Totalitarian Trainwreck Watch – What Protests? Everybody loves me!
In an unprecedented breach of Constitutional rights (get used to hearing that phrase) Dat Guy’s Inaugural Committee has requested that the National Park Service withhold all permits from any other group but themselves in Washington DC from January 6 thru Januray 30th.
You may recall the story last week of the Women’s March, scheduled for the day after the Swearing, that had run into permitting problems. User Merry very penetratingly asked in the comments: “I’d be interested in who the other requests are from. Are they from ringers? Did their requests predate this one?”
Why, yes, Merry. It turns out they are; they very much are.
Every public space traditionally used for protests, including the sidewalk outside the White House, has been put on hold pending decisions by Dat Guy’s committee on Pompous Puffery and Pageantry Killing Dissent as to whether or not they “need” them.
In recent days, Day Guy has bullied a labor president who dared to call him on his bullshit, he’s viciously thrown Boeing stock into panic for the same reason, and now we find he’s proactively clearing the Capital City of any signs of dissent during his Assendancy to the Residency.
Meanwhile, he’s staffing the government with billionaires and generals. Corporatism and militarism, hand in hand, crushing dissent, lionizing the Leader, and demonizing the Other in the name of the Homeland. Trying to to think what that reminds me of… Begins with an F…
Sounds like “ass-ism.”
Argh! My friends and I were planning on being part of that march. Ten to one if it is moved to another date in ay month of any year Dat Guy is in charge, it will never take place. The only other time I recall such “purism” running amok was when the previous pope was in town and the entire downtown area was “sanitized” of homeless people, pimps, prostitutes, junkies, dealers, et al. My group managed to protest with placards to one side of the Old Executive Office Building. His Holiness whipped by so fast in his limo caravan that we probably came across as a blur but the local bishop in another vehicle did see us and will never forget his face when he saw Justice For Women In The Church signs (women’s ordination). I did wonder then just how “sanitary” the streets of Jerusalem and other towns were when the Carpenter from Nazareth was in town. As I recall the sight of sinners did not seem to blow his mind.
1Previous Pope – John Paul II.
2Now is the time for the press to remember that their job is not just to sell ad space, but to actually shine the light on what’s really going on. I’m not on social media, but from what I’ve read, the fake news was massively enhanced by Facebook and Twitter. So my question is, if ridiculously absurd stories can gain traction that way, then compelling TRUE stories about what’s actually happening should be able to as well. Is nobody actually doing this, or is it happening, but just not making any difference? The vote is still 10 days away. As much as I lean towards pessimism about the state of our country these days, I refuse to totally lose faith in it’s citizens.
3Unfortunately, citizens on the right applaud the death of free speech. That’s how fascism works. So with the loss of free speech we can predict a rise in vigilante justice with the proliferation of guns.
4Rhea, on a similar topic you asked one of your excellent questions. Basically if the US military is prohibited by the UCMJ from firing on our own citizens, then explain how the deaths happened at Kent State. Tragically when the rule of law and our governing principles are violated the ultimate and horrific consequence is death. Why the then Gov of Ohio chose to deploy his National Guard armed with live rounds speaks to the failure of leadership. That killing shots were fired addressed inadequate training which is another component of failed leadership. We can look at My Lai, Waco and Abu Graib within the same prism.
Or, we can compare and contrast President Obama’s final national security speech to CENTCOM at MacDill AFB with the shot from the lip remarks of Donnie on twitter. When President Obama speaks of the rule of law, we know he is speaking about actual principles found in the Constitution and UCMJ.
When Donnie says those same words, “rule of law,” duck. Donnie intends to twist that to mean anything he wants it to mean that will benefit him. Case in point, his January ‘plan’ for stifling peaceful protest in Dee Cee. Water cannons, rubber bullets and unleashing the dogs is a bully’s way. For the record there should NOT be one military person in uniform used for ‘crowd’ management; not now, not ever. It’s not legal, it’s not moral. What will be needed are veterans prepared to stand and protect the citizens from any and all over militarized “police” actions.
P.P. That picture you saw probably wasn’t me. Jane said something about posed with a flag which would exclude me. But, if you saw a tall handsome guy sporting the unshaved for 5 days look, that might have been me.
5The Posse Comitatus Act was part of the corruption surrounding the end of Reconstruction and the beginning of Jim Crow, as it became illegal for the Federal Government to use its troops for law enforcement purposes within the boundaries of the United States.
Currently, the Coast Guard and each state’s National Guard remain exceptions to that rule. The Coasties were originally Treasury (I think?) protecting tariff’s and the like against smugglers. So they’ve always been LEO. The National Guard who, IMHO, are the only ones guaranteed the right to bear arms under the Second Amendment are, not coincidentally, exceptions to the rule, a vestige of the old days when states raised militias and subordinated them to federal authority for wars and such.
6maggie–Never confuse “snacilbuper” with “Christian.” That’s just another dog whistle (“We’ll claim to be Christian to get your vote, but we won’t do anything that might be confused with the words attributed to the Christ once we’re in”).
The same thing can be applied to most of their campaign speech.
7Eisenhower warned against this.
8Absolutely no imagination from liberals. None whatsoever.
A march. How quaint. On inauguration day to, what, make a point? Oh my! How clever and devious. Get the hell out of the way children and let me tell you how it’s done:
– Book every friggin hotel room in a 20 mile radius for that one day. Go there but don’t go to the Inaugural. Where will all the Trumpites have to stay? If there’s no penalty, you can cancel those reservations.
– Book every single airline seat and Amtrak seat and cancel if no penalty. How will the Trumpites get there?
Of course, too late to do any of that now. THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX. And use tech for your purposes. And please, no damn lectures. We’re about to celebrate a political party that might have stolen an election. Grow up.
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