Tuesday, June 2, 2020

What to say

      When America's president* appears on national television to berate protestors who loot and burn and the state officials who have not escalated the violence, I have bad flashbacks to the 60s violence in the streets.  When the same man orders the heavily armed federal police to clear a peaceful demonstration in Lafayette Park around the corner of the White House so he can stroll to a famous Episcopal church for a photo op, words fail me.
      It has been a week since George Floyd was killed by police in Minneapolis after his arrest on suspicion of passing a counterfeit $20 bill.   The horrific nature of the killing, kneeling on the neck of the suspect while he begged to be allowed to breathe, caused nationwide revulsion among blacks and whites.   The ensuing demonstrations and the burning and looting which accompanied them have continued the fracturing of the social compact which holds our nation together.
      As one black academic put it, "America is a failed social experiment".   However, he concluded we must continue to fight for our country.   Meanwhile, Cheetolini is said to have retreated to the White House bunker on Friday night as protestors surrounded the residence.   Emerging over the weekend, tRump fired off a tweetstorm of hate designed to defend his craven abdication of leadership.   He has faced 3 major crises since the start of 2020; the Covid 19 pandemic, the related economic storm which has idled over 40 million workers and finally the wave of police and white supremacist brutality which has resulted in the deaths of Ahmed Arbury, Breonna Taylor and finally George Floyd. 
     The president* has manifestly failed in his reaction to each crisis.   We are stuck with this failure at least until November 3rd.   I hope the country can wait that long for deliverance from this nightmare.

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