Some violent and insidious things are going on in Portland, Oregon right now. There has been a good deal of vandalism--broken windows, spray painted walls, some bottle and rock throwing. There has also been a large body of evidence the authorities, whoever they might be, are also guilty of committing acts which could be described variously as rioting, mugging, and kidnapping.
In fact, for those of us who are a certain age, the nightly scenes coming out of Portland are eerily similar to what we witnessed in Chicago during August, 1968.
Similar, but not exactly the same. At least during what came to be called, "The Days of Rage," in 1968 we knew it was Mayor Richard Daley's cops and the Illinois National Guard whaling away at protestors whether they be peaceful and not. In Portland we aren't so sure.
That's right, in Portland this summer, thanks to President Trump, the crowds are being gassed and carted off by military style clad troops without badges, or any other type of ID other than an occasional generic patch which reads, "POLICE."
Acting Homeland Security chief Chad Wolf has described the force as members of a special detail of the U.S. Border Patrol deputized as U.S. Marshals along with others. Their training in street control has been questioned by some and their methods by many. What we do know is they are adept at laying down billowing clouds of tear gas and the use of truncheons in close quarters. We also know they like to pull just about anyone off the streets, dump them in unmarked cars and vans, then whisk them off to parts unknown.
Donald Trump claims they have done a, "fantastic job." The Mayor of Portland and Governor of Oregon aren't so, let's say, enthralled. On Sunday Mayor Ted Wheeler complained the federal, "agents," have been actually leading to more violence in the city and demanded they be removed. The Governor, Kate Brown agreed with him and called for Wolf to pull his enforcers out. The acting head of the department has refused.
The other night, Navy vet, Chris David approached a line of them to, in his words, "ask them why they were using unmarked cars to snatch people off the streets." Mr. David, who used to be a heavy weight wrestler for the Naval Academy, is a big guy. When one of the officers began whacking him with a large billy club he simply stood there and took it with an almost zen passivity. To see the video of it is like watching some two bit garden gnome whacking the Incredible Hulk with a ruler. It was only after a second blast of mace directly to the face that David turned, then walked calmly away, shooting the attackers the finger with both hands. Later it turned out one of the savage blows broke Chris David's left hand, but you'd never know it by watching that video.
The point here isn't a former Midshipman's toughness, but the fact Wolf's boys don't give a shit if a demonstrator is peaceful, or not. The next night a group of women calling themselves, The Portland Wall of Moms, were attacked with flash bombs and also gassed. Their crime was trying to create a human barrier between protesters and Wolf's, "special forces."
Ah yes, your tax dollars at work.
Donald Trump has recently promised to put more of these federal, "agents," to work in other cities to restore peace in the streets everywhere. In addition he told a Rose Garden crowd if Joe Biden is elected, the democrat, who, according to El Don is controlled by radical leftists and anarchists, would wreck havoc with property values by destroying the suburbs.
Indeed, beware my fellow Christians, first they assaulted Confederate statues, next they'll come charging into your cul de sac. Hell, the only thing Trump has left out, so far anyway, is the unspeakable threat to the purity of our wives and daughters.
Well, you have to run on something don't you. And if you're Donald Trump it certainly can't be the cracker jack job he's done controlling the Corona Virus, or the economy. No, it would seem he has settled on trying to scare the living shit out of white people from coast to coast.
Hey, it worked for Nixon. Why not try it again? After all, fear sells.
7-20-20
Anyone looking for a new career might consider selling shoe polish. It takes quite a bit of it to polish leather jackboots.
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