The Come-Back, Day 21. Mourning for the American Project.
Today dawned cloudy, after low clouds moved in from the sea yesterday evening. The weather is changing. Next week will be cooler and we might get some rain. Summer is over. For now.
The news on the virus is mixed. The national deaths are now in the single digits, and new infections are below two hundred. But, since people prefer to follow their own comfort, we won't be rid of it any time soon. I fear that, as soon as inter-provincial transit is allowed, infections will start to go up. I don't know if borders will be opened in July. And, if they are, will people still want to travel to a foreign country where they might get infected, however low the infection rate may be?
One place few will go is the United States. The country is imploding, it seems. I remember reading about revolts that happened around the time I was born. But there were leaders with cooler heads then, even if one of the results was Nixon's election. Now, there's a buffoon with a trigger-happy Twitter finger that would love nothing better than to send the Army in, and just start shooting at everyone in sight.
The protests that popped up after the killing of George Floyd were perfectly legitimate. The first night's vandalism were comprehensible, even though preferably avoided. There was too much frustration after so many years of repeatedly being held down. After that, though, things got out of hand. Opportunists came in, to Minneapolis and other cities, and started going bat-shit crazy. Most of those arrested in Minneapolis the other night, were from out of town. Some were far left activists, but there were plenty of far right thugs. Especially after Trump tweeted with his fat little hands, "when the looting starts, the shooting starts," in a Tweet that Twitter has covered up because it incites to violence.
Uh huh. Then don't send in your "thugs" to do the looting. Trump mentioned that "mobs", "thugs," and "radical left criminals" were the culprits. But his "very fine people" who stormed the Michigan state house, each protestor carrying an armory, who were protesting then just to be able to get haircuts, were probably among some of those out-of-staters arrested in Minneapolis-St.Paul.
As we know, there are cops of all kinds. There are too many who adore Trump and his messages. While those who are looting and burning should be arrested, in too many cities, peaceful protestors were attacked by over-zealous cops. Among some of the affected was a young girl at a Seattle protest. A cop came by and sprayed mace or pepper spray in her eyes. I have seen videos of peaceful protestors shoved, pushed, and beaten with batons. One woman seemed to be walking home with a shopping bag in the evening and was forcefully pushed to the ground by a helmeted policeman from behind.
Reporters have also been in the bull's eye of some police. A black CNN reporter was arrested the other day in Minneapolis as he was peacefully reporting on the air, even after he identified himself as press. A white companion was not. Others have also been arrested. Some had rubber bullets stove in their car windshield with them inside. Others were maced after producing the press ID, and some had rifles pointed at them, fingers on the triggers, while they were working. An Australian reporter and his cameraman were cuffed, detained, and had their equipment searched. Another reporter and her cameraman were actually shot at with rubber bullets. Yet another reporter lost an eye to one of those bullets. Others had teargas canisters fired at them at point blank range. When the reporters, who had shown their press IDs asked the police where they wanted them to go, the cops didn't reply, just shot the canisters.
Curfews have been installed in some cities. The National Guard has come out in others. Nashville's courthouse and city hall were set on fire. Everywhere, businesses have been burnt, regardless of what they were, or who the owners were. There was looting in West Hollywood, including at the Flight Club store, where some sneakers sell for tens of thousands of dollars. There have been shootings, and several people, both police and protestors, have died.
In the midst of all this mayhem, the virus seems to have been forgotten. I wonder just how many more will become infected now, and how many will die. And, with all the businesses destroyed, and unemployment at over fourteen percent, recuperation, both from the pandemic, and the riots, will be long and slow.
With the president, of all people, inciting mayhem, and news reporters being targeted in many places, the fabric of the American nation is wearing thin. Tears are beginning to show. We'll have to wait and see if it will hold, or if it will start tearing at some point. It seems dubious at this point that the nation will make it to the November elections.
Life continues.
The news on the virus is mixed. The national deaths are now in the single digits, and new infections are below two hundred. But, since people prefer to follow their own comfort, we won't be rid of it any time soon. I fear that, as soon as inter-provincial transit is allowed, infections will start to go up. I don't know if borders will be opened in July. And, if they are, will people still want to travel to a foreign country where they might get infected, however low the infection rate may be?
One place few will go is the United States. The country is imploding, it seems. I remember reading about revolts that happened around the time I was born. But there were leaders with cooler heads then, even if one of the results was Nixon's election. Now, there's a buffoon with a trigger-happy Twitter finger that would love nothing better than to send the Army in, and just start shooting at everyone in sight.
The protests that popped up after the killing of George Floyd were perfectly legitimate. The first night's vandalism were comprehensible, even though preferably avoided. There was too much frustration after so many years of repeatedly being held down. After that, though, things got out of hand. Opportunists came in, to Minneapolis and other cities, and started going bat-shit crazy. Most of those arrested in Minneapolis the other night, were from out of town. Some were far left activists, but there were plenty of far right thugs. Especially after Trump tweeted with his fat little hands, "when the looting starts, the shooting starts," in a Tweet that Twitter has covered up because it incites to violence.
Uh huh. Then don't send in your "thugs" to do the looting. Trump mentioned that "mobs", "thugs," and "radical left criminals" were the culprits. But his "very fine people" who stormed the Michigan state house, each protestor carrying an armory, who were protesting then just to be able to get haircuts, were probably among some of those out-of-staters arrested in Minneapolis-St.Paul.
As we know, there are cops of all kinds. There are too many who adore Trump and his messages. While those who are looting and burning should be arrested, in too many cities, peaceful protestors were attacked by over-zealous cops. Among some of the affected was a young girl at a Seattle protest. A cop came by and sprayed mace or pepper spray in her eyes. I have seen videos of peaceful protestors shoved, pushed, and beaten with batons. One woman seemed to be walking home with a shopping bag in the evening and was forcefully pushed to the ground by a helmeted policeman from behind.
Reporters have also been in the bull's eye of some police. A black CNN reporter was arrested the other day in Minneapolis as he was peacefully reporting on the air, even after he identified himself as press. A white companion was not. Others have also been arrested. Some had rubber bullets stove in their car windshield with them inside. Others were maced after producing the press ID, and some had rifles pointed at them, fingers on the triggers, while they were working. An Australian reporter and his cameraman were cuffed, detained, and had their equipment searched. Another reporter and her cameraman were actually shot at with rubber bullets. Yet another reporter lost an eye to one of those bullets. Others had teargas canisters fired at them at point blank range. When the reporters, who had shown their press IDs asked the police where they wanted them to go, the cops didn't reply, just shot the canisters.
Curfews have been installed in some cities. The National Guard has come out in others. Nashville's courthouse and city hall were set on fire. Everywhere, businesses have been burnt, regardless of what they were, or who the owners were. There was looting in West Hollywood, including at the Flight Club store, where some sneakers sell for tens of thousands of dollars. There have been shootings, and several people, both police and protestors, have died.
In the midst of all this mayhem, the virus seems to have been forgotten. I wonder just how many more will become infected now, and how many will die. And, with all the businesses destroyed, and unemployment at over fourteen percent, recuperation, both from the pandemic, and the riots, will be long and slow.
With the president, of all people, inciting mayhem, and news reporters being targeted in many places, the fabric of the American nation is wearing thin. Tears are beginning to show. We'll have to wait and see if it will hold, or if it will start tearing at some point. It seems dubious at this point that the nation will make it to the November elections.
Life continues.
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