Sunday, August 13, 2017

Charlottesville über alles

Whoa! Look at all them white people!
`
Frederick Douglass
Think about this for minute: Robert E. Lee was an American who waged war against his own country. He was a traitor. In the Spring of 1861 President Lincoln asked him to lead the Union Army, but Lee opted, instead, to fight for the treasonous Confederacy. He led an army of at least a million armed men in a war against the United States, a war in which 624,000 human beings lost their lives. I don't know about you, but where I come from they would label someone like that as a "terrorist". How would you like it if some committee erected a statue of Osama bin Laden in your town square? He killed far less Americans on September 11, 2001 than Bobby Lee did at the Battle of Gettysburg! The Park in Charlottesville, Virginia where his soon-to-be-removed statue stands conspicuously on a pedestal no longer bears his name. It is now called "Emancipation Park". It is my opinion that they should replace the statue of Robert E. Lee with one of Abraham Lincoln - or better still - Frederick Douglass - the same Frederick Douglass that Donald Trump said was doing such "great work".

Heather Heyer
Yesterday was a day to remember that I'm trying to forget. The capper on the worst racist riot on American soil in generations was when some psychotic little bozo named James Alexander Fields plowed his automobile at full speed into a crowd of hundreds, injuring twenty-seven and killing a young woman named Heather Heyer. To the best of my knowledge she is the first white woman to be martyred in the name of civil rights since Detroit school teacher Viola Liuzzo was gunned down by the KKK in March of 1965.  Given the temper of the times in which we live, I have no doubt that Fields believed he would be granted an instant pardon by Donald Trump. This carnage occurred all in the name of - WHAT? - "White nationalism". You see, some of the heirs of the Confederacy seriously believe that their rights are being taken away from them; they are saying that they want to "take their country back". And they view the removal of Lee's statue as a violation of their Southern heritage.


Sour puss Taney
Embarrassing as this is for me to admit, I, too, possess some of this heritage. There is a rancid branch in my family tree that contains a few people who fought for dear ol' Dixie. Worse still, one of my forebears, Chief Justice Roger Brooke Taney, wrote the dreadful Dred Scott Decision, the most despicable and deservedly maligned supreme court decision in the history of Idiot Nation. At the moment I learned that the statue of Robert E. Lee was going to be yanked away from the formerly named Lee Park, I didn't become unglued; I didn't start jabbering about "white nationalism"; I didn't attack the first black person who came across my path with a baseball bat; I didn't shout slogans popularized by the Nazis eighty years ago - and I certainly didn't plow my jeep into a crowd of complete strangers. I merely sighed softly to myself and said out loud, "What took them so long?" I reacted very maturely. You'd have been proud of me!

FUN FACT: In June of 1963, President Kennedy reacted to the civil rights upheaval of his day with an address delivered from the Oval Office - in primetime - to the people of the United States. That speech (which was improvised by the way) is remembered today as one of the greatest presidential orations in the history of this once-great country.

How did Donald Trump react to the turmoil of his time and place?

With a midday tweet.

In his statement, Trump (I can no longer bear to refer to him as "the president") said that the violence yesterday in Charlottesville came from "many sides". That's not true. The violence was instigated by the bigots, some of  whom were openly donning Nazi insignia). Trump, who has never been shy about hurling invective at anyone, initially refused to condemn racism and hatred. He doesn't dare upset what's left of his unmovable and loyal base of supporters. I know, it would have been nice to see him become a human being and finally admit that hatred of other human beings is wrong and has no place in the United States of America. It would have reminded me of the final scene in Charlie Chaplin's Great Dictator where the humble Jewish barber is mistaken for the cruel despot and proceeds to give a speech, imploring humanity to be more merciful toward one another:
 `
"Soldiers!!! Don't fight for slavery! Fight for liberty! In the seventeenth chapter of St. Luke it is written that the kingdom of God is within man - not in one man nor a group of men, but in all men! In you! You, the people, have the power! The power to create machines! The power to create happiness! You, the people, have the power to make this life free and beautiful - to make this life a wonderful adventure! Then - in the name of democracy - let us use that power - let us all unite! Let us fight for a new world - a decent world that will give men a chance to work - that will give youth a future and old age a security. By the promise of these things, brutes have risen to power - but they lie. The do not fulfill that promise; they never will! Dictators free themselves but they enslave the people!"

Don't ever expect anything as inspiring as that to come from the mouth or mind of Donald J. Trump. Nine months ago the American people stupidly elected this unenlightened, unhinged, common pervert to the most powerful office in the world. We're getting exactly what we deserve. We deserve no better.

Yesterday I was visiting my onetime girlfriend in Cornwall, NY. As is her unfortunate habit, she was getting the latest bulletins on the carnage in Virginia from Fox Noise (She voted for Trump but I still love her).  Over an hour after the mass vehicular assault, they were still referring to the incident as a "car accident". I would imagine that most of the mass of halfwits and megalomaniacs who participated in the festivities yesterday in Charlottesville also get their news from Fox. I'm told in a few articles I've read recently that that organization is beginning to wither on the vine. If only I could believe it.

I also would like to believe that yesterday's man-made catastrophe in Charlottesville, Virginia was merely a one-time freak show that will not be repeated any time soon. I don't think that is the case. We're living in Donald Trump's America now.

Tom Degan
Goshen, NY

UPDATE, 8/14/17, 6:06 AM:

Memorial services for Heather Heyer in Charlottesville had to be cancelled due to bomb threats from some of these racist thugs.

SUGGESTED VIEWING:

The Great Dictator
A film by Charles Chaplin

One of the great comedy masterpieces of the twentieth century.

20 Comments:

At 4:55 PM, Blogger Majormajor said...

"the violence yesterday in Charlottesville came from "many sides". That's not true."

I'm sure if there had been more Antifa and BLM members present, there would have been no violence.

 
At 5:10 PM, Blogger Paul said...

Are Americans so stupid they didn't know who they were voting for for president? It's no secret that Trump has been part of the racist element for decades and on many occasions has been publicly vocal about it, especially during the primaries.
Is it a surprise that a man who would call for a ban on a religious group would have philosophical ties to racist groups?
Does a man who treats women like sex objects and thinks he can do what he wants to them have a superiority complex?
When given the opportunity to denounce David Duke and his racism Trump was silent.
America always gets the leadership they deserve (vote for). Free elections allow the character of the population to show through. The history of the American people's treatment towards their fellow human beings, is ugly. We should not be surprised they elect a racist for president. It is not the first time Americans have elected a racist for president and it won't be the last.
Sad, given this is the 21st century.

 
At 5:25 PM, Blogger woodenman said...

Well J.G. maybe you were not so far off in your idea of a civil war in the US after all.

 
At 6:52 PM, Blogger Mozart1220 said...

And look how quickly they all run to blame Obama, or Liberals. It's all about the 1st amendment, NOW when under Obama all they cared about was the last part of the 2nd .

This is getting uglier by the minute, and it is ALL on conservatives. You can't blame this on Obama This one is ALL yours. But please, HUMILIATE yourselves further by passing the buck again. Prove what gutless feckless cowards you really are.

 
At 1:06 PM, Blogger Mozart1220 said...

Paul we didn't get the President we voted for. We got the one the KGB and the KKK wanted.

Clucky trying to shift blame is just typical cowardice from the right.

This one is yours Clucky. Brought about by the racists you love and support. You aren't fooling anyone with your projection and deflection.

 
At 4:03 PM, Blogger Darrell Michaels said...

"I also would like to believe that yesterday's man-made catastrophe in Charlottesville, Virginia was merely a one-time freak show that will not be repeated any time soon." ~ Tom Degan

No sir. This was not some "man-made catastrophe". It was domestic terrorism. Lets not use PC terms to soften what this was. I hope that the justice department makes an example out of this terrorist to the fullest extent of the law. So far AG Sessions is saying the right things regarding this horrific act.

BTW, while Trump's "many sides" comment was stupid, at least he came out in today's press conference and unequivocally denounced the hatred and racism from these neo-Nazi's and white supremacists by name. Yes, he should have done so over the weekend. He didn't. I wonder if it would have mattered to his detractors if he had given today's speech over the weekend? I am sure his comments today will still not be enough for his critics.

I am truly sad to see the huge step backwards that have occurred in race relations since 2008. One would have thought that President Obama with the bully pulpit could have at least continued to improve race issues. Instead, he seemed to exacerbate them, first by getting involved with the Professor Gates issue, Trayvon Martin, and then black live matter. Evidently thing are only going to get worse under President Trump.

I sure wish we could all come together as Americans, instead of Democrats and Republicans, or conservatives and progressives, and stand together in denouncing all racism. If only we could indeed judge our fellow Americans by the content of their character instead of the color of their skin.

 
At 2:11 PM, Blogger Darrell Michaels said...

Mr. Dubya, you are a race agitator of the likes of Al Sharpton. You don't seek peace and harmony. Every thing you write is to whip up anger and resentment in causes you think are just in your own self-righteousness.

Race relations were not perfect during George W. Bush's tenure, but they sure as hell got a LOT worse under President Obama's. Even you must admit that if you are even the least bit objective. Oh, and I am not "blaming the black guy" because he is black. I am blaming the guy, who irrelevantly happened to be black, because he helped stir up the pot with his rhetoric, denunciation of many police, and the seeming championing of some violent punks just because they happened to be black.

Racism should always be called out into the light of day and exposed for the evil that it is. That said, I am sure my denunciations mean nothing to you since you have falsely characterized me as making racist comments in the past and probably associate me as being tangentially connected to the vile racist groups protesting in Charlotesville. Your insistence of always succumbing to the worst in identity politics is pathetic and predictable.

Now please excuse me while I go hug my Hispanic children.

 
At 4:07 AM, Blogger Mozart1220 said...

It comes to this, you either support the Nazis or you don't. Trump clearly does.

 
At 7:22 PM, Blogger Michael Stivic said...

Dave,

Are you a race relations expert?

You tried to paint Arch as a racist who only quoted a racist comment made by the longest serving Democrat in the Senate who happened to be a former of the KKK and quit for political purposes. amirite?

You really made an arse of yourself.

 
At 2:47 PM, Blogger Mozart1220 said...

So Michael "Clucky" Stivic supports the Nazis. That was predictable.

Did you REALLY go all the way back to BYRD?


THE KKK IS CONSERVATIVE AND ALWAYS HAS BEEN.


You are either with AMERICANS, or you are with them.

Clucky has made his choice. How fitting COWARDS stick together. Like roaches under the fridge.

 
At 3:11 PM, Blogger Darrell Michaels said...

Mozart, do I think Trump is to blame for the agitation and worsening of race relations in this country? Sure. He has made some really stupid comments along the way that I absolutely do not condone.

That said, he did disavow and condemn all of those racist groups by name unequivocally, as he has done repeatedly even back to when he was still a candidate. But it doesn't matter to you. Trump could have come out and gave his Tuesday's speech last weekend an hour after the terroristic murder of Heather Heyer, and you still wouldn't have believed him. Much of the media and many hyper-partisans on the Left, you included, will always assume the worst before even examining the facts with Trump.

I hate that I am even put in a position to seemingly defend the ass. I have little use for him about 80% of the time.

With all of that said, can you list even a few things that Trump has said or done that make him out to be the racist you claim he is? I am not asking this sarcastically. I truly want to know.

The left has claimed this all along and if there are actual facts that I am missing, I'd like to know. Simply saying he is a racist because everyone else on the far left says it or because CNN does, simply doesn't make it so. The far left has played the race card for so long that it simply doesn't pass the smell test with me anymore. Provide actual verifiable proof and I will stand by your side even more so when it comes to Trump. Until then, you are simply part of the Alinsky-based hateful background noise, sir.

 
At 11:22 PM, Blogger Majormajor said...

Michael,

Don't you know by now that only liberals can define racism?

 
At 10:35 AM, Blogger Mozart1220 said...

Major CluckyStivic,

DO YOU SUPPORT THE WHITE SUPREMICISTS?
DO YOU SUPPORT FASCISM?

Yes or No. Should be easy, but you will deflect. You always do.

 
At 1:42 PM, Blogger Majormajor said...

Mozart,
Not that Tom will publish this

Damn the racists, neo-Nazis, fascist authoritarians, and... the violent antifa movement.

Do you agree?

 
At 5:03 PM, Blogger Dave Dubya said...

In my response showing the racist history, Major got very very angry at me.

Mr. Paine inquired, "Why do so many folks, particularly on the left, think he is a racist?"

I responded.

I am astounded at your inability to see the reasons hate groups love Trump. His openly racist YEARS of birtherism accusing the Black Guy of NOT BEING AN AMERICAN should give you your first clue. Trump’s refusal to rent to Blacks should give you another clue. Trump’s appointment of Sessions the suppressor of black voting rights should be another clue. You dare invoke MLK’s words, but ignore the words of his wife about Sessions racist actions.

Trump’s embrace of White Nationalist and alt-Right propagandist Breitbart should be another clue. This is one of your valued sources of information, along with Alex Jones and WND?

How’s this for bigoted reaction to a grieving mother of a Muslim soldier?

“If you look at his wife, she was standing there. She had nothing to say. She probably, maybe she wasn’t allowed to have anything to say. You tell me,” Trump said in an interview with ABC News that first appeared on July 30.

How about this?

Gonzalo Curiel, the federal judge presiding over a class action suit against the for-profit Trump University, could not fairly hear the case because of his Mexican heritage.
“He’s a Mexican,” Trump told CNN. “We’re building a wall between here and Mexico. The answer is, he is giving us very unfair rulings — rulings that people can’t even believe.”

And this:

“When Donald and Ivana came to the casino, the bosses would order all the black people off the floor,” Kip Brown, a former employee at Trump’s Castle, told The New Yorker for a 2015 article. “It was the eighties, I was a teen-ager, but I remember it: they put us all in the back.”

And this:

“And isn’t it funny. I’ve got black accountants at Trump Castle and Trump Plaza. Black guys counting my money! I hate it,” Author O’Donnell recalled Trump saying. “The only kind of people I want counting my money are short guys that wear yarmulkes every day.”

And this:

“I think the guy is lazy,” Trump said of a black employee, according to O’Donnell. “And it’s probably not his fault because laziness is a trait in blacks. It really is, I believe that. It’s not anything they can control.”

Trump told an interviewer in 1997 that “the stuff O’Donnell wrote about me is probably true,” but in 1999 accused O’Donnell of having fabricated the quotes.

Trump posted in the NY Times he wanted to have the exonerated Central Park Five executed. They were black of course.

Still no racism or bigotry to be seen?


This infuriated Major.

DD, who specializes in race baiting, race hustling and race based politics, can not acknowledge how Mr.Paine's posting of the truth about the radical left of which DD supports and covers for because to do so would expose him for what he really is. A black nationalist. A black separatist. A rage filled hate consumed radical socialist liberal.

Nice try, deflecting from Trump's clear racism and hate. Pay no attention to facts, and listen to Major's shrill voice of anger and ignorance.

He's very, very angry with me. I'm honored by the fact Major hates me MORE than Nazis, White Nationalists and Klansmen.

He sounds just like one of them too. "radical black socialist liberal". His worst fears and targets of his hate all rolled together. A hate he shares with...Nazis, white nationalists and Klansmen.

Just what Dear Leader would be proud of. No racism there either, amirite?

 
At 5:50 PM, Blogger Michael Stivic said...

Hey Tom,

It looks like the "religion of peace" has struck again in Barcelona. Should I continue as a good progressive to make believe it didn't happen and that global cooling or warming is more dangerous? Sometimes I think we have our heads in the sand on this issue. just say'n.

P.S. Hey Mozart I don't support the White Supremacists or the militant fascists known as antifa who escalated what happened in Charlottesville that led to Heather's death.

 
At 10:27 AM, Blogger Dave Dubya said...

Stivic is siding with the Nazis and Klan by blaming escalation and violence on the counter protesters. This is by definition a Nazi sympathizer. He just couldn't blame the Nazis for a clear act of terrorism. He is a terrorist sympathizer as well as a Nazi sympathizer.

Nice guy.

Mr. Paine is gullible enough to believe Trump's few words of backtracking over his long history of lies and hate. This shows where his sympathies lie. He also wants to blame the counter protesters, softening the act of terrorism by the far Right. Mr.Paine may not be a Nazi, but David Duke joins him in his support for Trump's words.

And Mr. Paine will dismiss the Trump history I've shown, despite the fact I was answering his question. What does that indicate? I report, you decide.

Then there's this.

Damn the racists, neo-Nazis, fascist authoritarians, and... the violent antifa movement.

Do you agree?


Something is bit slanted here. Note the attachment of “violent” to the least violent group mentioned. Note that the most violent are the loudest of Trump supporters. This clearly shows their bias.

Let me help for moral and reality grounding. “Damn the property destruction by the antifa, and damn the hate, and long history of deadly violence, from the Trump supporting racists, neo-Nazis, fascist authoritarians.”

And damn Trump and anyone who says there is no difference between the hate groups and counter protesters and victims.

That is emboldening and sympathizing with the hate groups.

I must say that is mighty white of them.

Are we all clear now?





 
At 4:05 PM, Blogger Mozart1220 said...

You claim not to support the White Supremecists, but you DO support Trump, who supports them, AND you blame the ANTI FASCISTS for violence that they never started. BOTH sides are not to blame. ONE side is to blame.

YOURS

So why do you continue to support and make excuses for what is OBVIOULSY the most inept and corrupt "administration" ever allowed keys to our "kingdom"?

You can't defend them anymore. Just stop it.

Oh, and stick with one name. We all know who you are, Clucky.

 
At 4:10 PM, Blogger Mozart1220 said...

T.Paine,

Trump is the President(at least he holds the title for the time being) He encouraged violence from the start of his campaign, had the full throated support of the KKK, and he supports them (even though he's made reluctant, half hearted statements trying to denounce them)

There are NOT "two violent sides" to this. There is the KKK, and there are actual law abiding citizens that do not support racism. The PEOPLE VOTED to remove the statues. It wasn't an "Obama plot"

Pick a side. Major Clucky Stivic has obviously chosen his.

 
At 4:24 PM, Blogger Dave Dubya said...

White Supremacists or the militant fascists known as antifa who escalated what happened in Charlottesville

His bias is quite clear.

Note how a meathead White Nazi/Klan sympathizer coddles white supremacists and castes blame at anti-Nazis and calls them militant. But not the White Supremacists. Nope. They are the victims to Meathead.

This is what Christo-fascism looks like. Very white. Very, very white. Sheet white, in fact.

I report, you decide.

 

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