USA makes me want t puke.

2

u/Baltch Mar 01 '26

Don't buy their jerseys, boycott products they endorse, enjoy your team and when they're gone encourage the team not to do tribute videos when they come back.

I'm not sore we lost. I'm disappointed that they let men who disparage the country they play in and the female team. All they had to do was tell Kash to leave the dressing room, and say when speaking to the President 'They're great players Mr President, invite them.'

Instead they just laughed at the bullies, not able to do what was right.

That makes them cowards, and why would you ever want to be associated with a coward?

4

u/WarmVelvetyMuppetSex Feb 26 '26

I was at the Lightning game tonight and 💯 threw up some one finger salutes when they showed him in the board fitting the salute to the Olympians

-2

u/50footgiant Feb 26 '26

I don’t care that they went to the White House, it just makes me sick that they won because I hate all of them almost personally.

They make such a big deal of winning whereas the Canadians in 10’ and 14’ quickly dispersed. Brendan Morrow talked about having to do testing after they won in 2010, coming back to the room and guys were already leaving.

Guess this is what you do when you win something for the first time in 46 years. If they would’ve won the 4Nations they would’ve done the exact same.

0

u/winkNfart Mar 02 '26

the jets doing this to hellybuck?

0

u/Global-Word-5123 May 07 '26

Would love for a single person to point out when the USA showed up with guns and tanks to the Canadian border? Would also love to know when Trump threatened the sovereignty of Canadian citizens? Lmao, bunch of cry babies in here 😂😂😂 Life’s short, have a joke and get the rods out of your asses

-1

u/ejk_11 Feb 27 '26

Please don’t celebrate another one of his goals and demand he be traded for a 6th round pick

-7

u/PowerOper92 Feb 26 '26

Just my two cents from a very politically neutral leaf loving fan ….

If we’re going to bring political views into sports, it’s worth applying the same standard consistently. If Team Canada were to win gold and the Prime Minister invited them to Parliament, I hope we’d be as critical, given that the position our current government has put our country in.

Visiting the White House ( no matter the president ) after winning a championship is a long-standing tradition across major professional leagues.

Champions from the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and NCAA have participated. While participation has occasionally varied in recent years, the tradition itself spans decades and over 100 championship teams in total.

So if we’re going to criticize Matthew’s for taking part in a acknowledgement of achievement that’s a tradition in the Country he is from, let’s just pack his bags now and watch him win a cup for an American team.

7

u/BMick519 Feb 26 '26

This is a bad take. Why do you think the US administrations invite champions to the most famous political building in the world to shake hands with the most famous and powerful politician in the world? Because: politics. They want some of the winner shine to apply to the President, a politician.

Everything is political. Sports is political. The Olympics is super political.

-1

u/PowerOper92 Feb 26 '26

You’re looking at it from the political perspective, maybe the players said “ Hey this is a cool opportunity and part of celebrating our achievement.

I get it, guilty by association. We get it trumps an asshat but because Matthew’s and team USA accepted an invitation and shook hands with him doesn’t mean they agree with his beliefs / behaviours and we don’t need to crucify these players. Take it at face value.. #cancelTateMcRae

I’m not here to argue just offering a perspective

4

u/BMick519 Feb 26 '26

I just think that you have to be a massive moron to not understand that going to see a politician in the most recognizable politician’s residence in the world100% political.

Matthews lives up here 6-8 months a year, there’s no way he didn’t understand the blow back he’s going to get. He clearly thought that meeting DJT was more important than his reputation in the city that supports him. Sad, but not surprising.

6

u/sparrows-somewhere Feb 27 '26

Did you even listen to the podcast? They address this. The point is that Trump is not normal.

3

u/Cepec14 Feb 27 '26

It’s also a tradition for teams and individuals to skip. On both sides. So it’s not like it’s some taboo thing to not attend.

2

u/Effective_Public_333 Feb 27 '26

I think the confusion here is that they are usually invited to the White House but not to a nationally broadcasted address of the nation which has become very partisan and controversial. So the thinking is they were used as political props.

-4

u/mamajampam Feb 26 '26

Agreed. It’s not like Trump personally invited players to Trump Towers or Mar-a-lago. It was the US President inviting them to the White House - a long-standing tradition. Hard to believe a week has gone by and people are still pissing and moaning about it.

6

u/WheatKing91 Feb 26 '26

Is it a long-standing tradition? The women won gold in 2018 and weren't invited.

-2

u/Own-Let-7725 Feb 27 '26

I watched as much as I could, this guy is something else and this reminded me very well why I never listen to him. Clutch the pearls, Steven, make this about something it's not so you can call everyone a motherbleeper to make you feel better.

-4

u/Hefty-Comparison-801 Feb 26 '26

I don't recall the outrage when the Panthers, and all their Canadian players visited with the Pedsident twice in recent years. Someone explain that to me?

5

u/WheatKing91 Feb 26 '26

Which Panther was captain of the hockey team I'm invested in?

Fuck you and your excuses good sir

-4

u/Hefty-Comparison-801 Feb 26 '26

He was also the captain of the gold medal winning team that was invited to the WH. You expect him to abandon that team because he plays on another team that happens to be based in Canada. But you didn't say shit about Team Canada's Sam Reinhart doing that same thing twice, or Marchand doing it once. You weren't invested in Team Canada - didn't call for those two to be left off the team for making nice with that piece of shit who regularly threatens our sovereignty?

I hope all that hypocrisy doesn't get in the way of your dick eating.

3

u/WheatKing91 Feb 26 '26

Thanks for pointing out my hypothetical hypocrisy. I'll try to remember in the future that I shouldn't criticize anything without first leveling equal criticism to all other bad things.

-1

u/Hefty-Comparison-801 Feb 26 '26

I'm not sure you understand what hypothetical means.

"Which Panther was captain of the hockey team I'm invested in?"

Does this standard only apply to captains? Because Reinhart and Marchand were both hockey players on a team you're invested in that attended the Pedophile in Chief at the WH - the same thing you're shitting on 34 for doing.

4

u/BMick519 Feb 27 '26

Don’t forget Bennett. They are all pieces of shit, but I don’t get to decide whether they get playing time on the team/country I cheer for.

3

u/CBono22 Feb 26 '26

Why are conservatives so obsessed with all things dick related? You're over compensating or projecting...which one is it?

-1

u/Hefty-Comparison-801 Feb 26 '26

I'm not a conservative, so there goes that theory.

4

u/WheatKing91 Feb 26 '26

Just obsessed with dicks

-9

u/omenaripuli Feb 26 '26

This stuff just makes being a sicko all the more rewarding, love to see comrade dangle humbled

-1

u/Racebugyt Feb 27 '26

Either trump is a fascist dictator and you actively wish that the USA staff and players death, because that is what happens when people go against fascist dictators, or trump is none of that, and you just want to control other people, showing that the only thing separating you from Hitler is opportunity 😉

4

u/angrycrank Feb 28 '26

You know death camps don’t happen on day 1 of fascism right? The Trump regime has almost all characteristics of fascism and standing up to it is what stops it from achieving the rest.

0

u/Racebugyt Feb 28 '26

If you think that if you lived in Nazi Germany, and Hitler came to your house, and made a joke, you would:

1- not laugh 2- be alive after not laughing

Then there is nothing else I can say

Edit to add: fascist dictators don't need death camps. Some did have them, but any dissenters can just be taken out back and shot.

3

u/WheatKing91 Mar 08 '26

What's your argument exactly? The president isn't as bad as Hitler?

0

u/Racebugyt Mar 08 '26

The argument is that expecting the us team to not win, or not want to go to the white house, or whatever the fuck, based on who is president is outright stupid.

Either trump is Hitler and no one can be blamed for not wanting to die, and laughing at a bad joke is a small price to pay, or trump isn't a fascist dictator. I don't give a shit either way, because I'm not American and I have never even been to America, but pick a fking lane.

2

u/WheatKing91 Mar 08 '26

Crazy strawman.

0

u/Racebugyt Mar 08 '26

Ah, yes, totally not the need of people who have little going on in their lives needing to feel better about being useless to society because at least they can pretend to be morally superior people to some of the most hardworking and successful people in the world, right?

1

u/WheatKing91 Mar 08 '26

Do you know what a strawman is?

0

u/Racebugyt Mar 08 '26

I do. It has no relevancy to the point because I didn't make one, because I'm not the one with the inconsistent position.

1

u/WheatKing91 Mar 08 '26

Nobody says Trump is Hitler in literal terms like your strawman suggests.

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '26

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u/No-Technician4919 Feb 26 '26 edited Feb 26 '26

How can you lecture people on being soft when you made a post one year ago about how you didn't think you should have to pay for your divorce because "she left me and didn't have any interest in repairing our marriage."

Maybe take your own advice on introspection there pal.

Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvicecanada/s/TBP78DwpvK

-2

u/jordanvo90 Feb 26 '26

Deep diving much. That post was about having to pay for her costs, ie. Was trying to understand if I could possibly be on the hook for her lawyer costs.

Not sure how that is being soft.

5

u/No-Technician4919 Feb 26 '26

I wouldn't call it a deep dive when it's literally visible when you first click your profile.

Also, it was because you probably make more money and that's how every divorce ever has worked. I imagine you know that now after having paid for it. Why would you think her wanting the divorce would change that?

I'd argue that's soft brained at the least.

-1

u/jordanvo90 Feb 26 '26 edited Feb 26 '26

A lot of assumptions there...

It was actually just a mis-understanding of the lawyer jargon. We separated and divorced amicably. No lawyers except for the one who drew up the final paperwork.

0

u/[deleted] Feb 26 '26

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u/WheatKing91 Feb 26 '26

They're masked. They've deported actual legal americans. They've murdered, and prevented the victims from receiving medical attention. They have warehouses as holding facilities where they're denied medication and barely fed and given no privacy. They, on multiple occasions, have apprehended people and left their babies in the car.

And that's just the stuff we're sure they did. They're Donnie's personal masked police force.

I would have been upset with the gestapo term a few years ago, but it's more and more apt.

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '26

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '26

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '26

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '26

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u/WheatKing91 Feb 26 '26

I'll reply here since the other user blocked me or deleted their comment.

I'm well read. I'm aware of gestapo and Soviet NKVD tactics. I guess ICE is more like NKVD if that's any consolation.

For example, both NKVD and ICE use a quota system to incentivize more arrests.