Today's News (2020/7/8): Fascism and Police Violence edition

The police are still rioting, as Greg Doucette likes to say. The link is to the current end of his police violence thread, which just keeps getting longer, and you should browse it. Particularly in the context of the last story in this list today, where a whistleblowing officer released video showing the murder of an arrestee by police.

The murderers are still on the force.

The whistleblower isn't an officer anymore.

There are no good cops, because the good cops get made not cops.

1. So why are the feckless hacks in Congress not subpoenaing twitter.com/AOC and her merry band of KPOP operatives to testify?
2. Carlson: WE HAVE TO FIGHT TO PRESERVE OUR NATION & HERITAGE
3. One million foreign students risk being frozen out of US colleges. Some might never come back
4. Donald Trump doesn't care about any Americans — not even Republicans
5. This makes it count a lot less that the Supreme Court ruled LGBTs are protected by employment discrimination.
6. Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman retires, citing campaign of ‘bullying’ and ‘retaliation’ by Trump after impeachment testimony
7. Joliet Police Sgt. Javier Esqueda, Who Blew Whistle On Death Of Eric Lurry In Police Custody, Stripped Of Police Powers

( The articles )

Today's News (2020/7/8): COVID-19 edition

As per the 21 April document, Trump et al are sabotaging COVID-19 control efforts in any way possible, and are now again pivoting to the "Democrats just hate me and America" line for their campaign.

1. Tucker Carlson says masks and social distancing “have no basis of any kind in science”
2. Protective gear for medical workers begins to run low again
3. At least 8 Mississippi lawmakers test positive for COVID-19
4. April 21 document: Trump demands all schools reopen normally, attacks CDC
5. Devos 'Seriously' Looking at Withholding Funds From Schools That Don't Open
6. "We don't want guidance from the CDC to be why schools don't open."
7. Trump threatens to cut federal aid if schools don't reopen
8. GOP State Lawmaker Demands Americans ‘STOP GETTING TESTED’ For Coronavirus
9. Health official: Trump rally ‘likely’ source of virus surge

( The articles )

Today's News (2020/7/8): Everything Else edition

Item four is interesting, just because as much as the older-line Republicans hate Trump, they hate everyone else even more, so are more than ready to burn the Republic.

I'm re-reading Generations, having read it - or, really, skimmed it, I think - many years ago. It's one of Steve Bannon's favourite books, and kind of his bible on what he's been doing in this crisis period. It got that part right - that we'd be in a potentially disastrous crisis period right about now, but it didn't take that book to make that inevitability kind of obvious.

Regardless, I'm reading it again, and I've rediscovered something in it that I discarded at the time as not going to happen this time around. If you've read it, it's the concept of the Grey Champion. I'm thinking he tried to play Trump in that role, which was a huge mistake.

I simply don't think the Boomers have one, or can produce one. I didn't think they could then, either, and I think the situation around us now proves Past Me right. They're just not capable of providing the inspirational leadership in elderhood the book attributes to Idealist-cycle generations typically.

I also don't think the Millennial group can play the anticipated Civic role. So far, they've been acting like Adaptives, not Civics, if you want to use the book's overly-general annoyingly-horoscopesque cycles. Which means that the Zoomers, who are acting like the next Idealist group, will take that role, and we'll skip having a Civic generation altogether.

The last time that happened was the American Civil War, which, again, given where we are today, is maybe a point for the book's approach to future history.

If none of this means anything to you, eh, it's probably for the best. Major crisis/inflection point, Bannon and rest of the fascists want it to be ultranationalist with a big dose of Christianist and, as always, with straight white dudes in charge of women. I've been working for years on the opposite side of all of these things. And here we are, down to it.

I think Bannon's reliance on this book will end up having fucked him if he's actually been depending upon a Grey Champion, or for the Boomers to play the usual Idealest Elders role. Because neither one of those things is happening.

But now, the rest of the news.

1. Teachers face threats, books are banned as China pushes party line in Hong Kong schools
2. Safronov’s Arrest Is a New Low for Freedom of Speech in Russia
3. Televangelists, megachurches tied to Trump approved for millions in pandemic aid
4. What 9 GOP Campaign Consultants Really Think About Republicans’ Chances in November
5. SCOTUS gives Trump victory in landmark reproductive rights cases
6. Why Trump's trade war failed
7. J.K. Rowling Has Transcended Into A Living Meme
8. The fact that Donald Trump is our President (i.e. THE MOST POWERFUL MAN IN THE WORLD) gives racists a platform and amplifies voices of hate.
9. Sanders-Biden climate task force calls for carbon-free power by 2035
10. Kerri Greenidge didn't want to be on the Harpers's column; asked to be removed; harassed as a result into taking her Twitter account private.

( The articles )