Good morning everyone. A whole lot has happened this weekend so we get it if you’re burnt out on news, but we thought we’d still take the time to put a bit of pen to paper and get this out into the world.
The police have responded to protests and riots with excessive violence nationwide: between driving vehicles through crowds, shooting journalists with rubber bullets, and tear-gassing innocent people, it’s clear they’re doing everything but “de-escalating.”
Trump wants to label antifa as a terrorist organization: that’s a bit crazy if you understand how antifa is “organized,” which it isn’t...really. There’s no leadership or formal organization. You can’t really call an ideological disposition a “terrorist organization.”
Trump also wants to sever all ties with the WHO during a global pandemic: goddamn man, how dumb is this dude?
Thanks for reading. Stay safe, everyone.
UNREST
Police Have Escalated Protests Into Violence Around the Nation
This weekend saw numerous protests in just about every major city around the country. One common thread that has been seen in nearly every city that has major protests is that police are provoking violence, not the other way around.
The Situation
Everything is absolutely fucked right now. There’s just no better way to put it. People are mobilizing around the country to protest against police violence and institutional racism, and instead of being heard, the police state has decided to crank up the evil.
People are getting pepper sprayed left and right. Journalists have been shot at by rubber bullets and pepper balls. An elderly man using a cane was pushed over. NYPD cruisers even drove into people.
It’s important to note that most of the cities this is happening in are run by Democrats. This isn’t some partisan issue where one side is in the right and the other isn’t; leadership around the country is failing us.
This video compiles some examples of this that were caught on camera.
Some Thoughts
Many have been quick to point out that there are “outside instigators.” It’s true that some protests have been influenced by folks who just wanna see shit burn and many have pointed to white people who show up and want to damage a community. That’s bad, but first of all, as long as property damage is confined to corporate or government property, who cares? Secondly, white supremacists and undercover cops are also showing up to contribute to chaos. Don’t get fooled and don’t get off on a tangent when serious work is being done on the ground.
A lot of right-wingers who were complaining about government tyranny not too long ago are perfectly okay with this. They’ll use not listening to a police officer as justification for excessive force, yet when it came to staying home because of coronavirus, they were all too angry about that.
At the end of this, thousands of people will have been arrested. All of that because they were demanding the rest of the handful of officers who have been responsible for the recent deaths of innocent people.
Lastly, this isn’t a point but still worth mentioning, this as brought out a lotta weirdos. One man tried to defend a business with a machete (and promptly got his ass beat), another shot at people with a compound bow after shouting “all lives matter” (and promptly got his ass beat), and another drove a tanker truck into an a group of people (not sure if he got his ass beat, we can only hope).
Bottom line: upending the police state was never going to be easy. Throw your money towards a good cause, listen to black voices and don’t co-opt a movement that is about their lives, and if you can, show up. That’s the only way people are going to be heard right now.
TRUMPOCALYPSE
Trump Wants to Designate Antifa as a Terrorist Organization
Donald Trump likes to push the same narrative that a lot of Republicans do: that antifa are dangerous thugs who are causing issues around the country. Now, he wants to designate them as a terrorist organization.
Oh My God, That’s Dumb
The issue here is that antifa isn’t really a group, it’s an ideology. It’s a broad group of people whose political beliefs tend to lean towards the left (many of them are anarchists, socialists, or communists), though the only real attributable belief of antifa is that they’re anti-fascists.
There is no formal organization though. There’s no leadership. There’s no membership, either. It’s just some folks who dislike racism and authoritarianism and sometimes protest against it. Some people get more militant about it, sure, but how many people have died at the hands of antifa vs. the American police state?
This designation could potentially be very dangerous, although some experts are already saying that Trump’s decision would be unconstitutional. However, if it became a thing, it could be used as justification for more extreme approaches towards protestors. If they’re considered terrorists, they lose a lot of the rights that they’d typically have, which is a very scary thing indeed.
Bottom line: this is classic Trump; equal parts stupid and dangerous.
TRUMPOCALYPSE
Trump Announces U.S. is Severing All Ties With the WHO
Trump has been critical of the WHO ever since coronavirus hit our shores. Now, he wants to dissolve any relationship the U.S. has with the organization.
More China Hysteria
During the speech where Trump said the U.S. will sever ties with the WHO, Trump also dedicated a lot of time to talking about China and just how much he hates them. He claims that “China has total control over” the WHO.
This came after Trump sent a letter to the WHO director general, threatening to cut ties and U.S. funding (which is the largest funder of the global health body, paying around $450 million in membership dues) if the organization didn’t make the changes he outlined within 30 days.
But Trump’s impatient, apparently, because he withdrew from the organization 10 days after the letter.
Bottom line: we’re in the middle of dealing with a pandemic so, I dunno, probably pretty stupid.
END OF THE LINE...
That’s it for today.
That’s what we’ve got. Remember, we’re only able to do this every day because of readers like you. Drop your friends, family, or anyone else whose email you happen to have a referral link and help us grow. We’d truly appreciate it.
Have a good one,
The Bread Line
we’re listening to:
Police resort to violence nationwide, Antifa are supposedly terrorists, and leaving the WHO.