;)
The Commentariat -- August 20, 2017
Counter-protesters in Boston, Mass., August 19. ... Julia Jacobo, et al., of ABC News: "One week after violent protests rattled Charlottesville, Virginia, a scheduled free speech rally in Boston today was met with thousands of counterprotesters, but the day went off mostly smoothly, police said, with 33 arrests but few injuries. The free speech rally was deemed 'officially over' by police ahead of its official end time, but thousands of counterprotesters continued to spread out in the city throughout the afternoon, with some protesting peacefully but others confronting officers and people. A total of 33 arrests were made today, mostly from disorderly conduct and a few assaults on police officers, the Boston Police Department announced. Police Commissioner William Evans said at a news conference this afternoon that some urine-filled bottles were thrown at officers, and police indicated on Twitter that some demonstrators were throwing rocks at police.... Evans said that '99.9 percent of the people here were for the right reasons -- that's to fight bigotry and hate.'" ...
... Tara Golshan of Vox: "The Boston Free Speech rally, which many feared would draw a violent crowd of white supremacists Saturday, was instead overshadowed by thousands of counter-protesters denouncing bigotry and racism. The dueling demonstrations on Boston Common showed a shocking disparity in size. As Vox’s Alex Ward reported from the scene, the Free Speech rally, scheduled to begin at noon, was only permitted for 100 participants.... Meanwhile, counter-demonstrators ... filled the grounds outside a security perimeter, drowning out the speeches at the Free Speech rally. More anti-racism protesters, led by the Black Lives Matter chapter, marched through Boston Saturday from the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center to join the counter demonstration at Boston Common. Police are estimating roughly 15,000 people in the march, according to ABC News." ...
... Tyler Kingkade of BuzzFeed: "A right-wing event in Boston that billed itself a 'Free Speech Rally' attracted only a few dozen supporters on Saturday, while an estimated 40,000 counter-protesters turned up to demonstrate against racism." ...
... Brandon Patterson & Jamilah King of Mother Jones: "One week after a bitterly violent protest in Charlottesville, Va., that left one woman dead and 19 injured, tens of thousands of counter-protesters marched in at least 30 cities, including New York City, San Francisco, Chicago, Atlanta, and Washington, D.C. to demonstrate their opposition to white nationalism. The largest protest by far was in Boston, where an estimated 30,000-40,000 counter-protesters showed up, according to the Boston Globe. Only a handful of people attended the planned 'Free Speech' protest, and they were quickly overwhelmed." ...
... The New York Times report, by Katharine Seelye & others, is here. ...
Looks like many anti-police agitators in Boston. Police are looking tough and smart! Thank you. — Donald J. Trump August 19, 2017
... Then, "an abrupt shift in tone":
Our great country has been divided for decades. Sometimes you need protest in order to heal, & we will heal, & be stronger than ever before! -- Donald Trump, August 19
I want to applaud the many protestors in Boston who are speaking out against bigotry and hate. Our country will soon come together as one! -- Donald Trump, Aug 19, 2017 ...
... Sarah Betancourt of the Guardian: "Donald Trump described anti-fascist and anti-racist demonstrators who converged on Boston as 'anti-police agitators' on Saturday, in a tweet that seemed destined to revive the still simmering controversy over his remarks equating the far right and anti-Nazis in Charlottesville last weekend.... But he later seemed to back the right to demonstrate....” ...
... Kevin Drum: "Nonviolence isn’t the answer to everything, but it is here. The best way to fight these creeps is to take their oxygen away and suffocate them. Fighting and bloodshed get headlines, which is what they want. So shut them down with lots of people but no violence. Eventually they’ll go back to their caves and the press will get bored. Of course, all of this depends on our president not doing anything further to support their cause. If that happens, I reserve the right to revise and extend my remarks." ...
... AP: "Duke University removed a statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee early Saturday, days after it was vandalized amid a national debate about monuments to the Confederacy. The university said it removed the carved limestone likeness early Saturday from Duke Chapel where it stood among 10 historical figures depicted in the entryway.... '"I took this course of action to protect Duke Chapel, to ensure the vital safety of students and community members who worship there, and above all to express the deep and abiding values of our university,' [Duke President Vincent] Price said in the letter. Durham has been a focal point in the debate over Confederate statues after protesters tore down a bronze Confederate soldier in front of a government building downtown. Eight people have been charged with tearing down the statue during a protest on Monday. Hundreds marched on Friday through downtown Durham in a largely peaceful demonstration against racism, leading to an impromptu rally at the site where the bronze statue was toppled." ...
... Nathan Fenno of the Los Angeles Times: "... during a rally earlier this week to show solidarity in the aftermath of the violence in Charlottesville, Va., a [University of Southern California] campus group linked the name [of the university's mascot Traveler] to Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, whose favorite horse was Traveller.... [Richard Saukko, who owned the first Traveler -- a movie horse -- & rode it in what was to be a one-off at a 1961 USC football game, has said the horse was already named when he purchased it.] The earliest mention of a connection between Lee and USC’s Traveler appears to have come in [Richard] Saukko’s four-paragraph obituary in The Times. 'Saukko's first horse was half Arabian, half Tennessee walker and was named Traveler I, after the horse of Civil War general Robert E. Lee,' the story said."
David Nakamura, et al., of the Washington Post: "President Trump and first lady Melania Trump have elected not to attend the annual Kennedy Center Honors in December amid a political backlash among those who will be feted at the event. The first family will not participate 'to allow the honorees to celebrate without any political distraction,' White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement Saturday morning. The announcement comes as three of the five honorees — television producer Norman Lear, singer Lionel Richie and dancer Carmen de Lavallade — said they would boycott the traditional White House reception related to the celebration. As for the other two, rapper LL Cool J had not said whether he would attend, and Cuban American singer Gloria Estefan said she would go to try to influence the president on immigration issues.... This is the first time in the awards' history that the White House portion of the festivities has been canceled."
David Remnick of the New Yorker: "During [a campaign] speech in Charlotte[, North Carolina, in early November 2016, President] Obama warned that no one really changes in the Presidency; rather, the office 'magnifies' who you already are. So if you 'accept the support of Klan sympathizers before you’re President, or you’re kind of slow in disowning it, saying, "Well, I don’t know," then that’s how you’ll be as President.'... [Afterwards, in a private conversation, Obama said,] 'We’ve seen this coming.... Donald Trump is not an outlier; he is a culmination, a logical conclusion of the rhetoric and tactics of the Republican Party for the past ten, fifteen, twenty years. What surprised me was the degree to which those tactics and rhetoric completely jumped the rails.' For half a century, in fact, the leaders of the G.O.P. have fanned the lingering embers of racial resentment in the United States. Through shrewd political calculation and rhetoric, from Richard Nixon’s “Southern strategy” to the latest charges of voter fraud in majority-African-American districts, doing so has paid off at the ballot box.... The imperative is to find ways to counteract and diminish his malignant influence not only in the overtly political realm but also in the social and cultural one.” ...
... New York Times Editors: Donald Trump has changed the subtext of the GOP's "Southern strategy" into text. "For reasons of ineptitude and ideological complicity, the [Republican] party’s leaders did almost nothing to counter the Trump phenomenon, nor did they seek in any sustained fashion to temper his worst excesses, beginning with his false claims about President Barack Obama’s birth and proceeding onward through his demagogic Inaugural Address."
Mike Allen of Axios: "At the end, Trump was beyond fed up, viewing Bannon as a self-aggrandizer who had built a personal narrative as the grand puppetmaster. 'Who the f[uc]k does this guy think he is?' Trump has said incredulously to associates." ...
... digby: "Bannon is a self-professed chaos agent who is happy to use Trump's simple-minded vacuousness for his own purposes, one of which is obviously to 'let Trump be Trump.' But they are not on the same page, not really, and the fact that people still think that Trump is some kind of an economic populist or an isolationist in any way is frustrating. He has no philosophy, he has domination impulses. That's it." ...
... Ryan Lizza: "... in the Trump White House there is no Trump agenda. There is a mercurial, highly emotional narcissist with no policy expertise who set up — or allowed his senior staffers to set up — competing ideological fiefdoms that fight semi-public wars to define the soul of Trumpism.... The lasting legacy of Bannonism is the xenophobia and hostility to nonwhites that emanates from the White House and has remained a political fire that this Administration is constantly fanning. But, as we learned this week, Trump doesn’t need Bannon to keep those flames alive." ...
... Josh Marshall notes that Trump just fired the one guy who does not seem to have been implicated in the Russia scandal. But Marshall has a feeling Bannon knows a lot about Trump & other Friends of Vlad.
Maureen Dowd tells a story about the time her Irish cop father quashed the local KKK. "There will be a lot of pain while this president is in office and the clock will turn back on many things. But we will come out stronger, once this last shriek of white supremacy and grievance and fear of the future is out of the system. Every day, President Trump teaches us what values we cherish — and they’re the opposite of his.... He’s no tough guy if he can’t stand up to the scum of the earth. He followed the roar of the crowd to dark, violent places, becoming ever more crazed and isolated and self-destructive, egged on by the egotist and erstwhile White House strategist Steve Bannon but really led by his own puerile and insatiable ego."
John Wagner of the Washington Post: "Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who faced calls from his Yale University classmates to resign in the wake of President Trump’s controversial comments about last weekend’s violence in Charlottesville, defended the president Saturday and said he intends to stay in office. 'While I find it hard to believe I should have to defend myself on this, or the president, I feel compelled to let you know that the president in no way, shape or form believes that neo-Nazi and other hate groups who endorse violence are equivalent to groups that demonstrate in peaceful and lawful ways,' Mnuchin, who is Jewish, said in a statement released by the Treasury Department."
Russ Feingold in the Guardian: "The lesson from Charlottesville is ... the unmasking of the Republican party leadership. In the wake of last weekend’s horror and tragedy, let us finally, finally rip off the veneer that Trump’s affinity for white supremacy is distinct from the Republican agenda of voter suppression, renewed mass incarceration and the expulsion of immigrants.... Words mean nothing if the Republican agenda doesn’t change.... Gerrymandering, strict voter ID laws, felon disenfranchisement are all aimed at one outcome: a voting class that is predominantly white, and in turn majority Republican.... Even if the entire Republican party rises up in self-professed outrage at white supremacists, if voter suppression and other such racist policies survive, the white supremacists are winning. And America is losing."
Juliet Eilperin of the Washington Post: "The Trump administration has decided to disband the federal advisory panel for the National Climate Assessment, a group aimed at helping policymakers and private-sector officials incorporate the government’s climate analysis into long-term planning. The charter for the 15-person Advisory Committee for the Sustained National Climate Assessment — which includes academics as well as local officials and corporate representatives — expires Sunday. On Friday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s acting administrator, Ben Friedman, informed the committee’s chair that the agency would not renew the panel.... But NOAA communications director Julie Roberts said in an email Saturday that 'this action does not impact the completion of the Fourth National Climate Assessment, which remains a key priority.'”
Faith Karimi, et al., of CNN: "North Korea warned Sunday that the upcoming US-South Korea military exercises are 'reckless behavior driving the situation into the uncontrollable phase of a nuclear war.' Pyongyang also declared that its army can target the United States anytime, and neither Guam, Hawaii nor the US mainland can 'dodge the merciless strike.' The messages in Rodong Sinmun, the official government newspaper, come a day before the US starts the Ulchi Freedom Guardian military exercises with South Korea."
News Ledes
Washington Post: "Ten U.S. Navy sailors are missing and five have been injured after the USS John S. McCain destroyer collided with an oil tanker near Singapore early Monday morning. This is the second time in two months that a Navy destroyer based at the 7th Fleet’s home port of Yokosuka, Japan, has been involved in a collision. Seven sailors were killed when the USS Fitzgerald collided with a tanker south of Japan in June."
New York Times: "Jerry Lewis, the comedian and filmmaker who was adored by many, disdained by others, but unquestionably a defining figure of American entertainment in the 20th century, died on Sunday morning at his home in Las Vegas. He was 91."
New York Times: "... a team led by Paul G. Allen, the billionaire co-founder of Microsoft, announced that it had found unmistakable wreckage of the Indianapolis [-- a U.S. Navy cruiser sunk by the Japanese during World War II --] 18,000 feet deep in the Philippine Sea, rekindling memories of the Navy’s worst disaster at sea."
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Reader Comments (15)
Re Boston -- the top 3 quotes from "Elie Wiesel Quotes" on der Google:
"We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.
"The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference.
"There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest."
It is certainly heartening to see the demonstrations for inclusiveness and an open society (thank you again, Karl Popper), versus the politics of vicious and violent racism, the sort of that attracts fearful and diseased minds like that of the small cowardly man living in the White House.
Heartening, yes. But wouldn't it be far a more salubrious state of affairs for there to be the same reaction to type of hidden, quotidian racism practiced and enforced in so many quiet ways without the extravagant and startling overlay of fascist symbolism and club wielding thugs?
For every huge rally against the most visible and violent eruptions of racial hatred, there are thousands of examples of soft racism that go largely unchallenged every day.
As Ellie Wiesel says, in the quote Patrick calls to our attention, the opposite of love is indifference, not hate.
The bigot in chief has done our country (not his: he is for the country of Trump, no other) by exposing the raw nerve of racial animosity pulsing like a sciatic nerve through the body politic, ready at the wrong twist of events to send shocking pain through the system. But analgesics and heat treat only the symptoms, not the cause.
For every obviously racist pig like Donald Trump and Joe Arpaio and their skinhead supporters, there are a multitude of men in suits and ties like Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan and Rupert Murdoch, yes and even Steve Bannon who, were it not for his recent 15 minutes of fame, would still be toiling in a fair amount of obscurity, all of whom conspire on a daily basis to ensure that racism maintains its debilitating power to cripple millions for the benefit of the few.
I have no small concern that Bannon goes back to freitfart and pseudo-journalism with a treasure trove of the US and the world's most top secret information to use for his own ends. Allies must be dismayed, and reluctant to share intelligence with these dopes. A loose bannon indeed.
Here is one of the best essays I have seen about the nature and importance of affirmative action college admission, from an MIT graduate in today's WaPo.
Cavilers will still say that affirmative action should be for all disadvantaged students, not just for minorities. OK then, get to it!
Tweet, Tweet!
Trump insults the counter protestors. Then he sees the photos. Then he reads real news. Then he assembles his team. They explain dividing about 100 by about 40,000. They explain the odds. He realizes the potential effect on Trumpvotes. He says nice
things about the 40k.
@Gloria: Precisely. The quote from bannon yesterday sent chills down my spine, "'I built a f[uck]ing machine at Breitbart. And now I’m about to go back, knowing what I know, and we’re about to rev that machine up."
And I'm not holding my breath waiting for wingers to express concern about the mishandling of classified information.
First, "thank you" to the thousands who showed up in Boston to show the best side of America.
1986, (now ancient times), or so it would seem with recent events that have occurred. There was the despicable presser with Stephen Miller and his dispargement of the Statue of Liberty inscription and words of Emma Lazarus.
Let’s hope this creep is gone ere long.
When I say, ancient times...my recollection is in the years prior to the reconstruction and preservation of the Statue of Liberty there was near countrywide involvement leading up to the celebrations in July 1986. Hundreds of feel good stories were written—about peoples’ heritage, the families who came through Ellis Island, the school children who collected small change to contribute to the huge fund-raising effort. One newspaper after another was filled with glowing, heart-warming features. There was incredible support from major corporations.
Because: the U.S.A. was all about diversity and welcoming people.
Lee Iacocca, who led the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Foundation was the country’s high profile personality who inspired and led fund-raising activities. His own background and family history — a perfect example.
What strikes me most shockingly now is when I look images from the Charlottesville march and see the majority of those (clueless, careless, craven, and cruel), neo-Nazi protestors, is the realization that most of them weren’t even born in 1986!
Time frames seem to grow increasingly shorter and memories falter. The importance of history fades as more and more just live in the moment.
But, it’s no damn excuse for vile behavior!
This week's Economist features an obit for Heather Heyer. A big deal, with all the heavy hitters who are dying at the moment. I am hoping that had she been black, it would be the same.
There is also an unusual, for the Economist, "letter" to James Damore from Google explaining the reasons for firing him. RC'ers will appreciate the effective use of the scientific method here.
NiskyGuy, yep, that was the one that would have sent chills down the spines of every allied intelligence agency, world leader and down the tubes of jelly that substitute for spines in every Con on whom he now has data. And everyone else on whom he has data. What a mess. This entire maladministration is an excercise in mishandling classified information.
I miss the old RC. The one that was before the Bleak Purge. While I still appreciate her going through the keystrokes and clicks, without the addition of CW's special sauce things are a bit bland.
Unwashed: agree, the meat is still great but better with the sauce.
But most important, thanks, Marie, for taking on this great work. We all owe you. Big time.
More re. Boston:
http://www.thedailybeast.com/author/clive-irving
and please add another to the CW fan club.
Sorry, the specific link.
Me too, so come back, Marie! Special sauce and piquant asides needed!
Trump did not renew the Federal Advisory Committee on Climate Change. In general, advisory committees are the latest targets for his thin skinned ire. Eliminating the climate committee is part of the plan to dismantle the E.P.A. The elimination of the manufacturing, cyber, and arts advisory committees are get backs for their members rejecting Trump. Trump is isolating himself at a rapid pace. His ability to maintain the enormous approval he needs to keep his tenuous grip on reality is diminishing. I'm anxiously watching the for the scheduled Phoenix rally. Does it happen? Will he pardon Arpaio?
Looks like he's turned over foreign policy to the generals. I'm not comforted for reasons that have been previously discussed. Tomorrow's Afghanistan policy speech will give us an indicator how close he's getting to a break. Close, I bet. More than usual self aggrandizing, lies, what he perceives as strength talk, crooked Hilary talk, Mueller jabs and Obama bashing. In other words, the full spectrum. He will have the whole country as an audience and he won't waste it.
Anyway, on climate change....I tweeted and emailed my Gov, Jerry Brown and suggested that he lead a multi state effort (the other climate concerned states) to re-establishment the climate change advisory committee. Brown has repeatedly voiced his strong commitment to address climate change. He has scheduled a world climate summit in San Francisco in 2018. Seems logical that he could assume leadership of the climate change advisory committee that Trump has rejected on behalf of the money makers and climate deniers.
Diane, I agree, foreign policy in the hands of generals does not work out well for anyone, except rich arms manufacturers and Eric Prince. Not for soldiers, not for civilians. To a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. This is a rare instance for fat donny where generals are not the lesser of the two evils. I'm reading interviews where people stupid enough to vote for that lying, Putin stooge, anti science charlatan Jill Stein, assert that HRC would have been worse. Do they not burn up on re-entry because they never re-enter?
Democrats have to attack and defeat voter suppression. Universal suffrage! We have to fight this hundreds year old battle again (coming up to the 200th anniversary of the Peterloo Massacre) In fact, August 16, 2019 would be a suitable timeline in which to win the battle for universal suffrage all over again. This is what Dems should be doing, arguing against universal suffrage should be like arguing against kittens! Universal suffrage 2019 - us for US.