Racism...Forever?

Don't forget the guy in Kansas who killed an Indian man, injured another, not to mention a white guy who tried to intervene and got shot in the hand.

This kind of thing is a direct result of living in Trumpistan in 2017. 100% at the hands of the current administration. Yes, there have always been bigoted, racist assholes, but in the past, at least they didn't feel emboldened to act out violently at random innocent people. it used to be that the person would have had to have done something, like look at him the wrong way.

And while it is horrible that these people are attacking the "wrong" ethinc/racial/religious group, does it really matter? They are out there inflicting violence on people who are different-looking than them, for no other reason than the fact that they are something "other."

 

That's MAGA for you.

 

The greatness is almost too much to bear...

 

Member of Facebook hate group murders 23 year old

USA TODAY LINK

Guess for Facebook they can point out that the murder wasn't broadcast on Facebook Live

 

University of Maryland Police Chief David Mitchell said he asked the FBI to assist in the investigation after learning the suspect belonged to a Facebook group called "Alt-Reich: Nation...

Potential responses from mainstream America

"For the love of Lawrence Welk, how are we ever supposed to get beyond race if the coloreds are always looking for it? Whining like this is how you lost the election. Next thing you know, somebody will be calling Alt-Reich Nation a hate group"
"BlackonBlackcrime <squaaaaawk> Polly want a cra- BlackonBlackcrime! woo woo woo"
"If you actually think he wasn't defending himself, deal with that. Leave his free speech alone"
"We already have laws to address murder. Would you please stop trying to tell us how to feel about you people coming over here to our country and changing everything up?"
"We need to review Bowie State's accreditation"

 

Is this a case of economic anxiety ?

 

PTSD.

Or racist disabled person.

Or both.

Or crazy asshole who never was in the service and is TBI from wrecking his Harley.

 

As my son said, why didn't someone just wheel him into a corner and tell him he was in "time out" until he could not be a racist twat

 

Because this is a case where a veteran is given too much deference.

 

Who says he was a vet? Could be some twat that got clipped by a car

 

I believe there is a recording where he is claiming to be a vet.

 

You know who else was a vet? Timothy McVeigh

 

Hitler too...

 

You need a written support plan and Mommy has to consent.

 

Best. Godwin. Ever.

 

The unquestioned deference, respect and admiration that veterans are expected to receive is really quite shocking.

Hey, I help invade, bomb and occupy other countries. I am literally a foot soldier of an empire. You're welcome for "securing your freedoms."

 

To be fair, a great majority of the people who serve don't want any special recognition. Some join for a better life opportunity after serving. Some join out of camaraderie. Some join out of love of their country. Some join because it's in their family. But nobody joins because they have an expectation they'll get their ass kissed. And, to be honest, anyone who has served is a stronger person than I am because I wouldn't have been able to deal with the bullshit of serving in a military.

 

How so? We glorify the battles they die in and relive them in stories, books, films and songs. Take out "films" and that's been happening for centuries, everywhere. I don't ever question their courage or their commitment- they're certainly not getting what I'd want to do what some of them do in wartime. Their sacrifices ARE heroic, from that standpoint. I question only whether their courage and commitment are deserved in every instance.

I'm not sure that's even the selling point.

I've discussed this with plenty of people who are perfectly comfortable with using the military for empire-building and spreading of the culture. I'm not talking only about folks who see themselves as temporarily delayed millionaires- I'm also talking about people who don't have shit and know they won't ever have shit. I've been straight-up told to my face on multiple occasions that this is about something bigger than them or me, and that staying in front of (whatever that means) the rest of the world is something to take pride in regardless of how they're doing individually. When it gets to the point where a person is proud rather than simply relieved that s/he isn't any worse off (lives someplace where things are worse for their specific demographic), and ignorant that their plight is highlighted even more by the overall standing of the nation ("...the most advanced nation on Earth...") there really isn't anything to say.

 

Just without all the winning

 

Yeah, I find the whole vet worship thing to be a little much. Sure, I'm grateful that we all didn't have to learn Vietnamese and all that, but really, let's not go overboard and call every single person who ever did a tour in one of the military branches a "hero." Sure, some are, but the vast, vast majority are just regular people, just like anyone else. And even the real "heroes" wouldn't want to be treated as anyone other than someone who did their duty.

As for this racist murderer, whether he was a vet or not doesn't change anything. The guy is a scumbag, period.

Some peopel certainly milk it for more than it's worth, and those people should be ashamed of themselves if they were capable of shame. I recall seeing a video of some guy in a military uniform soliciting donations in a mall for some vets' cause. The problem was, a guy who really was in that military branch noticed that some of the patches on his uniform were not regulation or were inconsistent, the kind of things people wouldn't know unless they were in the military. he confronted the guy, asking him specific quesitons about where he served, what unit, what type of unit, etc. until the guy just turned his tail and fled, like Brave Sir Robin.

 

There's a whole wing of the internet dedicated to this:

http://www.stolenvalor.com

 

"Folks call him a hero
He'll tell you he ain't--
He left a hero in the jungle back in 1968"
(Chris Gaffney/Dave Alvin)

 

Hey, if Sarsour believed and said the things that the right wing misinformation machine said she did, I'd be against her, too.