CNN Reporter arrested by state police while on air.

[Dartz]

They're basically targetting the press, the helpless, people in their own homes and the injured in a medical tent. That's SS-level, with a little Gestapo in the mix.

And things got to the point in DC where the Secret Service hurried the Presiden down into his secure bunker for his own safety. Which means they must've considered there was a real chance of him being rode out of the house on a rail.

This does, of course, lead to comparison with another individual who met their Downfall hiding from anti-fascists in a bunker.

[Matrix Dragon]

Australian media attacked by US police.

Guess what clips making the rounds down here right now...

[Norgarth]

They're basically targetting the press, the helpless, people in their own homes and the injured in a medical tent.  That's SS-level, with a little Gestapo in the mix. 

And things got to the point in DC where the Secret Service hurried the Presiden down into his secure bunker for his own safety. Which means they must've considered there was a real chance of him being rode out of the house on a rail.

This does, of course, lead to comparison with another individual who met their Downfall hiding from anti-fascists in a bunker.

A post I saw on facebook asked if Trump saw his popularity rating while he was down in the bunker

[Matrix Dragon]

Trump had police use tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse a peaceful protest so he could stage a photo op in front of a church. Police did this at 6:30 pm, half an hour before the city issued cerfew. In so doing, the Police proved their loyalty to Trump, as opposed to their morals and the law.

[Norgarth]

Trump: I am deploying Military on US soil to put down protests

[classicdrogn]

Asking as a friend... Do you folks south of the 49th parallel need a UN armed intervention force to come in and restore order? (And, considering the state of your finances, an IMF bailout like the one Greece got?)

... is this offer still open? It's starting to look more attractive. Observers to keep an eye out for election tampering might be good too, all things considered.

[LynnInDenver]

Denver has now been running curfews for the past few nights, and those curfews are running through Thursday night.

I'm starting to think it's just the year we get to stay holed up at home, regardless of whether or not COVID-19 recedes.

Yeah, that UN intervention is looking more and more attractive compared to what we're getting. Flush out our police forces please.

[Star Ranger4]

Its not our police forces that....

well, yes they do need an outside agency to come in and review.

But right now the problem is at the highest executive level.


Welcome to Heinlein's Crazy years, folks. All he got wrong was the start date.

[hazard]

Star Ranger, the problem is not just at the highest executive level.

The problem exists in a vast swathe of US society, and all that has happened is that there's an executive that indulges in the problem, rather than suppresses it. Black people in the USA would still be getting murdered and discriminated against if Trump wasn't in charge.

[robkelk]

And it's not just in the USA, and natives have just as bad a time of it as blacks do.

There's a systemic problem here.

[Black Aeronaut]

Asking as a friend... Do you folks south of the 49th parallel need a UN armed intervention force to come in and restore order? (And, considering the state of your finances, an IMF bailout like the one Greece got?)

... is this offer still open? It's starting to look more attractive. Observers to keep an eye out for election tampering might be good too, all things considered.

Please don't even joke about it.  Some right wingnuts down in Arizona actually made a movie about this very thing happening... except that in their movie it was a prelude to install a puppet government in Washington.  You can imagine now how the rest of the film goes.

[Dartz]

I think there is a way to freeze Trump's personal assetts in the State if it comes to that. Nationalise Doonbeg, use it as a coronavirus isolation hospital or something. Hit him in his pocket, because he doesn't care about anything that isn't a personal consequence.

[Labster]

We already have a puppet government, Trump is Pantalone and Putin pulls the strings.

Also having played Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, I'm not all that terrified of the UN government. It's always Miriam and her nutbags that screw up my plans. Which seems pretty familiar. (Although one time I was playing Dierdre and I had a pact of sisterhood with Miriam for the whole game, it was pretty awesome. And we conquered Planet together for Christendom and Centauri neopaganism )

[robkelk]

Asking as a friend... Do you folks south of the 49th parallel need a UN armed intervention force to come in and restore order? (And, considering the state of your finances, an IMF bailout like the one Greece got?)

... is this offer still open? It's starting to look more attractive. Observers to keep an eye out for election tampering might be good too, all things considered.

Please don't even joke about it.  Some right wingnuts down in Arizona actually made a movie about this very thing happening... except that in their movie it was a prelude to install a puppet government in Washington.  You can imagine now how the rest of the film goes.

I wasn't joking.

And what uninformed paranoids or misinformed paranoids do should have no bearing on anybody else's actions, except to protect ourselves from the paranoids.

[classicdrogn]

Black humor at best, I'm afraid. I can legitimately see it coming to that with the Toddler in Chief having spent the last few years energetically removing anyone who had the effrontery to tell him "no." Better than a full on civil war, at least, the way bringing in outside investigators is better than an in-house witch hunt.

[hazard]

Dartz
I think there is a way to freeze Trump's personal assetts in the State if it comes to that. Nationalise Doonbeg, use it as a coronavirus isolation hospital or something. Hit him in his pocket, because he doesn't care about anything that isn't a personal consequence.

Won't happen while he's still in power, perhaps unless he's already been voted out and we're waiting for January.

Also having played Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, I'm not all that terrified of the UN government.  It's always Miriam and her nutbags that screw up my plans.  Which seems pretty familiar.  (Although one time I was playing Dierdre and I had a pact of sisterhood with Miriam for the whole game, it was pretty awesome.  And we conquered Planet together for Christendom and Centauri neopaganism )

Not just you. I've played the hell out of Alpha Centauri, and the Believers are the biggest pain in the ass. Even bigger than the Spartans, who are pretty chill so long as you've got a big enough military. Lal and the Peacekeepers? As long as you aren't an asshole you can get along with him.

Mostly played Stepdaughters or University though, which meant that either I was taking over the planet with large amounts of overpowered psionic fauna (turns out, unless your enemies have Morale boosting stuff going psionic units are terrifying), helped by high planet scores getting you large numbers of fauna for free, or through sheer technological advantage.

I wasn't joking.

And what uninformed paranoids or misinformed paranoids do should have no bearing on anybody else's actions, except to protect ourselves from the paranoids.

Try Europe. I won't say we're perfect, but we generally don't have racial tensions this bad.

Also, you are much less likely to die of an accident. Or a murder. And our health system is actually affordable so keeling over dead because you couldn't afford care isn't a thing either.

[RMH999]

Eldest niece and her fiancee (he has dual citizenship) are making their plans to head north to Canada after they graduate. I wish them luck.

Now to hunker down and see what sort of chaos occurs tonight (resident of Louisville, KY). Let's see if our police can increase the clusterf**k we have going or maybe some sanity will finally occur...

#BreonnaTaylor #DavidMcAtee

[Matrix Dragon]

The White House is now claiming no tear gas or rubber bullets were used on the crowd so Trump could have his Can't Hold A Bible Photo Op, and demanding papers issue retractions.

[Black Aeronaut]

I wonder how quickly the Democrats can ram through another Impeachment.

...Hey, a guy can dream, can't he?

[Matrix Dragon]

I wonder how quickly the Democrats can ram through another Impeachment.

...Hey, a guy can dream, can't he?

McConnell would just murder it again, then they'd claim that Trump's been proven innocent. Again.

[classicdrogn]

Definitely no collusion there. It's a perfect presidency.

[Labster]

George Floyd Left a Gospel Legacy in Houston

Actually no politics in this article. It's just about the man he was.

[classicdrogn]

Trevor Noah advocates looting and violent protests on the Daily Show channel, because "the social contract is already broken."


What the fuck, Trevor?

The benefit of not-looting and not-violent protests is not breaking that social contract further, eroding sympathy and support for change by requiring an immediate, heavy handed response to suppress the criminal behavior and protect lives and livelihood. Advocating more violence is adding to the problem, not solving it. I don't care if you're black, white, red, yellow, or blue, harmful, criminal acts are criminal acts that do harm. No one should get away with murder, no one should get away with arson, no one should get away with assault and battery or breaking and entry or grand theft. Relevant comments begin around the eleven minute mark.

[robkelk]

Remember Jim Mattis?

The former Secretary of Defense, who refused to say anything about the Nicknamer-in-Chief while he was touring to promote the book that he wrote after resigning even after said Nicknamer-in-Chief falsely claimed to have fired Jim Mattis? Yeah, that Jim Mattis.

He finally has something to say about the man in the Oval Office.

Trump's former defence secretary issues strong rebuke of president, use of military against protests

"Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people —does not even pretend to try. Instead he tries to divide us," Mattis wrote in a statement published by The Atlantic. "We are witnessing the consequences of three years of this deliberate effort. We are witnessing the consequences of three years without mature leadership."

And further, in case one thinks this might be something taken out of context:

Mattis took particular issue with the use of force to move back protesters so Trump could visit St. John's Church the day after it was damaged by fire during protests. Several different groups, including the National Guard and the U.S. Park Police, were involved.

"We know that we are better than the abuse of executive authority that we witnessed in Lafayette Square. We must reject and hold accountable those in office who would make a mockery of our Constitution," Mattis said.

[robkelk]

Demonstrators urged to practise COVID-19 safety

Marchers in Ottawa asked to wear masks, carry hand sanitizer, consider drumming instead of shouting