Lots on my radar in the past 24 hours … I guess it must be time for some … Snarky Snippets, eh?
In the small town of Bethel, Ohio, about 20 miles from where I live, a peaceful protest for Black Lives Matter took place last weekend. It was a small demonstration, nobody engaging in any form of violence, just people turned out to make their voices heard. There were about 80 people there … not a lot, but enough. And then, things turned ugly.
On Sunday afternoon, some 700 counter-protestors showed up … motorcycle gangs, “back the blue” groups and proponents of the Second Amendment. Some carried guns, others carried baseball bats and clubs. 700 people obviously intending violence, against 80 unarmed peaceful protestors.
Police say there were about 10 violent altercations, but no arrests were made because police were so overwhelmed that they had to prioritize keeping order and keeping people safe. Wow … they couldn’t be bothered to look into the ‘violent altercations’ as a part of their effort to keep people safe? And why the Sam Hell were there nearly nine gun-totin’ counter-protestors for every one peaceful protestor??? If this is a reliable measure of the types of people in this state, then I’m getting the heck out of Dodge!
It is reported that the violent counter-protestors were bussed in from all over the state, and that Police Chief Steve Teague had prior knowledge on Sunday morning that the counter-protestors were armed and on their way to his town …
“If you would’ve asked me a week ago if any of this would come to Bethel, I would’ve said never. I’m still kind of in shock of it being here. It’s kind of amazing how quick social media spreads. We were told this morning they were bussing in protestors. We’re given screenshots from social media with some guys saying, ‘We’re going to Bethel, we’ll take care of what they didn’t take care of yesterday.’”
Wow, what a great police chief, eh? Scratches his rear end while his town is being overrun by jackals with big guns looking for trouble. Luckily no one was killed or seriously injured … this time. I sense it is only a matter of time until blood is running in the streets of the U.S., especially with law enforcement officers like Teague, or those who only know how to shoot black men.
Amidst the snark, I’ve got to give the U.S. Supreme Court a big thumbs up! Yesterday, the Court rejected the Trump administration’s attempt to dismantle the program protecting undocumented immigrants brought to the country as children, a reprieve for nearly 650,000 recipients known as “dreamers.” The 5 to 4 decision was written by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and joined by the court’s four liberals.
It was the right decision. Imagine that you were brought to this country when you were a baby, or 4 years old, have lived here all your life, went to school, worked two jobs to put yourself through college, and all of a sudden you are threatened with being deported to a country you never knew … a country where you have no friends, no relatives, no job … no future.
But, of course, Trump had to rant and rave, for that is all he knows how to do when crossed …
“These horrible & politically charged decisions coming out of the Supreme Court are shotgun blasts into the face of people that are proud to call themselves Republicans or Conservatives. We need more Justices or we will lose our 2nd. Amendment & everything else. Vote Trump 2020!”
I’ve got no idea how he made the leap from protecting young people’s lives to guns, nor do I particularly care. And after that, he finished with …
“Do you get the impression that the Supreme Court doesn’t like me?”
I couldn’t resist … I responded to his tweet with “Nobody likes you, fool!” Trump’s rants these days are just so much noise … I doubt anybody with a brain takes them seriously. But kudos to Chief Justice John Roberts, as well as Justice Stephen Breyer, Justice Ruth Ginsburg, Justice Sonia Sotomayer, and Justice Elena Kagan … great job!!!
Mary Elizabeth Taylor is an American politician who has served as the Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs since October 18, 2018. Taylor was viewed as a loyal member of the administration and is a lifelong member of the Republican Party. Justice Neil Gorsuch administered Taylor’s oath of office at her swearing-in ceremony in December 2018 at the State Department.
Before joining the administration, Taylor was an aide to Senate Majority Leader (not for long) Mitch McConnell where she worked as a member of his cloakroom staff helping oversee legislative debates on the floor. She comes from a family with a history of public service; her mother, Kristin Clark Taylor, served as the White House’s director of media relations under President George H.W. Bush and was the first black woman to hold that job.
Mary Elizabeth Taylor resigned yesterday. Why?
“Moments of upheaval can change you, shift the trajectory of your life, and mold your character. The President’s comments and actions surrounding racial injustice and Black Americans cut sharply against my core values and convictions. I must follow the dictates of my conscience and resign as Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs.”
It speaks volumes when a lifelong republican, a party loyalist, can no longer stomach Trump’s racism.
Until Monday, Michael Henkel was the supervisor for the Writ Services Unit of the Philadelphia Family Court … an important position. Mr. Henkel was fired on Monday. Why? For having violated “multiple codes of conduct and nondiscrimination policies.” Specifically, over the weekend, Mr. Henkel was caught on video ripping down Black Lives Matter posters and art that were put up along a chainlink fence just outside of a Philadelphia community center. In the video, the man says that his tax dollars “pay for” the fence, which gives him the right to pull down the artwork … put up on the fence by other people whose tax dollars pay for that fence. See the irony there?
But it gets worse. A woman who lives in the area said “Black Lives Matter,” to which Henkel replies: “Not to me they don’t.”
Yep, folks, it’s all on video … he really said that. Michael Henkel … a man who has held a position responsible for making sure that everyone connected to Family Court proceedings was informed about court dates and other important information in a city where almost half the population is black. Good riddance, Michael … farewell, adieu. WHERE do these asshats come from???
Okay … I’ve managed to get my own blood pressure above the recommended daily allowance now, and likely yours too, so … I shall gently bow out for a few hours … but never fear! I shall return!
It’s bad enough that we have to now live with the threat of COVID-19. How do we return to living a normal life among such racist divisive neighbors and work colleagues?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good question. My best guess is that things will never go back to what we thought of as “normal” six months or six years ago. I think we are facing an uncertain future. I think that things are likely to get worse before they get better … on several fronts: the pandemic, racial tensions, political divisiveness, and the economy. I hope I’m wrong.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Spreading goodwill will become even more vital.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Absolutely!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jill, you and me….we are surrounded by red-neck, gun-toting, in-your-face buffoons. Yesterday, I mentioned Juneteenth to a young “friend”. After a few minutes of tirade and rant, all I could do was walk away from him. Some crap about all the white “oppressed” people. Really, where do they live?
LikeLiked by 2 people
You are so right, Larry. I never realized before how many of my friends are bigots … it’s so disappointing, frustrating, and maddening. “Oppressed white folk”????? Seriously??? Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Good that you walked away … sigh.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Hey, I’m an old man – wisdom and self-preservation go hand in hand😁
LikeLiked by 2 people
So true!!! Though I don’t think you’re much older than this old woman!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Couple years, maybe😎
LikeLiked by 1 person
Maybe … I’m a year older now, though … 69 … somedays it feels like 95!
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’re just a young’un, Jill. I’ll be 73 in August.😁
LikeLiked by 1 person
Awwww … shucks 🤭
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sorry to hear there are so many rednecks and hillbillies near where you live. Latest polls have Biden 15 to 18% ahead of Trump! This is looking like a landslide, even Republican court judges are no longer following party line.
Trump Can’t Immediately End DACA, Supreme Court Rules!
This should restore some hope to fellow readers! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jill, thanks for sharing. Violence is not the answer. It is truly shameful that it is being used to oppress a people and by some who use it to say don’t oppress me.
As for the neanderthal, limiting thinking of the “black lives don’t matter to me” crowd, let me just throw out a few top of mind things. A black man co-developed the surgical technique to prevent “blue babies” due to poor circulation from dying. Three black women were prominent in the mathematics behind NASA space flight, with one actually devising how to accurately calculate where the capsule would land in the ocean. A black man successfully navigated a more national health care approach through Congress gaining coverage for multiple tens of millions and improving features in employer plans (guaranteed renewability and setting aside pre-existing conditions).
I guess these black lives don’t matter. They only saved the lives if all colors of babies, people and astronauts. Saying black lives don’t matter is a poor reflection on the speaker. It shows ignorance and intolerance. Keith
LikeLiked by 3 people
Perfect response, Keith! Those who would disparage black lives as being unworthy speak from ignorance. Seems to be an awful lot of that going around these days.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Just a thought for the coming election.
Photographs of these redneck gun and baseball totters, with the caption.
“Would you feel at ease living next door to one of these? Would you like your child to marry one?. Would you like them on your council? In your government?”
See if that would shift the ‘Not Voting Because…’ folk
LikeLiked by 2 people
Not a bad idea, though there are probably some who wouldn’t be phased, for they are part of that culture … if you can call it ‘culture’.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Nihilism is the polite word, my opinion
LikeLiked by 2 people
Police silence and non-action = systemic racism.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yep.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hope no-one is going to object if I say what a bunch of redneck arseholes arrived in Ohio on Sunday.Why is it so difficult to see hat even had there been 1000 protesters on the BLM side, there wouldn’t have been a weapon. so why do the rednecks always have them ?Don’t they feel safe without a crutch of some kind, Yeah we lost again, there were 80 of those peaceniks against just 700 of us.We didn’t stand a chance.
I hope that Mary Elizabeth Taylor won’t cling to her Republican Party thinking the President wont be representative of the party as a whole. If so I have a shock coming .Every last one of them is like that From the President and Moscow Mitch, all Senators down to the slightest voters.. Given half the chance BLM believers would be targets of the gun club and not a problem for the police or politicians,
Cwtch
LikeLiked by 1 person
No objections whatsoever, for what you say is 100% true. To answer your question … I think they don’t feel safe, nor do they feel like a ‘man’ without their guns … the bigger the better.
One would hope that Mary E Taylor has seen what Trump and by extension the republican party now stand for, and will distance herself. You’re right … there are no longer any republicans who can claim a high moral ground, for they have all sold their souls downriver. As to your last point … I will email you a story I came across today.
Cwtch
LikeLiked by 1 person
‘Like@ doesn’t seem like the right button for these kind of posts! Facebook has an ‘angry’ emoticon. It’s time WP had one of those!
LikeLiked by 6 people
I fully agree! I often feel rather silly clicking ‘like’ on a post that is anything but likable, but want to give credit to the writer for a job well done.
LikeLiked by 1 person