What Happened in Minneapolis Was No Accident

About 20 percent of Minneapolis’s population of 430,000 is black. But when the police get physical — with kicks, neck holds, punches, shoves, takedowns, Mace, Tasers or other forms of muscle — nearly 60 percent of the time the person subject to that force is black. And that is according to the city’s own figures.
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Since 2015, the Minneapolis police have documented using force about 11,500 times. For at least 6,650 acts of force, the subject of that force was black.

By comparison, the police have used force about 2,750 times against white people, who make up about 60 percent of the population.

All of that means that the police in Minneapolis used force against black people at a rate at least seven times that of white people during the past five years.

"Minnesota nice", my ass.

This is a part of what is going on in the streets the last few days. Brutality against black people by the police is still acceptable to a lot of people. Policing directed against minorities is still acceptable.

This shit has been going on for a long time.

And people are fed up.

Big Fucking Deal, All They Sold Were Fudd Guns, Anyway.

Walmart Inc said on Wednesday it shifted firearms and ammunition out of sales floors of some U.S. stores amid nationwide protests over the death of an unarmed black man at the hands of police last week.

Color me unimpressed. The last time that I looked at a gun case in Walmart, other than a couple of shotguns, they had nothing that was even remotely usable for riot defense.

It is where Fudds shop, now.

Barack Obama Speaks Out

As millions of people across the country take to the streets and raise their voices in response to the killing of George Floyd and the ongoing problem of unequal justice, many people have reached out asking how we can sustain momentum to bring about real change.
Ultimately, it’s going to be up to a new generation of activists to shape strategies that best fit the times. But I believe there are some basic lessons to draw from past efforts that are worth remembering.

First, the waves of protests across the country represent a genuine and legitimate frustration over a decades-long failure to reform police practices and the broader criminal justice system in the United States. The overwhelming majority of participants have been peaceful, courageous, responsible, and inspiring. They deserve our respect and support, not condemnation — something that police in cities like Camden and Flint have commendably understood.

On the other hand, the small minority of folks who’ve resorted to violence in various forms, whether out of genuine anger or mere opportunism, are putting innocent people at risk, compounding the destruction of neighborhoods that are often already short on services and investment and detracting from the larger cause. I saw an elderly black woman being interviewed today in tears because the only grocery store in her neighborhood had been trashed. If history is any guide, that store may take years to come back. So let’s not excuse violence, or rationalize it, or participate in it. If we want our criminal justice system, and American society at large, to operate on a higher ethical code, then we have to model that code ourselves.

Second, I’ve heard some suggest that the recurrent problem of racial bias in our criminal justice system proves that only protests and direct action can bring about change, and that voting and participation in electoral politics is a waste of time. I couldn’t disagree more. The point of protest is to raise public awareness, to put a spotlight on injustice, and to make the powers that be uncomfortable; in fact, throughout American history, it’s often only been in response to protests and civil disobedience that the political system has even paid attention to marginalized communities. But eventually, aspirations have to be translated into specific laws and institutional practices — and in a democracy, that only happens when we elect government officials who are responsive to our demands.

Moreover, it’s important for us to understand which levels of government have the biggest impact on our criminal justice system and police practices. When we think about politics, a lot of us focus only on the presidency and the federal government. And yes, we should be fighting to make sure that we have a president, a Congress, a U.S. Justice Department, and a federal judiciary that actually recognize the ongoing, corrosive role that racism plays in our society and want to do something about it. But the elected officials who matter most in reforming police departments and the criminal justice system work at the state and local levels.

It’s mayors and county executives that appoint most police chiefs and negotiate collective bargaining agreements with police unions. It’s district attorneys and state’s attorneys that decide whether or not to investigate and ultimately charge those involved in police misconduct. Those are all elected positions. In some places, police review boards with the power to monitor police conduct are elected as well. Unfortunately, voter turnout in these local races is usually pitifully low, especially among young people — which makes no sense given the direct impact these offices have on social justice issues, not to mention the fact that who wins and who loses those seats is often determined by just a few thousand, or even a few hundred, votes.

So the bottom line is this: if we want to bring about real change, then the choice isn’t between protest and politics. We have to do both. We have to mobilize to raise awareness, and we have to organize and cast our ballots to make sure that we elect candidates who will act on reform.

Finally, the more specific we can make demands for criminal justice and police reform, the harder it will be for elected officials to just offer lip service to the cause and then fall back into business as usual once protests have gone away. The content of that reform agenda will be different for various communities. A big city may need one set of reforms; a rural community may need another. Some agencies will require wholesale rehabilitation; others should make minor improvements. Every law enforcement agency should have clear policies, including an independent body that conducts investigations of alleged misconduct. Tailoring reforms for each community will require local activists and organizations to do their research and educate fellow citizens in their community on what strategies work best.

But as a starting point, here’s a report and toolkit developed by the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and based on the work of the Task Force on 21st Century Policing that I formed when I was in the White House. And if you’re interested in taking concrete action, we’ve also created a dedicated site at the Obama Foundation to aggregate and direct you to useful resources and organizations who’ve been fighting the good fight at the local and national levels for years.

I recognize that these past few months have been hard and dispiriting — that the fear, sorrow, uncertainty, and hardship of a pandemic have been compounded by tragic reminders that prejudice and inequality still shape so much of American life. But watching the heightened activism of young people in recent weeks, of every race and every station, makes me hopeful. If, going forward, we can channel our justifiable anger into peaceful, sustained, and effective action, then this moment can be a real turning point in our nation’s long journey to live up to our highest ideals.

Let’s get to work.

(From here. Emphasis and links in the original have been preserved.)

Meanwhile, Herr Twitler has been bleating overnight. You can go find those spewings if you wish.

Maybe Times Are Changing

Republicans in northwest Iowa ousted Rep. Steve King in Tuesday’s primary, deciding they’ve had enough of the conservative lightning rod known for making incendiary comments about immigrants and white supremacy throughout his nearly two decades in Congress.

Yeah, I know, they were more upset that King couldn't do anything for them after he had been stripped of his committee assignments because of his support for American Nazis more than they cared about his support for said Nazis, but it's still something.

Hopefully, the next occupant of his Capitol Hill office will call in both fumigators and exorcists.

George W. Bush Speaks Out

Laura and I are anguished by the brutal suffocation of George Floyd and disturbed by the injustice and fear that suffocate our country. Yet we have resisted the urge to speak out, because this is not the time for us to lecture. It is time for us to listen. It is time for America to examine our tragic failures – and as we do, we will also see some of our redeeming strengths.

It remains a shocking failure that many African Americans, especially young African American men, are harassed and threatened in their own country. It is a strength when protesters, protected by responsible law enforcement, march for a better future. This tragedy — in a long series of similar tragedies — raises a long overdue question: How do we end systemic racism in our society? The only way to see ourselves in a true light is to listen to the voices of so many who are hurting and grieving. Those who set out to silence those voices do not understand the meaning of America — or how it becomes a better place.

America’s greatest challenge has long been to unite people of very different backgrounds into a single nation of justice and opportunity. The doctrine and habits of racial superiority, which once nearly split our country, still threaten our Union. The answers to American problems are found by living up to American ideals — to the fundamental truth that all human beings are created equal and endowed by God with certain rights. We have often underestimated how radical that quest really is, and how our cherished principles challenge systems of intended or assumed injustice. The heroes of America — from Frederick Douglass, to Harriet Tubman, to Abraham Lincoln, to Martin Luther King, Jr. — are heroes of unity. Their calling has never been for the fainthearted. They often revealed the nation’s disturbing bigotry and exploitation — stains on our character sometimes difficult for the American majority to examine. We can only see the reality of America’s need by seeing it through the eyes of the threatened, oppressed, and disenfranchised.

That is exactly where we now stand. Many doubt the justice of our country, and with good reason. Black people see the repeated violation of their rights without an urgent and adequate response from American institutions. We know that lasting justice will only come by peaceful means. Looting is not liberation, and destruction is not progress. But we also know that lasting peace in our communities requires truly equal justice. The rule of law ultimately depends on the fairness and legitimacy of the legal system. And achieving justice for all is the duty of all.

This will require a consistent, courageous, and creative effort. We serve our neighbors best when we try to understand their experience. We love our neighbors as ourselves when we treat them as equals, in both protection and compassion. There is a better way — the way of empathy, and shared commitment, and bold action, and a peace rooted in justice. I am confident that together, Americans will choose the better way.

Ayup

Look at the cover and the orientation of the spine: Trump is holding that Bible upside-down.

You Should Also Go Read This

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the protests following the police murder of Mr. George Floyd.

This is what we've seen in 2020: Protests because the cops murdered yet another black man. Protests because people can't get haircuts and go drinking in bars.

You probably don't have to guess which group of protesters Trump sympathizes with.

Our Fake Christian President

Trump had peaceful protesters clubbed and sprayed with tear gas so he could hold a photo op in front of a church. He probably had to stop at a motel to pick up a Bible to hold, as the one he was waving about wasn't his. Trump probably has never opened the pages of one, because he's not in it.

This is Owurr Deer Leedur, waving a Bible:

It didn't take long for people to improve the photo:

Arlington County withdrew its police officers from Washington, D.C. after those cops were used to assist in clearing away peaceful protesters so Trump could hold his propaganda shoot.

Unbottling the Wine of Wrath

The protests around the country following the police murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis are completely understandable. The violence by protesters is, to some degree, understandable. The unhinged violence by some cops, not so much.

Everyone reading this has probably seen the video of Mr. Floyd being slowly killed by a police officer. Everyone has probably seen the one cop standing by, glaring at spectators as if daring them to do something. Everyone has probably seen the two other cops who were assisting the killer as he snatched the life out of Mr. Floyd.

In the last few years, a cop in a Minneapolis suburb shot and killed a black man, Philandro Castile, during a traffic stop. Mr. Castile was lawfully carrying a gun, informed the cop of that, and the cop’s response was to kill him. The cop got off at trial. In fact, the only cop recently in the Minneapolis area who was convicted of shooting a civilian shot and killed a white woman.

Add to that Atatiana Jefferson, a black woman, who was shot in her own home by a Ft. Worth cop. Breonna Taylor, shot in her own home by police in Louisville. Ahmaud Arbery, shot and killed by a vigilante in Georgia; the shooter and his compatriots were not arrested for almost two months, until the video of the murder hit the news.

I don’t feel the need to go on and on. If you haven’t gotten the point, that’s on you.

Add to that the SARS-CoV-2/Covid-19 pandemic. Minorities have been getting sick and dying at much higher rates than white people. Minorities are over-represented in “essential industries”, such as health care (hospital workers, nursing home workers) and grocery retailing. Minorities do much more of the work in food processing plants. Add to that the fact that minorities, in general, have more health problems due to poorer diets, lack of access to health care, pollution and the general stress of living while black/brown.

It seemed that, as soon as the numbers starting coming out on the racial disparity in Covid-19 cases and deaths, the Trump Administration began pivoting from “lets do all we can to stop the pandemic” to “we have to open up the country to business”. The governors of several states, especially of states known in the past for such social niceties as cross-burnings, began pushing to open up their states for everything. The clear undertone from all of them was “well, it’s not our people who are getting sick, so let’s get going.”

(It could be other things, I suppose. Maybe Jared Kusher, one of the nation’s premier slumlords, complained to his father-in-law that his tenants weren’t paying rent. But I digress.)

Now let’s throw in another Covid-19 issue: Unemployment. The unemployment numbers went from essentially full-employment in February to Great Depression levels in May. Forty million people are out of work, and that number only reflects those who have successfully filed for unemployment. It doesn’t include people who can’t, because they may have no good access to computers and the Internet. It doesn’t include people who have been unable to file because their state’s computer system can’t handle the load (some states did that willfully).

The kids themselves have been out of schools for months. Poorer school districts have not been able to effectively handle the transition to online learning. The children don’t have computers or tablets at home and, even if they did, no access to broadband. Many of those kids got food assistance from their schools and are not reliably getting it now. Their parents, if they still have jobs, now have to cobble together daycare for the kids or leave them alone. That’s risky, as one thing is clear, there is little that enraptures Child Protective Services more than being able to charge working-poor people with child neglect.

Finally, factor in a president who revels in divisiveness and bigotry, a president who is nakedly interested in only doing things that benefits the wealthiest of Americans, while throwing rhetorical bones to his less-wealthy supporters. A president who is assuredly interested in widening the racial divide in this country. A president who has scrapped all efforts at police reform and oversight. A president whose reactions to the protests has been to echo racist tropes of the past (shooting the looters, letting lose vicious dogs). A president who sees an upside in looting and burning, as a way to inflame the passions of his supporters.

What do you have from all of this? You have lakes of gasoline, just waiting for a final spark to set the nation on fire. You have a president who has a vested interest in seeing the country burn.

And now there’s been a spark.

ISS Docking Sim

SpaceX has a sim for docking.

Let's just say that for me, it's a good thing that there isn't a fuel gauge. But I did it, first try.

See if you can match.