Why America Burns

Jacob Blake, father, son, brother, human.

Once again, we see the way the police go about ‘policing’ those not white among us.

Please, please, please, we need no more examples of this kind of policing, of this police brutality, of this murder.

We have enough, we have had enough.

Jacob Blake, father, son, brother, was shoot in the back seven times by a policeman with one hand on Blake’s shirt and the other holding the gun that did it. While he was getting into his car, and in front of his children.

Why?

We don’t know. Kenosha Police aren’t saying, they’re ‘investigating’. As always, ‘investigating’. They want to make sure their brother officers have justice, unlike the ‘justice’ served Jacob Blake, father, son, brother… who lies in a hospital bed, partially paralyzed by this policeman’s actions. The policeman is suspended or reassigned, with pay, of course.

Of course.

We shall hear the familiar reasons, excuses, that the policeman feared for his life, that Jacob Blake, father, son, brother, refused commands. We’ll get the usual blaming of the victim. All is this too familiar, all of this nightmare lived before, again, and again, and, again.  

His sister, Letetra Widman, said: “When you say the name ‘Jacob Blake,’ make sure you say ‘father.’ Make sure you say ‘cousin.’ Make sure you say ‘son.’ Make sure you say ‘uncle.’ But most importantly, make sure you say ‘human.’ Let it marinate in your mouth, in your minds. A human life. … I don't want your pity. I want change.”

Jacob Blake, father, son, brother, human.

What the hell. What the hell.

The other side? How do the Kenosha police treat young white men who have actually committed a crime? We have an example of that as well. In the protests, and yes, riots in the past three days, we have these ‘militia’ types showing up with their guns, ‘protecting’ things, really, looking for an excuse to use that gun they carry around at the grocery store.

Last night, one of them found an excuse.

17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse, a white ‘militiaman’ from Illinois, crossed the border in Wisconsin, looking for a fight. He illegally brought his AK with him. Moments after getting thanks, approval and a free bottle of water from the police, he opens fire and murders two people during a protest in Wisconsin last night, wounding one more.

Cell phone footage shows Kenosha police telling armed insurrectionists, “We appreciate you guys. We really do,” and giving them bottles of water, including this killer. So, we see how police handle armed white guys.

Shortly after this video was taken, this murder shot and killed two protesters and wounded another. These guys, supported by the police.

From the Washington Post:

“A Washington Post journalist who observed the scene saw the man with the rifle run by with a few protesters in pursuit after gunfire erupted about a block away. He tripped and fell, rolled into a sitting position, raised his gun and opened fire at his pursuers.”

Still sketchy, but it sounds like he fired, got chased for shooting someone, fell and started firing again. He will say one of two things: He acted in self-defense, or they deserved it (I’m seeing both of these in right wing media right now). There will be more blaming of the victims.

And how did this killer get away and run back to Illinois? How did this guy, armed with an AK get past a line of police and their vehicles as protesters cried out that he had just shot someone?

By walking right by them.

This is how the police treat a white man who just murdered two people, and this is how they treated unarmed Jacob Blake, a father, a son, a brother, a cousin, an uncle… a human being.

This is why people are in the streets. The Kenosha Police Department has painted broadly the reasons America is burning.

Black Lives Have to Matter, but they don’t matter to many who have the power over those Black Lives.

This is why America burns.

Where Goes Q, Goes the GOP

“Trust the Plan” they say, you know, when it looks to be insane bullshit. It’s not! Trust it!

The GOP has embraced a far-far right-wing conspiracy theory, or it has infected the Republican party enough that it has to embrace it or be swallowed. That theory, really a worldview and way of life, is called: Qanon.

What the hell is ‘Qanon?

Qanon is a bizarre, through-the-looking-glass movement, the new Tea Party, but crazier, stupider, and much, much more dangerous. The whole thing was started by an anonymous poster claiming to be a 'top level intelligence officer’ in the Trump administration. They posted on Reddit under the name ‘Q’ and started outlining their ‘insider knowledge’. After the initial drop, they would should back up and post what the increasing followers would call 'breadcrumbs' (and what one study claimed to be random keyboard hits) which true believers (now calling themselves Qanon, or just 'Q') would then 'interpret' as they saw fit. And boy did they see fit.

Essentially, the world is run by a cabal of Satan worshiping, pedophile cannibals, (this includes Hillary Clinton, Obama, and Tom Hanks. TOM HANKS!!!), and many many more, mostly Democratic politicians and Hollywood celebrities, anyone to the left of Satan. This ungodly cabal will, any day, be rounded up by Trump, who has been secretly working behind the scenes (with Robert Mueller, Yes, this is part of it!!) and then Trump will lead the nation back to the truth, the light, the church and Christ.

Trump. He's going to do all this.

Any day now.

We're all waiting.

Okay, I make fun, but.... there are several true believers running for seats in congress right now, and a couple that will probably make it in. What will they do, all the true 'Q' believers? What did the Millerites do when they waited all spring of 1843 for Jesus to show up to smite the non-believers, and he never arrived? They doubled down, and waited until spring 1844, really, really sure Jesus would show up this time. When Jesus still didn't show up (I assume they sent him an invitation) they tripled down, changed the name of the group to the Seventh Day Adventist Church, and continued on thinking they were smarter and better than anyone else.

Because they knew 'the truth'. Just like the Q-anon believers do, as the Trumpers do.

They will double down. And I'm afraid they will do so violently. They've been violent before, killing police, shooting up a DC pizza parlor to free the abused children in the basement (no kids, no basement). The FBI considers them a domestic terrorist threat, and they like to show up at rallies with far-right anti-government extremists and Nazis. They are looking for a fight.

“Where We Go One, We Go All" is their motto.

 And when the Chosen One is in danger, (like losing an election) they will be there, ready for that fight.