Right, I suspect this is voicing a much older consensus about effective storytelling and good art:

If you want to send a message, use Western Union. — Frank Capra (director of message-heavy films like Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and It’s a Wonderful Life)

Given his filmography, it’s pretty clear Capra didn’t mean that politics should be avoided when telling a story, just that the story should come first. The idea is that any “message” a writer might convey will naturally be embedded in the stories they tell, whereas writers who attempt to construct a story around a particular message tend to fail at delivering either.

IANAMD but… patellar reflex

You can detect them with older mobile hotspots with a chip capable of promiscuous mode. Right now mine’s just a canary, a heads up that someone is operating an IMSI catcher nearby, but if ICE is active in your neighborhood having something like that but with more range could be useful for community early warning networks.