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Reports of protests are overblown. A few incidents around the country, but nothing major.

5 (45.5%)

A few major incidents in capitals, but nothing much in DC.

5 (45.5%)

A major incident in DC, but nothing much around the country.

0 (0%)

More than 10 capitals have major upheavals, but nothing much in DC.

0 (0%)

A major incident in DC plus more than 10 capitals with significant upheavals.

1 (9.1%)

More than half the capitals around the country have problems with protesters, but DC is quiet.

0 (0%)

DC has major problems, while more than half the capitals around the country also have considerable trouble with protesters.

0 (0%)

Huge disruption to the day.

0 (0%)

Total Members Voted: 9

Voting closed: January 19, 2021, 10:49:21 PM

[LarryBnDC]

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/26/opinion/confederate-monuments-racism.html

Opinion

You Want a Confederate Monument? My Body Is a Confederate Monument
The black people I come from were owned and raped by the white people I come from. Who dares to tell me to celebrate them?

By Caroline Randall Williams
Ms. Williams is a poet.

June 26, 2020

NASHVILLE — I have rape-colored skin. My light-brown-blackness is a living testament to the rules, the practices, the causes of the Old South.

If there are those who want to remember the legacy of the Confederacy, if they want monuments, well, then, my body is a monument. My skin is a monument.

Dead Confederates are honored all over this country — with cartoonish private statues, solemn public monuments and even in the names of United States Army bases. It fortifies and heartens me to witness the protests against this practice and the growing clamor from serious, nonpartisan public servants to redress it. But there are still those — like President Trump and the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell — who cannot understand the difference between rewriting and reframing the past. I say it is not a matter of “airbrushing” history, but of adding a new perspective.

I am a black, Southern woman, and of my immediate white male ancestors, all of them were rapists. My very existence is a relic of slavery and Jim Crow.

According to the rule of hypodescent (the social and legal practice of assigning a genetically mixed-race person to the race with less social power) I am the daughter of two black people, the granddaughter of four black people, the great-granddaughter of eight black people. Go back one more generation and it gets less straightforward, and more sinister. As far as family history has always told, and as modern DNA testing has allowed me to confirm, I am the descendant of black women who were domestic servants and white men who raped their help.

It is an extraordinary truth of my life that I am biologically more than half white, and yet I have no white people in my genealogy in living memory. No. Voluntary. Whiteness. I am more than half white, and none of it was consensual. White Southern men — my ancestors — took what they wanted from women they did not love, over whom they had extraordinary power, and then failed to claim their children.

What is a monument but a standing memory? An artifact to make tangible the truth of the past. My body and blood are a tangible truth of the South and its past. The black people I come from were owned by the white people I come from. The white people I come from fought and died for their Lost Cause. And I ask you now, who dares to tell me to celebrate them? Who dares to ask me to accept their mounted pedestals?

You cannot dismiss me as someone who doesn’t understand. You cannot say it wasn’t my family members who fought and died. My blackness does not put me on the other side of anything. It puts me squarely at the heart of the debate. I don’t just come from the South. I come from Confederates. I’ve got rebel-gray blue blood coursing my veins. My great-grandfather Will was raised with the knowledge that Edmund Pettus was his father. Pettus, the storied Confederate general, the grand dragon of the Ku Klux Klan, the man for whom Selma’s Bloody Sunday Bridge is named. So I am not an outsider who makes these demands. I am a great-great-granddaughter.

And here I’m called to say that there is much about the South that is precious to me. I do my best teaching and writing here. There is, however, a peculiar model of Southern pride that must now, at long last, be reckoned with.

This is not an ignorant pride but a defiant one. It is a pride that says, “Our history is rich, our causes are justified, our ancestors lie beyond reproach.” It is a pining for greatness, if you will, a wish again for a certain kind of American memory. A monument-worthy memory.

But here’s the thing: Our ancestors don’t deserve your unconditional pride. Yes, I am proud of every one of my black ancestors who survived slavery. They earned that pride, by any decent person’s reckoning. But I am not proud of the white ancestors whom I know, by virtue of my very existence, to be bad actors.

Among the apologists for the Southern cause and for its monuments, there are those who dismiss the hardships of the past. They imagine a world of benevolent masters, and speak with misty eyes of gentility and honor and the land. They deny plantation rape, or explain it away, or question the degree of frequency with which it occurred.

To those people it is my privilege to say, I am proof. I am proof that whatever else the South might have been, or might believe itself to be, it was and is a space whose prosperity and sense of romance and nostalgia were built upon the grievous exploitation of black life.

The dream version of the Old South never existed. Any manufactured monument to that time in that place tells half a truth at best. The ideas and ideals it purports to honor are not real. To those who have embraced these delusions: Now is the time to re-examine your position.

Either you have been blind to a truth that my body’s story forces you to see, or you really do mean to honor the oppressors at the expense of the oppressed, and you must at last acknowledge your emotional investment in a legacy of hate.

Either way, I say the monuments of stone and metal, the monuments of cloth and wood, all the man-made monuments, must come down. I defy any sentimental Southerner to defend our ancestors to me. I am quite literally made of the reasons to strip them of their laurels.

Caroline Randall Williams will be doing a reading of this essay and answering questions on Instagram (@nytopinion) on Tuesday, June 30 at 7 p.m. Eastern.

Caroline Randall Williams (@caroranwill) is the author of “Lucy Negro, Redux” and “Soul Food Love,” and a writer in residence at Vanderbilt University.

Quite

[LarryBnDC]

This was submitted for editing and will publish tomorrow in the Shinbone Star

It’s our editorial endorsing Joe Biden

Sorry no links in this version


Joe Biden for President


And you may ask yourself, well
How did I get here?

About a year ago a crowded field of Democratic presidential candidates held a series of debates and during one of the most pivotal exchanges some of VP Joe Biden’s past policy decisions were questioned by Sen. Kamala Harris who figuratively took a high fastball from VP Biden and parked it into the upper deck. Sen. Bernie Sanders landed solid hits on Biden’s vote for the Iraq War and in a later debate Biden and Sanders went at it over healthcare with Sanders accusing Biden of “sounding like Trump” with his concerns over Medicare For All.

At the time it looked like Joe Biden wasn’t going to get to the end of the process and would probably drop out… except he was favored in the polls against Trump. As the campaign chugged along through the summer and the fall the polling between the candidates fluctuated but the constant was Joe Biden as the front runner and beating Trump in the polls.

In late September Sen. Elizabeth Warren drew into a statistical dead heat with Biden with each pulling about 25% but among Black voters Biden had a huge lead on the rest of the still crowded field with 36% to Bernie Sanders 12% and no other candidate in double digits.

Up until that point I figured the reason Joe was doing so well with that area of the electorate was familiarity. For eight years he had been the wingman for the first Black President and he did his job well. I compared him to a comfortable old sweater that was cool to wear once in a while but because it was threadbare if you wore it every day it would eventually fall apart. While he was being battered from pillar to post in the campaign by late fall it was clear Joe Biden had a firm hold of the majority of Black support.

The question then was who would get that vote once Biden dropped out,

It wouldn’t be Kamala Harris because she dropped out in early December when her funding ran short and after Mayor Pete Buttegieg surged to the lead in late November. By January 2020 Corey Booker had also dropped after failing to gain enough traction.

For months pundits had wondered why Sen, Corey Booker and Sen. Kamala Harris hadn’t been able to cut into Biden’s lead and when Mayor Peter Buttigieg jumped to the front, it took a minute to realize he not only had less support among Black voters than they, he had ZERO support. None.

And you may ask yourself
How do I work this?

The Iowa caucuses were exposed in this campaign as was the New Hampshire primary. Neither of these states have electorates that truly represent the breadth and scope of the Democratic Party and that was demonstrated by Biden’s blowout victory in South Carolina that was driven by massive support among Black voters.

One might wonder why Black voters show such faith in Joe Biden and the answer is not that they trust Joe Biden, they don’t trust White voters and rightfully so because White America replaced Barack Obama with Donald J. Trump.

And you may ask yourself
Am I right? Am I wrong?

When Hillary Clinton lost the 2016 presidential campaign (by 77K votes across three big Electoral College states) some folks said it wasn’t because Americans weren't ready to elect a woman president, they just weren’t ready to elect THAT woman.

Clinton’s loss was initially blamed on low Black turnout but after having a “Kenyan Muslim Socialist” as president it seems America was ready for ANY white man and that’s exactly what we got.

Trump exemplifies NOTHING of the American Dream of making it by way of one’s own effort. He is almost a mirror caricature of the Chauncey Gardner character from the 1979 film “Being There.”

Born into wealth, he was a millionaire by age three and any hurdles encountered in his life were pushed over and every rough patch smoothed out by his family wealth yet all he does is whine about how unfair everything and everyone is to him.

Nothing has been more unfair to Trump than the Covid19 pandemic. His whole re-election bid was based on his ability to crow about the state of the economy and lie about the amount of credit is directly related to him.

Knowing the ability of the legacy media to thoroughly muddle the fact he would be lying through his teeth by affording an abundance of undeserved fairness to the Republican Party and the President that might have actually been a winning strategy. However, with the Covid19 pandemic killing over 120,000 people to date and causing the collapse of the economy (if you don’t count the stock market) leaving 40 million people out of work over the last three months and with no clear end in sight.
“
And you may say yourself
"My God! What have I done?"

But with the murder of George Floyd at the hands of Police, even the pandemic couldn’t contain the revulsion of the hundreds of thousands of people who took to the streets in protest and have remained mobilized for nearly a month. The heavy handed Police response galvanized more and more people to join the protest and then the Administration literally loosed the Secret Police on a crowd of peaceful protestors near the White House.

There is a hardcore baseline of Trump supporters who will back him no matter what but the majority of Americans see his inept, chaotic handling of the pandemic, his endless recital of racial grievances and resentment to be wanting in terms of leadership. He is a nasty, whining brute who cares for no one beyond his circle and only cares about national security if he can wield the country’s leverage for his own benefit.

Americans with any personal depth recognize Trump and his sycophants of The GOP literally couldn’t care less about any person who is not in the Republican donor base.

Contrast that with Joe Biden. If there is one thing Biden has it is his capacity for empathy. Without giving his life story one thing nearly everyone agrees about Joe Biden is that at the bottom of his core he is a decent man. Even those who aren’t enthused about his policy positions (standard popular liberal stuff) admit he is a nice guy who is prone to make mistakes of familiarity.

During an interview he told a black radio host if he needed a specific reason to vote for Biden over Trump, “Then you ain’t Black!” Of course that caused a furor until Trump said something really stupid.

You know something? A 78 year old white guy who was wingman to the coolest guy in the world for eight years felt damn comfortable saying the quiet part out loud which is basically “you need me and I need you.” I’ll take the awkward ally over the virulent racist sociopath any day and as it has become increasingly clear that racial division is his argument for reelection.

The problem for Trump and the GOP is the old game plan they’re running is not exactly matched to the game they’re in. After more than a decade of white identity politics vilifying the black president and a woman they swore ran a pedophile sex ring in the basement of a pizza parlor, their culture war playbook doesn’t seem to have a strategy for going against an old white guy. So they have to run on their policies? Yeah, good luck with that.

Trump was afraid this moment would come and the last guy he wanted to face was Joe Biden. Trump got himself impeached for trying to shake down Ukraine’s president for dirt on Joe Biden.

Trump and his campaign are doing their level best to convince voters Biden suffers from dementia, that Biden was ALSO a sexual predator and Biden would be soft on China. Trump knows he can’t match Biden in terms of character so his strategy is to do as much as he can to bring Biden down to his level so they can wrestle in the mud.

Yeah, good luck with that, Donnie. The late Maya Angelou said, “When people show you who they are, believe them the first time.” They know Joe Biden as “Uncle Joe.”

They know you’re a snake because you told them so

Biden 2020 - “Save the World, then change the System!” - #BlackLivesMatter

[LarryBnDC]

GOP House Leader McCarthy makes the case for Trump

https://twitter.com/gopleader/status/1276953832451383297?s=21

[bambu.]

In America, there seems to be an idea that most White people, in some form of guilt trip over slavery, White privilege etc...are   are going to be selling all their assets and giving the proceeds to Black people.
It's wishful thinking...fantasy even.

[bambu.]

and perhaps you should stop demonizing white devils in your GO BIG strategy.

OK Putney?

Demonizing white devils?

Banks you keep dropping the sheet you don’t realize you’re wearing.

Knicks i chose my words very carefully and expected the blowback.

If you think it fair to characterize white people as white devils, I reserve the right to refer to you as one of my favored characters from WBW.

And I'm having some fun exposing your prejudice. 

And we both knew I wear no sheet, I'm just holding you to the same standard I hold anyone I choose to debate.

That you prefer a faux charge of racism rather than answer my specific question about your Biden/Dem GO BIG platform is understandable and very transparent.

Fun chatting as always Putney

If you think I characterize white people as devils then you are who you claim you’re not.

I characterize white people by what is obvious to anyone not shielding their eyes

Do you think all those white kids out in the streets protesting for the America see the world as you?

They’re not gonna wanna hear shit about moderation.

Thank GOD for this generation because they are our last best hope of saving the fucking world.

It’s the white people in this generation that gives me more hope for the future than I have had in my entire adult life.

You sure as hell don’t. You show yourself every time you don’t think my perspective has any value.

You throw supposedly harmless insults cached in race and claim it to be all in good fun.

Then you say I’m prejudiced.

Dude. I’m a black man in America and this is how I see the world. I also see the world the way you do because I have no choice if I want to be successful in this semi apartheid state.

So, how am I supposed to say what I see and experience in terms thst don’t hurt your feelings?

Say it any way you like, I'm always very interested to hear it.
Won't hurt my feeilings.

[kidcarter8]

Important to note who he was dealing with in Congress during most of his tenure---puts those accomplishments in proper context. Also, he was the first scandal free Prez since Ike.

Hugely embarrassing that Dems lost the Senate two years after taking over the disastrous Bush who crashed the economy and got us into 2 endless wars.
Actually they lost a Senate race in MA before that which is inexcusable.

Have to credit candidates on both side.  The issues of the day were not so evident - as far as tilting one way or the other

This year you hope the Trump hate boils over to the other races.  But US citizens as a whole are wiser than you imagine, don't just get led by slogans and marches when it comes time to vote their livelihood (away).

[Echo4]

In America, there seems to be an idea that most White people, in some form of guilt trip over slavery, White privilege etc...are   are going to be selling all their assets and giving the proceeds to Black people.
It's wishful thinking...fantasy even.

Nobody but you has that notion.

And you're a racist, who makes up shit to argue against.

[bankshot1]

and perhaps you should stop demonizing white devils in your GO BIG strategy.

OK Putney?

Demonizing white devils?

Banks you keep dropping the sheet you don’t realize you’re wearing.

Knicks i chose my words very carefully and expected the blowback.

If you think it fair to characterize white people as white devils, I reserve the right to refer to you as one of my favored characters from WBW.

And I'm having some fun exposing your prejudice. 

And we both knew I wear no sheet, I'm just holding you to the same standard I hold anyone I choose to debate.

That you prefer a faux charge of racism rather than answer my specific question about your Biden/Dem GO BIG platform is understandable and very transparent.

Fun chatting as always Putney

If you think I characterize white people as devils then you are who you claim you’re not.

I characterize white people by what is obvious to anyone not shielding their eyes

Do you think all those white kids out in the streets protesting for the America see the world as you?

They’re not gonna wanna hear shit about moderation.

Thank GOD for this generation because they are our last best hope of saving the fucking world.

It’s the white people in this generation that gives me more hope for the future than I have had in my entire adult life.

You sure as hell don’t. You show yourself every time you don’t think my perspective has any value.

You throw supposedly harmless insults cached in race and claim it to be all in good fun.

Then you say I’m prejudiced.

Dude. I’m a black man in America and this is how I see the world. I also see the world the way you do because I have no choice if I want to be successful in this semi apartheid state.

So, how am I supposed to say what I see and experience in terms thst don’t hurt your feelings?

Or are you really one of the white devils you are defending?

Knicks if you want to be purposely offensive, and repeatedly refer to white people as devils, that's fine with me, you can use whatever rhetoric you think makes your case. My skin has developed some depth over the years, I've dealt with prejudice as well, and can recognize it.  So my feeling are not hurt. But I am free to call it as I see it.

But please spare me your outrage and bullshit charges when I point out your prejudice by mocking you for it.

 
And fwiw making your case would be far more effective if when asked about the specifics of your GO BIG platform if you would give specifics rather than charge me with wearing a hood.

That's fucking weak and transparent.

As for the young people demonstrating in the streets, good for them. They are our future. I demonstrated for civil rights and against the war when I was their age and younger, fighting against injustice. And you win some and you lose some. But you hope for progress.

But I'm not looking to them for strategic guidance to fashion a platform that can succerssfully win elections in 2020 or 2022 elections. Input yes. My hopes are narrower, I hope they vote in 2020. 

And no I'm not a white devil who is oppressing you, I'm a white guy asking you defend your opinion with some specifics. If you find that modest and reasonable request oppressive, well, tough shit,

[bambu.]

Many of the White protesters in the streets could be  leftists cheering for Biden's promise of
 "100% renewables by 2050".
Biden maybe won't even be alive in 2050, let alone be having anything to do with running the country then.
So any promises he makes like that are basically hollow.
Many of them seem like they might never have spent a day in the workforce.
When they find our how much it's all going to cost them they might not see things in the same light.

[Echo4]

Many of the White protesters in the streets could be  leftists cheering for Biden's promise of
 "100% renewables by 2050".
Biden maybe won't even be alive in 2050, let alone be having anything to do with running the country then.
So any promises he makes like that are basically hollow.

Just like JFK's empty promise to reach the moon by the end of the decade.

Bambi is a racist troll.

[kidcarter8]

But you are asking him to defend his views, Bank, thinking he is looking at the issue/events from your perspective

His opinions are born of deep seeded beliefs after many a battle.

You can't speak to a grown man the same as a child that hasn't been through much

Open your eyes, that he may open his a bit wider.  Yet expect that he may not - and be ok with that.

[kidcarter8]

as for Fac and Echo, they can both fuck off.  They hate - because it feels good.

[Echo4]

I think this may void all those waivers painstakingly collected from the million hundred thousand 19,000 6,200 attendees at the Tulsa rally.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/27/politics/social-distancing-stickers-trump-campaign-tulsa-rally/index.html

Indeed, it might have violated their contract and the permission they got to run the event from Tulsa and OK.

Speaking of "not caring!"

[Echo4]

as for Fac and Echo, they can both fuck off.  They hate - because it feels good.

You keep accusing us of having your motives.

I'm not the one supporting a president who sold out our troops in Afghanistan.

I'm not the one supporting a president whose campaign deliberately put their supporters in danger by removing safety signs to gratify their candidates ego.

I'm not the one supporting an administration that still keeps children locked up.

I'm not the two-faced jerk who wants to preserve "our heritage" when it comes to confederate statues and names of bases, while bulldozing Native American turf and national monuments for money.

I'm not the one undoing environmental protections left and right while seeking to eliminate health insurance for 20,000,000 people.

I don't hate. But you sure have earned it! And faux-president Trump doubly so.

This continues to be a game to you. It is not to us. It's people's lives that you callously play with.

[Echo4]

as for Fac and Echo, they can both fuck off.  They hate - because it feels good.

All you bring to the game is distraction and lies. No facts. No evidence. No responses, even when you say "answer this and I will explain..."

You lie because it feels good. You pretend you are not here to debate or argue.

While I am fucking off, you should eat shit. It should be easy with your head that far up your rectum.