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solarbirdSorry for the lateness of this. I've been doing other writing. Hopefully I can keep up with both.
----- 1 -----
Will Bill Barr Go to Jail When This Is All Done?
In Ep. 16 of The New Abnormal, former DOJ prosecutor Glenn Kirschner takes down Bill Barr. Plus, Rick and Molly chat election predictions, Confederate flag truthers and more.
The Daily Beast
Updated Jun. 12, 2020
https://www.thedailybeast.com/will-bill-barr-go-to-jail-when-this-is-all-done
Attorney General Bill Barr was in on Trump’s scheme to bribe and lean on Ukraine’s president. He let his boss’ criminal cronies off the hook. But the worst part, former DOJ prosecutor Glenn Kirschner says, was Barr’s crackdown in Lafayette Square on people just expressing their First Amendment rights.
And if Barr isn’t under criminal investigation in 2021 for that, he tells Rick Wilson and Molly Jong-Fast, then “shame on us.”
It’s all part of a jam-packed episode of The New Abnormal in which Kirschner crucifies the AG and the Trump administration: “I would say under Donald Trump—first to Jeff Sessions, then to Matt Whitaker, and then to Bill Barr—it has gone from bad to worse to criminal.”
Then, Rachel Bitecofer of the Niskansen Center for Public Policy, joined Molly and Rick to present her forecast for this November—and she has some promising news for Democrats.
Plus, the dynamic duo tackle the ultimate fuckery that is the Donald Trump White House, including the president “playing footsie” with Confederate flag truthers, his Twitter-gasm over his Tulsa rally and how the “Bitch Boy” and his minions did the seeming impossible: became even more racist.
----- 2 -----
Jonathan Oosting
twitter.com/jonathanoosting
12 June 2020
https://twitter.com/jonathanoosting/status/1271469493605236738
A GOP activist is hosting an "operation incinerator" event tonight in Grand Rapids, encouraging folks to burn their absentee ballot *applications* in apparent protest of SOS Benson's move to mail them to all. There will apparently be a "Dumpster of Liberty Lighting Ceremony."
[EDITOR: I verified the event exists on Facebook. Is this a Russian op?]
----- 3 -----
Michael Hobbes
twitter.com/RottenInDenmark
12 June 2020
https://twitter.com/RottenInDenmark/status/1271522893050998784
lmao Fox News is photoshopping an armed guard into pictures about the Capital Hill Autonomous Zone to make it look more dangerous than it is
(h/t twitter.com/sumromanus!)
[EDITOR'S NOTE: I'm including this here because creating a fictional alternate reality is key to fascism.
Also note that here he's supposed to be scary and terrible, vs. the hundreds of armed white men at the "reopening" protests who were good Americans opposing tyranny and defending American values.
I suspect but do not know that he's John Brown Gun Club, which is to say, a lefty gun rights/activism group who follow Marx's exhortations to keep the ruling classes from disarming the working class.]
[SEE ALSO]
As things fall apart, remember how we got here.
twitter.com/solarbirdy
12 June 2020
https://twitter.com/solarbirdy/status/1271545432485683200
Okay, I can verify this account is real via KUOW's site. This guy _is_ down there. Just, you know, not necessarily in those shots. (John Brown Gun Club maybe? Lefty gun rights people.)
[QUOTED TWEET]
Casey Martin [EDITOR: KUOW Public Radio]
twitter.com/caseyworks
June 11, 2020
https://twitter.com/caseyworks/status/1270990666542141440
Just spoke with 2 people at #CHAZ entrances with AR-15s. They coordinate with medics & keep an eye on passing cars, people coming in, etc. They are not charging people fees to walk around. People say they feel safer with police gone & thanked this man during my intvw.
----- 4 -----
Weber State professor resigns after “abhorrent” tweets
By Colby Walker
June 3, 2020
https://kslnewsradio.com/1926449/weber-state-investigating-professors-abhorrent-tweets/
[EDITOR: This is here because the _criminal justice professor_ was actively promoting fascist beatdowns of protesters]
OGDEN, Utah — A Weber State University criminal justice professor has resigned after tweets he made during protests and civil unrest over the death of George Floyd were discovered.
In a statement to KSL Professor Scott Senjo said:
"The university has ordered me to resign my position due to my irresponsible tweeting activity over the last several months. I agree that my tweets were far beyond the realm of acceptable university policy as well as acceptable social norms. I made those tweets in the oftentimes vulgar, extreme back-and-forth that can occur on Twitter and they were simply wrong. I apologize for my irresponsible behavior and resign my position, effective immediately."
This comes on the heels of more than 2,100 online signatures of a Change.org petition for the University to fire Senjo after his provocative tweets.
In the notes of the petition, organizers say, “Professor Senjo has repeatedly misused his personal twitter account to promote racially charged violence as well as violence against the press. Weber State University has a long standing tradition of embracing freedom of speech and diversity of opinion. Professor Senjo’s tweets do not represent these values.”
[TWEETS AT LINK - THEY'RE PRETTY TERRIBLE AND SUPER PRO-COP-VIOLENCE SO GO LOOK]
----- 5 -----
Fox News runs digitally altered images in coverage of Seattle’s protests, Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone
By Jim Brunner
Seattle Times staff reporter
June 12, 2020
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/fox-news-runs-digitally-altered-images-in-coverage-of-seattles-protests-capitol-hill-autonomous-zone/
[EDITOR: This is a more heavily documented version of what I included above. Fox News is actively lying about the situation in Seattle and the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone, including running fake photographs, to convince their viewers that martial law and military crackdown is the right and necessary response.]
Fox News published digitally altered and misleading photos on stories about Seattle’s Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ) in what photojournalism experts called a clear violation of ethical standards for news organizations.
As part of a package of stories Friday about the zone, where demonstrators have taken over several city blocks on Capitol Hill after Seattle police abandoned the East Precinct, Fox’s website for much of the day featured a photo of a man standing with a military-style rifle in front of what appeared to be a smashed retail storefront.
The image was actually a mashup of photos from different days, taken by different photographers — it was done by splicing a Getty Images photo of an armed man, who had been at the protest zone June 10, with other images from May 30 of smashed windows in downtown Seattle. Another altered image combined the gunman photo with yet another image, making it appear as though he was standing in front of a sign declaring “You are now entering Free Cap Hill.”
Fox’s site had no disclaimers revealing the photos had been manipulated. The network removed the images after inquiries from The Seattle Times.
In addition, Fox’s site for a time on Friday ran a frightening image of a burning city, above a package of stories about Seattle’s protests, headlined “CRAZY TOWN.” The photo actually showed a scene from St. Paul, Minnesota, on May 30. That image also was later removed.
In an emailed statement, a Fox News spokeswoman said: “We have replaced our photo illustration with the clearly delineated images of a gunman and a shattered storefront, both of which were taken this week in Seattle’s autonomous zone.”
That statement is inaccurate, as the gunman photo was taken June 10, while storefront images it was melded with were datelined May 30 by Getty Images.
The network’s misleading and faked images were published as the Capitol Hill zone — quickly labeled CHAZ — became a political flashpoint for conservatives nationally and a target of tweets by President Donald Trump, who has branded the demonstrators “domestic terrorists” and threatened federal action unless local officials “take back” the area.
National news outlets on Friday also continued to cite a now-withdrawn comment by a Seattle police commander suggesting protesters were extorting payments from businesses within CHAZ. Seattle police Chief Carmen Best walked back that statement on Thursday, saying the comment was based on rumor and social media. “We haven’t had any formal reports of this occurring,” she said.
The daily scene at CHAZ has mostly been peaceful, with artists painting an enormous “Black Lives Matter” street mural and people gathering for free food, music and documentary films.
----- 6 -----
How The Antifa Fantasy Spread In Small Towns Across The US
Rumors of roving bands of Antifa have followed small protests all over the United States. Why are people so ready to believe them?
Picture of Anne Helen Petersen Anne Helen Petersen BuzzFeed News Reporter
Posted on June 9, 2020
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/annehelenpetersen/antifa-rumors-george-floyd-protests
The rumor that shadowy leftists planned to start trouble in Great Falls, Montana, first appeared on the Facebook group of the Montana Liberty Coalition late last Wednesday afternoon.
“Heads up,” a man named Wayne Ebersole, who owns a local cover crop business, wrote. “Rumor has it that Antifa has scheduled a protest in Great Falls Friday evening at 5 p.m. in front of the Civic Center.” He asked the group if anyone had any more information, or if anyone was available to “protect businesses.”
“It has been confirmed through the police department,” one commenter replied. “They have a permit for tomorrow night and are in town now.”
They weren’t. Police later said they had been “working to quell the rumor.” But that didn’t stop it from sweeping across various right-wing groups. Within 24 hours, a screenshot of Ebersole’s post had been posted to the Facebook Group for the Montana Militia, whose members have recently dedicated themselves to tracking the perceived threat of antifa all over the state, including coordinating armed responses to “protect” their towns. (Ebersole did not respond to a request for comment.)
And by Friday at 5 p.m., as about 500 protesters gathered to protest systemic racism and police brutality, a handful of armed men had massed at the edge of the demonstration.“We heard that a little group called Antifa wanted to show up and not in our town,” one man, who declined to be named, told the Great Falls Tribune. “All it takes is a word and a whisper.”
As protests against police brutality and in support of Black Lives Matter continue to proliferate across the small towns and rural communities, so, too, have rumors of white vans of masked antifa driving from town to town, reportedly intent on destruction. In Hood River, Oregon, antifa were, according to screenshot of a fake Instagram story, calling on followers to “root loot do anything in your power.” In Spring Hill, Tennessee, there was a “busload” staying at the Holiday Inn, prepping to loot Walgreens at noon. In Wenatchee, Washington, bands of men dressed in black were surveilling potential targets. In Payette, Idaho, a plane full of protesters was circling overhead. In Honolulu, antifa had been flown in from the mainland. In Billings, Montana, some claimed agitators had been spotted by the National Guard. In Nebraska, they were creating Craigslist ads offering to pay people $25 a day to “cause as much chaos and destruction as possible.” In Sisters, Oregon, they were planning to show up at the local Bi-Mart.
To be clear: All of these rumors were false. They were all, as the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office put it, “fourth-hand information.” To combat them, police departments in dozens of towns are holding press conferences, posting announcements on social media, and telling anyone who calls the station that there has been no indication of a planned presence from antifa or any other outside agitators, whether “from Chicago” (code, in many parts of the Midwest, for black people) or “from Seattle” (code for liberals).
----- 7 -----
America, We Need to Talk About Fascism
The Warnings Were Ignored, Year After Year. Now American Fascism May Be Here to Stay.
umair haque
Jun 11, 2020
https://eand.co/america-we-need-to-talk-about-fascism-dc345f29a88
You might have heard that, this morning, Trump referred to “an American SS.” That was his way of saying, “Secret Service.” It wasn’t an accident, or a gaff, it was a very clear signal to his supporters and his allies. Trump is telling you exactly who is he and what he wants. He has been for five years now. An American SS — a week after soldiers in the streets of Washington DC, chemicals used to gas protestors in front of the White House, and a New York Times op-ed that called for the military to shoot civilians. What the?
Fascism is here in America. “It” happened here.
And now that it’s unmistakable, finally, finally, finally, white pundits are starting to call this fascism, shocked and appalled, as if minorities haven’t been saying this for years. As if we haven’t been screaming it from the rooftops since the before Trump was elected. As if on this platform, right here, I haven’t been writing about it for more than five years.
Now white guys love to criticize and tone police me — “you can’t say I told you so!” And accusing me of doing “victory laps” as America burns.
I have two things to say to this. One — it is in fact my right to promote myself. In fact it’s sadly a necessity. if I don’t look out for me, a brown dude, who will? Certainly not the white media that has gone out of its way my whole life to ignore me.
The minorities who tried to warn you about this are now in a double bind. Wait for the patriarchal, white media to recognise you, which it never will. Or be criticised for taking “victory laps” when you stand up for yourself.
----- 8 -----
Mekka *My Mask Protects You* Okereke
twitter.com/mekkaokereke
14 June 2020
https://twitter.com/mekkaokereke/status/1272246044546330624
[THREAD]
It takes active effort to pretend that you don't know that a white nationalist came up with a list of "peaceful ethnic cleansing" policies he would enact if he ever worked in the Whitehouse, then he got in the Whitehouse, now the policies are here.
I warned y'all about H1-B day.
[MORE]
Some of y'all feel the urge to counter ethnic cleansing policies by pointing out the economic contributions of immigrants and their children.
They know.
They. Don't. Care.
And they specifically wrote that economic turmoil and suffering *helps* them enact racist policies.
[MORE]
They believe that the economic turmoil of pre-war Germany was needed for creating an environment under which they could consolidate power.
Imagine trying to talk pre-war Germany out of ethnic cleansing by pointing out the scientific and cultural contributions of targeted folk
[MORE]
How did I call all of this in 2017? There are 2 possibilities:
A) I'm the Black Nostradamus! I can see the future!
B) I just read what they wrote, and took them seriously. I believed they'd do what they said they would do, and then they did it.
- Will Bill Barr Go to Jail When This Is All Done?
- Operation Incinerator
- Fox News photoshopping armed protester into other photos of the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone
- Weber State professor resigns after “abhorrent” tweets
- Fox News is actively lying about the situation in Seattle and the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone, including running fake photographs, to convince their viewers that martial law and military crackdown is the right and necessary response.
- How The Antifa Fantasy Spread In Small Towns Across The US
- America, We Need to Talk About Fascism
- It takes active effort to pretend that you don't know that a white nationalist came up with a list of "peaceful ethnic cleansing" policies he would enact if he ever worked in the Whitehouse, then he got in the Whitehouse, now the policies are here.
----- 1 -----
Will Bill Barr Go to Jail When This Is All Done?
In Ep. 16 of The New Abnormal, former DOJ prosecutor Glenn Kirschner takes down Bill Barr. Plus, Rick and Molly chat election predictions, Confederate flag truthers and more.
The Daily Beast
Updated Jun. 12, 2020
https://www.thedailybeast.com/will-bill-barr-go-to-jail-when-this-is-all-done
Attorney General Bill Barr was in on Trump’s scheme to bribe and lean on Ukraine’s president. He let his boss’ criminal cronies off the hook. But the worst part, former DOJ prosecutor Glenn Kirschner says, was Barr’s crackdown in Lafayette Square on people just expressing their First Amendment rights.
And if Barr isn’t under criminal investigation in 2021 for that, he tells Rick Wilson and Molly Jong-Fast, then “shame on us.”
It’s all part of a jam-packed episode of The New Abnormal in which Kirschner crucifies the AG and the Trump administration: “I would say under Donald Trump—first to Jeff Sessions, then to Matt Whitaker, and then to Bill Barr—it has gone from bad to worse to criminal.”
Then, Rachel Bitecofer of the Niskansen Center for Public Policy, joined Molly and Rick to present her forecast for this November—and she has some promising news for Democrats.
Plus, the dynamic duo tackle the ultimate fuckery that is the Donald Trump White House, including the president “playing footsie” with Confederate flag truthers, his Twitter-gasm over his Tulsa rally and how the “Bitch Boy” and his minions did the seeming impossible: became even more racist.
----- 2 -----
Jonathan Oosting
twitter.com/jonathanoosting
12 June 2020
https://twitter.com/jonathanoosting/status/1271469493605236738
A GOP activist is hosting an "operation incinerator" event tonight in Grand Rapids, encouraging folks to burn their absentee ballot *applications* in apparent protest of SOS Benson's move to mail them to all. There will apparently be a "Dumpster of Liberty Lighting Ceremony."
[EDITOR: I verified the event exists on Facebook. Is this a Russian op?]
----- 3 -----
Michael Hobbes
twitter.com/RottenInDenmark
12 June 2020
https://twitter.com/RottenInDenmark/status/1271522893050998784
lmao Fox News is photoshopping an armed guard into pictures about the Capital Hill Autonomous Zone to make it look more dangerous than it is
(h/t twitter.com/sumromanus!)
[EDITOR'S NOTE: I'm including this here because creating a fictional alternate reality is key to fascism.
Also note that here he's supposed to be scary and terrible, vs. the hundreds of armed white men at the "reopening" protests who were good Americans opposing tyranny and defending American values.
I suspect but do not know that he's John Brown Gun Club, which is to say, a lefty gun rights/activism group who follow Marx's exhortations to keep the ruling classes from disarming the working class.]
[SEE ALSO]
As things fall apart, remember how we got here.
twitter.com/solarbirdy
12 June 2020
https://twitter.com/solarbirdy/status/1271545432485683200
Okay, I can verify this account is real via KUOW's site. This guy _is_ down there. Just, you know, not necessarily in those shots. (John Brown Gun Club maybe? Lefty gun rights people.)
[QUOTED TWEET]
Casey Martin [EDITOR: KUOW Public Radio]
twitter.com/caseyworks
June 11, 2020
https://twitter.com/caseyworks/status/1270990666542141440
Just spoke with 2 people at #CHAZ entrances with AR-15s. They coordinate with medics & keep an eye on passing cars, people coming in, etc. They are not charging people fees to walk around. People say they feel safer with police gone & thanked this man during my intvw.
----- 4 -----
Weber State professor resigns after “abhorrent” tweets
By Colby Walker
June 3, 2020
https://kslnewsradio.com/1926449/weber-state-investigating-professors-abhorrent-tweets/
[EDITOR: This is here because the _criminal justice professor_ was actively promoting fascist beatdowns of protesters]
OGDEN, Utah — A Weber State University criminal justice professor has resigned after tweets he made during protests and civil unrest over the death of George Floyd were discovered.
In a statement to KSL Professor Scott Senjo said:
"The university has ordered me to resign my position due to my irresponsible tweeting activity over the last several months. I agree that my tweets were far beyond the realm of acceptable university policy as well as acceptable social norms. I made those tweets in the oftentimes vulgar, extreme back-and-forth that can occur on Twitter and they were simply wrong. I apologize for my irresponsible behavior and resign my position, effective immediately."
This comes on the heels of more than 2,100 online signatures of a Change.org petition for the University to fire Senjo after his provocative tweets.
In the notes of the petition, organizers say, “Professor Senjo has repeatedly misused his personal twitter account to promote racially charged violence as well as violence against the press. Weber State University has a long standing tradition of embracing freedom of speech and diversity of opinion. Professor Senjo’s tweets do not represent these values.”
[TWEETS AT LINK - THEY'RE PRETTY TERRIBLE AND SUPER PRO-COP-VIOLENCE SO GO LOOK]
----- 5 -----
Fox News runs digitally altered images in coverage of Seattle’s protests, Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone
By Jim Brunner
Seattle Times staff reporter
June 12, 2020
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/fox-news-runs-digitally-altered-images-in-coverage-of-seattles-protests-capitol-hill-autonomous-zone/
[EDITOR: This is a more heavily documented version of what I included above. Fox News is actively lying about the situation in Seattle and the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone, including running fake photographs, to convince their viewers that martial law and military crackdown is the right and necessary response.]
Fox News published digitally altered and misleading photos on stories about Seattle’s Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ) in what photojournalism experts called a clear violation of ethical standards for news organizations.
As part of a package of stories Friday about the zone, where demonstrators have taken over several city blocks on Capitol Hill after Seattle police abandoned the East Precinct, Fox’s website for much of the day featured a photo of a man standing with a military-style rifle in front of what appeared to be a smashed retail storefront.
The image was actually a mashup of photos from different days, taken by different photographers — it was done by splicing a Getty Images photo of an armed man, who had been at the protest zone June 10, with other images from May 30 of smashed windows in downtown Seattle. Another altered image combined the gunman photo with yet another image, making it appear as though he was standing in front of a sign declaring “You are now entering Free Cap Hill.”
Fox’s site had no disclaimers revealing the photos had been manipulated. The network removed the images after inquiries from The Seattle Times.
In addition, Fox’s site for a time on Friday ran a frightening image of a burning city, above a package of stories about Seattle’s protests, headlined “CRAZY TOWN.” The photo actually showed a scene from St. Paul, Minnesota, on May 30. That image also was later removed.
In an emailed statement, a Fox News spokeswoman said: “We have replaced our photo illustration with the clearly delineated images of a gunman and a shattered storefront, both of which were taken this week in Seattle’s autonomous zone.”
That statement is inaccurate, as the gunman photo was taken June 10, while storefront images it was melded with were datelined May 30 by Getty Images.
The network’s misleading and faked images were published as the Capitol Hill zone — quickly labeled CHAZ — became a political flashpoint for conservatives nationally and a target of tweets by President Donald Trump, who has branded the demonstrators “domestic terrorists” and threatened federal action unless local officials “take back” the area.
National news outlets on Friday also continued to cite a now-withdrawn comment by a Seattle police commander suggesting protesters were extorting payments from businesses within CHAZ. Seattle police Chief Carmen Best walked back that statement on Thursday, saying the comment was based on rumor and social media. “We haven’t had any formal reports of this occurring,” she said.
The daily scene at CHAZ has mostly been peaceful, with artists painting an enormous “Black Lives Matter” street mural and people gathering for free food, music and documentary films.
----- 6 -----
How The Antifa Fantasy Spread In Small Towns Across The US
Rumors of roving bands of Antifa have followed small protests all over the United States. Why are people so ready to believe them?
Picture of Anne Helen Petersen Anne Helen Petersen BuzzFeed News Reporter
Posted on June 9, 2020
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/annehelenpetersen/antifa-rumors-george-floyd-protests
The rumor that shadowy leftists planned to start trouble in Great Falls, Montana, first appeared on the Facebook group of the Montana Liberty Coalition late last Wednesday afternoon.
“Heads up,” a man named Wayne Ebersole, who owns a local cover crop business, wrote. “Rumor has it that Antifa has scheduled a protest in Great Falls Friday evening at 5 p.m. in front of the Civic Center.” He asked the group if anyone had any more information, or if anyone was available to “protect businesses.”
“It has been confirmed through the police department,” one commenter replied. “They have a permit for tomorrow night and are in town now.”
They weren’t. Police later said they had been “working to quell the rumor.” But that didn’t stop it from sweeping across various right-wing groups. Within 24 hours, a screenshot of Ebersole’s post had been posted to the Facebook Group for the Montana Militia, whose members have recently dedicated themselves to tracking the perceived threat of antifa all over the state, including coordinating armed responses to “protect” their towns. (Ebersole did not respond to a request for comment.)
And by Friday at 5 p.m., as about 500 protesters gathered to protest systemic racism and police brutality, a handful of armed men had massed at the edge of the demonstration.“We heard that a little group called Antifa wanted to show up and not in our town,” one man, who declined to be named, told the Great Falls Tribune. “All it takes is a word and a whisper.”
As protests against police brutality and in support of Black Lives Matter continue to proliferate across the small towns and rural communities, so, too, have rumors of white vans of masked antifa driving from town to town, reportedly intent on destruction. In Hood River, Oregon, antifa were, according to screenshot of a fake Instagram story, calling on followers to “root loot do anything in your power.” In Spring Hill, Tennessee, there was a “busload” staying at the Holiday Inn, prepping to loot Walgreens at noon. In Wenatchee, Washington, bands of men dressed in black were surveilling potential targets. In Payette, Idaho, a plane full of protesters was circling overhead. In Honolulu, antifa had been flown in from the mainland. In Billings, Montana, some claimed agitators had been spotted by the National Guard. In Nebraska, they were creating Craigslist ads offering to pay people $25 a day to “cause as much chaos and destruction as possible.” In Sisters, Oregon, they were planning to show up at the local Bi-Mart.
To be clear: All of these rumors were false. They were all, as the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office put it, “fourth-hand information.” To combat them, police departments in dozens of towns are holding press conferences, posting announcements on social media, and telling anyone who calls the station that there has been no indication of a planned presence from antifa or any other outside agitators, whether “from Chicago” (code, in many parts of the Midwest, for black people) or “from Seattle” (code for liberals).
----- 7 -----
America, We Need to Talk About Fascism
The Warnings Were Ignored, Year After Year. Now American Fascism May Be Here to Stay.
umair haque
Jun 11, 2020
https://eand.co/america-we-need-to-talk-about-fascism-dc345f29a88
You might have heard that, this morning, Trump referred to “an American SS.” That was his way of saying, “Secret Service.” It wasn’t an accident, or a gaff, it was a very clear signal to his supporters and his allies. Trump is telling you exactly who is he and what he wants. He has been for five years now. An American SS — a week after soldiers in the streets of Washington DC, chemicals used to gas protestors in front of the White House, and a New York Times op-ed that called for the military to shoot civilians. What the?
Fascism is here in America. “It” happened here.
And now that it’s unmistakable, finally, finally, finally, white pundits are starting to call this fascism, shocked and appalled, as if minorities haven’t been saying this for years. As if we haven’t been screaming it from the rooftops since the before Trump was elected. As if on this platform, right here, I haven’t been writing about it for more than five years.
Now white guys love to criticize and tone police me — “you can’t say I told you so!” And accusing me of doing “victory laps” as America burns.
I have two things to say to this. One — it is in fact my right to promote myself. In fact it’s sadly a necessity. if I don’t look out for me, a brown dude, who will? Certainly not the white media that has gone out of its way my whole life to ignore me.
The minorities who tried to warn you about this are now in a double bind. Wait for the patriarchal, white media to recognise you, which it never will. Or be criticised for taking “victory laps” when you stand up for yourself.
----- 8 -----
Mekka *My Mask Protects You* Okereke
twitter.com/mekkaokereke
14 June 2020
https://twitter.com/mekkaokereke/status/1272246044546330624
[THREAD]
It takes active effort to pretend that you don't know that a white nationalist came up with a list of "peaceful ethnic cleansing" policies he would enact if he ever worked in the Whitehouse, then he got in the Whitehouse, now the policies are here.
I warned y'all about H1-B day.
[MORE]
Some of y'all feel the urge to counter ethnic cleansing policies by pointing out the economic contributions of immigrants and their children.
They know.
They. Don't. Care.
And they specifically wrote that economic turmoil and suffering *helps* them enact racist policies.
[MORE]
They believe that the economic turmoil of pre-war Germany was needed for creating an environment under which they could consolidate power.
Imagine trying to talk pre-war Germany out of ethnic cleansing by pointing out the scientific and cultural contributions of targeted folk
[MORE]
How did I call all of this in 2017? There are 2 possibilities:
A) I'm the Black Nostradamus! I can see the future!
B) I just read what they wrote, and took them seriously. I believed they'd do what they said they would do, and then they did it.
