Our right to protest is going to be taken away. We have already seen the violation of rights when it comes to protesters – in Ferguson, it was one violation after another. The same thing has happened with many Black Lives Matter protests – people were told if they didn’t get on the sidewalk, they’d be arrested. It was quite convenient for the cops, as there was no sidewalk at that particular location. Another time, cops told protesters to disperse immediately, or they be arrested. A lot of people couldn’t do that, because they came by bus, and the cops shut down the bus terminal, so guess what? Arrested. Do I need to go back over what’s been happening at Standing Rock? The constant violation of rights on the part of the protectors? It’s already bad for those who have the strength and conviction to protest. It’s already dangerous. Cops are already completely out of fucking control. Cops are already murderous. Cops already have a wealth of bigots in their ranks. Pretty sure they have a wealth of Trump supporters, too. Protests, civil disobediance, the only tools of the powerless. We may not have those tools for long.
A Republican lawmaker in Washington state has proposed a new crime of “economic terrorism” to prosecute protesters who block streets, threaten jobs or endanger public safety.
State Sen. Doug Ericksen (R) said in a statement on Wednesday that he was preparing the bill for the next legislative session, KCPQ reported. The proposal comes after thousands of protesters took to the streets in opposition to President-elect Donald Trump.
“I respect the right to protest, but when it endangers people’s lives and property, it goes too far,” Ericksen said. “Fear, intimidation and vandalism are not a legitimate form of political expression. Those who employ it must be called to account.”
Under “economic terrorism” bill, protesters would be charged with a felony if they “intentionally break the law in an attempt to intimidate or coerce private citizens or the government by obstructing economic activity.”
Ericksen said that the law would also be extended “to those who fund, organize, sponsor or otherwise encourage others to commit acts of economic terrorism.”
The so-called “accomplices” could be “required to pay restitution up to triple the amount of economic damage,” Ericksen insisted.
“We are not just going after the people who commit these acts of terrorism,” the lawmaker warned. “We are going after the people who fund them. Wealthy donors should not feel safe in disrupting middle class jobs.”
For those pushing the idiot line, how ya doing with that, “nah, everything is okay, it’s not fascism” shit now?
Full story here.
Continuing on in regard to the normalisation of said fascism, NPR has enthusiastically jumped into the fascim pond, head first.
If you are curious about how racist and anti-Semitic rhetoric, and organizations dedicated to propagating the same are able to slip into the mainstream, do yourself a favor and listen to NPR’s Wednesday morning interview with Breitbart senior-editor-at-large Joel Pollak.
NPR apparently felt the need to invite on a Breitbart mouthpiece to put in a good word for Steve Bannon, Donald Trump’s newly announced senior policy adviser. Bannon previously led Breitbart, a publication beloved by the so-called alt-right, a loose coalition of white nationalists, “identitarians,” neo-Nazis, anti-Semites, racists, and misogynists who were ecstatic over Bannon’s appointment. Pollak’s segment was a master class in obfuscation and a primer on how to flip the script and turn totally justified accusations of bigotry, misogyny and anti-Semitism into “reverse racism.”
“Let’s hear a defense of Steve Bannon,” NPR host Steve Inskeep began, offering a view of exactly what direction this interview would take.
Full story here. Mainstream media just can’t wait to propagate the happy thoughts about fascism spiel. I keep having scenes from a certain Twilight Zone episode in my head.
“A real good thing. And tomorrow… tomorrow’s gonna be a… real ‘good’ day!”
Then there’s this:
“This is not the French Revolution,” Bannon said, characterizing Trump’s achievement and goals. “They destroyed the basic institutions of their society and changed their form of government. What Trump represents is a restoration—a restoration of true American capitalism and a revolution against state-sponsored socialism. Elites have taken all the upside for themselves and pushed the downside to the working- and middle-class Americans.”
Who’s Calling Who Elite?
Bannon’s revolution is being led by the very people Trump demonized in his final political ads in Rust Belt states—the elite players in American finance and media. No one epitomizes that contradiction as clearly as the billionaire Mercers, and their long embrace of Trump’s new White House strategist, Bannon, who made a fortune at Goldman Sachs and in Hollywood before taking over Breitbart.
Full story here.