Letters to Bette: The Enemy Within by Martin Sheil
Retired IRS criminal investigator Martin Sheil’s has a few choice words on the Trump regime being factually untethered from reality
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Author’s note: Retired IRS criminal investigator Martin Sheil, a Chicago resident, is a frequent contributor to Bette Dangerous.
Letters to Bette: The Enemy Within
by Martin Sheil, October 5, 2025
President Trump directed his Secretary of Defense (War) to dispatch National Guard Troops to “War ravaged” Portland Oregon earlier this week to confront the “enemy within.”
Fortunately, a Federal District court Judge approved a Temporary Restraining Order to pause the military deployment to Portland.
The judge issuing the order did not shed further light on the identity of the enemy within but did thankfully note that the Trump administration’s legal position preferred in opposition to the State’s position defending the TRO request was factually untethered to reality.
While the judge rightfully questioned Trump’s factual grasp of reality the judge did provide some much appreciated legal light on the situation when she declared that this is a nation of Constitutional Law and NOT Martial Law!
While the TRO applied only jurisdictionally to Portland, Oregon, Trump did not seem deterred and in fact ordered National Guard troops to Chicago against the wishes of the governor of Illinois, and therefore, against the 10th Amendment rights of the state of Illinois to regulate its own National Guard. Trump did not further identify the enemy within that apparently concerns him so much with regard to Chicago as he continues to be untethered factually to reality
The Courts will continue to clarify the law to Trump.
While Trump continues to be factually challenged. perhaps we need to query what is to be done if the enemy within Trump is a madness or a mental disability that Trump cannot shake?
The Vice President and a majority of the President’s cabinet need to step in, although many of them, too, appear untethered from reality.
Perhaps they should get ‘woke up’ — someone among his gang of thieves has to have the courage to stand up to this madness and attempt to save democracy.
—Martin Sheil, Supervisory Special Agent, IRS, Criminal Investigations, retired
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