Dozens injured. Millions in damage and overtime cost. More spreading of coronavirus ...

... all because they won't arrest and appropriately charge 4 police officers - a step that the majority of Americans agree should happen.

<> <> <> <> <>

Looting is wrong. But the looters are taking advantage of the rioters ...

... who are angry that the peaceful protesters are being ignored.

The easy way to stop this madness is to do the right thing: charge and arrest the police officers. The badge doesn't come with a license to murder people.

!!

Posted by: Jackrabbit | Jun 2 2020 17:34 utc | 1

That is what you get for sending your police to Israel for training.

Posted by: BraveNewWorld | Jun 2 2020 17:35 utc | 2

"For the real looting is happening elsewhere. Just look at Blackrock."

Thumbs up for highlighting the real, massive, unpunished looting.

Posted by: bjd | Jun 2 2020 17:39 utc | 3

"crowds of peaceful people"

Good grief b. Cut out the fentanyl. There were violent riots going on in Washington. Some 50 Secret Service agents were injured. Last night in Manhattan dozens of upscale shops were looted, including Macy's flagship store. In dozens of American cities there is a full-blown Antifa insurrection underway, with national level coordination and massive funding from the likes of George Soros. Many Democrat politicians like Mayor De Blasio and Frey are openly siding with the rioters. A massive show of force in absolutely necessary to put down the insurrection.

Posted by: bob sykes | Jun 2 2020 17:54 utc | 4

No doubt the IDF and Netanyahu are jerking off to the George Floyd murder video. Derek Chauvin finished top of his training class no doubt. The valedictorian. No doubt training involved using Palestinians as props and stand-ins for the "colored subhumans" back in the states. I'm guessing the IDF taught Chauvin to terrorize and brutalize all and any who cross his path, including white teenagers playing war with nerf guns and bright orange nerf bullets. When is the media going to cover this dimension of the story — the dimension about who and what trains the cops?

I can't find this video on YouTube for some reason. Here's a Twitter link to it. Great interview.

https://twitter.com/CNN/status/1267414963330658306

This dirty psycho cop was more than a racist. He was rogue and he was borne of a corrupt culture from top to bottom. He is not the exception but rather the rule. You're not a good cop if you don't speak out and oppose this malevolence. You are instead complicit with it and that makes you a BAD COP. Law enforcement and justice in America don't need reform, which is effectively only ever a bandaid, they both call for a total dismantling and a reconstitution. A clean slate. A fresh start with the rule that the new slate and fresh start cannot be poisoned by the old system and the old way. In otherwords, you don't make the police the Gestapo and then the Gestapo the police again as was done in Germany.

Posted by: 450.org | Jun 2 2020 17:59 utc | 5

Sending the military may be also related to this:

https://twitter.com/auroraintel/status/1267877748908974086?s=21

#IDF announces preparation of the Central Command in readiness for July 1st annexation. #Israel

Posted by: Lozion | Jun 2 2020 18:02 utc | 6

I'm surprised that b didn't mention Senator Tom Cotton and his call for the military to attack the citizenry I quote "if necessary, the 10th Mountain, 82nd Airborne, 1st Cav, 3rd Infantry — whatever it takes to restore order. No quarter for insurrectionists, anarchists, rioters, and looters.". Senator Cotton has been a wack-job nutcase for years calling for the more inane of policies (military strikes on Russia, China & Iran), but calling for the military to storm US cities like they were Bagdad or Kabul is a level of insanity I thought no sitting senator would call for.

But hey it will be more money for the MIC. So there's already a group that stands to profit from this, mark my words now that the genie is out of the bottle, more and more senators will start pushing for the use of the military in clamping down on domestic protests - the money must flow!

Posted by: Kadath | Jun 2 2020 18:08 utc | 7

The killing of Mr Floyd and the proper response re. the individual and re. police methods and mentality are one subject.

The rioting and looting are another subject.

B states:
"From what I can tell the store break ins and looting were likewise reduced. Some people, mostly not protesters, are just using the opportunity."

I feel like B sees what he wants to see and says what he wants us to think - does not seem objective in many cases.

Posted by: jared | Jun 2 2020 18:14 utc | 8

Some 50 Secret Service agents were injured.

Awe, the poor widdle babies. Did they break a nail? Trump said they were itching for a fight. That they live for this shit. That they were frothing at the mouth like rabid dogs. That they were itching to put boots on necks. And then they break a nail and cry like little bitches. What a bunch of pussies.

Trump's threatening the protesters with dogs had a pleasant effect on the zionists too I'm sure. All those fond memories of the german shepherds during the Nazi occupation of Germany. You would think such threats would be triggering for Jewish folk but I guess since Fat Donny has described himself as the King of the Jews, unleashing ominous dogs on the defenseless is perfectly fine.

Trump held up a bible, but considering he is the King of the Jews he really should have held up the Torah and the Talmud. It would have been more appropriate and in keeping with his TRUE base. Maybe his next gesture will be to move the capital of Israel from Jerusalem to Washington D.C.. He should go all the way. Enough of these half measures of moving the capital from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Full measures, please, or none at all.

There's a first for everything.

The First Jewish POTUS

Posted by: 450.org | Jun 2 2020 18:17 utc | 9

Kadath @7--

Cotton's crap is linked to within this sentence:

"The militarized response the nutters around Trump call for is way out of proportion."

Cotton's one of the "nutters" b refers to.

Posted by: karlof1 | Jun 2 2020 18:18 utc | 10

b --

With respect to the low-altitude hovering over crowds -- when I was a military air traffic controller (years and years and years ago) we had to have memorized both the Air Force and the civilian air traffic control regulations.

I still remember the wording -- from both sets of regulations -- regarding altitude requirements. Minimum altitude "over populated areas or open-air assemblages of people" was, and no doubt still is 1,500 feet. Violation of that rule can cost a pilot his license.

What we've seen here should be regarded as a double violation.

Posted by: AntiSpin | Jun 2 2020 18:20 utc | 11

The reason used to convince the Romans to kill Jesus was he was attempting to become King of the Jews; and to Romans, anyone wanting to be King meant they would forgive debts first and foremost, something that must never be allowed lest the Creditor Class lose its stature. Therefore, Trump in no way can be characterized as being King of the Jews, although a case could be made for him wanting to be King Creditor/Rentier.

Posted by: karlof1 | Jun 2 2020 18:23 utc | 12

450.org | Jun2 17:59 @ 5

IDF taught Chauvin to terrorize and brutalize

IDF announces preparation of the Central Command in readiness for July 1st annexation.

The upcoming annexation by Israel might be the reason that such a crackdown is desired - because it distracts the public and immunizes Israel from criticism. How can USA criticize Israel when USA engages in similar behavior?

Under this scenario, we might well ask if "Antifa" is really just a re-branded JDL.

!!

Posted by: Jackrabbit | Jun 2 2020 18:26 utc | 13

I can't prove it, of course, but all the actions taken by this administration supports the assertion some observers have made that these people have been sent in to wreck the train -- that this is has been their aim all along. By the time they are done, anything that remains of US soft power and prestige will have been utterly obliterated, instigating a collective reaction by the world to drop the dollar as reserve. When that happens, the USA as we know it will come to an end in the same way that the USSR ended.

Hard not to see how either the country goes full totalitarian or the country doesn't fragment into smaller possibly-warring states.

Posted by: Norogene | Jun 2 2020 18:31 utc | 14

HOW TO LEGALLY OVERTHROW THE US REGIME?

It is illegal to advocate the overthrow of the United States Government, yet many ordinary people are doing exactly that. The emerging revolution in the US is not about race or police violence. Most people understand it to be about removing President Trump from power. This is a false goal and will lead to no permanent change.

Instead the revolutionary movement should set as its goal the ending of the one party / twin party system. Both the Democratic Party and the Republican party need to be abolished and their activities declared illegal. The monopolistic parties may be the regime, but they are not the US Government. They have no protection under constitution or law.

Abolishing the duopoly requires election reform. The two party system is a consequence of the first-past-the-post voting system. Such systems are leftovers from the era when only the elite could vote and choosing a member of one's own clan was more important than voting based on class or ideology. Most successful democracies have multi-party systems with proportional representation.

Most Americans, both Left and Right want radical change. The US electoral system has never offered voters a choice. Trump promised change but ended up being a figurehead of the same old regime. Congress is little more than a rubber stamp for Wall Street. Elections will mean nothing unless the rules for eligibility are fundamentally changed.

Posted by: Petri Krohn | Jun 2 2020 18:31 utc | 15

b, I think that you have this one wrong.

These demonstrations/riots remind me of those in 2016, immediately after Trump was elected. They were an immediate attempt to overturn the election. When the riots fizzled, the 'Resistance' (i.e. Globalist/Deep State) tried to subvert the electoral college. Then Comey tried to black-mail Trump with the 'Dossier'. Then came Muller, and Ukraine-gate and impeachment.

Finally having been unable to remove the Trump, the 'Globalist/Deep State' has turned their attention to preventing Trump from winning the 2020 election, and right on cue comes the Pandemic to sabotage the economy and destroy Trump's election chances. However Trump has handled the pandemic pretty well.

With the least viable presidential candidate in history (Biden), it looks like the 'Globalist/Deep State' is now looking to prevent the elections from taking place at all. The reason is well spelled out in articles such as this (https://thehill.com/opinion/judiciary/493101-who-takes-control-if-there-is-no-presidential-election-this-year). That is what these riots are about.

Unless Trump puts an end to these riots immediately, and by any means necessary, he will become just another in a long line of presidents and prime-ministers who have been overthrown by a 'Globalist/Deep State' color revolution.

Posted by: dh-mtl | Jun 2 2020 18:34 utc | 16

Great take on what's going, great article.

WOW things unwinding fast. We had a little respite as we got used to Covid, then nothing much and now this. Are Covid and the protests stage one and two in an unfolding cascade that we are going to see over the next ten years?

For fear of being a conspiracist I won't say that the protests are going to throw up a lot of cover just as Rosenstein is about to appear in front of a Senate committee.

Posted by: Ramon | Jun 2 2020 18:41 utc | 17

In 60's America we had a cultural custom called "Mischief Night", Oct 30 before Halloween, where young adolescents were supposed to act like evil goblins, because everybody else was doing it. "Evil" consisted of drawing soap on neighbors' windowpanes and throwing unrolling toilet-paper across their trees & lawns. But same: how be adult?

This is a psychological phase-transition (ice is now water). It ties into the "squirrel/weasel brain", aka Bugs Bunny, aka Jungian archetype Coyote The Trickster, the instinctive routines to trick & circumvent oppression when one is much weaker than Them, but vaguely clever.

Leary's "Game of Life" covers this but is obscure; Wilson's "Prometheus Rising" is a must-read, as it covers what happens next: more instinctive oppression from the secret police/oligarchs. '60s, but plus ca meme chose.

The immediate tactical way out is to "break state" and force another phase transition, see T.Robbins/NLP. Since the State has broken its social contract, this will not change fundamentals. Both books point the long-term strategic way out, is transcendence + wisdom. Short supply. New birth always painful. Much pain ahead. Folks need to see the true very big picture.

Posted by: Imagine | Jun 2 2020 18:46 utc | 18

What will they be fighting? Civil Society.

Posted by: Tower | Jun 2 2020 18:46 utc | 19

They think they're being clever.

Someone needs to explain to Them how society works.

Posted by: Imagine | Jun 2 2020 18:53 utc | 20

White supremacists have infiltrated law enforcement in the United States for a long time. It’s a known fact investigated by impartial agencies like the FBI. The bureau published a report 15 years ago detailing how Nazis and neo-confederates were attempting to take over police departments nationwide.
Here’s from an article reporting on the issue.
In the 2006 bulletin, the FBI detailed the threat of white nationalists and skinheads infiltrating police in order to disrupt investigations against fellow members and recruit other supremacists. The bulletin was released during a period of scandal for many law enforcement agencies throughout the country, including a neo-Nazi gang formed by members of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department who harassed black and Latino communities. Similar investigations revealed officers and entire agencies with hate group ties in Illinois, Ohio and Texas.
Much of the bulletin has been redacted, but in it, the FBI identified white supremacists in law enforcement as a concern, because of their access to both “restricted areas vulnerable to sabotage” and elected officials or people who could be seen as “potential targets for violence.” The memo also warned of “ghost skins,” hate group members who don’t overtly display their beliefs in order to “blend into society and covertly advance white supremacist causes.”
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/fbi-white-supremacists-in-law-enforcement

One has to wonder if those race soldiers haven’t succeeded in also infiltrating the executive branch and judiciary ? With the likes of neo-confedererates like Trump and Stephen Miller now stearing events towards oblivion. They don’t even hide their alleagence anymore flashing white powers signs in public.
https://twitter.com/erictrump/status/796178103844425729

The United States in current configuration is doomed. One cannot blame the world if they decide to isolate from a rabid dog.

Posted by: Sol Invictus | Jun 2 2020 18:57 utc | 21

Sorry, b, we Germans should keep out of this!
It's up to the Americans to sort it out.

Posted by: Dux47 | Jun 2 2020 18:58 utc | 22

Re: Tom Cotton, appears he's taking on the mantle of McCain, as MIC cheerleader, with 'bomb, bomb, bomb... Iran" and everyone else, including US citizens. Perhaps tear-& CS-gas odor the same as the smell of desperation. (And, yes... where are the DNC fronts?)

Posted by: Nancy | Jun 2 2020 18:58 utc | 23

Further to my comment @13

I just stumbled upon this ( ht pl @SST ):

"Do the math" ... with a screenshot of banner that says: "Antifa means Solidarity with Israel"

!!

Posted by: Jackrabbit | Jun 2 2020 18:58 utc | 24

while they may seem to give democrat/centrist types more arguments in favor of biden (or a way to once again proclaim "hillary would have handled this better"), these developments are further evidence that it's best to have a stupid asshole in charge. hillary would be pacifying while declaring both sides "equally responsible" and giving a respectable veneer to an ugly situation. trump's response is the outward expression of DC's (and manhattan's and chicago's) actual attitude toward the "masses". i'd label the democrats' response but i have yet to see any outside of yelling into the twitter void.

as i've said for many years: the people who run this country HATE the citizens. not "dislike", not "tolerate": pure, entitled HATRED. at least for those below a certain tax bracket, anyway (and even within the upper ones you see bitter internecine conflicts). trump has no filter as a result of the smoke blown up his fat, constantly kissed ass his entire life. he proudly proclaims the hate. he shouts it from the goddamn mountaintop.

and this is a good thing. the band-aid needs to be ripped off, not peeled slowly over generations.

Posted by: the pair | Jun 2 2020 19:02 utc | 25

@ dh-mtl | Jun 2 2020 18:34 utc | 16

First, the pandemic did not sabotage the economy. The economy was sinking for months and months prior to the arrival of Covid19 in the US, and in fact began rising (and still is rising) after the pandemic began. See this --
http://www.silverbearcafe.com/private/financial.html

Second, Trump has done the worst imaginable job of "handling the pandemic." Here's just one of many timelines showing just how well he did:

Timeline of Actions by China, the World Health Organization and the Trump Administration
(NOTE: The China timeline entries from Dec. 26 to Feb. 1 (below) are derived from information compiled by the Journal of the American Medical Association. Actions and statements attributed to WHO are from reports issued by that agency. Quotes attributed to Trump, where no source is mentioned, can be pulled up on Youtube. )

Dec. 26 2019: Four cases of an unusual - seeming pneumonia (three in the same family) noticed by Jixian Zhang, MD, in HICWM Hospital, Wuhan, China

Dec 27: Dr. Zhang reported unusual pneumonia cases to the local Center for Disease Control

Dec 28: Three more unusual cases found in the HICWM Hospital – total seven

Dec 30: Active case finding begins in Wuhan city

Dec 31: Wuhan Health Commission alerts National Health Commission and China Center for Disease Control, and World Health Organization notified
Dec. 31. (WHO report) China reported a cluster of cases of pneumonia in Wuhan, Hubei Province.

Jan 1 2020: Huanan seafood market closed.
Jan. 1. WHO had set up the IMST (Incident Management Support Team) across the three levels of the organization: headquarters, regional headquarters and country level, putting the organization on an emergency footing for dealing with the outbreak.

Jan. 4: WHO reported on social media that there was a cluster of pneumonia cases – with no deaths – in Wuhan, Hubei province. 

Jan. 5. US government notified by China.
Jan. 5. WHO published our first Disease Outbreak News on the new virus. This is a flagship technical publication to the scientific and public health community as well as global media. It contained a risk assessment and advice, and reported on what China had told the organization about the status of patients and the public health response on the cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan.
Jan. 5. Trump did nothing

Jan. 6. Trump did nothing

Jan. 7. 2019-nCoV identified by Chinese scientists
Jan. 7. Trump did nothing

Jan. 8. Trump did nothing

Jan. 9. Trump did nothing

Jan. 10. WHO issued a comprehensive package of technical guidance online with advice to all countries on how to detect, test and manage potential cases, based on what was known about the virus at the time. This guidance was shared with WHO's regional emergency directors to share with WHO representatives in countries. 
Based on experience with SARS and MERS and known modes of transmission of respiratory viruses, infection and prevention control guidance were published to protect health workers recommending droplet and contact precautions when caring for patients, and airborne precautions for aerosol generating procedures conducted by health workers.
Jan. 10. Trump did nothing

Jan. 11. Trump did nothing

Jan 12: nCoV19 genomic sequences identified and shared with world by China
Jan. 12. (WHO report) China publicly shared the genetic sequence of COVID-19. 
Jan. 12. Trump did nothing

Jan 13: nCoV test kits first available from China
Jan. 13 (WHO report) nCoV test kits first available from China
Jan. 13. Trump did nothing

Jan. 14 WHO's technical lead for the response noted in a press briefing there may have been limited human-to-human transmission of the coronavirus (in the 41 confirmed cases), mainly through family members, and that there was a risk of a possible wider outbreak. The lead also said that human-to-human transmission would not be surprising given our experience with SARS, MERS and other respiratory pathogens.
Jan. 14. Trump did nothing

Jan. 15. Trump did nothing

Jan. 16. Trump did nothing

Jan. 17. Trump did nothing

Jan. 18. Trump did nothing

Jan. 19. Trump did nothing

Jan. 20: COVID19 designated a class B notifiable disease
Ja. 20 – 21 WHO experts from its China and Western Pacific regional offices conducted a brief field visit to Wuhan.
Jan. 20. Trump did nothing

Jan. 21. First case in US identified in Kirkland, WA
Jan. 21. Trump did nothing

Jan. 22. WHO mission to China issued a statement saying that there was evidence of human-to-human transmission in Wuhan but more investigation was needed to understand the full extent of transmission.
Jan. 22. Trump interviewed by CNBC's Joe Kernan:
JOE KERNAN: “the CDC-- has identified a case of coronavirus-- in Washington state. The Wuhan strain of this. If you remember SARS, that affected GDP. Travel-related effects. Do you-- have you been briefed by the CDC? And--”
TRUMP: “I have, and--”
JOE KERNEN: “--are there worries about a pandemic at this point?”
TRUMP: “No. Not at all. And-- we’re-- we have it totally under control.” (see entry for Mar 17) “It’s one person coming in from China, and we have it under control. It’s—going to be just fine.” (See entries for Feb. 26 and Mar. 10)
Jan.22 – 23. The WHO Director- General convened an Emergency Committee (EC) under the International Health Regulations (IHR 2005) to assess whether the outbreak constituted a public health emergency of international concern. The independent members from around the world could not reach a consensus based on the evidence available at the time. They asked to be reconvened within 10 days after receiving more information.

Jan. 23: Wuhan + Hubei is in lockdown, also many parts of China in the next few days
Jan. 23. Trump did nothing

Jan. 24: another 15 Chinese cities shut down
Jan. 24: Trump tweets, "China has been working very hard to contain the Coronavirus. The United States greatly appreciates their efforts and transparency...."

Jan. 25 – 31 Lunar New Year national Holiday in China
Jan. 25: Trump did nothing

Jan. 26. Trump did nothing

Jan. 27. Trump did nothing

Jan. 28. A senior WHO delegation led by the Director-General travelled to Beijing to meet China’s leadership, learn more about China’s response, and to offer any technical assistance. While in Beijing, Dr. Tedros agreed with Chinese government leaders that an international team of leading scientists would travel to China on a mission to better understand the context, the overall response, and exchange information and experience.
Jan. 28. Trump did nothing

Jan. 29. Trump did nothing

Jan 30: The WHO Director-General reconvened the Emergency Committee (EC). This was earlier than the 10-day period and only two days after the first reports of limited human-to-human transmission were reported outside China. This time, the EC reached consensus and advised the Director-General that the outbreak constituted a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). The Director-General accepted the recommendation and declared the novel coronavirus outbreak (2019-nCoV) a PHEIC. This is the 6th time WHO has declared a PHEIC since the International Health Regulations (IHR) came into force in 2005.
Jan. 30: Trump holds a campaign rally in Iowa: “We think we have it very well under control. We have very little problem in this country at this moment — five. … we think it’s going to have a very good ending for it.”
Jan 30: Trump discusses the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement at Dana Incorporated in Warren, Mich. “Now we're working very strongly with China on the coronavirus -- that's a new thing that a lot of people are talking about. Hopefully it won't be as bad as some people think it could be.”

Jan. 31. Trump bars flights from China

Feb, 1: – 10: China imposes nationwide mandatory extended holiday
Feb. 1: Trump did nothing

Feb. 2: Trump tells Fox News host Sean Hannity, “We pretty much shut it down coming in from China.”

Feb 3. WHO releases the international community's Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan to help protect states with weaker health systems.
Feb. 3. Trump did nothing.

Feb. 7: Trump sends 17.8 tons (more than 35,000 pounds) of "masks, gowns, gauze, respirators, and other vital materials" to China. (https://www.cnn.com) (see entry for March 18)

Feb. 11 – 12. WHO convened a Research and Innovation Forum on COVID-19, attended by more than 400 experts and funders from around the world, which included presentations by George Gao, Director General of China CDC, and Zunyou Wu, China CDC's chief epidemiologist.
Feb. 11. Trump did nothing.

Feb. 12. Trump did nothing.

Feb. 13. Trump did nothing.

Feb 14: Trump discusses the “very small” number of U.S. coronavirus cases with Border Patrol Council members: “We have a very small number of people in the country, right now, with it. It’s like around 12. Many of them are getting better. Some are fully recovered already. So we’re in very good shape.”

Feb. 24: Stock market plummets as Dow Jones Industrials falls more than 1,000 points. Trump tweet: "The Coronavirus is very much under control in the USA. We are in contact with everyone and all relevant countries. CDC & World Health have been working hard and very smart. Stock Market starting to look very good to me!"

Feb. 26: The first case emerges in California with no clear source, suggesting community spread of the virus. In a news conference that day, Trump says "the United States is really prepared.”
Feb. 26: Tweet from Trump: "...we closed up our borders to flights coming in from certain areas, areas that were hit by the coronavirus and hit pretty hard. … The infection seems to have gone down over the last two days.”
Feb. 26: Trump “And again, when you have 15 people, and the 15 within a couple of days is going to be down to close to zero, that's a pretty good job we've done."

Feb. 28: Trump claimed: “It’s going to disappear. One day, it’s like a miracle, it will disappear.”

March 2: World Health Organization announced that it will take 18 months for a vaccine to be developed and ready for use.
March 2. Trump after a meeting with big pharma companies: "We had a great meeting today with a lot of the great companies and they're going to have vaccines, I think relatively soon.”

March 3. Trump did nothing

March 4: In a Fox News interview, Trump deflected criticism to his response by saying the Obama administration (including the vice president, Joe Biden) “didn’t do anything about” swine flu. (that claim was false). Trump continued to blame the Obama administration in an exchange with reporters at the White House. “The Obama administration made a decision on testing that turned out to be very detrimental to what we’re doing.” (why is testing “detrimental?” It is necessary!)

March 5. Trump did nothing.

March 6: at CDC in Atlanta: “Anybody that needs a test, gets a test. They’re there. They have the tests. And the tests are beautiful.” (A flagrant lie)
March 6: Trump said in a tweet: "The Fake News Media and their partner, the Democrat Party, is doing everything within its semi-considerable power – it used to be greater! -- to inflame the CoronaVirus situation, far beyond what the facts would warrant.”

March 9: Trump tweets: “So last year 37,000 Americans died from the common Flu. It averages between 27,000 and 70,000 per year. Nothing is shut down, life & the economy go on.” (He compared Covid-19 with flu!)

March 10: in US capitol Trump claimed: “And we’re prepared, and we’re doing a great job with it. And it will go away. Just stay calm. It will go away.”

March 11. Deeply concerned both by the alarming levels of spread and severity, and by the alarming levels of inaction, WHO made the assessment that COVID-19 can be characterized as a pandemic.

March 12: before bilateral meeting with Irish PM Trump said: “It’s going to go away. ... The United States, because of what I did and what the administration did with China, we have 32 deaths at this point … when you look at the kind of numbers that you’re seeing coming out of other countries, it’s pretty amazing when you think of it.”

March 13. COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund launched by WHO to receive donations from private individuals, corporations and institutions. 

March 17 Trump said in a news conference: “I’ve always known this is a real, this is a pandemic. I’ve felt it was a pandemic long before it was called a pandemic.” (see entries for Jan. 22 and Mar. 19)

March 18. WHO and partners launch the Solidarity Trial, an international clinical trial that aims to generate robust data from around the world to find the most effective treatments for COVID-19.
March 18. Trump defiantly told governors pressing him to help their states obtain similar equipment: "The federal government's not supposed to be out there buying vast amounts of items and then shipping," adding, "We're not a shipping clerk." (CNN) (see entry for February 7 re shipping tons of PPE and respirators to China))

March 19: Washington Post: “As President Trump has come around to the severity of the coronavirus, he has increasingly fought back against criticism of his administration’s response by suggesting the crisis was basically inconceivable.”
“ 'I would view it as something that just surprised the whole world,' he said Thursday at his daily briefing, adding later that it was 'uncharted territory' and saying, 'Nobody knew there would be a pandemic or epidemic of this proportion'.” (WaPo March 19) (see entries for Mar 17 and Mar19)

//

March 29: Trump announced that it might take until April 31 for the virus to go away. (?!?!?)

April 23: Trump recommends that individuals treat their Covid19 by injecting household disinfectants into their bodies and by exposing their bare skin to UV-C radiation.

As a result of Trump's wonderful "handling" of the pandemic, the US has the largest number of Covid19 fatalities of any nation on earth.

//

Then there's this --
This Stunningly Detailed Timeline of Trump’s Failures
Shows America’s Coronavirus Crisis Was a Man-Made Disaster
http://axisoflogic.com/artman/publish/Article_87566.shtml

Posted by: AntiSpin | Jun 2 2020 19:06 utc | 26

thanks b..... i appreciate the links and your insights and those of others shared... the way i see it, whether the demonstrations fizzle out or not, the usa is in a real state of fast decline and the poodles job as you note is getting harder and harder to justify...

@ antispin... thanks... that backs up what b is saying on the low flying helicopters.. i am sure some over write from the 9-11 patriot act will make an exception for this..

@ jackrabbit.. thanks for your comments... the way i see it there are a number of secondary streams of thought and action going on here and as has been mentioned before, there will be players that try to take advantage of all of this for their own purposes... you highlight this fairly well... thanks.. it remains to be seen who or what is working behind the scenes for purposes that are never openly stated..

Posted by: james | Jun 2 2020 19:07 utc | 27

In regard to the attempt to use this event against Trump (of whom I share low opinion):

Pat Buchanan makes good point (not always a fan of Pat either though he's pretty on-point generally):

Yet, of his home state, this citadel of liberalism, Walz said last week, “Systemic racism must be addressed if we are to secure, justice, peace and order for all Minnesotans.”

Query: How does “systemic racism” permeate a blue state dominated for decades by liberal Democrats? What explains the failure of Democrats who have long run Minnesota to root out racism?

The issue is police brutality (full stop). It has long been an issue for all of us, more so for blacks in many cases.

Posted by: jared | Jun 2 2020 19:07 utc | 28

The American society is stabilized by Rule of Law. It's simple. The people are obedient to laws and expect their streets and property as well as their lives to be secured by enforcement of those laws.

Underestimate that and you will never comprehend America.

Right now, the vast majority of Americans don't care if Aliens from Mars, Russian and Chinese troops clear the streets. They want the streets back. And now, not tomorrow.

Posted by: Red Ryder | Jun 2 2020 19:09 utc | 29

>He will probably ask how China managed to suppress that U.S. sponsored insurgency.

b, are you at all aware that your old article in fact doesn't actually make the case you seem to think it makes?

Posted by: Benjamin | Jun 2 2020 19:14 utc | 30

Is not destroying communities and threatening groups and individuals because of race or political views akin to fascism?
Not to mention harmful to the disadvantaged?
Makes me think the agenda is not about resisting fascism.
And the dems are faint in their criticism of the vandalism - is that really a good political vantage point?

Posted by: jared | Jun 2 2020 19:17 utc | 31

Looks like my prediction was correct: a "Mad Max" scenario (Crisis of the Third Century style) is the most likely scenario for the final collapse of the USA.

You know that the USA is in the gutter when American commenters here are, at the same time, defending the US Army crushing the "insurrectionists" and a quick and painless, USSR-like collapse.

Posted by: vk | Jun 2 2020 19:17 utc | 32

The protests are widespread, indicating a generalized disgust and reaction against an entrenched callous security apparatus. The vandalism and looting are prevalent, but nowhere near as serious as earlier outbreaks across US history. The rapid escalation to National Guard and curfews - within a few days - does not reflect confidant and in control state or federal governments. The economic stress and dislocation due to Covid has yet to fully be felt, but recognition that this is coming may be animating decisions to quickly amp up the repressive response. It is America's unique dysfunction that its leadership can recognize a social disaster in the making, but cannot mitigate or properly respond to such disaster. It will be a very difficult summer ahead.

The sudden obsession with an organized insurgency - antifa - which doesn't actually exist, is just another part of the lunacy.

Posted by: jayc | Jun 2 2020 19:18 utc | 33

Paul Jay interviews Michael Hudson on the latest scam that's being perpetrated by the banksters --
https://theanalysis.news/interviews/feds-10-trillion-defends-assets-of-the-rich-michael-hudson/

I have no doubt that the Novel Coronavirus was/is a bioweapon that implemented the initial salvo in a wide-ranging geopolitical plot to rescue the banksters, to try to sabotage China's ascendency, and to instigate military control over the U.S. public, among other goals.

Posted by: norecovery | Jun 2 2020 19:19 utc | 34

Jackrabbit @13 and 22

See a recent post by Xymphora that suggests the same thing.

Posted by: WJ | Jun 2 2020 19:22 utc | 35

RR, of course they would like this to all just go away. Just like they easily do not notice the pain and suffering that the US inflicts on millions of people in other countries constantly. Not sure if I would call that willfull ignorance some kind of appreciation for law.

Posted by: arby | Jun 2 2020 19:23 utc | 36

The best suggestion I've heard so far for a solution to police brutality and excessive force is this:
Require all police officers in all jurisdictions to carry individual liability insurance just like doctors.

Problems solved:
* Taxpayers no longer pay for police malpractice.
* Bad cops naturally weeded out due to multiple claims - premiums for coverage go up making them UN-employable in all jurisdictions. The office who apparently murdered George Floyd already had multiple citations for excessive force.
* Race element is diluted because all officers will be conscious of how their actions affect their ability to stay employed.
* Finally - moral hazard of unaccountable police practice resolved since accountability attached to each officers record through insurance claims.

This system works for every other profession where personal damages can happen like doctors and lawyers all of whom carry malpractice insurance. The bad players are eventually marginalized as claims pile up - I read this here:https://thefreethoughtproject.com/george-floyd-life-mattered-400/

Posted by: Nick | Jun 2 2020 19:31 utc | 37

B sounds like CNN in this article. I've been watching live feed - on CNN (cannot catch any otehr US outlet). Iteresting to see how many white kids appeared. Girls outnumbered boys. They look like kids from better houses - well fed, well shaved, hair in order. Thy look to me like white people on commercials. Spontaneous demonstration of solidarity with black community? My eye. People bearing all kinds of home made placards, to loook like it is not organized, nice touch. However, all demos, in all 40 citie, they look absolutely the same, same placards, same proportion of white/black/male/female kids. Interesting, eh? CNN complains how Trump does not own the US Army. true. But he is still commander in chief, remeber. Whoever put him in the underground bunker, meant to protect PUTUS form nuclear attack, must have covinced him that teh situation is dire. So, if POTUS is not safe in his own White House, what is he supposed to suppose about what is going on? Police was extremely tolerand, by any standards. So hecalled the army, to restore order. What is illogical there?

Today, Tuseday, there are reports on CNN that here and there policemen were SHOT, and a few were killed. Looks to me like Kiev snipers.

By the way, on the second night of demonstrations, in NYC, among aessted was the dautghter of Bill de Blasio, NYC Mayor, Who would think, eh.

This fternoon on CNN: demonstrations in just a few (3-4) cities. And they all think alike - moving peacefully towards police headquarters. The same cities where pallets with bricks were placeed in the supposed path of demonstrators. No link, do yoour homework by youself. Go Paul CRaig Roberts, "All you need to know about demonstrations", it has a link that brings you to Zero Hedge "All you neeed to know..".

The Chauven cop, and his four accomplices should be tried and jailed. Also the prosecutor who declared "not enough evidence for charges", and perhaps corroner who ruled out death ndue to chocking. But no, governers and other powers would not allow that. Let's have demonstrations. Also, at the time Trum called the army, National Guard was used by 20 states. POTUS does not have a state so no National Guard. Worth remebering taht Nationsl Guards are under command of States, not under POTUS. So every state ha it's local militia and POTUS is supposed to face them bare handd?

I am not Trump supporter, but some things just are common sense. In one clip CNN is against POTUS bringing in the Army, in teh evry next clip they are criticizing NY Governor for NOT using guard in NYC!. Go figure.

Posted by: Anemona | Jun 2 2020 19:32 utc | 38

Slightly OT but possibly more jiggery-pokery re: SSL/TLS certs

In the last 24 hours I've updated several linux systems, and one of the update packages was 2 new CA certificates. One was for DigiCert. Both were dropped in the '/usr/share/ca-certificates/extras/mozilla' folder, so were not core but perhaps pushed by/through Mozilla. Also, perhaps coincidentally, our company had a problem with our Comodo (Sectigo) certificate...I haven't had time to speak with the person who spoke with Comodo about it, but seems they expired one of their CA certs and didn't properly handle it.

Posted by: Dr Wellington Yueh | Jun 2 2020 19:32 utc | 39

@ Red Ryder | Jun 2 2020 19:09 utc | 27

Agreed. This is a wake-up call.
High time to get our act together.

Reminds me of years ago as a young college kid rented a run-down home with other (white) kids in a dangerous part of a dangerous and corrupt old city.
The neighbor was a hard working and very decent black man.
He stopped by to say hello and warned us to be careful because there was a lot dangerous people passing through. Said if we had any trouble we should let him know and that he kept a shotgun for such emergencies.

Posted by: jared | Jun 2 2020 19:35 utc | 40

@ Posted by: Dux47 | Jun 2 2020 18:58 utc | 20

Sorry, but when foreign journalists are being attacked and arrested in violation of both local and international laws, foreign leaders have every right to protest and speak out to protect their press, especially when they are members of their state network like DW. Frankly, it is shocking this is not more of a story and the WH press core hasn't gone to town on this.

The domestic response on this issue clearly shows where the pillars stand in the pecking order of power. Unless someone steps up and demands firing any cop that assaults journalists the way we have seen so far, they will only become more and more emboldened.

As B rightly mentioned, the other dimension is the undermining of US (and by extension, its allies) legitimacy on the world stage. The thin fig leaf of moral superiority when condemning hostile nations like Iran or Venezuela or competitor nations like Russia or China on 'freedom' 'democracy' and 'human rights' issues just got much thinner. Trump may not understand or care about this, but Germany and all Western US allies certainly do. The world is very much watching.

Posted by: Et Tu | Jun 2 2020 19:36 utc | 41

I've said it before, the social uprisings of 2019, merely put on hold by CV19, are reigniting. Case in point, Paris:

https://twitter.com/seokjincaffe/status/1267881403896692736?s=21

https://twitter.com/disclosetv/status/1267902117764829184?s=21

Posted by: Lozion | Jun 2 2020 19:55 utc | 42

Sending in the US military (who may very well be manufactured synthetics and not real humans) has been the entire purpose of the lockdown.

Fake pandemic
Fake protests
Fake president
Fake soldiers

All for a hard lockdown, not the soft one we presently have.

Then force inoculate to remove all trace of humanity in our painfully struggling humanness.

Posted by: Randa | Jun 2 2020 20:00 utc | 43

Also, some here are surprised by the administration's Antifa condemnations. Why? It doesn't matter who the culprit as long as there is one, in order to prevent debate on the systemic issues that are the real sources of the protest movement. Whether China, Russia, Zimbabwe(!) or pink-haired dikes, the blame must be put on anyone but the Elites or its minions. Control the of narrative. But you knew this already, right?

Posted by: Lozion | Jun 2 2020 20:07 utc | 44

Posted by: bob sykes | Jun 2 2020 17:54 utc | 4

You serious?The first that wants and will benefit from this mess is the zionist freemason DJT..The lootings are creating a majority of people that wants a rude president to restore order and surely demented joe is not that kind of man.I think DJT has been chosen to be again the president(his moves on Occupied Palestine will be rewarded)even because in the next 18 months zionists need a strong support to complete the upcoming project).

Posted by: LuBa | Jun 2 2020 20:13 utc | 45

This whole "race riots" thing has me chuckling with the thought of an old Eddie Murphy (Pluto Nash-fame) skit from his glory days when he was frequently on SNL.

In it he dresses up in white face as a businessman about town and is frequently shocked at the treatment he receives as a "white" when all the blacks have left the room.

Pretty funny stuff, by itself.

The tragedy is here, though, that it seems we have indeed regressed, or, put more simply, blacks have again been bamboozled that somehow being white provides you with unknown pleasures and luxury. Privelege unafforded to every black the country over.

Of course this thesis is bullshit. Eddie Murphy was LAUGHING at blacks who hold this imaginary worldview.

There are still several blacks in showbiz and comedy, including Dave Chapelle, who have not taken the bait and refused to be used to further the elite game.

There are many blacks who are tempted to admit, though for now are laying low, that this is class war, now and forever. Perhaps they don't go ranting on twitter because as entertainers they have already got theirs.

And look at other billionaire blacks like the founder of BET wanting 14 trillion in reparations. Look at him foment this shit as he is sitting on a pile of coins that would make Scrooge McDuck blush. Reminds me of that wonderful scene in Amistad where the black slave conquerors are counting their gold having just sold their conquered tribesmen to other white slave traders.

Until you blacks get your shit together and don't trust any University of Chicago fuckheads, you get nothing from me but my disdain.

Posted by: Nemesiscalling | Jun 2 2020 20:13 utc | 46

This is long in the making. There will be ebbs and flows to the riots, but the trajectory is clear.

The capitalist political economy of the US has impoverished its working class. It proved unable to limit the pandemic. It doesn't provide healthcare to the population. It has funneled decades of new wealth into the coffers of the financial elite. It has done this, in part, through the construction of racialized labor markets. It has built a carceral state to house the superfluous population, and militarized the police to discipline the masses.

Trillions have been wasted on imperial wars, and on bailouts of investment banks and other financial Titans.

American democracy has exhausted itself and no longer serves the people, but only profit and property. There is no chance of any substantial reform from the top down by the Democratic elite. Biden is the worst candidate ever, who has no politics or message other than replacing Trump and getting back to neoliberalism as usual.

We are witnessing a collision of structural contradictions that only point toward systemic decay, implosion, and social strife.

The Marxist arguments about the incompatibility of capitalism and democracy, about the contradictions between the forces and relations of production, about the inexorable logic of class conflict, about racism as an integral element of class formation, about imperialism as a structural attribute of accumulation and competition on a global scale -- all these are manifest in the objective history unfolding before us.

We have passed the point of no return. Capitalism is being buried before our eyes by the gravediggers the system itself creates. If not, the state and its armed guards will kill the people in a fascist bloodbath.

The primary task ahead is to build a multiracial working class movement and party for a full scale transformation towards socialism. There is no other option.

Posted by: Prof K | Jun 2 2020 20:18 utc | 47

@ 44 nemesiscalling... siding with the cops over george floyds death doesn't like that pretty on you... it is this same racism that is baked into the usa system and many want to ignore it, wish it would go away, or worse - continue to attack black people for falling to get their shit together...

strange fruit... billy holiday 1939
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Web007rzSOI

nina simone 1965
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnuEMdUUrZQ

Southern trees bear strange fruit
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root
Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.Pastoral scene of the gallant south
The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth
Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh
Then the sudden smell of burning flesh.Here is a fruit for the crows to pluck
For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck
For the sun to rot, for the trees to drop
Here is a strange and bitter crop.

Posted by: james | Jun 2 2020 20:20 utc | 48

Randa (41) = Troll

Posted by: Rob | Jun 2 2020 20:33 utc | 49

A couple links to consider checking from Canada:

1) CBC reporter, Katie Simpson, @CBCKatie, works in Washington, DC, has not been targeted yet, and is posting updates on twitter from the city. Most recent one is of newspaper boxes being collected and moved. It seems to be starting to look like Baghdad's Green Zone or something there.

2) There is a Canadian politician who is very popular south of the border. (No, it's not Trudeau.) It's Jagmeet Singh, leader of the New Democrat party (during the last Cdn election, Rihanna even tweeted him!) Here are some of his comments from in parliament earlier today:

https://twitter.com/PnPCBC/status/1267880484543086592

A bit dangerous to enter into the fray. I don't expect any Canadian politician would do so without some powerful backing. Not from Washington, I presume.

Posted by: Anonymous | Jun 2 2020 20:43 utc | 50

https://markdoran.wordpress.com/2020/06/02/and-in-other-news/

M.

Posted by: Mark Doran | Jun 2 2020 20:46 utc | 51

@nemisis @44 re: Murphy skit

Watermelon Man - 1970

Also, I will now no longer delay watching Putney Swope.

Posted by: Dr Wellington Yueh | Jun 2 2020 20:50 utc | 52

b's description of Trump's antics reminds me that he is simply being who he is, and that is the US version of Venezuela's Guiado. It is an attempt to become the legitimate president through force - much as Bush did in taking on Iraq for supposed weapons of mass destruction. The very same fakery. I am hoping the protesters see this for what it is and simply melt away having bravely taken their stand against the atrocity. I saw George Floyd's younger brother breaking down in tears as he described his brother lovingly as a peaceful man. He pleaded, as he had a right to plead, for peaceful demonstrations only.

Guiado got shown up as a fake. That would be good for us to demonstrate in this situation, which so resembles that attempted coup and if not for the terrible event which must be accounted for, Trump's actions are similarly unreal. He really has no idea what it should mean to be presidential, and it shows.

Posted by: juliania | Jun 2 2020 20:52 utc | 53

Anti-Spin @24--

Thanks for providing that excellent evidentiary list proving beyond doubt Trump's COVID-19 policy was one of Treason--To Do Nothing!

Just finished binge-watching the last 5 episodes of The Keiser Report, 1544-1548, but only their first halves, which took me just over an hour. There's quite a lot of information and excellent notions being provided and exchanged, making reporting about specifics very difficult. It isn't until today's show that the impact of Mr. Floyd's execution's discussed, so I wouldn't begin there. The technical terms are now rather few so the conversation can be more readily understood. And for every resident of the Outlaw US Empire, I very strongly suggest taking the time to view them and become a regular watcher. (I don't bother with the second halves unless the subject of the interview is worth my time, which does happen from time-to-time.) One of the notions Max and Stacy discuss in 1546 complements some of my thinking during the run-up to the massive financial fraud crisis of 2007-8, but they explain it much better. Yes, if ever there was a sound reason to revolt, what's being revealed over their programming is manifest. The hollowing out continues and has accelerated despite Trump's MAGA mantra, which given reality is just a smokescreen and campaign crap to hypnotize those who'd be his base. The fact is Trump's doing nothing to reboot strategic industrial manufacturing and everything to continue the Ponzi Scheme looting of the public to benefit the .1%. AND as they make clear, the same actions being done by the Fed are being done by other central banks. The Keisers, Hudson, Keen, Wolff, myself, psychohistorian, and Wilkerson all know its the Fed looting the Public, and I'm sure other barflies now know too.

Posted by: karlof1 | Jun 2 2020 20:53 utc | 54

@b: The link titled “what Trump wants” doesn’t work.

Posted by: S | Jun 2 2020 21:50 utc | 55

40 million unemployed
106 000 dead from Corona virus
Rioting in the streets by kneeling sons of b*tches
Record 25 trillion dollar debt (overwhelmingly going to MIC and wall street looters)
Stable genius, playing 5D chess and winning. So much winning

Posted by: Sol Invictus | Jun 2 2020 21:51 utc | 56

Prof K @45

I don't know Marx or any socialist theory, but that has not stopped me from realizing - for a vey long time - the points made in your comment are true.

If we can ignore for a moment what is immediately going on in the streets (just for the sake of discussion) the question that should have been on everyone's mind is: How and why did the economy of the US collapse so easily with the arrival of this virus, this pandemic? Now, I don't have any statement I can make that pulls all the pieces together for a simple answer. Somehow predatory business practices, exploitation and non-representation by the political class don't capture all of it. Neither does the fact that millions of US households have been basically living hand-to-mouth for a very long time.

But I do know that money is the answer. For the last several decades as many who post here have seen the eastern horizon (the future) grow ever darker, many have lamented of the impossibility of organizing a nationwide strike. Due to wage slavery and debt peonage most of those that might join are too frightened for their immediate survival to endure such pain for an outcome that might fail.

But the pandemic and its response has handed us an opportunity just waiting to be utilized. Many are already out of work - can't be sacked for going to a protest or participating in a general strike. Many jobs won't be coming back, and the economic band-aids of the corrupt government will expire, and many of those programs were either hijacked by the wealthy or were cleverly disguised pork-barreling to begin with.

Money is the answer, as it is the only language our masters understand and respect. And I have long believed that the only way to change ANY of the ills of our society is to start taking the money out of the pockets of the wealthy. They count on us, the hoi paloi, to keep the wheels turning, and consumerism humming along, continually filling their pockets.

This moment offers us a unique opportunity, if we could somehow come together and realize it. I believe our masters are aware of this also, and so I am suspicious now of every turn of events. If I were to make a "WE MUST" kind of statement it would be to "formulate a true narrative and interrupt the one being foisted upon us, as the purpose propelling a general strike."

I'm pretty sure that many feel the same as I do. I'm not smart enough to come up with the workable formulation, but I'll bet that collectively, we can.

Posted by: vinnieoh | Jun 2 2020 21:52 utc | 57

b, before spreading CNN talking points about Trump being way out of proportion for calling up military you might want to read up on the 1967 Detroit riot when the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions were brought in, 43 dead, 1,189 injured, over 7,000 arrests. Sheesh!

Posted by: krypton | Jun 2 2020 21:54 utc | 58

I promise that this video will blow your mind.

"Former Black Lives Matter Ferguson Organizer, Chaziel Sunz exposed BLM, Democrats, ANTIFA, etc. In 2017, Chaziel Sunz shined the light on who pays for ANTIFA, Black Lives Matter, what the plan is of the Democratic Party using the groups."

Former Black Lives Matter Ferguson Organizer, Chaziel Sunz exposed BLM, Democrats, ANTIFA, etc.

Posted by: blues | Jun 2 2020 22:07 utc | 59

Chris Hedges latest, "The Treason of the Ruling Class," mostly tells the truth:

"We are serfs ruled by obscenely rich, omnipotent masters who loot the U.S. Treasury, pay little or no taxes and have perverted the judiciary, the media and the legislative branches of government to strip us of civil liberties and give them the freedom to commit financial fraud and theft."

But this didn't just happen over the last few years of TrumpCo. If you watched the Wilkerson interview or have read some of the Hudson essays I've linked or have read a fraction of my many comments, you'll know the situation Hedges describes began several generations ago, and that the overall, longstanding, ages long, Class War has existed for 4,000 years. The most recent events Wilkerson noted were begun by Clinton, abetted by Bush, greatly enhanced by Obama, and are now in high gear as Max and Stacy report. It's extremely important to understand how the .1% get their cash such that they no longer believe they need a working class to do anything for them, that's why I plug Max and Stacy along with Hudson.

Posted by: karlof1 | Jun 2 2020 22:13 utc | 60

As Donal Rumsfeld infamously said after the fall of Iraq: “ LOOTING IS THE PRICE FOR FREEDOM”.

I wonder how does he and his ilk feel eating those words?

Posted by: Alpi | Jun 2 2020 22:14 utc | 61

Don't cry for me Argentina: The American Conservative proves ...

dying is easy but comedy is hard ... https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/how-collapsing-oil-prices-could-unravel-global-security/

This must have been written 2yrs ago and a bot just published it today. The author is tearing his cloak over the pending chaos from the gas stations pretending to be countries. They cannot withstand low oil prices (let alone that combined w/Covid19). He is sounding the alarm over the fallout from the pending collapse of Venezuela, Iran, and Russia. If only we had replace their regimes earlier.

Please look in the mirror Master Neocon, Iran, Cuba, Venezuela, and Russia are trading medical care, food, and oil so efficiently between themselves that we in the U.S. are still trying to find ways to stop it. The death rate from Coronavirus in those countries is so low that we accues them of lying about it.

Can you say tone deaf and totally lacking in self-awareness?

Yes indeed, if only these countries had the great institutional depth of the Lord God Almighty of this earth, the Blessed global redeemer of the world, none other then the United States, the Joy of the whole Earth. Blessed be our name forever and ever. If only I got this guy's Red Pill, I'd be so much happier now.

Posted by: Christian J Chuba | Jun 2 2020 22:27 utc | 62

Thanks #b

"War on parody" was a nice one. Good to see the Germans pointing to the dirty US linen. Should NATO mad general issue a statement of support along the lines of an attack on one is an attack on all? An anticipated headline: British carrier group enters New York harbour to assist its great ally

Ramon #17

For fear of being a conspiracist I won't say that the protests are going to throw up a lot of cover just as Rosenstein is about to appear in front of a Senate committee.

I would be surprised if even one senator would lay a glove on Rosenstein let alone make it stick. It will be interesting to watch.

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Jun 2 2020 22:30 utc | 63

The most recent events Wilkerson noted were begun by Clinton, abetted by Bush, greatly enhanced by Obama....

Posted by: karlof1 | Jun 2 2020 22:13 utc | 58

No man, I fear, the most recent events begun at the very first steps of the creation of your nation, which was when you started looting, and never stopped, as that young black activist Mallory so rightfylly and brilliantly expossed.

Then, your appreciated colonel, who seems to broom for Trump all the way, leaves aside an era of great u-turn in your countrie´s policies, and fro, which the current events mostly derive, all the presidencies after Eisenhower, when the real leftist opposition started to be literally erased to be suplanted by the Democratic Party, which is the center right slightly at the left of the far-right Republican Party, so as to secure that the oligarchs would never lost power.

Posted by: H.Schmatz | Jun 2 2020 22:31 utc | 64

vinnieoh @55--

Hudson's been providing a short answer to your Why? question for awhile now, with the recent rounds of financialized escalation of control occurring with the rise of Reagan/Thatcher, which was further escalated by Clinton, then Bush, then Obama had them all lined up for prison but refused as that's what he was hired to do, and now Trump has opened the floodgates. Wilkerson thinks it was Obama and Holder that corrupted the Justice Dept. and FBI, but IMO they just finished the job.

Solving the problem. Hudson points to what's known as the German Miracle of 1948 when most all German debts were wiped out and the entire polity allowed to restart without debt:

"Yes, that was the economic miracle. And Germany canceled all debts except for the debts that employers owed their employees. And everybody kept a minimum balance. And it was easy for the allies to cancel the German debts in 1948, because most debts were owed to the old Nazis, or the people who had been Nazis, or to banks that were part of the Nazi regime. So the Allies didn’t want to let the creditors, who were the old Nazis, have power over the coming German democracy. So they canceled the debts, and Germany, as a result, its industry and its families were debt free, and that’s what enabled it to recover. And that was the essence of the German economic miracle: the debt cancellation. Right now, America’s economy is strapped. America could have another economic miracle by writing down the debts." [My Emphasis]

And that would also strip away the wealth of the .1% as it mostly consists of the debt owed it by the masses or the illicit federal government.

Posted by: karlof1 | Jun 2 2020 22:31 utc | 65

As I said earlier today, @27, the American People want their streets back, and want the Rule of Law enforced.

They support by 58% in a poll, the use of military if that is what is necessary to get this done now.

https://www.rt.com/usa/490578-americans-support-military-protests-poll/

And I bet the true poll would be 75% if there wasn't an implication that this was somehow anti-Black. It's not. Blacks would be for this 60-70%. They are the ones losing their businesses, getting the hell kicked out their neighborhoods.

A total failure of leadership at every level. The fish rots from the head, and government is the big fish that is rotting in America.

Posted by: Red Ryder | Jun 2 2020 22:32 utc | 66

Blackrock, the looting that's being ignored.

For all the hand-wringing and mockery that the idiot-in-chief is eliciting, he's being well rewarded. The stock market is throwing up a huge middle-finger to the protesters and providing full-throated support for the idiot-in-chief's authoritarian and violent strategy by very quickly approaching pre-COVID levels.

DOW at 35K by the end of the year anyone?

Apparently the proles can be ignored and boom times for the richest are just ahead.

Posted by: snow_watcher | Jun 2 2020 22:35 utc | 67

H. Schmatz @62--

Who allowed the rape of the Americas and all the other lands "discovered" by Western Europeans all of which were looted? I'll bet the US National Debt you don't know the answer. I'll allow you a few minutes to formulate your answer.

Posted by: karlof1 | Jun 2 2020 22:38 utc | 68

karlof1 #58

It's extremely important to understand how the .1% get their cash such that they no longer believe they need a working class to do anything for them, that's why I plug Max and Stacy along with Hudson.

Thank you karlof1 your tenacity is appreciated. Thousands of years of plunder and I thought it began in Venice in the 1600's ;)

This chapter in the great unwinding is interesting to observe. The abject silence and cowardice of the democrazis is to be expected.

Thanks blues #57 for that video link.

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Jun 2 2020 22:43 utc | 69

@ 63 karlof1,
I say what Hudson advocates for, won’t happen with a Trump administration, if reelected Chump will accelerate the class war and use police state powers to implement new type austerity laws to criminalize bottom 90%. He won’t hurt his friends, next step following election victory is to loot pensioners and retirees accounts. The table is already set:“Donald Trump signed an executive order intended to roll back Dodd-Frank, the sprawling regulatory framework President Obama signed into law in 2010 to avoid another financial crisis, which was not entirely beloved on Wall Street. He also scrapped a fiduciary rule intended to protect retirees by forcing brokers and advisers to “work in the best interest of their clients.“ (This, too, was controversial...)’’A populist and man of the people according to deplorables.
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/02/trump-says-he-cut-wall-street-reform-because-his-friends-need-money

Biden likely to follow same agenda but with less reactionary brutality and police state powers, dems will look for ways to export looting operation in south America and Africa, blunting retreating chaos now overseen by Trump administration.

Posted by: Sol Invictus | Jun 2 2020 22:50 utc | 70

It's very entertaining to see the (mostly American) MoA community self-destructing in an explosion of nonsense. It's like a robot that got a task to divide by zero.

Interesting times.

Posted by: vk | Jun 2 2020 22:59 utc | 71

@Posted by: Red Ryder | Jun 2 2020 19:09 utc | 27

I fear you are generalizing all the US people for a little minority of well off people and the leaders and the law enforcement and military apparatus that keep this status quo for them to live placidly. Some here present as commenters, btw.

The majority of the US people, as you will witness in the coming months, wants change, evolution, real freedom and rights, and of course get rid of fascio.

Posted by: H.Schmatz | Jun 2 2020 23:00 utc | 72

Nemesiscalling | Jun2 20:13 @ 44

All your previous comments have been leading up to this faceplant.

<> <> <> <> <>

This whole "race riots" thing has me chuckling ...

You're exceptional.

=
Eddie Murphy skit

You badly misread this parody.

FYI the rest of us are thinking: you're too white to understand it.

=
No white privilege?

That women walking her dog in Central Park seemed very certain that she could use her whiteness to obtain the privilege of breaking the Park rules.

=
There are many blacks who are tempted to admit ... that this is class war ...

White guy speaking for blacks?

It's more likely that YOU are loath to admit that many whites support the call for justice for George Floyd. I'm one of them.

=
look at other billionaire blacks ...

Yeah, look at them all.

Wait ... what?

=
Look at him foment this shit ...

Because white billionaires never foment shit.

=
black slave conquerors are counting their gold having just sold their conquered tribesmen

Thanks for showing us your callous ignorance by trotting out this racist trope.

And no, we don't want to hear about how you're not racist because you've got a 'black friend'. LOL. That shit gets old real quick. You're racism is in your head, not in a handshake.

=
Until you blacks get your shit together and don't trust any University of Chicago fuckheads ...

Because whites have all their shit together and never trust the wrong people./sarc

PS I've been as harsh on Obama as anyone here. Trump is also a faux populist. He's the Republican Obama.

!!

Posted by: Jackrabbit | Jun 2 2020 23:03 utc | 73

Donald Trump is actually the best ruler for America.

Why?

Because he shows everyone what America really stands for behind its so-called "soft power" (i.e. propaganda mask) of "Freedom and Democracy."

By deploying the military to pacify this rebellion, all that would be happening is that America would be more honest about the Military-Corporate Empire that the "Land of the Free" truly is.

Donald Trump is the naked face of the American Empire.

Posted by: ak74 | Jun 2 2020 23:06 utc | 74

Sol Invictus @68--

Thanks for your reply! I agree with you as Trump's greatly benefitting from his and Fed policy, while Biden's paid by the same Gang. To make a debt write down a reality would take an insurrection, just as it did in the long ago past of Greece, Palestine and Rome. But a Debt Jubilee is the solution, but implementing it requires another solution.

uncle tungsten @67--

We're actually fortunate to have the histories of Greece, Rome, Palestine, and Mesopotamia to go by so we can see how this entire paradigm began, evolved, and reached a state of Critical Mass, and we must thank Michael Hudson for his vision and his colleagues at the Peabody Museum for unearthing it and informing us. The reality of his work is a very upset historical apple cart that will require a great deal of amending.

H. Schmatz @62--

The answer is the Pope or actually the Papacy since there were three main treaties and Papal Bulls that divided the earth for the Spanish and Portuguese to plunder as they saw fit as none of the inhabitants of the "discovered" lands were deemed Christian/human and thus had no rights to property or anything else. See The Treaty of Alcáçovas, The Treaty of Tordesillas and The Treaty of Zaragoza. The remaining nations of Europe merely used the coattails of those treaties to do what they desired. Spain began in North America, followed by the French, Dutch, and British. The Russians also occupied portions of North America and exploited its natural wealth until it killed off most of the fur bearing animals that provided the capital for their undertakings and never established anything larger than outposts.

Posted by: karlof1 | Jun 2 2020 23:18 utc | 75

Excellent post by b. Numerous questions that should be answered by the cops and the Administration - but, of course, won't be.

Posted by: BraveNewWorld | Jun 2 2020 17:35 utc | 2 That is what you get for sending your police to Israel for training.

Absolutely correct.

"Senator Tom Cotton: No quarter for insurrectionists, anarchists, rioters, and looters."

No quarter for the state. But do it *intelligently*.

By the way, bank robbery is no longer the smart way (not that it ever was, actually, as I proved.) Today, computer hacking is the smart way. Master hacking and you can expose state and corporate (the two are the same) crimes, loot state and corporate resources, and influence events on the national and world stage. Snowden and Assange are the new heroes, instead of Durruti and Bonnot (but the latter are still to be respected.)

Posted by: Petri Krohn | Jun 2 2020 18:31 utc | 15 Elections will mean nothing unless the rules for eligibility are fundamentally changed.

Correct. If people want to organize, they need to go after the *money*. Meaning corporate campaign contributions need to be abolished. Corporate lobbying needs to be abolished. Corporation are *not* "people", regardless of what the "law" says. They have no "right" to lobby or elect government. There needs to be a cap on campaign contributions by individuals as well, so the rich can't donate millions to a campaign. If politicians have to pander to someone, force them to pander to the small individual voter, not the corporations and oligarchs. And the habit of senior military and other government officials to immediately be put on corporate boards the minute they leave government service needs to be abolished. I don't expect any of this to happen, but it should,

Posted by: vk | Jun 2 2020 19:17 utc | 30 a "Mad Max" scenario (Crisis of the Third Century style) is the most likely scenario for the final collapse of the USA.

I prefer the ambiance used in the "cyberpunk" science-fiction genre which was popular in the '80s. We've been heading pretty steadily toward that depiction for some time now. In cyberpunk, corporations have more power than the government (including private armies), street gangs rule the streets except for corporate enclaves, cults flourish, and hackers and "solos" (jacked-up criminal ex-military mercenaries) commit "runs" against corporations, stealing data for sale.

I think it's pretty obvious that depiction accurately reflects current society (albeit not quite so "techy" as the books are - no "cyborgs" - yet.)

Posted by: Nick | Jun 2 2020 19:31 utc | 35 Require all police officers in all jurisdictions to carry individual liability insurance just like doctors.

Interesting idea. Not sure it works as well as you suggest, at least for lawyers and doctors. Lawyers are still frequently committing crimes, and doctors restrict their "off-label" drug use and are loath to change treatment protocols due to fear of a malpractice suit. Still, it would force some focus on establishing liability for police officers. I'd also agree with Jimmy Dore's comment that ex-military should not be allowed to become cops on release from the surface - wrong training, wrong mentality for police work.

Posted by: Dr Wellington Yueh | Jun 2 2020 19:32 utc | 37

My Internet was *really* slow this afternoon. Firefox behaved strangely - didn't want to start up. Couldn't connect to some sites as easily as usual. Google Gmail took forever to load. Something was definitely up. Of course, it could just be an Xfinity DNS issue or a DNS issue elsewhere. It could be just that the Internet is being stressed by too many people still in lockdown surfing for news of the riots. Then again, it could be the government messing with the system.

Posted by: Randa | Jun 2 2020 20:00 utc | 41 who may very well be manufactured synthetics and not real humans)

OK - you can take over from me as the bar fly subject to insults by being outside the "Overton Window." LOL

Posted by: vinnieoh | Jun 2 2020 21:52 utc | 55 Money is the answer, as it is the only language our masters understand and respect. And I have long believed that the only way to change ANY of the ills of our society is to start taking the money out of the pockets of the wealthy.

Agreed. I'd like to see a general strike, but I'm not sure how much momentum that would get, considering, as you say, that most people can't afford to do so. Even with the lockdown, I don't think enough people are willing to just say "fuck it" and go along with that idea. But who knows, you may be right.

I think I linked to this back in one of the virus threads here, but I recommend everyone read this piece by an American living in China.

The Billionaires ~ The System ~ The Problem ~ The Solution

According to OxFam, the world's billionaires combined have an estimated
$24 TRILLION IN CASH.
THAT'S JUST IN THEIR
PERSONAL BANK ACCOUNTS.

So in other words, the billionaires could give the world half of it now, that's $12 TRILLION. And they would STILL possess the other $12 trillion in cash PLUS all of their other assets including their massive businesses, stocks, bonds, private jets, Bentleys, mansions and super yachts.

Imagine this. A $12 TRILLION CASH contribution to stave off the societal meltdown of the century would not make one tiny iota of a difference to any one of them.

Posted by: karlof1 | Jun 2 2020 22:13 utc | 58

Agree completely.

Posted by: Richard Steven Hack | Jun 2 2020 23:27 utc | 76

Ugh, "surface" in last comment s/b "service".

Posted by: Richard Steven Hack | Jun 2 2020 23:32 utc | 77

We are all Palestinians, Now!
Saw this link on MofA recently; this explains the actions of the police occupying forces in the US.
https://palestineishere.org/places/police/ Other areas – government, universities, etc are also listed. Check out the map and compare to where the police/national guard are now acting.
Hopefully, a corallation of this training with the murder by the police occupying forces can be made. There will likely be a very high corollation to murder and brutality, since the aparteid soldiers of Israel have no qualms about shooting peaceful protestors dead. It would be very useful if someone who has gone through the Israeli training could provide a detailed overview or ,better yet, if Anonymous could get the real training materials.

The effects of the Zionist training have be summarized in an important report (pdf below) by: https://www.researchingthealliance.org/deadly-exchange

https://jewishvoiceforpeace.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Deadly-Exchange-Report-Code-939480235.pdf
“these programs facilitate an exchange of methods of state violence and control, including mass surveillance, racial profiling, and suppression of protest and dissent.”
“Over 11,000 additional American law enforcement officials have attended LEEP conferences nationwide, which invite Israeli security officials as experts.”
“this report demonstrates that the delegations’ endorsement of Israel’s use of expansive surveillance, blatant racial profiling, and brutal force as a model for US law enforcement puts us all in danger.”
“In particular, activists participating in efforts to combat Islamophobia, as well as activists in the Black Lives Matter movement, and in the movement to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline have been tracked, questioned, and sometimes arrested and charged based on their political expression and affiliations on social media. Since the declaration of the War on Terror, police have routinely surveilled and obstructed activities protected under the First Amendment in at least 36 states.”
“But Broken Windows and community policing blamed American urban decay on the behavior and values of poor, primarily Black, residents, and ignored the state’s structural abandonment in the form of massive cuts to housing, health, and environmental protections, and the absence of essential services, jobs, and legal protections. ”
“What American law enforcement see in Israeli policing is the official policy of marking entire populations as suspect, a model that is in direct opposition to efforts to end the racial profiling that has long been constitutive of American policing.”
“This increasing encroachment on human and civil rights in the name of security is enhanced by US law enforcement’s training and technological trade with Israel. Ongoing exchanges with the Israeli military, police, and intelligence agencies have contributed to expanding surveillance, including comprehensive visual and online monitoring and heightened infiltration of entire social movements and communities; They have further advanced marking Black and Brown people as suspect, particularly Arabs and Muslims, and have helped to refine policies, tactics, and technologies of systematic racial profiling targeting these communities and social movements that seek racial justice; And they promote the suppression of protests in American streets by treating protestors as enemy combatants, and by controlling media coverage of this state violence. Upon their return, US law enforcement delegations implement practices learned from Israel’s use of invasive surveillance, blatant racial profiling, and repressive use of force that endanger us all.”

Posted by: heresy101 | Jun 2 2020 23:40 utc | 78

Posted by: Petri Krohn | Jun 2 2020 18:31 utc | 15

You are right in, that, I would say ending, instead overthrowing, Trump´s presidency achieves few for the long ru, but, for these protesters, and I fear many older people in the US, most probably their parents, Trump with his fascistic tendencies and bases entails a menace for their very phisical existence which in my view explain the explosion of these protests after a vile cold blooded assassination of a US citizen, roadcasted for al to see, including us in the rest of the world, by a law enforcement forces´ member who, at that time was reprsenting the current government of the US.

Thus, as first step, to secure the possibility of achieving important goals towards a chance for a better future, when now there is no one, getting rid of such a scum as Trump, so as to conserve their very lives, arises as a primary fundamental goal.
It would not have any sense going for long term goals.....

In fact, due the absolutely rogue condition this admnistration, and especially Pompeo and the likes, have escalated high so far, I would say that this event was also directed at other audiences too, I mean, foreign countries, allies or not of the US, so as saying, "look that I am able to kill in broad daylight and cold blood, without even any apparent motive, even my own citizens, thus, submit or else"...

Yeah, In knowm sounds quite infantile, but this is how this demented admnistration has been behaving all the way since they took over...

Posted by: H.Schmatz | Jun 2 2020 23:42 utc | 79

protocol No. 3

11. This hatred will be still further magnified by the effects of an economic crises, which will stop dealing on the exchanges and bring industry to a standstill. We shall create by all the secret subterranean methods open to us and with the aid of gold, which is all in our hands, A universal economic crises whereby we shall throw upon the streets whole mobs of workers simultaneously in all the countries of europe. These mobs will rush delightedly to shed the blood of those whom, in the simplicity of their ignorance, they have envied from their cradles, and whose property they will then be able to loot.

12. "ours" they will not touch, because the moment of attack will be known to us and we shall take measures to protect our own.

Posted by: Arch | Jun 2 2020 23:42 utc | 80

You're not a good cop if you don't speak out and oppose this malevolence. You are instead complicit with it and that makes you a BAD COP.

I would change "cop" by "person" to make a second use of your sentence, especially to set the record straight for so much people here and in other blogs who are justifying, lying all the way and trying to discharge the racist assassin by multiple alleviating arguments, like alleging comorbidities.

@Posted by: 450.org | Jun 2 2020 17:59 utc | 5

In otherwords, you don't make the police the Gestapo and then the Gestapo the police again as was done in Germany.

This is the best condensed truth I have heard in much time...

Posted by: H.Schmatz | Jun 2 2020 23:52 utc | 81

@Posted by: the pair | Jun 2 2020 19:02 utc | 23

Yeah, that would be the only benefit of Trump´s presidency, but, man, to suffer an amalgam of Nero and Caligula to get there could well get with half the population traumatized, for not to say half the world.

Hatred of populations is a much extended feeling amongst elites everywhere, it is called aporophobia, hatred of the poor...
A recent South Koran film very laureated, if I am not wrong even with the Oscar, whitewashed and glorified that feeling by, as the elites usually do, blaming the victims, and making an exercsie of neolanguage so proper of our times...

Posted by: H.Schmatz | Jun 3 2020 0:05 utc | 82

Referencing Michael Hudson and "debt cancellation", here is an interesting article I just found about the history of the concept.

The Long History of Debt Cancellation

In his sweeping history Debt: The First 5,000 Years (2011), the anthropologist David Graeber suggests that cohesion in the earliest societies would have grown out of a sense of divine, unpayable indebtedness and an expectation of mutual reciprocity. For most of human history, this was the kind of indebtedness most people would have recognized: an “everyday communism,” Graeber calls it, of collective stewardship and interdependence without end.

Graeber’s central claim is that the rigid state apparatus for the regulation of indebtedness—the development of state-sanctioned money, a regime of quantified exchange, and punishment of nonpayment—had to be created, predicated on the fungibility of debt. And for Graeber, an anarchist, it can just as well be dismantled.

Anyone ever heard of Shay's Rebellion?

And this is how the United States - the "land of the free and the home of the brave" - responded to that rebellion:

Legendary patriot Samuel Adams, however, called for the execution of the rebellious farmers.

The Massachusetts legislature offered leniency and flexibility to those with tax burdens. Amnesty was also offered to the rebels if they disavowed the efforts to close the courts. The farmers were expected to take oaths of allegiance to the state government.

However, a bill was passed excusing sheriffs from responsibility if they killed any insurgents and declaring harsh punishments for rebels in custody. Soon after, the legislature suspended the writ of habeas corpus for a period of time.

Another bill prescribed the death penalty for militiamen who took part in the protests.

At the time of Shays’ Rebellion, the newly formed United States was governed by the Articles of Confederation, a document that many in the country felt was too weak to effectively manage the fledgling nation.

The specter of Shays’ Rebellion informed the debate over the framing of a new U.S. Constitution, providing fuel to Alexander Hamilton and other Federalists who advocated for a strong federal government and diminished states’ rights.

Nationalists used the rebellion to heighten paranoia, and George Washington was convinced enough by their arguments to come out of retirement and take part in the Constitutional Convention, where he was elected the first president of the United States.

Another history is here: Remembering the “Regulation” – called Shays’s Rebellion.

As Szatmary notes, not one of the petitions called for redistribution of property or an overthrow of the government–they all wanted to work “through the system.”

All of the petitions were either denied or ignored—the deflationary condition suited the merchants and creditors just fine, or most of them. And not only were the petitions dismissed, they were ridiculed.

The farmers were characterized as being both ignorant and lazy, as men who would rather spend their time complaining than providing for their families. Sean Condon, in his excellent Shays’s Rebellion, quotes from a parody petition published at the time, signed by “Amos Spendthrift, Tom Seldomsober, and Simon Dreadwork.” (A nasty bit of hypocritical Calvinism still very much with us—as when the problems of the economy are blamed on “welfare queens,” at the same time the Federal Government was bailing out another round of speculators with more money than had been spent on public assistance since the beginning of the New Deal.)

Even the right of citizens to hold county conventions was attacked—that while such conventions were necessary and appropriate while under the yoke of a foreign power, under an elected government they were characterized by the elite as being somehow seditious."

Within four days three columns of farmers, many of them armed with muskets, converged on the town of Northampton on the Connecticut River. Men from Pelham and Greenwich marched under Captain Joseph Hines, a Revolutionary War veteran, while another veteran, Captain Joel Billings, led a column from Amherst. These two columns were greeted before dawn on the outskirts of the town by a stream of men from points west. In all, 1500 men, a third of them armed, marched to fife and drum at first light to the Northampton courthouse to close it down. Around midmorning, the county sheriff and the three judges, unable to enter the court through a wall of muskets and bayonets, retired to a nearby tavern. There, after meeting with a delegation of six men representing the protesters who asked them not to hear any cases until their petition had been redressed, adjourned “all matters pending” and went home. The farmers did the same.

The protestors called themselves “regulators.” A “regulation” was a popular direct action to curb excesses of a local official—a tradition with roots in seventeenth century England that had already been adopted in America: once in North Carolina and another time in South Carolina. The Regulators in Massachusetts wore a sprig of spruce or hemlock in their hats as their badge.

As a balance to the above measures, and to satisfy those such as Samuel Adams who were calling for blood and quick executions, the state passed a series of highly coercive acts. One of the first was the Militia Act, making it a capital offense for a militia officer or soldier to aid or abet the uprising, through action, inaction, or speech, or by refusing to serve. Since almost every able-bodied male citizen was in the militia, by law, this act not only threatened most of the Regulators with hanging, but also any militiaman who refused to march against his neighbors. The act was also meant to silence the few state congressmen who were defending the Regulators, and men such as William Whiting, the Berkshire County judge who wrote several tracts in support of the Regulation, such as:

Whenever any encroachments are made either upon the liberties or properties of the people, if redress cannot be had without, it is virtue in them to disturb government.

The new Constitution needed to be ratified by the states. The Antifederalists correctly saw the new document as favoring elite power. By intention, the Constitution favored property over people, and a variety of checks were included to limit democratic power. In Massachusetts the Antifederalists were (pejoratively) called “Shaysites” by the Federalists, and, indeed, those sympathetic to the Regulation were heavily against the proposed new government. The ratification assembly on the Constitution was held in Boston. Fifty Antifederalist towns in western Massachusetts were unable to afford to send their delegates. Even so, the vote was close: 187 to 168—the Federalist victory undoubtedly helped by the last-minute endorsement of John Hancock. To many veteran yeomen, the Constitution was the counter-revolution, and only the promise of a bill of rights convinced some to support the new centralization of power. Thus we might thank Daniel Shays for the Bill of Rights.

Read the rest of it. This is your history, folks. The "United States" violated its own founding principles within a few years of creating them - at the behest of the rich.

Posted by: Richard Steven Hack | Jun 3 2020 0:06 utc | 83

@71 jr

Your reading of my comment is so juvenile I don't know where to begin.

You have misread before and I will chalk it up to your reading comprehension level. It is very poor.

And yes, Eddie Murphy was laughing at those who thought the skit demonstrated a serious reality.

What he was riffing is only present with the elites amongst themselves.

"And it's a big club and you ain't in it."

...

How is it a racist trope to point out that there are those blacks who have benefitted from the status quo mightily and wouldn't actually lift a finger to do any of the heavy lifting in an actual class struggle? I am thinking of black entertainers and actors and athletes, especially.

...

I have seriously had enough of explaining my comments to you. Please reply once more to this and be done with it. I will let you have the last word and then you can put me on ignore like I was a troll.

Please!

Posted by: NemesisCalling | Jun 3 2020 0:07 utc | 84

My brother-in-law was a Chicago cop for 35 years, and is totally bewildered by cops acting illegally in confrontations with citizens.
He believes the problem with law enforcement is Hollywood. Both cops and citizens believe what they see happening in movies and TV is legal. According to him, if a cop approaches someone to question them and they run away, the cop has no right to chase them down and arrest them for whatever reason they may create. How many times have we seen this happen in TV and movies. The only way a cop can pursue a law abiding citizen in this circumstance is with a warrant or legally justified suspicion. Justified being the operative word.

In the early eighties in Ventura, California I borrowed a friends car while he was in a darts match at a pub to pick up a picture given to me. The car was fully mechanically restored, but was a patchwork of repairs on the body. Returning to the pub a police car hit its lights and siren half a block from my destination despite my travelling below the speed limit. Since the road was a four lane with no curb, I pulled into the pub's parking lot which I deemed safer. The police pulled in behind me and demanded to know why I did not stop. I told them it was safer in my opinion and asked why I was being stopped in the first place. It is here the conversation became rather bizarre. I suspect they thought the car belonged to a young hooner from the appearance of the car and decided a little harassment was in order.

The cops were a male with a butch female obviously in charge, the female replied:

"When I pull you over you are to stop immediately, is that understood! Give me your license and registration, now."

I replied:

"The car belongs to a friend in the pub. I borrowed it briefly to pick up a picture given to me, and you have not told me why you stopped me."

The female replied sternly:

"You don't ask the question;I do. You speak to me when I tell you to, understand?"

I leaned back on to the boot replying:

"Oh, I see. Well with all due respect officer, I do not need your permission to speak."

After my reply the male officer smiled and looked away from the female hiding a laugh as the female appeared flummoxed for a moment.
Immediately, after my challenge the conversation took on a more civil tone and ended with no ticket.

Now, what would be the result of this incident with cops in the US today? I seriously doubt it would end amicably.

Posted by: Dick | Jun 3 2020 0:09 utc | 85

A friend in New York city sent me two short videos, taken from her apartment window, of a protest march through Manhattan today.
It was peaceful and disciplined in an exemplary fashion. Generally it takes the cops to turn a demo violent and this had not happened.
Most of those marching were young people and pigments were represented more or less as they are in the general population: most of those marching were 'white' and there were no apparent signs of divisions on racial grounds.
It speaks volumes for the people of the United States that these tens of thousands, peacefully marching, were doing so to demonstrate their abhorrence of the racism that has disfigured the United States for so long.
It is a mistake to judge the people of the United States by taking scoundrels like Trump or Biden as representative of them.

Posted by: bevin | Jun 3 2020 0:10 utc | 86

Posted by: AntiSpin | Jun 2 2020 19:06 utc | 24

A very detailed exposé of all of Trump's failings regarding the virus.

Trump was on TV every day in order to show that he was in charge. For the most part, however begrudgingly, he followed the advice of the 'experts'. But at the same time, he was speaking out for the 99% of people who were not medically affected by the virus, but who were being devastated financially by the lock-down and the climate of fear fanned by his opponents. And often he seemed to be the only one to do so.

As a result Trump's electoral chances were not hurt by the virus, and in this sense, he indeed handled the pandemic pretty well. And this is why the 'Globalist/Deep State' have moved on to incite riots in order to attempt to either destroy Trump's electoral chances, or to cancel the elections altogether, as I explained in my previous post (16).

Posted by: dh-mtl | Jun 3 2020 0:19 utc | 87

Racism is again being blamed, just like Russia, China, Antifa, Boogaloo, anything but the tables that are heavily slanted in favour of the Oligarchy.

Posted by: arby | Jun 3 2020 0:23 utc | 88

@ arby, when you have thoughtful posters like dh-mtl thinking trump isn't serving the globalist-deep state, i can assure you - the oligarchy is doing fine in all of this.. and for clarity sake - both parties - repubs and dems are serving the same... that much is as plain as can be...

Posted by: james | Jun 3 2020 0:31 utc | 89

I don’t know why more is expected of US.

US is a country built on genocide and thievery, on the back of slaves and low wage immigrants, for the rich to park their money in.
Money earned by pillaging and murdering the world over.
It has two tiered laws, and has been a police state (voyeur camera in every corner) for a long while, without the populace realization.
It is Exceptional only in pillage and murder. It is where freedom ain’t free.

Once you look at it that way, perhaps your exceptions can be adjusted accordingly.

Posted by: Sakineh Bagoom | Jun 3 2020 0:32 utc | 90

James, that is what i meant.
The real underlying reasons are the Oligarchy rules of heads they win, tails you lose system.

Posted by: arby | Jun 3 2020 0:51 utc | 91

Something I forgot to add. Thomas Jefferson on Shay's Rebellion:

In 1786, Jefferson learned of Shays’ Rebellion in letters from John Adams and John Jay. Shays’ Rebellion arose when farmers in western Massachusetts, angered by rising debts and taxes, took up arms against the government. Abigail Adams, who corresponded regularly with Jefferson, also wrote him about the insurgency. Jefferson responded in a letter dated February 22, 1787.

. . . The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions, that I wish it to be always kept alive. It will often be exercised when wrong, but better so than not to be exercised at all. I like a little rebellion now and then. It is like a storm in the atmosphere.

From “Thomas Jefferson to Abigail Smith Adams, February 22, 1787”

In a letter to William S. Smith, November 13, 1787, Jefferson again spoke of the rebellion in western Massachusetts:

…Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon & pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots & tyrants. It is it’s natural manure….

From “Thomas Jefferson to William S. Smith, November 13, 1787,” page 515

“I hold it that a little rebellion, now and then, is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical. Unsuccessful rebellions, indeed, generally establish the encroachments on the rights of the people, which have produced them. An observation of this truth should render honest republican governors so mild in their punishment of rebellions, as not to discourage them too much. It is a medicine necessary for the sound health of government.”

From a letter he wrote to James Madison on January 30, 1787.

Posted by: Richard Steven Hack | Jun 3 2020 0:58 utc | 92

funny to watch why a corpse has an erection. "send in the 101st airborne and light them up!" the violence by the police against the bodies of protestors cannot be compared to property damage and monetary loss. probably lost on someone w/the last name Cotton.

and the faster US "prestige" plunges into the toilet the better.

Posted by: jason | Jun 3 2020 1:16 utc | 93

More Biden Self-Defense Advice: A Knife-Wielding Assailant is ‘Unarmed’; Cops Should Shoot For the Leg

Read the article. Ignore the comments section, since they're all right-wingers. :-)

Posted by: Richard Steven Hack | Jun 3 2020 1:23 utc | 94

Cops -- Newly Wary Of Looking Like Authoritarian Assholes -- Open Fire On, Arrest Journalists

The Slate article referenced: Police Erupt in Violence Nationwide

Posted by: Richard Steven Hack | Jun 3 2020 1:52 utc | 95

Radicalising movements to delegitimize them is an old COINTELPRO recipe. Sadly, it still seems to be working.. Gruff, what do you make of all this?

Posted by: Lozion | Jun 3 2020 1:55 utc | 96

@ vinnieoh | Jun 2 2020 21:52 utc | 55

"How and why did the economy of the US collapse so easily with the arrival of this virus, this pandemic?"

As I have pointed out before --

Think Coronavirus Caused the Crash? These Two Charts Beg to Differ

http://www.silverbearcafe.com/private/financial.html

As the two charts show, the economy had been sinking until, as it might astonish some folks to learn, it began rising after the pandemic struck the US, and has been rising ever since.

Posted by: AntiSpin | Jun 3 2020 1:59 utc | 97

@Prop K. 45

To quote:

This is long in the making. There will be ebbs and flows to the riots, but the trajectory is clear.

Yah, people can attempt to predict the outcomes, but the trajectory is clear. B noted, I believe it was, the coming unrest when unemployment benefits run out after end of July. Hunger and evictions are soon to follow. How do lower middle class white people with guns react when they lose their homes and see their families hungery backed up by the violence of the state? How are law and order types who demand the military crack heads going to reconcile that state violence against them when they resist?

When I read about the machinations of Pelosi, Mitch, and Trump at the start of the pandemic, they essentially cooked in where the trajectory will go--and the trajectory cannot be stopped. I don't know the details except that large urban areas will collapse into total anarchy and violence as the majority white police forces retreat to their homes in the suburbs.

Posted by: Erelis | Jun 3 2020 2:13 utc | 98

NemesisCalling | Jun3 0:07 @ 82

Your reading of my comment is so juvenile I don't know where to begin.

My reading of your comment is exactly right.

You're inventing reasons to throw shade on the protesters and their demand for justice. You dress it up as concerns for the black community. You deliberately ignore the fact that people of all races are supporting the demand for justice.

=
And yes, Eddie Murphy was laughing at those who thought the skit demonstrated a serious reality.

You still don't get it. Just doubling down on stupid now.

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How is it a racist trope ...

That Africans sold other Africans to White slavers is a fact but only half the story. That half-truth is used by racists to blame the victim.

Slavery in Africa ballooned after Whites showed up and started playing one tribe against each other. And African slavery was not chattel slavery.

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blacks who have benefitted from the status quo mightily and wouldn't actually lift a finger

Blame shifting.

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I have seriously had enough of explaining my comments to you.

White man's burden: explaining himself. It's. Just. So. Difficult.

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Please reply once more ...

My reply: your comments are not worthy of moa.

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I will let you have the last word and then you can put me on ignore ...

Another classic troll move: let's agree to disagree.

This is not a negotiation.

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... like I was a troll.

I see what you did there.

You're mock concern is very troll-like. But I'll leave it to moa readers to decide for themselves.

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Please!

Please educate yourself and correct your attitude.

!!

Posted by: Jackrabbit | Jun 3 2020 2:17 utc | 99

Someone kidnapped the real b and replaced him with a shill.

Posted by: Jezabeel | Jun 3 2020 2:30 utc | 100