This past weekend was one long nightmare alt-reality episode of Hate Speech with the host conspicuously absent.
We kicked off the weekend with torch-wielding nazis marching onto University of Virginia grounds to protest the removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee. Of course, there was violence, but of course the police handled it the way they do any other group of white men. They turned their heads. Mostly, that’s the right thing to do as Americans have the right to assemble peacefully. Still. One wonders.
Saturday morning, nazi and white supremacist members of a group called “Unite the Right” went to Emancipation Park to hold their rally. They set up a perimeter of armed white men in camouflage to be sure the message of fear got through to America. They’re the ones who want a civil war again, the people I wrote about last week. The news coverage was extensive, and we all have images of angry, whiny, privileged little white men screaming and hitting women and ganging up to beat a black man. We saw the violence, saw a nazi drive a car into a crowd of peaceful counter-protesters, killing Ms Heyer and injuring 19 others. We see Heather Heyer’s picture everywhere; we say her name out loud and remind ourselves that some of the fear we feel is justified but that the consequences of ignoring this hatred and their violent acts are much worse. We decide that we will go stand up for love anyway every single opportunity we get.
They have vowed to return, thus concludes their part in this week’s episode of Hate Speech. Though, we’re reminded again and again that the statues must go, the Confederate flags must go, and these people need the lesson. They need to know why they are horrible, shitty people, why their treason is not okay, and how to go about atoning for it and improving their shitty selves so they can be allowed to join society.
These nazis have sown fear and gone home, back to their holes, lairs, to their mom’s basements, etc. Mission accomplished. Until mom or dad finds out. Or until their boss does. Fortunately for us, some of them are learning the shame of their terrible decisions; they are learning that terrorism and racism have no place in American society and that we have no use for them. And yet. . .
On the one hand, we (the majority) have no use for them. On the other hand these nazis are sprinkled all throughout our government. One needs only look through the responses and comments on Saturday from our elected representatives; they’re everywhere. This one from my own governor?: “We should all condemn the violence and hate in Charlottesville, VA.” That isn’t a response from a Governor in America to fucking nazis rallying in public, to assaulting Americans, to killing. That is some weak-ass shit right there. Is this a government of the People, for the People? or is fascism already through the door?
Some interesting information: 155 people were arrested in Ferguson, Missouri. Four people were arrested in Charlottesville, Virginia. At a nazi rally that included multiple assaults and that ended with serious injuries and death. Four.
We here at NumptyVision don’t need to remind our viewers how 45 got elected or his pronouncements that Mexicans are rapists, that you have to treat women like shit, Muslims are terrorists, black people are thugs, etc. We all know exactly who his base is. (wink). . .
The nazis have vowed to return. It took two days for our host, the president, to actually speak up against white supremacists, but he still won’t call it what it is: terrorism.
“When someone shows you who they are believe them; the first time.” – Maya Angelou
At first, our beloved host (barf sounds) condemned hate “on many sides” but said nothing about the nazis and other white supremacists, the terrorists, in Charlottesville. David Duke had to remind Trump of his place. That was a close one, so Trump talked about his god to further distance himself from Americans and our First Amendment.
The president’s message today was two days too late, and it is a clear reminder to America that his “many sides” comments from Saturday means that he has placed himself on the side of the nazis but wants us to wonder. He’s on the opposite side from literally everyone else. Donald J. Trump is not the leader of America; he’s chosen to stick with his role as leader of the nazis. America fought nazis and confederates, and defeated both, and both are not welcome here. We need to get Trump and the rest of his nazis out of our White House. His “many sides” just aren’t going to fly in 21st century America. There is plenty of gray area when it comes to opinions in a country as large as America, but there is one thing we are universally clear on: nazis are bad.
The big question (of getting Hair Fuhrer out) is getting more and more urgent with every passing day, with every threat of nuclear or civil war, removing Americans’ options for health care, removing our First Amendment freedoms. . . The sides are becoming clearer. The nazis are in every level of our government. Can we wait until 2018? Will getting Trump out, if we can, remove enough of the power? Or are they gaining every day that Pruitt works to dismantle the EPA, every day that DeVos works to remove protections and opportunities for Americans? Are they gaining every time Governor Walker agrees taxpayers will pay one million dollars each for jobs that won’t ever make that back? Every time they take a gerrymandered district? winning without getting a popular vote?
Have we already given away too much to the nazis and Putin? Can we get 45 to step down and stop the damage? Would it be enough at this point? Did our racist and racist-enabling neighbors already give all of them too much power to salvage America?
(This quality programming brought to you by the Republican’s Incompetence Parade channel (aka NumptyVision). Next week’s alt-reality show is to air from Boston, or so we’re told by the nazis. Will our host be there for that episode? or has Trump just handed the whole fucking thing over to the nazis? Stay tuned.)
Link: “After Charlottesville Rally Ends in Violence, Alt-Right Vows to Return” – by Sarah Posner at Rolling Stone
Link: “The Moral Shambles That is Our President” – by John Scalzi at Whatever
Link: “Charlottesville: FBI, DHS, Obama and Clinton all Warned of White Supremacist Threat, but is Trump Listening?” – by Jack Moore of Newsweek
Link: “Trump’s DoJ Just Demanded Personal Info Of 1.3 Million Visitors To Anti-Trump Website” – by Brian Tyler Cohen at Washington Journal
Link: Facebook post from David Feldman that rocked. Read it. Seriously. Read it.
Link to original tweet from Governor Scott Walker, barely a blip between a picture of a beer and a picture of Miller Park with a hashtag “ThisIsMyCrew.” We should condemn violence and hate, Governor Walker. Maybe one day you will?
The swastika/45 graphic is by Mike Mitchell of Austin, TX. (edited 21 Aug. 2017 to include this link)
That tiki torch cartoon is by Keith Brown.
