Be wary of paramilitaries. When the men with guns who have always claimed to be against the system start wearing uniforms and marching around with torches and pictures of a Leader, the end is nigh. When the pro-leader paramilitary and the official police and military intermingle, the end has come.
Kenosha Police said early Wednesday morning that two people had been shot and killed and a third injured during protests over the shooting of Jacob Blake; authorities were looking for a man armed with a long gun. Earlier Wednesday, Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that one victim had been shot in the head and another in the chest late Tuesday, just before midnight. Beth didn’t know where the other person was shot, but video posted on social media showed someone had been shot in the arm.
The incident occurred at about 11:45 p.m. in the area of 63rd Street and Sheridan Road, Kenosha police said. The release from the Kenosha Police Department said the injuries to the third individual were not life threatening. The release said the names, ages and cities of residence for the victims were still being determined.
The gunfire coincided with the arrival of some armed right-wing boogaloo militia types. From The Guardian:
Beth said people describing themselves as belonging to a militia had been patrolling Kenosha’s streets in recent nights but he did not know if the shooter was involved with such a group. “They’re a militia,” Beth told reporters. “They’re like a vigilante group.” The shootings were reported at about 11.45 pm in an area crowded with protesters supporting the Black Lives Matter movement calling for an end to police brutality and systemic racism across America.
Where the hell were your guys, sheriff? Armed militias roaming the streets? Where’s the National Guard?
Cellphone video of at least two of the shootings posted online showed what appears to be a white man with a semi-automatic rifle firing three or four shots from a prone position on the ground, hitting at least two people...Footage posted on social media showed chaotic scenes as gunfire rang out, scattering people in the street. One of the victims, a young shirtless white man with a red bandana around his neck, was seen receiving first aid in a car park after being shot in the head. In another image, a man sits on the ground with his arm almost severed by a gunshot wound...
Images of the rival group showed heavily armed white men, some wearing body armour. According to witness reports, the two groups had clashed as the night wore on, and police fired teargas and rubber bullets at demonstrators near Kenosha’s courthouse. Social media users posted a series of images including video that appeared to show the same individual – a young man – at key points during the confrontation, including interacting with police in a tactical vehicle who say they “appreciate” the alleged vigilantes’ help and give them bottled water.
Where were the cops? Where as the National Guard? Anadolu Agency Getty Images
If the cops are lining up with armed vigilantes, we’d all better start fireproofing the Reichstag.
The alleged gunman is finally seen heading north towards several police tactical vehicles, with his arms raised as the tactical vehicles drive by him. Other clips, which appear to have been filmed before the shootings, show him interacting with local police, who at one stage tell him not to approach, but at another talk to him and other armed men. Beth said the initial investigation into the shooting was focused on the group of men with guns outside the petrol station.
Commenting on calls to deputise citizens to help police the protests, Beth said: “I’ve had people saying: ‘Why don’t you deputise citizens? This is why you don’t deputise citizens with guns to protect Kenosha.”...“Ain’t nothing being done. We’re the only ones,” said Joe, 29, who said he was a US Marine veteran. “Three thousand of us are armed and ready,” he added.
Anyone who appears on the streets of Kenosha after curfew with a firearm needs to be arrested on sight. I don’t care how much bottled water they hand out.
In related news, 68 people were arrested in Louisville for sitting down in the street.
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Charles P. Pierce Charles P Pierce is the author of four books, most recently Idiot America, and has been a working journalist since 1976.
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elcabeza79 on August 26th, 2020 at 18:29 UTC »
From the article:
meta_irl on August 26th, 2020 at 17:30 UTC »
People tend to think that a "stolen election" would unfold all at once and be obviously corrupt, as what just happened in Belarus.
But those people tend to forget that we had a stolen election just twenty years ago in this country. What happened was that Bush had been declared victor on election night, and if all the ballots were counted, he might actually lose. So first GOP operatives carried out the "Brooks Brothers riots" by physically disrupting the recount process.
Meanwhile, in parallel the Bush campaign aggressively pursued a legal action to stop the recount, ultimately going to the Supreme Court where justices ruled along party lines, 5-4, to stop the recount and declare Bush the winner. Democrats accepted it, because the rule of law was considered more important than a party election.
Now, after 12 of 20 years of Republican control, the rule of law itself is severely degraded. In retrospect, that was the first crack.
What would happen is that on election day, the GOP is calling for 50,000 "poll watchers" to maker sure there is no "voter fraud". For decades now, Republicans have been prevented from doing this. Why? Because in the past they have used it to go into minority districts, harass people, and prevent legal voting. There is no widespread voter fraud--it's just an excuse for Republicans to engage in voter suppression.
Now, let's say that there are tens of thousands of people who arrive at polling locations and begin doing illegal shit. They demand that voters turn over IDs to "prove" they are American citizens. They interrogate, intimidate, and harass people standing in line. They slow down the process and make it difficult for everyone to vote.
Another group decides that it's a conspiracy that the postal workers' union has endorsed Biden, so they start showing up to mail-sorting locations demanding to check the ballots are being processed fairly and Republican votes aren't being suppressed. In the process they further disrupt the delivery of ballots. They cause widespread chaos and prevent votes from being counted.
The night of November 3rd, it's difficult to tell who won. There have been so many mail-in ballots in general that it will take days to count. Traditionally, these counts go in favor of Democrats, because lately Dems engage in much more mail-in ballots and also tend to take more time to submit their ballots than Republicans. This may well be exacerbated this year, particularly if there's a flare-up of COVID-19 in the fall.
So the election is close, with millions of ballots outstanding. Trump supporters show up to locations nationwide to protest the "stolen" election which is "illegally" adding "fake" ballots to Democratic totals. There are also millions of people in the streets demanding that Trump accept defeat. Right-wing militias show up with guns and there is violence in the streets--as is happening right now in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Trump uses the Insurrection Act to declare a state of emergency, declares the election fraudulent, and demands that it moves to the House to decide. The House rules are arcane, but essentially members of the House vote based on state delegation. So Wyoming has an equal vote to California. Despite Democrats having a majority in the House, Republicans control more state delegations, and they vote for Trump. Donald Trump declares that he has won the election. Technically, what he has done is within the law. Or, it is at least arguably within the law.
Democrats can sue, but the case goes to the Supreme Court. What do they rule?
Meanwhile, there are millions of people in the streets, and some pitched street battles. Who do the police side with in this scenario? Who does the military side with in this scenario? It's not nearly as clear-cut a case as we'd like to believe.
Now, will this happen? I don't know. Could this happen? Absolutely. Vote early. Be prepared to volunteer on Election Day, particularly if you are young. If necessary, be prepared for mass protest.
sammydoylestien on August 26th, 2020 at 17:26 UTC »
He was just arrested for 1st degree murder: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/kenosha-protest-shooting-kyle-rittenhouse-jacob-blake-a9690326.html?amp