US situation/civil unrest

The stakes are high for the U.S.  that's for sure.  I can't help but think the U.S. Military has been in the middle east for three decades trying to tamp down insurrection.  I'm not sure why anyone thinks it would work on domestic soil.  Just sayin'...

sieg heil......mein furher......

[url]https://www.moonofalabama.org/2020/06/its-true-.html[/url];

I think this relevant to how fractured the discourse is. it's a repost from my litter watering hole.

I know it’s going to be difficult to accept what I’m about to say because people get very invested in their chosen narratives, but it’s important that you at least be exposed to the notion that it’s all true.

It’s true that people engaged in peaceful protests.
It’s true that people engaged in lawless looting.
It’s true that provocateurs have committed acts of vandalism and sometimes carry umbrellas.
It’s true that Antifa exists and that they don’t advocate gently placing flowers in the gaping hole of a long gun.
It’s true that some very messed up militia minded people call themselves Boogaloo Bois, wear Hawaiian shirts, and are showing up to add their brand of crazy to the mix.
It’s true looters come in all shades and sizes.
It’s true some desperate people are taking things they need.
It’s true some opportunistic people are taking things they want.
It’s true opportunistic government thugs suddenly shifted the Covid-19 rationale for using contract tracing to a catch-them-rioters rationale for using contract tracing.
It’s true the policy infrastructure for enacting martial law has been a long-term, bi-partisan project.
It’s true that now is the time to realize what’s at stake, but instead of acting collectively for our mutual benefit, the cognitive challenge of accepting that all these things can be true at the same time will keep us tied to one of these things to the exclusion of all the others.

It’s hard work, I know. But I have faith in you.

My general concern for any pandemic is that it will lead to some sort of civil unraveling. The latter I was afraid could cause more deaths and suffering than the illness itself.  [<-- I was more afraid of human over reaction being the 'slate-wiper' than an actual disease.]  

My top guess was that the trigger for the civil unrest would have been over food shortages, but in the case of the USA it seems to have been the cold blooded murder by a policeman that caused race riots.  

Given the large number of people who have lost their jobs and the limited (by the standard of other western democracies) safety nets for the unemployed, I can see the temptation to go out to loot ("we have lost so much, let us take something back").   The trouble is that this leads to a downward spiral as businesses that are open are destroyed leading to more unemployment, and more shortage of goods, and more poverty, and another round of rioting etc.    

The downward spiral is also being encouraged by the White House in suggesting counter action that seems designed to inflame the whole situation.  

I pray that somehow this spiral intent on unraveling American society can be halted before it is too late. But with the high unemployment and frustration that the SARS-Cov2 virus has cause, I am afraid that putting the breaks on will be much harder than at normal times.

Funny you should say that.  Reuters confirmed a call between Trump and Putin today before the governor teleconference.  It only confirms they talked about G7... but who knows?

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-usa-putin-trump/putin-and-trump-discussed-g7-oil-markets-in-phone-call-kremlin-idUSKBN238314

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/national-guard-troops-deployed-white-house-trump-calls/story?id=7100415

Trump says he is mobilizing 'heavily armed' military to stop protests

In a dramatic escalation of a national crisis, National Guard troops were deployed near the White House Monday evening hours after President Donald Trump said he wanted a military show of force against violent protests gripping the country.

Shortly after, Trump came to the White House Rose Garden to call himself the "law and order" president, saying "domestic terrorism" was to blame for the unrest.

"As we speak, I am dispatching thousands and thousands of heavily armed soldiers, military personnel, and law enforcement officers to stop the rioting, looting, vandalism, assaults, and the wanton destruction of property," he said. "We will end it now."

He said he may invoke the 1807 Insurrection Act, which permits a president to deploy military inside the U.S. to deal with civil disorder.

Several truckloads of DC National Guard troops had arrived near Lafayette Park.

A U.S. official said that active duty Army military police units from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, were preparing to be on standby in the Washington, D.C. area Monday night after three days of violent protests.

The National Guard troops are going to be protecting national monuments, the White House, property, and infrastructure, the official said.

He said at another point: "It is a war in a certain sense and we're gonna end it fast.”

In a surprising statement, the president told the governors he is putting Joint Chiefs Chairman Milley, his top military adviser, “in charge” of the response to the domestic protests. The president did not explain what he meant by putting Milley “in charge.”

"We're going to clamp down very strongly," he said, later adding, "We're going to do something that people haven't seen before." He did not elaborate.

DJ-When I look at the Dutch situation for [url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millennials[/url] ; They face debts after studies that were supposed to bring them jobs-due to the coronacrisis partly gone. They face a housing crisis-unless you have a very rich supporter it may take years before you can get enough money to buy a house-if you want "social rent" in most urban area's you may face at least a decade waitinglist. 

Still a lot of the "milennials" still have a job, a house, can deal with possible debts-not all did a study that put them in debt. There is "dissatisfaction" that their age group may have to pay for the people that will retire. In most cases people can stop paid jobs at 67-68. Our pensionfunds belong to the biggest investors in the world-and they did suffer in their investments-but next to pensions we do have a social law-insurance in wich those who now work pay for those that can no longer work-for age, health reasons, study etc.

Our political system is far from perfect-but we have several main parties to choose from-a lot of smaller parties from left to right, religious, animal rights. 

Our police makes mistakes, sometimes turns out to be racist. There is a problem getting people in the police with a non-Dutch background. Also women may be under-represented. 

And yes there may be some problems with corruption, people getting/staying in jobs they did showed to be not good at. But it is not a major problem-we are not perfect-but on the [url]https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurabegleybloom/2020/03/20/ranked-20-happiest-countries-2020/#7f4684ce7850[/url] we do belong in the top 10. 

The picture I have for the US is that millennials there may feel they lost their future-no job security, housing in major cities even a bigger problem than in NL. Healthcare, study often expensive. And elections being stolen by white men over 70 that show sexism, racism-for both "parties" that may have lost touch with a lot of young people. 

The corona-crisis made things worse fast. And politics seem to fail-no testing, limited care. The millennials see Covid 19 often as a problem for older folks-their (grand) parents-but they care for them-would like to defend them. 

The political tensions were rising, racist tensions were there all the time-with people of color now also more often getting Covid19 and die than white people. 

The latest US presidential election in itself created an explosive mix. That mix got activated by Covid19 exploded by a white policeman-unfit for his job-again killing a person for no good reason. This police murder was only a trigger-the explosives were already there. 

[url]https://www.moonofalabama.org/2020/05/young-white-men-abuse-george-floyd-protests-for-violence-and-looting.html[/url] On top of the "generation gap" in the US there are also armed militia. Some of them using the riots for their own goals. You have all kind of armed gangs-"good" police had a hard job controling them. (And on top of that the "story" decades old-the CIA is the main global drug gang-using drugs to pay for operations-without any political control-a state in the state, state/tax funded maffia. DJ-Let me be clear to fight organized crime with roots all the way to top positions you need a state-run police force being able to deal with this form of "criminal societies"-there are global "criminal states" operating without borders-with billions of $ or €-taking over legal companies.) 

The present US "situation" is extreme-one may find something like this in Brazil. [url]https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/us-population/[/url] The US has a relative young population for a western country. When you look at income inequality, public healthcare, infrastructure, crime the US looks like a "very rich third world country". 

To quote Peak Prosperity "it does not have to be that way". (Of course PP is one of many also reporting the FED buying up stocks to keep the rich rich. )

The outlook for the US-in my opinion-is bad. Political, economic, social reforms are needed-but the two main political "parties" represent those that benefit from status quo-not change. Militarizing the police, using the National Guard, Army may make things escalate even further. 

A "second wave" of Covid19 in the US is on its way-increasing tensions, inequality even further. The explosive mix will most likely become even more explosive. 

Burning down shops does not help-but when you protest and politics does not listen-to a very wide group of the population (that voted first Obama for change, then Trump for change-each time feeling betrayed) you may find a "motor" for lasting unrest.

[url]https://www.moonofalabama.org/2020/05/begun-the-civil-wars-of-2020-have-.html[/url], [url]https://www.zerohedge.com/political/cnn-crew-arrested-while-covering-minneapolis-riots[/url],

China [url]https://news.cgtn.com/news/2020-05-29/Police-protests-and-politics-in-the-U-S--QT5d80KYgw/index.html[/url]

Russia [url]https://www.rt.com/usa/490085-twitter-violence-trump-rule-violation/[/url]

see also [url]https://minnesota.liveuamap.com/[/url] and [url] https://usa.liveuamap.com/[/url], [url]http://www.minnecam.com/[/url]

[url]https://www.zerohedge.com/political/george-floyd-worked-security-same-nightclub-officer-who-killed-him[/url] ;

If Chauvin and Floyd were not meeting for the first time in the moments before Floyd’s death, that could potentially mean that there was a deeper motive behind the murder.

If true, this could make the difference between a manslaughter charge or a murder charge.

DJ-This item is easy to become "political"-did the CNN team not leave an area, react to a police order ? There is widespread dissatisfaction (both in and outside the US). The corona-crisis does have major consequences on all area's of all people. From income, health, job security to NPI/lockdowns etc. 

How "out of control"can the US "situation" get (DJ-In my personal view I would feel very frustrated with the presidential candidates-both white old men who should be looking for retirement NOT running the US) ? 

Is there a risk of "gangs" already widespread in the US becoming "warlords"? US government only able to control some area's when they patrol them in armoured vehicles (like in some Brazil area's, Northern Ireland during the "troubles") ? 

Is there a risk of this kind of widespread-politicized-unrest in other countries ? Brazil-yes, Europe ? Russia ? During a second wave ? 

What is-in the US "situation" wisdom ? "Send in the military" or talks on basic income security ? Or both ? 

[url]https://www.zerohedge.com/political/3rd-precinct-burning-500-national-guard-soldiers-activated-minneapolis[/url] ; 

DJ-lots of people are not waiting for any riots-eventhough a lot of them agree with basic points of protest (the police should protect citizens, not kill them). 

"This is a developing story"