It weeps for betrayal, intended or not

[sovay]

Some time ago now, I think, the twenty-four-hour news cycle fast-forwarded through itself and became an ouroboros self-devoured from inception. On the personal scale, I feel I should mention that I made it to my ENT appointment on Friday and received useful news about the state of the inside of my head that made the hassle of the COVID-19 test worth it and in the process had the closest thing to an actual date with rushthatspeaks that either of us has been able to manage since the late winter and then I spent most of the rest of the day having what I identified after the fact as PTSD. Yesterday was better, except for the news. Today I have just read that the man in the White House has declared antifa to be domestic terrorism, which should perhaps feel more like the gloves have come off than it seems to: the dogwhistles have been ordinary whistles for so long, surely it can't be the first time he has openly acknowledged that the government of the United States is now a fascist regime? What else does it mean to be anti-fascism and designated an enemy of the state? Well, bella ciao. The Minnesota Freedom Fund is now encouraging donations to local, especially Black/BIPOC-led organizations, so here's the Massachusetts Bail Fund and Black Lives Matter, because they still do. Previously this evening I watched a movie I enjoyed very much. How to be a person in a burning world. It's not like I haven't read the literature.

Comments

[lilysea]

minoanmiss suggests:

"Write a note to oppose violence

To a professional who teaches police to be violent, specifically. One of the major proponents of training police to 'shoot first and ask questions later/never' is William J. Lewinski, whose Force Science Institute conducts trainings all over the US in justifying police violence. Perhaps people should point out to him and his organization their part in the deaths of countless people, including George Floyd and Brianna Taylor.

https://www.forcescience.org/contact/

NYT article https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/02/us/training-officers-to-shoot-first-and-he-will-answer-questions-later.html

One note might not give them pause, but maybe several thousand would.

(Feel free to share this.)"

[sovay]

One of the major proponents of training police to 'shoot first and ask questions later/never' is William J. Lewinski, whose Force Science Institute conducts trainings all over the US in justifying police violence. Perhaps people should point out to him and his organization their part in the deaths of countless people, including George Floyd and Brianna Taylor.

That is information I did not have and appreciate very much. Thank you.

[kore]

I liked that a lot.

[dewline]

Damn that particular declaration of Trump's straight to the same circle of Hell as Hitler himself and his enablers. And, as I've said before, Trump should go straight to Leavenworth in a perp walk. We've expected this from 2016 onwards, yes, and I'm still angry and willing to publicly admit to that anger.

[sovay]

We've expected this from 2016 onwards, yes, and I'm still angry and willing to publicly admit to that anger.

It has not become less enraging and we have not become more numb.

[kore]

I try to just tune out the crushing burden of most of what he says, because otherwise I can feel my blood pressure shooting up, but WTF WT WTF??? FOR ONE THING I don't think he can actually do that with any domestic group? And it's a bunch of anarchists?? AND, LIKE, WE HAVE FREEDOM OF ASSEMBLY, YOU WALKING TANGERINE AGENT OF CHAOS AND DESPAIR. Jesus on a hoverboard.

[dewline]

He has never recognized the US Constitution as granting rights to anyone who is not him. That's not what Fred Trump and Roy Cohn taught him.

[kore]

I am really fucking tired of the Trump Tyrannical Polka, which basically goes:

TRUMP: I wanna do (outrageous, illegal, totally unsupported by anyone other than his whacko son-in-law thing)!

EVERYONE, INCLUDING LAWYERS, THE GENERAL CITIZENRY, WHAT FEW NON-BATSHIT ADVISORS ARE LEFT, THE MEDIA: You cannot do that, it is illegal, wrong, has never been done before in this country, violates the ethos of this country, and you don't even know what day it is probably.

TRUMP: But I wanna!

EVERYONE: NO.

//months pass during which Trump proposes and does a lot of other horrible enraging things

TRUMP: I wanna do this thing you told me I couldn't do!

EVERYONE: //exhausted

TRUMP: //does the thing

[sovay]

FOR ONE THING I don't think he can actually do that with any domestic group?

Per the Globe article:

"The practical effect of the president's declaration was unclear. While domestic terrorism is defined in the 2001 Patriot Act bill — and law enforcement could use the designation to seek enhanced powers to investigate members of the group — there are no current designated domestic terrorist organizations.

"There's also no explicit law against providing support to domestic terrorist organizations — unlike groups designated as foreign terrorist organizations. The Antifa movement is largely decentralized, with activists organizing their protest activities online or in small, decentralized groups."

It's entirely possible that the man in the White House doesn't even know what antifa means other than "people who don't like him and Fox News doesn't like." I just don't want it to become a quick and easy route to stripping protesters of their constitutional rights and black-bagging them. That is the sort of thing I worry about with this government.

[kore]

Yeah, cause I remember people begging and begging to have "right-to-life" groups like Operation Rescue or white supremacists groups officially called terrorism, because they were bombing and killing people, and so far US Law Enforcement has been like NEAUP. But kids in black breaking windows? SIC THE SECRET SERVICE ON 'EM (he was saying REALLY upsetting things about "savage dogs" from what I heard)

[dewline]

The quoted part reads like the writer's missed the point. Doesn't it?

[sovay]

The quoted part reads like the writer's missed the point. Doesn't it?

Not necessarily. It's worth pointing out that his legal support for this move is bupkes and the enactment of it is not yet obvious. But it's still dangerous that he said it. (Stochastic terrorism.) And the message was received.

[radiantfracture]

Can you say more about this excellent term "stochastic terrorism"?

[sovay]

Can you say more about this excellent term "stochastic terrorism"?

Of course. It's not my term; I first started hearing it in 2016. The formal definition is "the use of mass communications to incite random actors to carry out violent or terrorist acts that are statistically predictable but individually unpredictable." It's all about the clean hands of plausible deniability: I didn't tell that counter-protestor to murder that protestor. There has never been any communication between us. I didn't even know that counter-protestor existed. Oh, I did repeat over and over again that the protestors are terrorists, animals, enemies to be met with deadly violence. But it's not my fault if some crazy stranger took me seriously. So sad that the shooting started, and so many people I have demonized are dead.

[moon_custafer]

“Will no one rid me of this meddling priest?” but with all the power of mass media to make sure *thousands* of potential assassins hear it.

[kore]

Wow, that's Cheetolini all over, isn't it.

[choco_frosh]

Donated. Is there a protest I should be going to? I appear to have missed all the ones in Boston this weekend. (And I'm glad that it doesn't SOUND like the BPD shot anyone during them.)(And yes, I wish that wasn't something I ever had to say.)

[sovay]

Is there a protest I should be going to? I appear to have missed all the ones in Boston this weekend.

Some Arlington-based friends of selkie's have been part of a protest lining the intersection of Mystic Street and Mass. Ave. for the past couple of nights. I'm not sure how it's been organized, but they stand at six-foot intervals and hold signs. I'll ask.

[edit] Organized by teens, definitely happening again tomorrow and Tuesday night at least. 6 to 7 pm starting in front of First Parish in Arlington and spreading as far down Mass. Ave. as needed to accommodate the number of protesters and maintain distance. Wear a mask, obviously.

(And I'm glad that it doesn't SOUND like the BPD shot anyone during them.)(And yes, I wish that wasn't something I ever had to say.)

(Same.)(Same.)

[choco_frosh]

And I'm glad that it doesn't SOUND like the BPD shot anyone during them

Never mind.

I will try to get to the Tuesday night protest. Tonight is going to be freaking out, apartment-searching, and/or bells.

[sovay]

Never mind.

We started seeing those reports after dark. Including a couple which I have no reason to disbelieve, that the window-smashing was done by young white people who showed up for the fun of wrecking, not activists or allies who had been marching all day. Whee.

I will try to get to the Tuesday night protest. Tonight is going to be freaking out, apartment-searching, and/or bells.

Good luck with all of these things, and I hope at least the bells are fun!

[choco_frosh]

PS: Yay useful medical information! Yay date!

[sovay]

PS: Yay useful medical information! Yay date!

Thank you!

[kaffy_r]

I've been dealing with rage that's been closing my throat up for the past two to three days. I don't quite know how to write about it, but I have to get it out of my system soon. I am very glad to have the information lilysea provided. I'm going to use it.

[sovay]

I've been dealing with rage that's been closing my throat up for the past two to three days. I don't quite know how to write about it, but I have to get it out of my system soon.

It is hard to talk about things that are blood in the throat. I don't know that I have done a model job, but I agree it needs to be done. *hugs* if they help, solidarity if not.

I am very glad to have the information lilysea provided. I'm going to use it.

Good!

I like your icon very much.

[gwynnega]

I am very glad the ENT appointment was worthwhile. Plus a date!

Meanwhile, Los Angeles is on its second night of curfew, and I'm having flashbacks to the LA Riots of 1992.

[sovay]

I am very glad the ENT appointment was worthwhile. Plus a date!

Thank you!

Meanwhile, Los Angeles is on its second night of curfew, and I'm having flashbacks to the LA Riots of 1992.

I can see how that happens. How are things where you are?

[gwynnega]

There aren't any protests in my neighborhood (or any looting or police presence, as yet). But there has been a lot of activity all over town since Friday night, and the National Guard showed up early this morning. It appears that the cops are more interested in massing near peaceful protesters than in trying to stop looting a few blocks away.

[sovay]

It appears that the cops are more interested in massing near peaceful protesters than in trying to stop looting a few blocks away.

That seems par for the course.

Boston had peaceful protests all day, and then after dark some people—the tweets from the scene I have seen all say white people—started smashing things up and the riot gear and tear gas came out.

[sara]

I remember the riots, too.

[kore]

The clouds of tear gas and cops in riot gear and fires were taking me right back to WTO, here.

[umadoshi]

I'm glad to hear that the ENT appointment yielded good results, and that you and rushthatspeaks were able to have something of a date. *hugs*

I have no words for the rest, only horror and sorrow.

[sovay]

I'm glad to hear that the ENT appointment yielded good results, and that you and rushthatspeaks were able to have something of a date.

Thank you!

I have no words for the rest, only horror and sorrow.

It's horrifying. I heard tonight that the lights have gone out at the White House. I think even metaphors have given up on metaphor.

[moon_custafer]

I noticed a headline on tv this morning described it as “the White House bunker.” The associations have no doubt just occurred to you as well.

[sovay]

I noticed a headline on tv this morning described it as “the White House bunker.” The associations have no doubt just occurred to you as well.

There is an actual White House bunker!

I said elsenet that there is a long tradition of bunkers not ending well for fascists.

[kore]

even metaphors have given up on metaphor.

Yeah. There was a headline in the online NYT today: "Facing Protests Over Use of Force, Police Respond With More Force"

There were some amazing pictures:

https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/1267324491912278018

https://twitter.com/_Crypto_Maniac_/status/1267302092483571712?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

https://twitter.com/markknoller/status/1267291138655956992?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

[radiantfracture]

I am pleased about the useful news, and the rest is very succinctly summated, which is a sort of gift.

[sovay]

I am pleased about the useful news, and the rest is very succinctly summated, which is a sort of gift.

Thank you.

[oracne]

Glad the doctor appoointment was worth it.

[sovay]

Glad the doctor appoointment was worth it.

Thank you.