Two weeks ago, I covered the rise in “anti-lockdown protests” springing up all over the country, especially in states with Democratic governors. Two weeks ago, one Trump staffer even compared the moronic protesters to Rosa Parks, because we must always remember that we are living through the dumbest timeline. It was quite obvious back then that these “protests” were little more than organized Nazi rallies by Trump supporters, and in many cases, the protests were being organized by people adjacent to the Trump re-election campaign.
The photo above is from the “protest” in Michigan last week, when armed white people stormed the state Capitol Building in Lansing. These are the same people who scream “Blue Lives Matter!” whenever people protest the extrajudicial killings of people of color by cops. And look, armed white folks screaming at state policemen. Guess they don’t actually care about the welfare of police officers after all. And much like the murderous neo-Nazis chanting “Jews will not replace us” in Charlottesville three years ago, Donald Trump thinks the Michigan MAGA Nazis are “good people” too:
The Governor of Michigan should give a little, and put out the fire. These are very good people, but they are angry. They want their lives back again, safely! See them, talk to them, make a deal.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 1, 2020
I read some analysis a few days ago (I can’t find it now or else I would link to it) which argued that Trump is flailing and he knows that voters won’t support him if his reelection is about how poorly he handled the pandemic, so he’s merely trying to sow chaos and violence because that’s his comfort zone. I think that’s probably true?
Meanwhile, this was from one of the “protests” in Chicago – a woman holding a sign with the same “arbeit macht frei” (work sets you free) motto found on the gate in Auschwitz. Because that’s the logical f–king conclusion in a post about Nazi a–holes trying to take over America. The Associated Press says the sign was Photoshopped, but Buzzfeed spoke to the guy who took the photo (and video) and everything checks out. This woman really did make that sign.
This was one of the signs at the “Re-open Illinois” event today. She assured those that she was not a Nazi, and stated, “I have Jewish friends.” Thank you for representing yourself and your “movement” for what it is. pic.twitter.com/CcIX2SVu6s
— Dennis Kosuth, RN (@Dennis_Kosuth) May 1, 2020
.@OliviaNiland & I wrote about the woman in Chicago who went to an anti-lockdown protest with a sign bearing a slogan from the Auschwitz concentration camp. We spoke to the guy who took the photo. Some have accused him of faking it but he gave us proof https://t.co/19lyj4a1Je pic.twitter.com/O5mS7NzJyK
— David Mack (@davidmackau) May 2, 2020
Photos courtesy of Getty.
Irony defined: idiots ranting against tyranny using guns to tyrannize those who don’t agree with their definition of tyranny.
See also: fools who think staying home for public health is tyrannical, but forcing people to work weather it kills them or not is “freedom.”
Could not say it better.
Agreed. Also these are the same people who refuse to give women the right to choose what to do with their own bodies but they don’t like it when they are told to stay home because of a pandemic, how dare the Governor tell them what to do with their bodies!
An acquaintance from high school is currently renting about having to get tested when she goes to give birth to her child. She is afraid of a false positive and they will “keep [her] baby from [her].” A nurse tried to explain it to her and she was all “my body my choice!” Oh but wait she is SUPER pro-life. I swear if she posts it again I am going to say “good to have you on the pro-choice side!”
I heard a lot of them are anti-vaxxers. They are going to cause a lot of problems with effectiveness if a vaccine is found. It was explained in the article about how that works.
Does that even make sense? No one is forcing people to work. The illogic…. not to mention the sickening tone.
Are you by chance replying to me? Not sure, cause you are not referring to me, but I mentioned forcing people to work so…? I’m gonna assume you are, so here goes:
People are definitely being forced to work if lockdowns end. Trump even wants to force folks to work in infected meat factories, etc. He’s trying to use emergency powers to force them to keep open so there aren’t meat shortages.
As for my tone, nothing sickening about it. If you think these protests are logical, then you are the one using bad logic.
Actually people are being forced to work tho. Because when the states reopen, and those businesses reopen, if you don’t go to work, you no longer qualify for unemployment. So if you put someone in a position where they either go to work, and risk their life, or feed their children, what will they do? This is especially heinous for anyone with an underlying condition, high blood pressure, asthma, diabetes etc.
It’s obscene. So Roxi, no matter whom she’s speaking to, is wrong.
Darla- amen. The true tyranny here is the insistence that people should think it’s nobler to die for money than demand aid from the government during a crisis.
also, to add to what @Darla said – small business owners that want to do the right thing and remain closed for the safety of their employees are being forced to open and, therefor, forced to tell employees to come in – quit or be fired if they don’t. If the business doesn’t open when the state says it should, these small businesses lose all protections and can be evicted, the owner has to foot the full bill for unemployment pay for employees (I also think it hurts their chances at getting other aid to help pay employees). If the business does open for the general public to come in and shop, the owner is likely operating at a loss because for most of them, their clientele are staying home; employees who don’t feel safe going in to work don’t get unemployment if they quit or have to be fired for cause. This is how the GOP, gleefully, further hurts small businesses and communities.
Interestingly, in all of those states the GOP is forcing to re-open, state buildings are not open to the public; all public tours are canceled, court cases are not all in person, and I don’t think any of those state legislatures are meeting in person. But, sure, those legislators need for golf courses to be open and for them & their partners to be able to get their hair done so that justifies forcing others to put themselves at risk
@ Darla, it’s a shame that such a rich country doesn’t understand the importance of its labour force.. In my country we’ll start opening some businessess and schools for the 11th and 12th grade (because of the final exams to enter university) tomorrow. The government has declared that people like me (I’m a high school teacher with asthma) should stay home and teach from home, the same with people who work in companies. The government is trying to keep them as safe as possible. A law forbidding companies from firing people during this crisis has been issued. Of course some people will go to work, but there are measures issued that have to be followed. Working less hours (with the same pay as previously), coordinating shifts to keep less people at factories at the same time… Things are being done to try not to destroy the economy (it will happen) and keep people as safe as possible…
well some people, like myself are essential workers and are forced to work, when i would rather stay home with my child and my mother with a heart condition. Not to mention the little respect and pay I get everyday. So don’t feel sorry for these selfish entitled nutjobs who care about nobody but themselves. Im scared and stressed everyday like many people are, yet you have these stupid people out here making things worse for others
White men are the biggest terrorists in America and it’s not close. The white women they breed with and marry are no better don’t get me wrong. But when the shooting begins, it’s gonna be the men. They’re white supremacist terrorists.
Yeeeeeeeep. White people want to be oppressed SO BADLY.
You think POC could turn up in public with their faces covered, carrying guns, and the cops would wait a few blocks back and not start shooting? GTFOH.
Yup ! Only White people get this privilege. I mean damn America what is wrong with some of you? I’m so glad the Canada/USA border is currently closed. I hope it stays closed for a long time.
@Me I would feel the same way if I were Canadian. America is a mess.
I am an American living in Canada and my father keeps saying he wants to come visit from NY in a few months—I am always saying not if the morons down there don’t get it together, the border will remain closed..
The word terrorist is not used enough in this context!
“…sowing chaos and violence”…. a page in Bannon’s playbook from the very beginning. And completely co-opted by Putin, DeVos/Prince, Koch Bros (well, the remaining one) and many more. “Tear it down, and rebuild the way *you* want it to be”.
The working class is completely expendable to a point. Only need enough/breed enough to keep feeding the rich.
are they not better then, if they dont shoot and murder people?
by no means am i a fan of women trump sheep, but i still think these men are even worse. they take their anger outward – female trump suporters hate women but women are taught to internalize their rage. thats less harmful for groups of people out in society.
@am also glad the border is closed, but even here in Canada we are having some Karen and entitled spoiled spouse rants about them losing their “rights” to go to their cottages (some areas are fully banning them for now due to exposure concerns in under serviced areas). Since these are often also snowbirds who go to the U.S. in winter I hope the government limits border crossings then too. Our infection rate, especially in Quebec and Ontario was largely due to vacationing returnees. Can’t wait to hear the screaming then. People have confused privileges with rights.
Wow. This is insane.
I’m in Australia. On Friday, my state started relaxing the lockdown laws. They did not bother me. I live with my adult daughter, whose immune system is compromised due to her history of lymphoma, and I have an auto-immune disease. On Friday, our state declared that we are now able to have two adult visitors, plus any children in their care, to visit. Today,(yesterday, my time) my older son visited with his partner and two kids. It was wonderful seeing them after so long, particularly as the two kids had had birthdays around Easter. We are being told an announcement will be made by the prime minister next Friday, on where we go from here. Apparently, we need to meet 15 criteria, and we’ve met 11 so far. From next week, real estate agents will be allowed to show people through houses, and some other businesses are allowed to have limited operation, as its generally agreed it’s time to get the economy started again.
I know we are a small country compared to the US, but none of these concessions would have been possible had we not adhered to the lockdown rules. There have been a few cases of dissent, and those people have received fines. One repeat offender has even been jailed. In the news this week a couple of first grade footballers are in trouble for breaching the rules. The bottom line is that either we all do it, or forget it, and the thinking, rightly or wrongly, is that breaching the rules puts everyone in danger. There is still a lot to learn about COVID-19, but one thing we do know for certain is that it’s highly contagious and can be deadly to certain sectors of the community. I don’t know if the lockdowns are the be-all and end-all of tackling this thing, but I reckon it’s best to err on the side of caution.
Your tyrants need horse-whipping. Dopey and dangerous twats.
It can be deadly to pretty much anyone.
Obviously “all lives” do not matter.
This is what happens from years of gutting public education.
https://www.sideshow.com/collectibles/the-strain-fxs-the-strain-insight-collectibles-902587
Tomorrow, May 4, 2020, is the 50th anniversary of the Kent State Massacre, when unarmed, protesting students were slaughtered by the National Guard. Why is there a collective shrug when these terrorists parade around threatening people? We have truly sunk to the depths.
If anyone but white people had stormed the capitol like that, no way would they all still be alive. And sadly these people have zero ability to recognize their privilege.
Esmom- they don’t recognize their hypocrisy either. They’re trying to fight tyranny by terrorizing which is hypocritically behaving just like those they’re comparing to Hitler.
And, they’re hypocritically protesting laws … while they scream at others to “do things the right way” and “follow the law” and “respect the police.” What happened to blue lives matter? Or All lives matter? That was just talk.
It’s amazing how easy it is to brainwash a not insignificant percentage of the population. These fools are literally risking their lives for their Dear Leader.
We had them here is VA. What a bunch of selfish idiots. Can’t think of anyone but themselves and not being inconvenienced. And then we wonder why our children are the way they are and why teachers are hard to find. Because the adults suck. That’s why.
“The adults suck.” That sums up our era perfectly.
Word! I’m a teacher and the adults are the WORST part of the job. Parents have no boundaries, no respect for anyone and school districts everywhere bend over backward for their ridiculous demands. Sorry, didn’t mean to hijack the thread, but it makes me crazy. Our generation (helped along by social media) straight up sucks!
Franklymydear, you are so right.
You are so right. I’m a retired teacher. I miss the interaction with the students but HATED dealing with some of the parents.
The photos of those crowds in Huntington Beach gave me serious dread and anxiety. So now the rest of us — including my college kids who would like to get back to their campuses — will have to pay the price. All this time staying home will have been for nothing because these selfish idiots have to have their beach time.
Our Gulf Coast beaches opened at 5 pm Thursday. People were nearly knocking each other down, rushing down the boardwalk. One family interviewed on local news came from Atlanta to crowd the beach. Yeah, thanks a lot, you have beaches in Georgia, ya know.
@Esmom, some of my friends were at that Huntington Beach protest. I don’t agree with their ideals about our 1st and 14th Amendments rights are being violated. They are reaping the consequences of not being able to follow the rules in a world pandemic. When Gov. Holcumb opened the beaches the crowd was unbelievable. IMO all for selfish reasons. I do not know what part of “This is temporary” do they not get. No one in that crown had masks on. I asked him why and I was told “The virus doesn’t survive in this heat.” Another a$$ kicker is, he has CANCER! I have chosen to not go on Facebook, reply nor look at his postings because it makes me SO mad. I’m glad I got the heck out of California. At least here in the Hoosier Heartland we’re listening, I live a county away from the meat packing plant that was hit hard. Please, be safe, be courteous and be smart.
@esmom @wannabesith I am in HB, and I had several friends attend the rally on Friday, including my acupuncturist, whose business, understandably, has taken a huge hit. Because she’s still considered a medical practitioner, she’s remained open for a few clients, including me (I have chronic migraine and acupuncture really helps). There are photos of her at the protest without a mask, hanging out with other locals, and knowing that she knowingly put herself at risk of exposure, I canceled my appointment for this week. I told her why, and let’s just say I’m looking for a new acupuncturist now. She thought I was being super judgey for canceling, and not understanding the financial toll of losing 9/10 of her clientele. I explained that I am not judging her protest and I am compassionate to her position, but she now knowingly exposed herself to the virus, and I don’t want to be in close proximity to her while she performs her service. She was incredulous. Like, lady, you made your choice. I was willing to stick by you when you explained and practiced all the protective measures you would enact for my safety; now, you are exposed and I don’t want to be.
Im in NWI and It’s full on maga country over here. My neighbors had a bunch of people over last night, all gathered around a bonfire in the backyard for hours, not a single mask or any distancing. I also went to target to pick up a few necessities with curb side pickup a couple of weeks ago when we were still in full lock down and you wouldn’t believe all the people I saw coming out of the store without any protection, strolling along with their friends or family like nothing was different. At least the employee who put my stuff in my trunk had a mask on. People around here are the same as the people who stormed the capital in MI. It’s crazy that we live and hour plus outside of one of the biggest and blue cities in the country and it feels like Mississippi.
@Noodle:
Shame on your acupuncturist!
I am an acupuncturist and I, too, am seeing a small number of patients. When I am NOT seeing patients, I am at home. My groceries get delivered. I put my mask on even to go downstairs to take my garbage out or to get my mail.
If any of my patients became infected with the virus, I can say that I took every precaution humanly possible to not have been the vector. I can look myself in the eyes when I brush my teeth. We as a society can’t control everything and there’s a lot we do not know about the virus, but we do know that social distancing is a major help, washing the hands is a major help, and wearing a mask is also a gesture in the right direction. At least you protect others when you wear a mask. And don’t get me started about the level of cleaning I undertake between each patient I see…
I am so glad you told your acupuncturist that you saw her and refuse to go back to her after her all-but-criminal stupidity.
My advice? Take a look at your service providers’ social media. You look on mine and I’m not marketing “Boost your immune system!” (although posts like that will be forthcoming because they are useful…to a certain extent). Instead, I have mindful posts about how to assess your own situation so that you can be as safe and healthy as possible. I’m working on a post about wearing your mask. And so forth. On the other end of the spectrum, I’ve seen other acupuncturists sending around that horrible youtube video of the two “ER doctors” (who really are urgent care owners) that anyone with brains and ethics disavows. If you look at social media, it is clear who is ethical and smart and who is unsafe and unprofessional like your former acupuncturist. (And that goes for many professions, not just those of us in Chinese medicine).
I could go on and on, but truly, @Noodle, you are lucky you saw that your acupuncturist is an unprofessional and unsafe practitioner and I wish you all the best in finding someone who is honorable, safe, and worthy of your trust.
Thank you, @frida_k. I really appreciate your perspective, especially given your profession and scientific background. I hate that people are losing their businesses. I hate that people are following their emotions and not looking at the science or valuing the input of people who have made it their life’s work to study virology and epidemiology. Trust me, that video of those two doctors was ALL over my social media last week. I posted rebuttals to that video by actual scientists to the feeds of my “friends”, and I was blocked an unfriended a couple of times. It’s like there are 100 people saying one thing, and one yahoo saying another, and who do we listen to? The yahoo, because he/she makes us feel better about our own actions. The Dunning-Krueger effect is very real.
Parks and beaches opened up here in NJ yesterday too, and it was a gorgeous day. We were just starting the downward part of the curve too, and now I’m very worried it’s going to skyrocket again. I hope not, but with so many people being asymptomatic carriers, it’s scary.
Some idiot here was claiming young kids can’t be carriers, so every kid under 10 should be sent back to school. I reminded him that kids don’t go alone, and it would require all the staff and teachers to return also. His response was “it’s time to open!” So I looked at his profile – old white guy (of course) who clearly is retired and isn’t being forced to work anywhere, but wants everyone else to go back and risk themselves for him. He was also a MAGA guy so I stopped interacting and blocked. Gross.
Kids are absolutely carriers, where on earth is he getting that notion?
Kid’s just tend to be asymptomatic or get super mild cases, so it might looks like they aren’t contagious, but they are
This was a very interesting read on the topic. These protesters are even protesting people that helped them:
https://www.nbcnews.com/think/amp/ncna1198301
I can’t believe that people have devolved so much. It is frightening.
Devolved. Great word. Yes, the human race is slowly devolving. Sadly, maybe our time has come like it did to the dinosaurs.
Indeed. The climate crisis is proof of that.
Read Sarah Kendzior’s new book Hiding in Plain Sight. It’s a quick and enlightening read on how we got here.
@Mac Read Sarah Kendzior’s new book Hiding in Plain Sight.
@Noddle The Dunning-Krueger effect
THIS is the reason I lurk on this site and enjoy the posts and responses. Intelligent, witty, widely-read people are here. Thank you.
Anyone here from Michigan? Is it legal to carry guns in the state house? Isn’t there a metal detector at the entrance? Why weren’t they arrested? Remember what happened to the Natives protesting the Dakota pipeline during the last administration? These idiots deserve that x 100. But they are white so they must be good people just exercising their rights.
I’m in CA, and I know that one time I went to the county courthouse for jury duty, and they made me return to my car and stow the white board markers in my purse (I teach, so I always have them on me). Flipping white board markers! And they wouldn’t let me in.
There is no way these guns are allowed. And these gun toters would screaming “terrorists” if antifa or black lives matter protesters did this.
The governor oof Michigan is on CNN right now. Apparently it is legal to bring weapons into the State capital building. That is crazy. What is crazier is when pressed by Tapper to condemn the protesters all she will say is that “they are not representative of who we are in Michigan” and she understands how hard it is to be under the stay at home order. Why do we have to tip toe around these monsters? They are terrorists. And should be called such.
@Rapunzel, I was a high school teacher and could not keep those dang markers around for the life of me. I’d end up with one dry black one, and one of the neon ones that no one in the back could see. Truly, they disappeared like hair ties or socks in the dryer. Now I know where they were hiding!
I’m from Michigan. The guns are allowed in the Capital. Guns are allowed everywhere here. I believe our lax gun laws are remnants of a dying, though once extremely successful sport hunting seasons, but now local terrorists are taking advantage.
I’m from Michigan, too. And I completely agree with you on this. Also, extremely embarrassed, frustrated and angry about these white supremacist men and women protesting this temporary situation. And I know they are like, my neighbors!!
As a non American I don’t know even where to start: entering in a state building with guns and weapons is an act of terrorism.
@Aang – Californian here. Also a lawyer. I think that for me, there are a few major constitutional issues being overlooked here. One is not just about gun rights, but a limitation on the the 1st Amendment, which is “any action that is likely to incite violence.” I would argue that anyone at a protest and carrying a gun is engaging in an act likely to incite violence, and therefore is not entitled to constitutional protection under the 1st Amendment (or the 14th DP clause). An additional argument that could be made to support this would be the Nazi signs that were being used to attack Gov. Pritzker in Illinois yesterday (and have been used at protests in other states). An additional area of concern is the constitutional issue regarding the public health and safety limitation. While a person is entitled to freedom of speech and assembly, I would argue that due to the pandemic, the overriding concern for public health and safety should outweigh these rights. Just my opinion.
You can’t even bring a pen knife or nail clipper into the federal building, just saying. Whoever is allowing these weapons into the state buildings should ban them with a new law.
Let me guess, they needed to bring the guns because freedumb?
Freedumb!!! Love this. So perfect.
What is the point of wielding the guns, really? Do they intend to shoot counter protestors? Police? Government workers? Is the threat that they will massacre people if they don’t get their way? Terrorism is exactly the correct term for this. You don’t walk around wielding an assault rifle unless you intend to use it, or at least intimidate (terrorize) people.
Rapunzel: No, I was definitely not replying to you. Your comment wasn’t even up there when I posted mine. I was replying to the original post. I love this website because of its civility and I would never be snarky to another commentator.
Cool.
The AP says the doctored photo is one from a Pittsburgh protest that says “free small business.” Which, for whatever it’s worth, is the only version of it I saw. But THIS pic, and others w nazi slogans, are legit photos of signs from the Chicago protest. Disgusting.
@Cw: For what it is worth, Buzzfeed News apparently spoke to the person who made the sign and offered proof that he had made it. He said it was made for the IL rally. This news was updated this afternoon after the AP reported that it was from the Pittsburgh protest (and additional reports that it had been photoshopped). Regardless of where/when it was used, it shows how low people can be – and what Trump has let out of the closet. Sad times for us all.
Darla: perhaps I misunderstood what the protests were about, but I thought they were about small businesses protesting the right to reopen. That to me is entirely different than essential workers being forced to work, but I don’t think that’s what the protester was holding up the sign about. I have full respect and support for every essential in front line worker put in harms way and doing their part.
I do not compare a protest for the right to re-open or patronize a local nail salon or tattoo parlor, to a post office worker who has no choice but to go to work.
Roxi: Darla was not even talking about essential workers. She was saying that non-essential workers will be forced to return to work if lockdowns end, because they will have no choice, as they’ll be ineligible for unemployment. You can’t reopen and just let people decide if they want to work: you take away the decision by reopening, which takes away financial protections for those staying home. Also, companies aren’t gonna just be like, “work if you want, don’t if you don’t want.” That’s not how businesses operate. Pushing for reopening pushes for at risk people to increase their likelihood of death through working. Period.
Roxi the small businesses have employees. Those employees will be forced to work or loose their jobs. They will not be eligible for unemployment because if they refuse to go back they will be considered as having quit.
The government should have programs in place to help the small business with wage subsidies etc so that should be what these idiots protest. The right to work isn’t a real right. It is the right of the owner to fire employers because they aren’t willing to work without proper safety equipment. These Devos sponsored “protests” are just idiots working for the rich owners who want to sit at home and make money and it gets the feds off the hook from providing any real assistance.
Other countries have set up assistance for employees and small businesses. There is no reason for the US not to do the same.
The ruling party does not believe in any government spending other than corporate welfare. The Payroll Protection Program is supposed to provide wage assistance, but the money has gone overwhelmingly to big business, including public companies.
The Stable Genius didn’t write that tweet, it’s too subtle. I’m guessing fascist nazi Stephen Miller wrote it. “See them, talk to them, make a deal.” Manipulation of the masses.
I fully agree with everything you are saying. Maybe I did not articulate it well. But I fully understand and empathize with and get it for the businesses who have employees who will be forced to return to work without a choice, those working in unprotected conditions who are in precarious positions and cannot choose to stay home.
I find it appalling that the government bailouts have gone to big businesses and give tax breaks to corporations that are sitting on stashes of cash, and to “real estate developers,” rather than protecting those who really need the help.
Yes, the bailout situation down there is depressing and it’s horrifying that it’s actually a better deal for the average person than what the repubs wanted to push through originally. My mom and many other family members and friends live in the states and it boggles my mind. I live up in Canada and here, pretty much anyone who lost work due to Covid-19 is eligible for 2k per month for 4 months (even the self-employed or people who are still working reduced hours but making less than 1k per month). Payments were received within 2 days of application. Most businesses who lost at least 30% of revenue are eligible for a 75% subsidy for their employees pay if they keep them on staff. If they can’t afford to pay out the other 25%, they can still get the 75% for their employees. Small businesses are eligible for 40k interest free loans. There is a subsidy for commercial property owners if they reduce the rent for their small business tenants by at least 75%. Students who aren’t eligible for the regular benefit are now eligible for a different benefit if they aren’t able to find summer jobs due to the shutdown. And all government backed student loan payments have been halted for 6 months.
Our system still isn’t perfect, but when I talk to friends and family south of the border it breaks my heart. And when I read about protestors who are demanding the right to work and risk dying or spreading the virus to others instead of demanding that the government support citizens instead of corporations, it makes my blood boil. Especially since so many of them aren’t even protesting for their own right to work so much as for their right to force someone else to provide services to them.
OK I just reread my comment and I understand. “No one is forcing people to work” is not what I meant. Of course people are being forced to work. The essential workers are being forced to work. The lower income workers, the front line people, the police officers and grocery workers. I was talking about the anti-lock down government protesters and maybe did not read or follow the thread carefully enough. My apologies.
Good point, Roxi. A lot of these protesters will not be working if lockdowns end. They’ll just be selfishly getting more workers possibly infected by getting their hair done and golfing or beaching.
@roxi, I like your explanation 🙂
I apologize for misreading you then! thanks for explaining.
This is epic downfall of USA.
It’s important to realize that very rich conservative PAC groups are astroturfing these protests, hoping to entice as many as possible, paying some of the participants. My area is getting a protest today and these idiots are a mouthy few, hoping to get press coverage. They tried to get traction through the Next Door app and they were totally outnumbered, run out and their messages deleted. It’s a good thing too because I was getting tempted to go out there and cough all over them. Let’s not allow them to divide us, our focus needs to be on flipping the presidency and the senate.
I wonder: do these protesters protest stop signs and traffic lights? Those are government mandated protective laws impinging on my freedom as a driver. Are they also against theft laws, which tyrannically take away a citizen’s right to freely rob a bank? What about murder laws, keeping people from indulging the freedom to kill whoever they want?
It’s like these people understand nothing about how laws and governments operate.
A lot of people have been waiting for any kind of excuse to behave like they do now. They are pathetic. They are frighteningly dumb.
Exactly. And even on a smaller scale I assume most of them wear shoes and shirts to go into places of business as is required. A mask shouldn’t be that much of an inconvenience, either, for these apparent snowflakes.
I swear, the internet/social media has been our downfall. The sheer ignorance of people and their willingness to embrace lies, propaganda and conspiracies is truly going to kill us all.
It really has been.
And I agree about the masks, I don’t know why people are crying that it’s such a hardship or takes away rights – you can’t walk around with no pants on either!
I saw someone railing against “following the rules” and I so badly wanted to ask her what side of the road she drives on – do you just get to drive wherever you want, or do you drive on the correct side because it’s an established rule to make society function. Do you pay with beans when you go to the store? Or do you pay with money or credit, because again, agreed upon rules. PEOPLE ARE SO STUPID AND CRUEL, and I’m so very, very tired of it.
Don’t give them any ideas, Rapunzel!
I’m from Illinois, the worst thing about that sign is it says “Arbeit Macht Frei, JB”. JB being our governor, JB Pritzker, who is Jewish. When did his family come to America? You guessed it, to escape the Holocaust. What absolutely disgusting pieces of crap these protesters are.
I saw that sign and it is horrific. And what are the chances that nazi Karen knew to use the Nazi slogan placed at the Auschwitz camp? There is someone organizing this behind the scenes and the media needs to figure that out.
The DeVos family, I thought.
I went to high school in Illinois and teaching the Holocaust and other genocides has been mandatory in public schools since 1990. One used the scene from The Blues Brothers when they break up the start of the Illinois Nazi march to introduce to us the history of Nazis in the US, from the German Bund in the 1930s to the attempted march in 1977 in Skokie, IL by a Neo-Nazi group. That event is what is referenced in The Blues Brothers. It hit close to home for my teacher, because his family is from a neighboring suburb.
It is indeed an epic fail. The government’s responsibility is to take care of its people. And we could do so much better in being creative and innovative in the ways that we handle this situation. We could be doing so much better to help and protect everyone, not just the rich and powerful. In the short term, we should be protecting the most vulnerable. And in the long term, maybe we can re-imagine our workforce. We will have a need for entirely new types of work as we start recovering from this. We could be providing job training and education Our government could be demonstrating compassion and caring. And in a crisis, uniform messaging from a leader is necessary to help get everyone on the same truck and to understand why it’s in everyone’s best interest to work together. Completely lacking here. My left shoe could do better.
This country and a lot of the people in it are so sick. It’s truly disturbing.
Armed protestors also showed up at Amy Acton’s house yesterday (head of Ohio Dept of Health) after our stay at home orders got extended through the end of this month. Stating there will be no violence “for now” while flouting their weapons in a residential neighborhood. She’s Jewish and she has been subject to anti Semitic threats too. Our governor has outright said if anyone has a problem with the state’s decisions to step to him but of course these assholes are going to target the Jewish woman and not the Republican white man 🙄
“I have [fill in blank] friends.” 🤦🤦🤦
Says literally every racist ever.
@ BettyRose : I saw that too and thought “Yeah, sure. Name one of them who will agree with you publicly. As opposed to someone who will say “Yeah, I know him. He works at my company – in shipping, I think. I don’t know”.
Just for clarity — the Associated Press said that a different sign from PITTSBURGH was doctored. They confirmed that this Nazi sign (shown in this post), which was in ILLINOIS, did in fact appear.
1232 new confirmed cases in Atlanta yesterday. Way to go, Kemp, dumbest governor of the year award winner.
https://twitter.com/kbandersen/status/1256777720865882113?s=21
so, here in PA, the GOP is in full support of these protests to “open up” the state. We have Anna Marie Scannapieco running for election to be the representative in Montgomery County, a county that has pretty high incidence of COVID primarily in zip codes where people are doing a crappy job with social distancing. Scannapieco is an ER nurse who supports these protests but decided not to attend protests in PA because she didn’t “want to risk the health of potential patients should I happen to come in contact with a COVID-19 infected person.”
She’s, obviously, taken a lot of flack for this and has back tracked a teeny bit to say she only supported protests where people were wearing PPE and driving/protesting from cars with safe social distancing. Her statements about these protest clearly make the case against her stance on the subject but, of course, she and her supporters are die-hard Trumpers so the cognitive dissonance runs deep. Her opponent in the primary is also a die-hard Trumper as well so I hope to G-d the folks in her district vote blue in November.
@Pottymouth Pup. The sad thing is that it is possible to be heard and protest in a safe way. Just as it is possible to start to reopen the economy safely. Even New Zealand seems to be working on plans to do so. I agree with other commenters. The “protesters” just want to have others in harms way, as long as it is not them. My cynical side really wonders about certain governments who delayed acting on the crisis when it looked like only the elderly and vulnerable who would be hit. . now we see the low income people being offered as test subjects to “protect” the economy.
I cant lie, I watch coverage of America and find it to be an utterly terrifying place right now.
I get it’s hard for people who want to earn a living etc. But I feel like a literal civil war is brewing in the USA because of so much manipulation, hatred, racism and prejudice.
From the outside looking in, its literally tearing itself apart.
We are still on our tiny Caribbean island and a long way from home, safest to stay put as much as I would love to see our family. We figure won’t be flying back to the U.K. for about a year, just don’t want to risk it. We even missed my mother-in-laws funeral. That wasn’t great. BUT you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.
“Utterly terrifying” are the first words that came to mind for me as well. That sign… I really have no words.
During uni I had a shitty job and one of my colleagues was a fellow student. He was from Poland. One day I came in and he told me the lady who owned the shop next door had come in and talked about the stressful day she had. When she left she said, laughing, “Oh well, Arbeit macht frei.” He was shaken for days and to this day we don’t know whether she was making a horrible joke or whether she was just indescribably dumb. It was ugly. So is this.
@Emmy – that’s horrific, your poor friend. I wonder if people fully understand that phrase and it’s true connotations. Or worse still, those that do just don’t care.
He asked me if I thought she just didn’t know where he is from and I told him it doesn’t matter. You don’t say that sh*t to anyone. She was not very intelligent or educated but if you are German, you have to be truly dumb as all hell to not know this phrase. I’m the daughter of a guest worker who came here in the late 50s. The crap he experienced is beyond. And none of it was by accident. I love my home country because it’s my home but I am under no illusion that it isn’t crawling with people who want to applaud that woman and her sign.
@LondonLozza: I can tell you that from the “inside” it is just as horrifying! I use to read about this in history books and never thought I would see it during my lifetime. I would give anything to be anywhere else right now. I am sorry that you missed your mother-in-law’s funeral. That must have been difficult for your family. I do think that you are very wise to stay put for the time being. Best of luck!
I’ve always been afraid of the US (sorry nice,decent, coherent, intelligent Americans)…
For me it’s one of the most dangerous countries to the rest of the world’s safety and peace because of this underlying ideology of “Let’s make ‘murica great again” full of racism, xenophobia, prejudice, hatred and self -entitlement.. We rule the world… It’s also dangerous in terms of the environment..
No offense taken, Desdemona. I’m American. You’re correct. Please stay safe! I hope the USA becomes a Safe place in the future where you can visit. I’d love to see you in Portland, Oregon!
How tragic that these protesters do not know where to truly direct their anger. They should be demanding the federal government admit its failing and therefore do everything it can to protect and support its citizens so that these necessary measures can continue.
Trump is letting brave and determined regional government take all the heat for his incompetency.
And in true Trump form, this man with no heart stokes the flames by supporting a movement whose very root is sown in the soil of his disastrous leadership.
Excellent points
Well, I just read TeeBee’s comment and I can’t compare to Teebee’s eloquence.
I just wish newscasters would focus on how few people are at these rallies. Any time I have seen a rally on the news it just doesn’t seem that there are many humans there. This is a minority of people … from what I can gather. Also, are people allowed on the steps of Government buildings with semi-automatic rifles? This seems insane.
I think these are the dumb-dumbs, every population has them. Every population needs to deal with this group of humans, in whatever form they come in. As these are the people so in favor of The President it speaks volume of the need to get him out of office. Racist, gun-toting nut bars.
This is why I think a lot of liberals who keep promoting “unity” and bipartisanship have their heads in the sand about how bad this has gotten. These people are Nazis, straight up. They do not care about policy. They don’t care about the country itself. They are happy to let thousands – and eventually millions – die for their “cause,” which has no real definition beyond anger, aggression, and a sense of helplessness channeled into a desire to crush others.
Stop pretending these people aren’t exactly what they say they are. Stop pretending a lot of them don’t care about this pandemic precisely because it’s hitting high density, typically blue areas first. They are happy to kill you, indirectly or otherwise. Blue states like CA and NY need to take McConnell’s words last week at face value – they are on their own. STOP. PLAYING. NICE. Use your economic power to stop this power coup before it turns into another civil war.
My feeling is very bluntly is that if Trump and the Republican Party maintain their hold in November, those of you with money or options need to consider leaving. Don’t try to be noble. Don’t tell yourself it’ll be fine. Because it’s not. This pandemic is literally government violence perpetrated on the poor and vulnerable. They are telling you what they are. Get out while you can.
Veronica- what did McConnell say? I missed it.
Some nonsense about how if those blue states didn’t manage things well, there’s no reason for the red states or federal government to help them out. He suggested that states just file bankruptcy if they are having trouble paying for all the corona-related expenses.
So McConnell completely blew past the facts that a) it’s not legally possible for states to file bankruptcy b) filing bankruptcy would just cause financial pain downstream to whoever states owe money to – citizens, companies, federal agencies, etc. so it actually wouldn’t help anyone and, most importantly c) the blue states he was whining about actually are some of the top CONTRIBUTORS to the federal government, other states. They pay out more to the federal government than they get back in aid. If McConnell wants to go after ‘deadbeat’ states that year after year suck more out of the federal government (and other states) than they give, Mitch is going to have to look a LOT closer to home, like for example, Kentucky, along with other red states, which get lots more in aid than that state pays in taxes to the federal government.
@Veronica: I completely agree with you. If Trump is re-elected and the GOP maintains its hold, as soon as it is safe to travel, I am out of here! Exception being, that as a US citizen, will anyone allow me to reside in their country? There seems to be such global hatred for us – now more than ever.
#covidiots.
Its so gross and these people hurt my heart
The curve is gong to become a spike within the next few weeks.
What I’ve found interesting about these protests is that for the most part, the “protesters” are white. I’ve seen a few PoC here and there. For the most part though, white people. I’ve never seen such a display of white fragility as this before. I’m curious to know how many, if any of these protesters are actually paid actors hired by the right-wing groups sponsoring them.
I wish there was a way that only these people could be affected by their actions and not others who are doing their best to obey the social-distancing protocols.
America is rotting from within and with the next wave of COVID19 it will start to collapse like a house of cards thanks to morons like these who are being deliberately manipulated by uber-conservative, right wing groups with money. Stephen Miller’s hands are all over this and I can picture him rubbing his hands with glee as utter pandemonium erupts.
Good luck ‘Murica…you’re going to need it. Oh, and I thank my lucky stars that Trudeau is going to keep the Canadian border on lock-down for as long as it takes.
“Good luck ‘Murica…you’re going to need it.”
@Jaded. With all due respect, these types of comments are not helpful. You do realize that many Americans are decent people who are actively campaigning to get Trump out of the White House in November? Like many others, I’ve voted, protested, and volunteered on multiple Democratic campaigns. We know and agree that the US is messed up, but we’re trying to improve our country for our generation and those that follow.
I do know that, and I admire all Americans who are standing up and working hard to change the current situation. My apologies if I came across as accusing all Americans of these travesties, and I hope the next election will turn things around.
Let the Trump Chumps comingle and get coronavirus. More America for the rest of us when the disease has passed… These clowns have more guns than brains anyway…
It is shocking and appalling to me that these protests are happening. That people can be so ignorant to how dangerous this all is…This is terrifying. I feel for all the normal Americans caught up in this and trumps bullshit. Love you guys ❤️
Stupidity is the real pandemic here.
Definition of terrorism: the unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims
I’m still enraged that Ammon Bundy and 100 co-conspirators stormed the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in 2016 and were allowed to occupy it for 40 days. News organizations and even President Obama would not call them terrorists and just let them stay there, despite the fact they had published lists of demands and used weaponry. Until our political leadership and law enforcement pushes back and treats these (lily white) thugs like the criminals they are, their attacks will escalate.
This, this, this!!!
Sorry for my ignorance – has any protestor gone on record with an actual, specific reason for bringing guns and military/paramilitary gak to their protests?
I imagine it goes a little like this: Something, something, 2nd Amendment, yada yada government tyranny, blah blah, freedom, etc.
Looking at these photos and these people look like they came out of central casting for a KKK movie. I’m European and have never ever understood the obsession in the US over guns and this right to bear arms – I always thought that was to defend the country.
Guns are power, not brains.
They’re compensation for tiny dicks. Inverse ratio-the longer the barrel, the tinier the dick.
I am an American living in Canada (Toronto) who wanted to move back to NC this year because all my friends are down there and a possible love interest(an old friend) whom I talk to a lot as well. I have very few deep connections friendwise here and it has been 8 years, so I feel it is time to go. Plus, my parents are in NY.I wanted to move in June, but I am waiting to get my Canadian citizenship first because I am not stupid and want to come back if things get worse. I applied in September, and was thinking I would take the test March or April, because in February they contacted me stating they will have a test date for me in a few months. Obviously, once we went into lockdown that got delayed. I am now hoping to move in August/September/October, but I must admit I worry about how bad the US will get. NC seems ok from the virus compared to other states, but this deep chasm is quite scary. I am thankful to be in Canada atm. I worry that my plans may not be in my best interest at this point.
Good luck with your Canadian citizenship application Andrea, and let’s hope Trump is bounced out on his ass come November and America can get to work on recovering from this horrific episode, both from a political and pandemic viewpoint.
White American people I guess…. I live in Scandinavia and we have our problems too, but definitely no specific color of people going crazy with weapons.
Tomorrow Night is the 75th anniversary of the liberation of our country from Nazi-Germany. We always put candles in the windows to mark the day. So when I see a sign like that – and having seen the some of the concentration camps in real life – I just want to cry. People really don’t get it. Where does all this hatred come from?
I live in Grand Rapids Michigan and have for 7 years now and this is straight up EMBARRASSING. Every single person I know did not vote for Trump, nor can stand the sight of him so….I just don’t get this.
Look at that picture. Look at that man’s face. This is not America. It has changed. This is so sad.
I remember when I first read Mark Twain, I was always so irritated at the mob scenes, when people would act like a***** and gather and gang up on others, or a situation. They were always ignorant, ill-informed, destructive, riled up idiots who were dead wrong about whatever they were clamoring about. It felt like a sloppy writer’s device to have them show up again and again… maybe different people, but always the same mob mentality.
But it turns out, in real life, a hundred and some odd years later, there is always still a mob of ignorant, destructive, riled up idiots ready to try to shout/shoot somebody down for a really stupid or ill-informed reason.
And why do they ALWAYS look like the guy in the picture. They never look like sane people trying to make a point, they ALWAYS look like someone who just beat up their cat and are pissed off that the cat scratched them and they want to make EVERYBODY PAY! Loudly, and with violence too.
I agree with the idea of trump ‘sowing chaos and violence’. For the first time since his presidency, people seemed to come together during this pandemic, everyone was in lockdown, everyone is scared, we all seemed to be on the same page. But trump CAN’T have everyone on the same page, because then everyone might start agreeing on how badly he has failed during this pandemic. He needs his voters to go against the grain and make as much noise as possible, cos then he atleast has people defending his failings.
The pandemic is about to explode again.
I feel sorrow and fear for all those innocent, sensible people who are trying not to get sick.
As for these fools, they have sown the wind.