In December 1989, the United States invaded Panama. I not only remember it well, I remember the years prior ROTC recruiters asking “are you ready to do something meaningful” and watching my classmates rush for the opportunity to grab a parachute.
Manuel Noriega’s face, scarred as a child, meant he grew up being bullied for having “Pineapple Face” — a term American officials used freely when they explained why his regime change was so necessary and urgent.
The official justifications centered on Noriega’s forces killing an American citizen at a checkpoint. Moreover, the U.S. was outraged by Noriega’s Dignity Battalions targeting and attacking politicians who dared to oppose him. Photos and video circulated of the injustice, the cruelty of a leader amassing centralized power.
And finally, there was the nullification of election results. If the January 6th assault by Trump militants to seize the Capitol after an election just came to mind, you’re on the right parallel.
Fast forward to January 2026, and ICE agents killed Renee Nicole Good, a U.S. citizen and mother of three, at a checkpoint in Minneapolis. It was at least the fourth fatal shooting by federal immigration officers in five months.
Look at the 1989 Time magazine cover and then read that paragraph again. Trump shock troops have set up checkpoints based on political targeting and killed American citizens multiple times in just a few months.
The current U.S. administration, as if reading the Noriega playbook (cough CIA cough), has even rushed to falsely label an innocent woman a domestic terrorist. It’s as unbelievable as any Noriega bulletin. The American Vice President has declared federal shock troops who target and shoot a citizen are “protected by absolute immunity”. Stephen Colbert has called it “obey or die in America, and if you die that’s proof that you didn’t obey.” The killing is being set up to be both punishment and evidence of guilt.
The same week, the U.S. President announced that senators who vote against his unauthorized and illegal war authority should be removed from Congress. His administration has meanwhile defied one in three federal court orders issued against it. A loyalist serving as Speaker of the House has mused about eliminating federal courts entirely. He said no courts is a plan, while he also says anyone who interferes with such a plan will be prosecuted… in court. Get it? This is Kangaroo court logic, made infamous by the 1943 execution of Sophie Scholl.
The United States invaded Panama for far less. And at the time it barked loudly about Pineapple Face being the grave threat to Americans, the man who had to be stopped. I suppose I could use a bingo card for this, but a checklist seems more useful right now.
| Pineapple Face | Noriega (Panama) | Trump (USA) |
|---|---|---|
| Citizens killed at shock troop checkpoints | PDF killed Marine Lt. Robert Paz at checkpoint (Dec 1989) | ICE killed U.S. citizen Renee Nicole Good at their checkpoint (Jan 2026); at least 4 people killed by federal agents in 5 months; 9+ people shot by shock troops while in vehicles |
| Victims labeled as aggressors | Claimed falsely Paz’s vehicle threatened soldiers | DHS Secretary Noem falsely called Good’s actions “domestic terrorism”; Trump falsely claimed she “viciously ran over” officer; Vance falsely called it “a tragedy of her own making” |
| Shock troops claim absolute immunity | PDF operated with impunity under martial law | Vance asserts ICE agent “protected by absolute immunity” and executions are “just doing his job” |
| Legislative opposition targeted and attacked | Troops and Dignity Battalions attacked National Assembly members who opposed Noriega | Trump celebrated January 6th, pardoned criminals who attacked the capitol, and declared senators voting against him “should not be reelected”; Republicans change votes in fear of “the Massie treatment” |
| Military action politicized, without representation | Used PDF for internal repression and regional operations | Uses ICE and CBP for internal repression and regional operations. Venezuela illegal invasion, war without congressional notification; kidnapped foreign head of state (Maduro); struck Caribbean boats as “drug war” killing over 100 civilians since September without approval |
| Judicial orders defied | Nullified 1984 election results; ignored constitutional court | Defied 1 in 3 court rulings (57 of 165); Over 225 judges ruled detention policy illegal yet policy continues; DOJ official allegedly said, parroting Noriega logic, “tell the courts ‘f*** you'” |
| Judges personally attacked | Removed Supreme Court justices | Sued entire Maryland federal district court; filed misconduct complaint against DC chief judge Boasberg; Speaker Johnson: “We can eliminate an entire district court” |
| Appropriations/legislature circumvented by corruption | Drug money (including $200K/year payroll from the CIA) funding parallel state apparatus | Oil money, crypto, big tech. DOGE slashed congressionally-approved programs without authorization; cut billions in statutory funding unilaterally, Trump creates external executive budget and funding including “bank accounts for the huge profits from seizing Venezuelan oil” |
| Wrongful detention/deportation of protected persons | Detained and tortured political opponents. CIA assets jailed. | Deported Kilmar Abrego Garcia (protected by court order) to El Salvador via “administrative error”; 55% and growing believe ICE wrongfully arrests U.S. citizens |
| Suppression of press | Shut down opposition newspapers and radio | “News outlets that challenge Trump have been banished or put under investigation”. 60 minutes cancelled reporting that wasn’t explicitly approved and edited by the White House |
| Public disapproval ignored | Widespread domestic opposition; rigged 1984 election | 52-53% disapprove of ICE; 72% concerned about court defiance, yet policies intensify regardless |
| Mass deployment of federal forces for political repression | Dignity Battalions and troops operated to violently eliminate opposition | 2,000 federal agents deployed to terrorize political “opposition” areas such as Minneapolis-St. Paul; “Operation Midway Blitz” in Chicago; mass deployments to LA, Portland, New Orleans |
Notably, Noriega was a U.S. asset for many years, paid handsomely through corrupt channels under George Bush at the CIA, before suddenly becoming inconvenient when George Bush became President. The parallel there writes itself.
The checkpoint killings are the most obvious and direct parallel. Noriega’s forces killing Lt. Paz was a trigger for George Bush ordering Operation Just Cause. Today we read about ICE, just like Noriega’s goon squads, killing at least four people in five months, including a U.S. citizen.
Where’s the just cause now? Where’s Junior Bush calling for regime change?
I mean, I wonder who does the Bush family recommend in 2026, to come invade us and remove America’s pineapple face?