I watch the ripples change their size
But never leave the stream
Of warm impermanence
And so the days float through my eyes
But still the days seem the same
And these children that you spit on
As they try to change their worlds
Are immune to your consultations
They're quite aware of what they're goin' through

Monday, June 8, 2020

Linkee-poo Monday

"William 'Roddie' Bryan told investigators he overheard Travis McMichael use a racial epithet after fatally shooting a black man in Glynn County, Ga., in February, according to court testimony Thursday by a Georgia Bureau of Investigation official." It isn't so much what these ignorant shit kickers said, but the article has more details about the attack.

"NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Friday the NFL admits that 'we were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier and encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest.'" Gee, ya think? (Note, a lot of black people watch NFL).

The Throughline podcast with… "Black Americans being victimized and killed by the police is an epidemic. A truth many Americans are acknowledging since the murder of George Floyd, as protests have occurred in all fifty states calling for justice on his behalf. But this tension between African American communities and the police has existed for centuries. This week, the origins of American policing and how those origins put violent control of Black Americans at the heart of the system."

"Anger over the death of George Floyd has spread to Australia, with Black Lives Matter protests being held across the country… But Australian demonstrators are not just expressing solidarity. Many are using the moment to vent fury about indigenous deaths in custody in Australia. So what is the situation?"

"A statue of slave trader Edward Colston was torn down and thrown into Bristol Harbor on Sunday by protesters demonstrating against racism and police brutality in England. According to the BBC, one person was seen with their knee on the statue's neck in reference to the fatal arrest of George Floyd, whose death in Minneapolis inspired protests across the globe." OMG, people disrespected a statue of :: checks notes :: a person who was responsible for enslaving tens of thousands of people and transporting them across an ocean in an incomprehensibly cruel manner including throwing many overboard in the middle of the ocean to teach the others a lesson. Yeah. I'm not gonna be worked up about people throwing that statue into the water.

"Few sights from the nation’s protests in recent days have seemed more dystopian than the appearance of rows of heavily-armed riot police around Washington in drab military-style uniforms with no insignia, identifying emblems or name badges. Many of the apparently federal agents have refused to identify which agency they work for. 'Tell us who you are, identify yourselves!' protesters demanded, as they stared down the helmeted, sunglass-wearing mostly white men outside the White House. Eagle-eyed protesters have identified some of them as belonging to Bureau of Prisons’ riot police units from Texas, but others remain a mystery." Failure for police to identify themselves is a crime.

What does "Defund the Police" look like? "The next day, Garcetti called a press conference to announce that the city would be reallocating$250 million from its budget— including as much as $150 million from the LAPD — to 'invest in jobs, in health, in education and in healing' in the 'black community here in Los Angeles.'"

"First lady Melania Trump's messaging in the wake of the killing of George Floyd and the resulting protests around the country has frustrated the West Wing, according to a White House official… Out of sync with the 'law and order' mantra President Donald Trump has supported, the first lady in a handful of tweets has noted peace and healing." She's the kinder, gentler hand behind the leather glove that slaps you in the face. Now, if she could only talk with her husband.

"About a third of Americans surveyed by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have used some kind of risky cleaning practice to stop the spread of Covid-19, the CDC said on Friday… People have put bleach their food. Others have gargled or inhaled it. And some have washed their bodies with household cleaning and disinfectant products." MAGA.

"Work from home, but have no room? Buy an Airstream RV." Sure. As most people live paycheck to paycheck, I'm sure they could do this. And the high-speed internet connection doesn't hurt either.

Everything but the squeal. "He says farmers made some quick adaptations--they converted older buildings into additional housing for hogs, fed the animals low-energy rations that kept them from gaining weight rapidly, and sent some of their animals to local butcher shops. Others hogs were shipped halfway across the country, from Minnesota to Pennsylvania or California, to processing plants that could handle them."

"When the May jobs report dropped Friday morning, the numbers were shocking: US unemployment actually fell, defying virtually all economists' predictions… How did they get it so wrong?" Whispers, the numbers were cooked. Mostly it was because of a difference in how you count things.

"An astonishing pickup in payrolls during May has rekindled hopes that the economic slump may not be nearly as bad as it looked and could soon give way to an exodus of workers back to their jobs and a sharp broader recovery." It's amazing how some of the supposed "brightest" business minds have no fucking clue when it comes to business. That 2.5 million jobs gained? Yeah, that was businesses reopening and reclassifying people.

"Stocks are opening higher on Wall Street Monday, extending a rally into its fourth week… Banks and industrial companies had some of the biggest gains in the first few minutes of trading."

The real life "It's a Mad Mad… World" ends. "A decade-long search for a treasure hidden deep in the Rocky Mountains that led to multiple people’s deaths is over, the man who hid the treasure announced… Forrest Fenn, a New Mexican art dealer, revealed on Sunday that his famed treasure was found, according to a post on his website that he confirmed to NBC News."

"OPEC and its oil-producing allies agreed on Saturday to extend the historic 9.7 million barrels per day production cut for an additional month in an ongoing effort to balance the global oil market. The agreement was finalized during the group’s video-conference meeting." Goodbye lower gas prices.

Hello higher executive pay. "BP has announced plans to cut 10,000 jobs amid following a global slump in demand for oil because of the coronavirus crisis… The oil giant had paused redundancies during the peak of the pandemic but told staff on Monday that around 15% will leave by the end of the year."

"Ivanka Trump has hit out at “cancel culture and viewpoint discrimination” after plans for her to give a virtual commencement speech to students in Kansas were canceled amid criticism of Donald Trump’s response to anti-police brutality protests in the wake of the killing of George Floyd." Poor, little rich girl doesn't get to give a speech and now it's a tragedy.

"Former Republican Secretary of State Colin Powell said Sunday that President Donald Trump has 'drifted away' from the Constitution, adding to a growing list of former top military officials who have strongly criticized the President's response to the nationwide protests surrounding the police killing of George Floyd."

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