Morning Politocadoes!
Portland continues to be a flashpoint in the struggle to make the demands of the Black Lives Matter movement heard. Indeed, it has become something even more as President Trump’s unidentified Federal troops continue to snatch protesters off the streets and throw them into unmarked vans. Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf has brushed off demands from the Mayor of Portland and the Governor of Oregon to withdraw these paramilitary troops from the city.
Sorry, wait, “cIvILian LaW eNfOrCeMeNt”
This headline and others like it are grossly inaccurate & irresponsible.
Our officers are not "paramilitary." They are civilian law enforcement doing their job — enforcing federal law.https://t.co/BFbKVw9O12
— Acting Secretary Chad Wolf (@DHS_Wolf) July 23, 2020
Ok, I guess we’re having some nomenclature issues here. Hired Goons? Hired Goons? We’ll go with Hired Goons.
Well who better to stand up to some hired goons than a mom? Or perhaps a wall of moms? In an act of extraordinary bravery, mothers of all ages have created a protective barrier between the Hired Goons and the protesters. Armed with bike helmets and goggles, hockey sticks and leafblowers to knock away tear gas, the Wall of Moms seem to have been effective. In fact, as Trump prepares to utilize similar tactics in other cities, chapters of Wall of Moms have popped up in response.
In Portland, A ‘Wall Of Moms’ And Leaf Blowers Against Tear Gas
Most people seem to agree that the Hired Goons have made a tense situation already worse. The mayor himself was tear gassed. The State of Oregon is trying to get a restraining order against them, for whatever that’s worth. Even Portland Police Association President Daryl Turner wants nothing to do with this escalation saying “The federal police have their marching orders on how they’re going to do things… And that coordination was not made with Portland police.”
Federal police. That’s some interesting verbiage. I wonder how many of them have seen Escape From New York and/or Escape From LA.
What people seem to have hit upon is that it’s entirely likely that the cruelty is the point; that DHS is ignoring state and local authorities and antagonizing protesters because Trump believes this will help him. Boris Epshteyn released that video of violent clashes with protesters calling it “Biden’s America”. They want to feed the image of violent antifa burning down cities to their audience of older white people. This is why we are going to see this again in Chicago, in Albuquerque, LA, wherever he thinks he needs it.
Trump ‘Surges’ Feds to Chicago Like It’s a War Zone
It’s partly a campaign ploy, and in my opinion, a dry-run for when he doesn’t accept the outcome of the election.
The coming months are likely to get dark or even darker than they have been. Trump clearly has no scruples in his bid to stay in power. He’ll make your kids go to school while a highly contagious virus runs rampant, he’ll let you get kicked out on the street because you still can’t work due to said virus, and he’ll send in some Hired Goons to rough people up deliberately to piss people off.
Stay safe, stay active. Hug your mom if they decide to be in a Wall.
Welcome to Thursday! Please be excellent to each other in the comments. The Mayor McSquirrel Rule remains in effect. As the protests continue, please be safe, dress non-descriptively, avoid wearing contacts if you wear them normally, and keep your phones on you. As the Covid-19 pandemic continues, please continue to maintain social distancing measures, wear masks in public areas, and practices sanitation policies as circumstances dictate.