In my entire life I have never been so miserable about the state of our country. Those who liken it to 1968 are just wrong. I remember 1968. This is much worse. Violence and hatred are much more widespread and with less reason. Those rioting and looting in the name of blacks killed by the police are making a darned good argument for an idea I thought was dead with Marcus Garvey.
Some blacks have demanded segregation in the name of “equity”—the diction preferred now over “equality”. Some people are actually arguing with a stragiht face that the scientific method, civility, and the family structure are tools of white supremacy.
Los Angeles has two democrat candidates vying for the position of DA in this large metropolitan city. Today Gov. Newsom endorsed George Gascon, a far left progressive, backed by BLM, Sanders, Kamala Harris. This man supports defunding the police, abolishing prisons, and basically mauling anything close to law and order policies. Like Kamala Harris, Pelosi, Newsom etc. Garcon has been well groomed under San Francisco politics – mishandling homelessness, crime, illegal criminals.
His opponent is an incumbent black woman, Jacki Lacy, considered a “moderate,†in her views. I’ve heard her being interviewed, and she does seem more pragmatic and sensible, especially during these times when anything radical appears to be gaining the upper hand. However, Gascon’s endorsements are coming from not only our state leadership, but also streaming from the Federal level – the VP on the current democrat ticket running for the presidency. Given that most riots are being played out in democratically-run states and cities, what will it be like should the WH change hands, from republican to Democrat? I can’t see where this would be an upgrade, but only one giving more leniency to the mayhem already going on, making people even more “miserable.â€
For me, the outlook locally is disturbing enough, should Gascon win. If Biden/Harris are the victors, game over.
This year is worse than 1968. In 1968, local and state leaders opposed the riots. This year they support and instigate the riots. Some, like Ted Wheeler of Portland, are active members of the rioting gangs.
In Kenosha there were shootings–two dead, one wounded. These riots and fire bombings and shootings are developing gangs of people on both sides filled with actual hate. This kind of violence spreads and engulfs everyone.
The Insurrection Act of 1807 (amended) empowers the President to deploy US troops as well as National Guard troops to suppress civil disorder, insurrection, and rebellion.
Article 1, Section 8, Clause 15 gives Congress the power to use the militia to do the same, but that Clause will not be invoked by Pelosi unless the polling shows a massive swell in favor of Trump.
It is a question whether an aggressive use of federal powers against the rioters would help or hurt Trump in the polls. Rumors has it there will be a large, violent demonstration in DC this weekend. That might be the breaking point.
“Some people are actually arguing with a straight face that the scientific method, civility, and the family structure are tools of white supremacy.”
Maybe that’s because the point isn’t racial inequality at all. That’s just the convenient vehicle BLM and Antifa have identified as the best one to create unrest and attack longstanding institutions. This is about Marxist revolution. All you need to do is go to their website or peruse their leaders’ literature and its there in plain English. They have identified an issue that is pliable with the useful idiots.
The only question is why it works. Its a witches brew of OMB because he is a threat, and lust for power at all costs.
The year isn’t over yet. The election and aftermath are not going to be pretty.
What is your metric for this being worse than 1968? That was a continuation of 1967 where we lost many lives in riots, 43 alone in Detroit. That was after the Watts riots of 65 (34 dead) and riots in the Midwest in 66. Hard to get an accurate body count but I suspect there were more deaths in 68. Property damage? Roughly 1200 bldgs took major damage in DC in 68. So in deaths and property damage, in a country with about half of the population, not seeing today as worse.
AND, you have to ignore the fact that we were losing 40 plus American lives a day in Vietnam with no end in sight. You can argue about which was dumber, Vietnam or Iraq, but Vietnam cost us a lot of lives.
So up that Prozac dose. The worst that is likely to happen is that trump wins again. I am pretty well resigned to that. The riots have probably saved him from himself. But we survived 4 years of his ineptitude and corruption and we can survive 4 more.
Steve
“That’s just the convenient vehicle BLM and Antifa”
Have yet to meet an Antifa. Havent seen any arrested. You guys found any yet?
Steve
“Have yet to meet an Antifa. Havent seen any arrested. You guys found any yet?”
Presented without comment, except to snicker.
I was born in 1968, so it’s hard for me to judge. But I don’t see things getting better soon and believe the conditions are such that the right catylst could create a greater wave of violence. Doubts about the election results and conclusion could be that catalyst.
And to riff off of Andy’s observation, what are we to make of Hillary Clinton’s comments? Seems to me she pre-loaded the gun.
More people have been arrested since June 1 on charges related to the protests than participated in the DNC protests in 1968. This year’s protests have been larger, longer, more violent, and more widespread than in 1968. Only nine states have not activated the National Guard in response to the riots. I have not been able to come up with a reliable tally of the number of people killed. Their number is in the scores at the very least at this point.
Believe me. I remember it quite vividly. I was an adult and politically aware in 1968.
I also remember it, but I would rather have numbers. I have not been able to find good numbers on deaths this year. I think it is less than you think. You dont seem to care about all of the Americans dying in Vietnam, but then you didnt serve so no risk for you I guess. I also forgot that George Wallace ran for POTUS in 1968. So 1968 was many, many times worse than now. Once we get close to 40 deaths a day then we can start talking equivalency.
Just remember that the dark people sometimes get pissed when they get killed for no reason. They riot for a while then give up. Nothing changes. That is our history. It will repeat itself.
Steve
At the time I was nine and a military dependent overseas, so I was both too young to really understand what was going on and very insulated from all that was happening. All that I know about the Year of Living Dangerously is what I’ve read and seen in documentaries.
I do agree that what is different now than in 1968 is the widespread political support for the rioters and looters among elected officials, some of whom made it a point during their campaigns that they would in fact support racial ‘equity’ and considered both policing and the justice system to be hopelessly compromised by systemic racism. They have made it a point to support the anarchy as long as they and their allies don’t personally suffer any consequences for it.
I think the rebellion has gone too far for it to be put down peacefully. I think Kenosha may be the start of a violent pushback against the Communist KKK. That may be why Evers relented and let OMB send him reinforcements, because a slaughter of C-KKK’s by ordinary citizens there might well precipitate similar episodes nationwide.
And yeah, Steve, I’ve driven past BLM protests in suburban Delaware County and Montgomery County. Just jumping down and yelling, but I doubt the customers of Walgreens and Whole Foods were real happy about it.
“I think the rebellion has gone too far for it to be put down peacefully.“
Maybe or maybe not. But the risk that you are correct is why some of us believe it should have been put down in its infancy, rather than rationalized and allowed to gain momentum as some have tolerated or advocated.
Democratic Alabama Governor George Wallace ran for President in 1968 as an independent and lost, ran again in 1972 in the Democratic primaries, when he was shot.
The unarmed white candidate was shot at a speaking engagement by a disgruntled white voter and ended up paralyzed for life.
The assailant, Arthur Bremer, in a letter, explored a possible reason why he should be considered for parole, saying that he should be freed from prison because shooting “segregationist dinosaurs” is not as serious as harming mainstream politicians
Wallace, famously known for his quote,
“segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever”, which became a rallying cry for those opposed to integration and decades later for for the burgeoning Black Lives Matter movement, which, like Wallace seeks to control the character of the community at large.
https://www.dcareaeducators4socialjustice.org/black-lives-matter/13-guiding-principles
https://neaedjustice.org/black-lives-matter-school-resources/