GSG Posted June 2, 2020 Share Posted June 2, 2020 I wasn't sure where to put this 1 2 Link to comment
RedDenver Posted June 3, 2020 Share Posted June 3, 2020 Trump’s Use of Tear Gas To Break Up A Protest Undermined Three Core Values Of American Democracy Quote The criticism that President Trump has disregarded many of our country’s norms and democratic values is not new. We’ve written about it several times before — in particular, about how the violation of values is a bigger deal than the breaking of norms. But law enforcement officials using tear gas on protesters outside the White House to clear a path for Trump to visit a church nearby — for what seemed to amount to a photo-op of him holding a Bible — was arguably one of most significant moments of his breaking with such values during his presidency. It was essentially a three-part violation. In being generally unsupportive of the protests against the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers, Trump is in tension with a core democratic value — America taking additional steps to ensure people are treated equally, no matter their race. Trump’s decision to break up the protest then subverted one of America’s core democratic values, the right to peacefully protest. Finally, by involving the National Guard and senior military officials in the action against the protesters, Trump also disregarded the democratic value that the military and police not be used for political purposes. Link to comment
Danny Bateman Posted June 3, 2020 Share Posted June 3, 2020 The spooks tell on Trump. Some of this stuff is legitimately spine-chilling. Quote The scenes have been disturbingly familiar to CIA analysts accustomed to monitoring scenes of societal unraveling abroad — the massing of protesters, the ensuing crackdowns and the awkwardly staged displays of strength by a leader determined to project authority. In interviews and posts on social media in recent days, current and former U.S. intelligence officials have expressed dismay at the similarity between events at home and the signs of decline or democratic regression they were trained to detect in other nations. “I’ve seen this kind of violence,” said Gail Helt, a former CIA analyst responsible for tracking developments in China and Southeast Asia. “This is what autocrats do. This is what happens in countries before a collapse. It really does unnerve me.” Other former CIA and national security officials rendered similarly troubled verdicts. Marc Polymeropoulos, who formerly ran CIA operations in Europe and Asia, was among several former agency officials who recoiled at images of Trump hoisting a Bible in front of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Washington after authorities fired rubber bullets and tear gas to clear the president’s path of protesters. “It reminded me of what I reported on for years in the third world,” Polymeropoulos said on Twitter. Referring to the despotic leaders of Iraq, Syria and Libya, he said: “Saddam. Bashar. Qaddafi. They all did this.” And apparently the Chariman of the Joint Chiefs and SoD "didn't know where they were going" with Trump during yesterday's publicity stunt. I can't tell if that's legit or CYA, but either way, our country is teetering right now. Link to comment
Moiraine Posted June 3, 2020 Share Posted June 3, 2020 6 minutes ago, Danny Bateman said: The spooks tell on Trump. Some of this stuff is legitimately spine-chilling. And apparently the Chariman of the Joint Chiefs and SoD "didn't know where they were going" with Trump during yesterday's publicity stunt. I can't tell if that's legit or CYA, but either way, our country is teetering right now. This is a good time for Trump and his people to test which law enforcement are loyal to them. 1 Link to comment
Danny Bateman Posted June 3, 2020 Share Posted June 3, 2020 6 minutes ago, Moiraine said: This is a good time for Trump and his people to test which law enforcement are loyal to them. I used to think you were being too alarmist with some of your takes. But even I was pretty distressed to see those two guys, who should both know better, escorting Trump last night. Hell, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs wandered around the streets in battle fatigues later. I used to think most military leadership realized Trump was a dangerous moron. It might be more evenly split than I thought. Link to comment
Moiraine Posted June 3, 2020 Share Posted June 3, 2020 12 minutes ago, Danny Bateman said: I used to think you were being too alarmist with some of your takes. But even I was pretty distressed to see those two guys, who should both know better, escorting Trump last night. Hell, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs wandered around the streets in battle fatigues later. I used to think most military leadership realized Trump was a dangerous moron. It might be more evenly split than I thought. There's probably a good chance Trump will b!^@h and moan and be an a$$h@!e and then leave the White House in January if he loses. I think he might be too scared to try to stay in power. But always before, we had presidents who were sane, who would never ever dream of trying to take over the country. But even before he was elected Trump said he wouldn't accept the results, and he's made hundreds of comments since then that are alarming. I mean, we take "the press is the enemy of the people" and "the Democracts are the enemy of the people" as every day s#!t now. Which is f#&%ing insane all by itself. Then on top of that, we've seen what the GOP will let him get away with. Then we have members of the military who seem to love him. I know some. I know vets who love him, even as of yesterday. The combination of the above is cause for concern. I don't lose sleep over it and I'll be happy if I look stupid in January, but it's more possible now in this country than it ever has been before. How much of the military would actually do their duty, which is to follow the law, instead of do what he's telling them to do? Hopefully this escort he got to the church is just a blip and they wouldn't defend him in the White House if it was an actual coup. 1 Link to comment
Danny Bateman Posted June 3, 2020 Share Posted June 3, 2020 10 minutes ago, Moiraine said: Hopefully this escort he got to the church is just a blip and they wouldn't defend him in the White House if it was an actual coup. I think this is probably what happens, but it's still scary to think about. Last night was the first time I've legitimately feared for the future of our nation in a long time. Link to comment
Moiraine Posted June 3, 2020 Share Posted June 3, 2020 1 minute ago, Danny Bateman said: I think this is probably what happens, but it's still scary to think about. Last night was the first time I've legitimately feared for the future of our nation in a long time. I kind of go back and forth between thinking he could try truly terrible s#!t, and thinking this was all just for Trump's vanity and he's like a 4 year old. I think the latter is the most likely, but even if that's the case, we still have the problem of having smarter people near him who have more sinister goals. I don't know if Stephen Miller is smart, but I think he would love a coup so he would have the power to trample on all of the minorities with impunity. 2 Link to comment
knapplc Posted June 3, 2020 Share Posted June 3, 2020 Next step is donning brown shirts. 1 Link to comment
Moiraine Posted June 4, 2020 Share Posted June 4, 2020 https://www.forbes.com/sites/lisettevoytko/2020/06/02/white-house-officials-asked-if-they-could-take-over-dcs-local-police/#e160eb527a0c Quote The Washington Post reported Tuesday that federal officials, including at the White House, raised the idea with District of Columbia officials of taking over the local police department, according to Mayor Muriel Bowser’s chief of staff. Bowser’s chief of staff, John Falcicchio told the Post that D.C. officials objected, and said they would mount a legal challenge if federal officials made an attempt to do so. The District of Columbia is governed by its own mayor and city council, but federal law gives the president the ability to take over local police in emergency situations. https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-calls-on-house-to-immediately-pass-her-bills-giving-dc-control Quote WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today called on the House to include her District of Columbia National Guard Home Rule Act, which would give the D.C. mayor control over the D.C. National Guard, in the fiscal year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which the House Armed Services Committee is expected to pass as soon as this month and the House is expected to pass next month. The governors of the states and the three territories with National Guards control their respective National Guards. Currently, the President controls the D.C. National Guard. Norton also called on the House to pass her D.C. Police Home Rule Act, which would repeal the President’s authority federalize the Metropolitan Police Department. “The D.C. mayor knows best where and when to deploy the D.C. National Guard and to decide whether they should be armed,” Norton said. “Under my bill, the President would retain the authority to federalize the D.C. National Guard in the same manner the President can federalize the National Guards of the states and territories, but D.C.’s mayor would have the same authority governors have to deploy the National Guard troops. “The past week, and particularly last night, were a manifestation of what happens when D.C. officials are denied full authority to govern our city. Incidents spread across the District from upper Northwest to Georgetown and Northeast. Forebodingly, Mayor Bowser’s office confirmed that the White House asked yesterday about its authority to federalize the Metropolitan Police Department, clearly showing this President’s unchecked thirst for power. @Danny Bateman about that conversation we were having... Link to comment
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