With Bev down for the count, I offer this. Last week, Black Lies Matter came out with a platform. It reads like a manifesto written by criminals demanding the right to rape and plunder as they see fit without consequence while every leftist pet peeve gets tossed in for no apparent reasons... with the word black in them so they become relevant. Wow. As an aside, I’m not going to address the whole thing. It’s broken into six areas with a total of 38 points, each of which covers multiple areas and a lot of which is repetitive. That’s too much to bother with. I will hit the highlights though.
1. “An end to the criminalization and dehumanization of Black [sic] youth.” They want the education system, social services, the media and pop culture to stop dehumanizing black youths. Hmm. Aren’t those all organizations run by liberals? Anyways, they want an end to school discipline and the removal of the cops. How about we counter with banning the word “nigga” from rap songs?
2. An end to capital punishment. No. You can avoid this one yourselves by not brutally killing anyone.
3. An end to the use of past criminal records for any purpose. Damn straight! Why should a day care center be allowed to know that someone used to rape kids? Agreed!
4. “An end to the war on Black [sic] immigrants.” No more deportations. Yeah, I’m cool with this. I think we should flood the country with Mexicans to take black jobs.
5. “An end to the war on Black [sic] trans, queer and gender nonconforming people.” I’m not sure what war this is, but I agree not to napalm any gay black clubs.
6. An end to “mass surveillance of Black [sic] communities.” They want to ban drones and body cameras. Told you they don’t like those... they prove the cops are in the right.
7. “Until we achieve a world where cages are no longer used against our people we demand an immediate change in conditions and an end to public jails, detention centers, youth facilities and prisons as we know them.” Fine, we’ll dump you on Devil’s Island and you can run free.
8. “Reparations for the systemic denial of access to high quality educational opportunities in the form of full and free access for all Black [sic] people... to lifetime education.” This is an odd one since most inner city and rural schools in black areas are staffed entirely by blacks and since so many blacks go to historically black colleges. Maybe they should pay this?
9. “Guaranteed minimum livable income for Black people.” Yeah, we should make black people more expensive to hire than other people. Good thinking.
10. Reparations for “environmental racism, slavery, food apartheid, housing discrimination and racialized capitalism.” They want those reparations to “focus[] on healing ongoing physical and mental trauma, and ensuring our access and control of food sources.” Black-only grocery stores? Odd. Anyways, you can have reparations and we’ll tax them at 100% to do the other stuff we’re agreeing to.
11. “Reparations for the cultural and educational exploitation, erasure and extraction of our communities.” Basically, they want everyone to have to watch Roots.
12. An affirmative action plan to address the “lasting impacts of slavery.” Fine, every former slave can get a “plus” when they apply at WalMart.
13. Reallocation of funds from the police to employment services. Yeah, who needs cops.
14. Decriminalization of drug and prostitution crimes... which devastate minority communities.
15. Universal health care with specific “culturally competent” services for gay blacks. Good luck figuring that one out.
16. Free daycare, abortion, health care, freedom from search, seizure and arrest. Kind of a catchall, I guess.
17. An end to fossil fuel use. Science is clearly not their strong suit.
18. Reallocation of military spending to community well-being. Good luck with that.
19. A progressive tax code “to ensure a radical and sustainable redistribution of wealth.” Progressive and sustainable are contradictory ideas.
20. A jobs program for black people. This is called affirmative action and already exists.
21. The right to have a union. Should probably remove this as it already exists.
22. A right to environmental regulation. Anything in particular?
23. Break up the banks!
24. End the Trans-Pacific Partnership and renegotiate all trade agreements. Hey, I read about that in the news.
25. Tax incentives to “facilitate trade across and in Black[sic] communities globally.” Yes, there should be a black market. Oh my.
26. Cheap loans for blacks. Like subprime lending?
27. Regulate industries that aren’t regulated to protect Black women and incarcerated people. Screw the rest of you.
28. An end to private schools. Like Historically Black Colleges?
29. Release of all black “political prisoners and an end to the repression of political parties.” Name one.
30. Ban PACs and corporate giving.
31. Universal, automatic registration of voters starting at 16 years old. What, no mention of the age of consent?
32. Net neutrality.
33. Free money for “Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Black media and cultural, political and social formations.” Social formations? Like the Black Octagon or the Black Flying Wedge?
Wow. Such crap. Such hateful, paranoid, racist crap. Thoughts?
41 comments:
One gets the sense they weren't turning down any ideas for being too crazy.
Below I'll just post snippets of a few old comments on the subject. I wasn't totally on point (a couple squirrelly videotaped shootings caused immediate protests despite the fact it was not yet clear the cops would skate) but I think most of my observations and predictions have held true.
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The latest cop involved in a squirrely shooting of a black guy (in Cincinnati) is being prosecuted and charged with murder so its not a good time for the black lives matter movement.
To trigger widespread outrage over most shootings (unless the victim is somehow unusual or in an unusual place) one doesn't just need someone dying one needs the killer to skate. Sure, there is a coterie of activists that will be fired up regardless, but they have zero influence unless they have something ordinary people can be bothered by to hang their hat on.
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Black Lives Matter is 2016's New Black Panthers (beloved by the media, especially the conservative media) and they have just as much support on the ground.
http://commentaramapolitics.blogspot.com/2016/04/backward-judgment.html
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/deray-mckesson-earns-3-000-votes-baltimore-mayor-primary-article-1.2616122
Turns out 340,000 Twitter followers don’t translate well into votes.
DeRay Mckesson, one of the leading Black Lives Matter activities on social media, faced a crushing defeat Tuesday in the Baltimore mayoral race — scoring just 2.5% of the Democratic primary vote and finishing sixth.
Mckesson, who has never held a political post, earned about 3,000 votes — a tally that’s less than 1% of his Twitter following.
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Generally speaking, I think the protests are pointless and harmful. They are just people venting without thinking. Both of the deaths were partially videotaped, are well publicized and are being investigated (though I doubt anyone will go to jail, careers might be cut short).
Video is a beautiful thing because it means less having to take things on faith. It will benefit most cops because most are honest, fair minded and competent. There are exceptions to the rule and video is going to hurt those exceptions.
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I don't think BLM is going anywhere. We've seen this movie before. The last major bout of outrage over a couple deaths at the hands of cops was similarly short circuited by cops being murdered (in NY in 2014). There will be more squirrely killings and more outrage down the line.
I noted a hint (just a hint) of cynicism...
LL, Whaaaaat? Really? LOL!
Anthony, Yep. I see people mainly as the new bizaro-fringe black group. Kind of like the Black Panthers without the charismatic image of Malcolm X. Basically, they are a tiny group of angry leftist fools who will only ever help conservative talk radio generate ratings. They're kind of like the Westboro Baptist assholes.
Not having read the Black Lives Manifesto, it's my understanding from other outlets that "Black" is capitalized because the manifesto begins with redefining the term. Try to contain your shock, but they've expanded "Black" to mean virtually everything except straight, white, and able-bodied.
Andrew,
I don't think Malcolm X was a member of the Black Panther Party. That was Huey P. Newton. Malcolm X was Nation of Islam (until they shot him).
Kit, That's right. My mistake.
tryanmax, I suspect it's really an attempt to elevate the term black to being a proper noun. These are the kind of people for whom things like that matter... like how feminists are offended by HIStory because that means "his story" (if you add an "s").
See, this is something I could have written about. For the last week or 2, we've had an Occupy Wall Street type rally going on by BLM in City Hall Park. Basically it's about disaffected yoots who have been drawing in colored chalk on the ground and sitting on a new "art installation" that just happens to be benches in circle (don't ask why this was art...). They mainly want to get rid of the police department at the same time being completely oblivious to the fact that the cops around them are there to protect them from...say...a crazy middle aged woman who has had about enough of this crap. Just sayin'.
But having learned from OWS, the BLM yoots are not allowed to stay in the park overnight. Luckily, the small park has a beautiful wrought iron fence and gates that lock to make it easier for the cops to civilly eject them each night. Please note that one blond dreadlock has been harmed on any yoots head. The numbers may grow once the college kids come back from their summer holidays.
OT Putin is set to launch another offensive in Ukraine.
If it happens, the responses of both Trump and Clinton will be telling...
Oh my God! Oh my God! The Orlando shooter's father was at Trump's rally! What was Trump thinking? He's lost the election for sure now!
Oh wait, it was Hillary's rally. Nevermind. It's cool.
Bev, Sounds like fun. 8/
I find it funny that no matter how hard the media tries to make groups like BLM and OWS seem legitimate, the public doesn't buy it. Most people can spot crazy and hateful from a mile away.
Anon, Let's go Trump free today, shall we?
That said, I do have to wonder what the effect will be on Hillary's campaign. I guess we'll have to see what happens when she's asked about it and she starts to dance. It's not a good look.
Kit, Good for him.
RE: Orlando shooter father at Hillary campaign. What will happen to Hillary? Nothing...no one will talk about it at all. Even the conservative "braintrust" at the reliably conservative Weekly Standard and National Review will continue to pound us with tweets/articles ad naseum about every detail of Bad Trump exclusively.
Okay, no more Trump/Clinton stuff.
Nice to see Black making a comeback (though I've been using it for years). Does this mean African-American will finally be used only where honestly applicable; i.e., Charlize Theron?
All this divisiveness, I'm reminded of Alan Colmes' exchange with Chuck D on Fear of a Black Planet's "Incident at 66.6 FM," in which the, yes, white media rep, the eeeevil conservative host advises Chuck D there might be some callers who would like rabble-rousers like Public Enemy to go back to Africa.
That's most certainly not my choice, 'cause the optimist in me has faith my brothers and sisters are ultimately gonna work it out, but a manifesto like the above is so incompatible with a level-headed and united mindset. You know, kinda like the Democrat's platform and plan for America. Can we just start peacefully divvying the states now, avoid any more bloodshed than necessary?
Eric, This manifesto is a statement of hatred and separatism based on an super-arrogance (supremacist type thinking) which explains away the lack of superior results as being the fault of victimization and oppression.
It's tenor and underpinnings are fundamentally similar to the Nazi platform or the whining of white supremacists today: "We are superior except you stole our stuff, so we can take your stuff and you need to take care of us from now on!"
Those aren't people you can reach any sort of agreement with.
That's some first rate fringe crazy... It reminds me a lot of the college safe spacers and their demands, though when it comes down to it they're just two flavors of the same kind of lunatic. Either way it's a shame these nuts are out there, but it's good that they're unlikely to reach anyone other than their fellow crazies.
- Daniel
There are no words...
Ok, maybe a couple of words. This is the sort of thing that if Trump were smart he would hope to be asked about it and his retort should be, "it looks a lot like the Democrat party platform". (Full Stop. Period. Don't say anything else)
Ooh, ooh, I'm gonna beat Anthony in announcing the latest Trump craziness! Apparently, he's called for the assassination of Hillary Clinton! Has he no shame? No scruples?
Koshcat, Shocking isn't it? This is pure crazy.
Agreed on Trump. This is the kind of stuff a guy like Trump should be punching at, not the tangents he gets lost on.
Daniel, This totally has the feel of being a college thing. These are people are using college intolerance language like pros. This isn't just average people.
tryanmax, No hablo en Trump en Clintonista o.
Just to throw this back at liberals...
Obama just admitted that he can't watch Olympic gymnastics because he "gets too tense." Yet, this man is in charge of nuclear weapons?!! He's clearly the most dangerous man ever to hold the job. He's crazy! We can't trust him with nukes!!
Am I serious? I'm as serious as liberals are when they do that crap to conservatives.
Is it just me, or is the Black Lives Manifesto overly concerned about queer, trams, non gender conforming, whatever?
tryanmax, I had the same thought. It's really strange. How did we go from "stop shooting young black males" to "we need specialized care for black gays"? Awkward.
Tryanmax,
Trump's assassination joke was attention whore folly, but the most disturbing thing Trump has said recently wasn't a joke, it was a promise to boost entitlement spending (shades of Medicare Part D).
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/438829/donald-trump-social-security-lies-lies-lies
In an interview with Fox and Friends on Tuesday, Trump suggested that we should pay Social Security dependents more than we currently do. “The people are not making it on Social Security,” he said. “It’s a very big problem. We’ll take care of it.” Oh, will we? Under current policy, the unfunded liabilities of Social Security right now are about $25 trillion. (Conservatively; different assumptions will of course produce different results.) Say “$25 trillion” to most people and you may as well be saying “$25 billion” or “$25 gazillion” or “$25 googol” (that’s $25.00 x 10 to the hundredth power for you English majors out there) — most people have trouble mentally processing such large numbers. So, here’s a handy comparison: If you took all of the money deposited in all of the banks in the United States and then doubled it, that’s how short we are on Social Security alone. That’s one program.
Anthony, at least we agree on what the real problem with Trump is: he favors a giant welfare state. Which isn't surprising, given that he's the ultimate RINO, a Democrat until he decided to run for office. Still, I'll take the lesser Democrat over the one who wants that and more, plus cramming a social agenda down Americans' collective throats. If anything, Trump absolutely proves the media's partisanship. He general favors the things they favor, but he's on the wrong ticket, so it's slime time 24/7.
OT: When Trump said America would start winning so much that we would all get bored of winning I didn't know he was talking about the US Olympic Swimming team. :-)
Tyranmax,
If it were just the domestic policy stuff, I would probably be able to hold my nose and vote for Trump. It's the Russian connections, not just the business deals but his insistent statements that Russia has not invaded Ukraine, his waffles on NATO, and that 3 (maybe 4) of his advisors have close ties to Moscow makes me very nervous.
The fact that Hillary is likely also compromised due to her email scandal makes me absolutely furious at the current state of affairs. The best I can say about her is that she is not constantly shouting Kremlin propaganda on the situation in Eastern Europe.
Not for nothin', Kit, but I'll take Russkie connections over the Iranian constantly up in Hillary's, errr ... ummmmm ... uhhhh ... business?
Funny how the media forgot Hillary in 2008 saying she wouldn't drop out of the race in May because,well, "Bobby Kennedy got assassinated in June." And then there was Crazy uncle Joe Biden in the same year saying that 'Obama wasn't taking his shotguns and he had a Beretta if they tried...'
I ran across an article today. This was written by a Millennial and it's title is: "11 Brutal Truths Every Baby Boomer Needs to Hear."
You would think that would make this a Millennial firing back at the criticism of Boomers and pointing out the flaws of said Boomers, right?
Nope.
This is whiny narcissism at its worst. Talk about reinforcing the worst stereotypes of your own critics!
Whiny Article
My response to "11 Things..."
You've Gotta Love Millennials - Micah Tyler
That's fantastic, Bev!
And for the record, I don't have a problem with Millennials in general, just the completely not-self-aware slackers like the guy who the "11 Things" article.
Seconding AP's appreciation, Bev! Ditto the sentiments re. the wheat from the chaff millennials.
Get used to the "11 Things" columnist and his ilk? No. Just no. To paraphrase the mighty Unknown Hinson, I work for a livin', son, couple gigs, actually. Look into it.
Honestly, the Millenials are not much different from youth in other generations - the "Bright Young People" of the Jazz Age in the 1920s or "hippie" culture of the late 1960s. And the Nazi Youth in the 1930s, but we will leave that one alone.
Kit, I responded to your post above on today's thread by mistake. Pop over there for a look.
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