Tracker

It will not be missed.

It has gotten to the point where this is just another bizarre event in this bizarre administration and not even anywhere near the top of the WFT list.

Too bad there is no "what idiots" emoji on this forum.

A good example of the "gaslighting" that Trump and pretty much the whole GOP is doing these days.

Bernie Sanders calls on Democrats to embrace 8-point plan to end police brutality "We have got to act boldly to eradicate systemic racism and police violence," Bernie Sanders tweeted As the nationwide uprising catalyzed by the police killing of George Floyd continues to bring hundreds of thousands of Americans into city streets around the U.S., Sen. Bernie Sanders is urging the Democratic leadership to embrace a slate of specific policy proposals aimed at mitigating the intertwined crises of systemic racism and unaccountable brutality by law enforcement. "I am calling for sweeping policy reforms to protect people — particularly communities of color — who have suffered violence for far too long," the Vermont senator wrote in a letter (pdf) to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Wednesday. Sanders' letter outlines eight policy proposals that the senator says would, if implemented, "contribute greatly to the eradication of police violence in this country." Amend federal civil rights laws to allow more effective prosecution of police misconduct by changing the standard from willfulness to recklessness; Abolish "qualified immunity," so police officers can be held civilly liable for abuses; Prohibit the transfer of offensive military equipment to police departments; Strip federal funds from departments that violate civil rights; Create a federal model policing program that emphasizes de-escalation, non-lethal force and culturally competent policing in which access to federal funds depends upon the level of reform adopted. As part of this effort to modernize and humanize police departments we need to enhance the recruitment pool by ensuring that the resources are available to pay wages that will attract the top-tier officers we need to do the difficult work of policing; Provide funding to states and municipalities to create civilian corps of unarmed first responders to supplement law enforcement, such as social workers, EMTs, and trained mental health professionals, who can handle order maintenance violations, mental health emergencies, and low-level conflicts to aid police officers; Require agencies to make records of police misconduct publicly available; Require all jurisdictions that receive federal grant funding to establish independent police conduct review boards that are broadly representative of the community and that have the authority to refer deaths that occur at the hands of police or in police custody to federal authorities for investigation. In addition, the boards would be authorized to report to federal authorities other types of abuses by police including patterns of misconduct. This would be supplemental to current federal authority to commence investigations. Clearly we need to enhance federal funding for such investigations

Cop Kills 22-Year-Old on His Knees After Mistaking His Hammer for a Gun: Chief A police officer in Vallejo, California, shot and killed 22-year-old Sean Monterrosa early Tuesday morning after mistaking a hammer in his pocket for a gun, the city’s police chief said Thursday. Monterrosa was on his knees when the unnamed officer, who told authorities he believed Monterrosa to be armed with a gun, fired at him five times through his car windshield. Monterrosa had a hammer, not a gun, in his pocket. https://www.thedailybeast.com/cop-kills-22-year-old-sean-monterrosa-on-his-knees-after-mistaking-his-hammer-for-a-gun?ref=home (Whatever happened to "serve and protect?)

Travis McMichael Called Ahmaud Arbery the N-Word as He Lay Dying on the Ground: Witness Investigators said in a Thursday bond hearing that Gregory McMichael told his son “don’t shoot” before the fatal Feb. 23 incident. VIA REUTERS The Georgia man who shot 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery while he was jogging on a residential street allegedly called him the n-word after the fatal incident, investigators said Thursday. During a probable cause hearing in Brunswick on Thursday for three men accused in Arbery’s Feb. 23 slaying, Georgia Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Richard Dial revealed that Travis McMichael called Arbery a “******* n---er” as Arbery lay on the ground with three gunshot wounds.

If there are, their silences are deafening.

Reports and video reveal police destroying and ‘looting’ critical medical supplies during protests As protests over the killing of George Floyd continue, nonviolent demonstrators have not only been subjected to tear gas and rubber bullets — they have also witnessed police officers destroying water bottles and other vital supplies. And this pattern is being reported in U.S. cities ranging from Louisville, Kentucky to Asheville, North Carolina. In the Asheville Citizen Times, journalists John Boyle and David Thompson report that protestors “set up a makeshift medical tent” that police officers destroyed. According to Boyle and Thompson, “Glenna Grant, 33, watched in horror as APD officers destroyed the tent, water bottles and medical supplies. Grant said she and others had set up the medical center and had not planned to protest, but rather, provide a safe space for anyone injured during the night.” https://www.alternet.org/2020/06/reports-and-video-reveal-police-destroying-critical-protest-supplies-during-protests/

"negligent homicide" would be a good fit.

One tiny squeak of protest from Romney is nowhere close to him appearing moral. He has said nothing about children in cages, Trump's coded but obvious support of white supremacists and on and on.

That she is still struggling to support Trump says volumes about the GOP/right-wing mindset. It looks good for public consumption but when push comes to shove, that is another matter altogether.

I don't think Trump gives a damn about bloodshed if it suits his agenda. He can always find, and has found lawyers like Jay Sekulow and Barr who can fabricate some sort of rationale for almost anything Trump chooses to do, and people like his current press secretary who will defend him to the public. Trump's lawyers have already argued in court that there ought to be no limits or accountability to presidential power.

Trump has already defied the constitution and the law, and when the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff walked with him to the church in battle fatigues, he also did. Trump has shown that there are no lengths he is not willing to go to to keep power, and he is being enabled by the GOP, big business, the very rich, evangelists and the alt-right. If Trump uses the excuse that the election was rigged, and he is already preparing for that, he can assume emergency powers.

This election may be the last chance Americans have to reclaim their democracy. Trump, the GOP and the alt-right will not leave power without bloodshed. It will probably come down to who the military and police support.

But he looked maaahhvelous on a Jet-ski.

If memory serves, one of the first things that the Trump administration did (I think it was Jeff Sessions) when it came into power was to dismantle the FBI task force that was monitoring right-wing extremists.

Armed Counterprotesters Are Menacing BLM Rallies Across America Anti-racism protests in smaller towns—particularly on the West Coast—have attracted armed counterprotesters who monitor, harass, and sometimes even attack marchers. Protests and violence in large cities over the death of George Floyd have dominated national news networks. But in smaller towns across America, counter-protesters are showing up to monitor or harass—and in some cases assault—peaceful demonstrators. And in places like Snohomish, Washington, and Missoula, Montana, some of these agitators have been heavily armed as they stake out protests against police brutality. https://www.thedailybeast.com/blm-rallies-across-america-are-being-menaced-by-armed-counterprotesters (And if you think America is not teetering on the edge of civil war, you are wrong)

Department of Justice’ deploys rogue force of unidentified armed militia to patrol DCPhoto via Sen. Chris Murphy / Twitter. On the heels of law enforcement gassing peaceful protesters at the White House Monday, a rogue force of armed unmarked militia has been patrolling Washington, D.C. for days. The militia members, likely numbering in the hundreds if not thousands, have been photographed guarding the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and on Wednesday were seen forming a perimeter outside the White House, as if it were under siege. Apparently, Donald Trump’s bunker “inspection” didn’t bring him the requisite level of safety he desired. https://www.alternet.org/2020/06/department-of-justice-deploys-rogue-force-of-unidentified-armed-militia-to-patrol-dc/

Trump’s ‘American Führer’ fantasy: Yale psychiatrist says the president’s ‘displays of false strength’ foreshadow plan to question election results A Yale psychiatrist who has repeatedly sounded the alarm on President Donald Trump’s mental health warned that his “displays of false strength” foreshadow his reaction to the November election if he loses. https://www.alternet.org/2020/06/trumps-american-fuhrer-fantasy-yale-psychiatrist-says-the-presidents-displays-of-false-strength-foreshadow-plan-to-question-election-results/

Over at Salon.com, political columnist Chaucey DeVega has posted a frighteningly ominous interview with Aleksandar Hemon who has been sounding warnings about Trump and his supporters for several years and has predicted the current crisis in American Politics. Not a comfortable but an enlightening read. https://www.salon.com/2020/06/03/novelist-and-screenwriter-aleksandar-hemon-on-the-magnitude-of-catastrophe-facing-america/

Well, his tackle and sack totals will not suffer very much.

Three ‘Boogaloos’ Conspired to Hijack George Floyd Protest and Spark Bloodshed: Feds Anti-government extremists allegedly plotted to incinerate a power station and cause flaming mayhem at Las Vegas protests. Nevada District Court: Three Nevada men with prior U.S. military experience and links to a right-wing extremist group conspired to set off explosives at a recent protest against police brutality to “create civil unrest and rioting” and spark violence between police and protesters, federal prosecutors say. Stephen Parshall, alias “Kiwi,” Andrew Lynam, and William Loomis are each being held on a $1 million bond for terrorism-related charges. According to a complaint filed by the Nevada U.S. Attorney’s Office, the group was “potentially planning terroristic activity” when they brought Molotov cocktail materials to a Las Vegas protest over the death of George Floyd. All three have identified themselves as members of the “Boogaloo” movement, an extremist group that dreams of sowing discord to spark a violent uprising and government overthrow, according to prosecutors. The group also boasts military training: Lynam is described as a member of the Army Reserves, Parshall was a Navy sailor, and Loomis was an enlisted member of the Air Force.