The Many Faces of US Politics...

[Eamonnca1]

It WILL cost them money. The entire season is legitimately in jeopardy. If it's cancelled, nobody gets paid.

Oh dear. How awful. That's nearly as bad as black people being shot to death by murderous cops.

What?

This isn't directed at you, but I just find it interesting that some people will be more upset about missing a ball game than the underlying cause of the protests.

[Taylor]

It WILL cost them money. The entire season is legitimately in jeopardy. If it's cancelled, nobody gets paid.

Oh dear. How awful. That's nearly as bad as black people being shot to death by murderous cops.

What?

This isn't directed at you, but I just find it interesting that some people will be more upset about missing a ball game than the underlying cause of the protests.

Who is upset about missing a ball game?

[Eamonnca1]

Oh the deplorables will be whinging about it soon enough

[Eamonnca1]

Yup, nothing surer:

[sid waddell]

Wonder if anybody sees the problem here

If you don't you're part of the problem

[Eamonnca1]

The New York Post is Fox News in print.

[sid waddell]

Ann Coulter said about the white supremacist terrorist murderer Kyle Rittenhouse: "I want him as my President"

San Francisco Giants world series winner Aubrey Huff called him "a national treasure"

Like, how obvious does it have to be what the problem in America is

[J70]

These people are f**king sick in the head.

US is heading for a split if this shit continues. There is no reasoning with these right wing whackjobs. There is something seriously wrong with a society that produces that type of mentality.

[Eamonnca1]

The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact needs to pass within the next few electoral cycles, because this period of minority rule is storing up a lot of problems. If the people can't have their say through the ballot box, they'll invariably end up using other means of making their voices heard.

[sid waddell]

Thankfully poster five points is on hand to dismiss this report as "wacko"

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/aug/27/white-supremacists-militias-infiltrate-us-police-report

White supremacists and militias have infiltrated police across US, report says
A former FBI agent has documented links between serving officers and racist militant activities in more than a dozen states

White supremacist groups have infiltrated US law enforcement agencies in every region of the country over the last two decades, according to a new report about the ties between police and far-right vigilante groups.

In a timely new analysis, Michael German, a former FBI special agent who has written extensively on the ways that US law enforcement have failed to respond to far-right domestic terror threats, concludes that US law enforcement officials have been tied to racist militant activities in more than a dozen states since 2000, and hundreds of police officers have been caught posting racist and bigoted social media content.

The report notes that over the years, police links to militias and white supremacist groups have been uncovered in states including Alabama, California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Virginia, Washington and West Virginia.

Police in Sacramento, California, in 2018 worked with neo-Nazis to pursue charges against anti-racist activists, including some who had been stabbed, according to records.

And just this summer, German writes, an Orange county sheriff's deputy and a Chicago policeman were caught wearing far-right militia logos; an Olympia, Washington, officer was photographed posing with a militia group; and Philadelphia police officers were filmed standing by while armed mobs attacked protesters and journalists.

----------

German told the Guardian on Wednesday: "Far-right militants are allowed to engage in violence and walk away while protesters are met with violent police actions." This "negligent response", he added, empowers violent groups in dangerous and potentially lethal ways: "The most violent elements within these far-right militant groups believe that their conduct is sanctioned by the government. And therefore they're much more willing to come out and engage in acts of violence against protesters."

There is growing awareness in some parts of the government about the intensifying threat of white supremacy. The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have directly identified white supremacists as the most lethal domestic terrorist threat in the country. According to German's report, the FBI's own internal documents have directly warned that the militia groups the agency is investigating often have "active links" to law enforcement.

And yet US agencies lack a national strategy to identify white supremacist police and root out this problem, German warned. Meanwhile, popular police reform efforts to address "implicit bias" have done nothing to confront explicit racism.

The FBI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

[Main Street]

I watched a bit of last nights Republican convention, Trump is a very poor speaker with a drone tone rhythm that is just beyond banal. I dozed off after 10 minutes, woke up later and he was still speaking.  When taken out of his more usual staged rally with hundreds of pumped up red white and blue fanatics as a backdrop and a lit up audience, he tops the table of the most boring personality and public speakers.
The warm up act was his daughter, whiny weak and vacuous.  Then someone else from the family sounded like a banshee with a hot metal carrot stuck up her anus, no connection to the art of the political speech.
In contrast the republican convention of 1968, also set in a time of incredible social upheaval and  protest, was a masterpiece of propaganda including Nixon's speech  delivered with perfection, with all the subtle references to tick the  law and order  fears of the white suburban dwellers. Nixon narrowly  pipped his opponent Humphrey in California and Illinois and won in a landslide of electoral votes.

[gallsman]

I saw Trump "profoundly accepted" the nomination, whatever that means.

[Eamonnca1]

Thankfully poster five points is on hand to dismiss this report as "wacko"

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/aug/27/white-supremacists-militias-infiltrate-us-police-report

White supremacists and militias have infiltrated police across US, report says
A former FBI agent has documented links between serving officers and racist militant activities in more than a dozen states

White supremacist groups have infiltrated US law enforcement agencies in every region of the country over the last two decades, according to a new report about the ties between police and far-right vigilante groups.

In a timely new analysis, Michael German, a former FBI special agent who has written extensively on the ways that US law enforcement have failed to respond to far-right domestic terror threats, concludes that US law enforcement officials have been tied to racist militant activities in more than a dozen states since 2000, and hundreds of police officers have been caught posting racist and bigoted social media content.

The report notes that over the years, police links to militias and white supremacist groups have been uncovered in states including Alabama, California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Virginia, Washington and West Virginia.

Police in Sacramento, California, in 2018 worked with neo-Nazis to pursue charges against anti-racist activists, including some who had been stabbed, according to records.

And just this summer, German writes, an Orange county sheriff's deputy and a Chicago policeman were caught wearing far-right militia logos; an Olympia, Washington, officer was photographed posing with a militia group; and Philadelphia police officers were filmed standing by while armed mobs attacked protesters and journalists.

----------

German told the Guardian on Wednesday: "Far-right militants are allowed to engage in violence and walk away while protesters are met with violent police actions." This "negligent response", he added, empowers violent groups in dangerous and potentially lethal ways: "The most violent elements within these far-right militant groups believe that their conduct is sanctioned by the government. And therefore they're much more willing to come out and engage in acts of violence against protesters."

There is growing awareness in some parts of the government about the intensifying threat of white supremacy. The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have directly identified white supremacists as the most lethal domestic terrorist threat in the country. According to German's report, the FBI's own internal documents have directly warned that the militia groups the agency is investigating often have "active links" to law enforcement.

And yet US agencies lack a national strategy to identify white supremacist police and root out this problem, German warned. Meanwhile, popular police reform efforts to address "implicit bias" have done nothing to confront explicit racism.

The FBI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Doesn't surprise me one bit. The US law enforcement system is a honeypot that attracts all manner of violent and hateful RWNJ thugs. Want to beat up or shoot some Mexicans and terrorise their children? Join ICE and do it all legally and without any consequence. Get your kicks from deporting little old ladies who overlooked a bit of paperwork on their visa? Join the DHS where you're a law onto yourself.

[sid waddell]

Doesn't surprise me one bit. The US law enforcement system is a honeypot that attracts all manner of violent and hateful RWNJ thugs. Want to beat up or shoot some Mexicans and terrorise their children? Join ICE and do it all legally and without any consequence. Get your kicks from deporting little old ladies who overlooked a bit of paperwork on their visa? Join the DHS where you're a law onto yourself.

And when that happens the line between police, army, other so called "law enforcement" and terrorist militias blurs - as happens in classic authoritarian states

Sexual predation is another one - if you're a sexual predator, join up with ICE and abuse caged immigrants, caged children

Lavrentiy Beria, who was the head of the NKVD in Stalin's Russia, was a serial rapist

Rape is a classic war crime

That's the sort of space the US has entered now, and it will ramp up

History is what tells you that, to believe otherwise you have to be wilfully ignorant of history

[LeoMc]

I saw Trump "profoundly accepted" the nomination, whatever that means.

Is he still at the point where he can pick his VP? Is Pence a forgone conclusion or because that is the traditional way of doing it, could Trump select a new running mate, Ivanka or Donald jr?