No, This is Not Effing Okay, & I Don't Care Who You Supported
I just found out today that my former online writing coach and a dear friend was assaulted last week in Waukesha, Wisconsin, where she lives. Her crime? Being a woman and walking her dogs in the afternoon on the sidewalk: Here's her Facebook post describing the "incident" that I consider a hate crime.
So. I just got shoved off a sidewalk and told to get back in my place. Woman.
Sit with me for a minute, please, and help me to breathe.
I was walking my dogs around the block, as I always do in the middle of the day. A man was coming toward me, walking down the center of the sidewalk. I gathered my dogs' leashes and prepared to move out of the way. Blossom, our sick dog, the 15-year old who is moving steadily toward her leave-taking, is walking slower these days. I hadn't quite gotten her off the sidewalk when the man caught up to us. I began to say, "Excuse us," when I saw his foot aiming toward Blossom.
I stepped in between. He kicked me as Blossom scrambled to get out of the way.
Then he grabbed me by the shoulders and threw me off the sidewalk. I fell over the dogs and landed in the grass.
The man said, "You need to get back in your place now, woman."
I have never ever heard the word woman used with such a tone before.
He was wearing a red Make America Great Again hat.
Sit with me some more, help me to breathe. Let me get this out.
For those of you who voted for the orange asshat, this is what you have unleashed. That, and college students who believe that it's okay to smear their faces with black and yell slurs. Others who think it's okay to parade down hallways with Asshat/ViceAsshat signs, chanting, "White power!" Who think it's okay to hang an effigy of Obama under a sign saying, "We have a dream."
Women who voted for him, start preparing yourself to never ever go outside alone. All women, start preparing for this.There's no longer "Take back the night." We need to start worrying about taking back the stark daylight on a busy street in the downtown of a city.
My dogs are okay. I am okay. But I am just so sick.
Help me breathe. Help me breathe.
Obviously, she was in shock when she wrote these words, but she is right. Trumps' rhetoric has brought the far right racists, sexists, neo-fascists and other hateful scum out of the woodwork They now feel entitled to threaten and physically attack people they consider "lesser beings" because their guy won. The man to whom our nation's corporate media gave hours and hours of free airtime, airtime valued at over $5 Billion if Trump had had to pay for it. And he did say a lot of hateful and nasty shit, and this is the direct result of that media saturated coverage of those hateful remarks that were broadcast to millions of people, including many unstable individuals.
Kathie's case is being actively pursued by the local police. You can find the original news story that contains a videotaped interview of my friend at this link.
"He grabbed me by my shoulders and threw me off the sidewalk, and I fell over my dogs and landed on the grass and he said,'It's time to put you back in your place woman,'" Giorgio said.
She said the man tried to kick one of her dogs. Giorgio was stunned as the man walked off muttering to himself near the bus depot in downtown Waukesha. [...]
Giorgio said she's lived in the neighborhood for 10 years and has never had an issue.
She blames the extremely divisive political environment right now.
"Do I blame Trump supporters? I don't. I think that it's just his rhetoric fed to a certain personality that is now coming out of the shadows who know feel like they have permission to act on whatever hate they have," Giorgio said.
Since the attack on her became public, many have sent Kathie their support. However, a number of truly loathsome people on Facebook and Twitter have said some extremely nasty stuff about her after her post was widely shared on social media. In addition, a local conservative radio host in Waukesha, Jeff Wagner of WTMJ, did a show on her without the decency of contacting her first. When she called the show directly while it was still airing they refused to put her on to tell her story or correct any misleading information Mr. Wagner, who was a Trump supporter, put out over the public airwaves about her and this senseless, hateful assault.
I don't care of you supported Trump, Clinton, Sanders, Stein, Johnson or the Great Meteor. This is so wrong in so many ways. I hadn't commented on the reports of similar hate crime attacks following Trump's victory before now, and I should have. I am sorry it took this happening to someone I know for me to comment on this phenomenon here for the first time. For that I am sorry for everyone who has endured such incidents.
Comments
Even Grandma's Getting Into the Act
My adult daughter called crying yesterday because her beloved grandma [my ex-mother-in-law] posted a scathing personal attack about my daughter on Facebook, calling her names and telling her to get over it, We won and You lost. Also, Grandma said Obama ruined her life and it was my daughter's turn to have her life ruined.
We are both in shock as this is completely out of character for Grandma or at least was hidden until now.
Nice Family Values, Granny!
I will go out on a limb and suggest that FAUX has rotted Granny's mind. Will the DSM ever list binge-watching FAUX as a sign of major mental illness?
Vowing To Oppose Everything Trump Attempts.
Faux Habits
I don't know Grandma's tv habits but I imagine you are right.
Wow. Extra hugs to your daughter from us, OK?
Is Granny going senile perhaps? Srsly. I get political divisions, but we always dreamed of better for future generations. And I would be interested in how O ruined Granny's life, since they never did cut SS and Medicare, and now under Trump/Ryan those are in real trouble. Calling names? Whoo. I might consider calling for a wellness check on Granny (but only if you seriously think she needs it; cops have gone ballistic on some wellness checks).
Anyway, be sure to tell your daughter she did nothing to deserve that. I agree that it might be a sign of Faux/Limpaugh overload. Or someone hacked Granny's account?
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You could make an appointment with Granny's doctor.
He cannot talk to you about his patient but he can listen to you.
Then when Granny is in a better mood, get her in to see the doc.
I seriously think that she's losing impulse control and maybe a few other brain functions.
Life is strong. I'm weak, but Life is strong.
Been Wondering
Thanks for your support. I've been wondering about Grandma's mental status over the past couple of years so some form of dementia is not out of the question.
My daughter said she would have asked how Obama ruined Grandma's life except Grandma is now blocked on Facebook.
We stayed close after I divorced her son but we haven't had much contact for years. I have thought about calling Grandma's daughter and asking if she knows how her mom is doing.
I think I would. Tell her what happened, get her take on it.
If this seems out of character, then this might be an indication of a health problem. If you have a good relationship with her daughter, that might be the best way to handle it. What about your ex? Did your daughter talk with him about his mother?
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Bridges Burned
Sadly, my ex has not only burned all bridges with me but his own daughter and mother as well. Think I will email his sister, though. Thanks
Trump has repeatedly stated he
Wants protections for Social Security. And MediCare recipients are about to suffer some serious pain, due to the 500 billions of dollars of cuts Obama put into the ACA legislation. (By cutting back on Fed MediCare funding, supposedly the Republicans who disliked the ACA would feel better about it. Or at least, that is how Obama explained it.)
BTW, Bill Clinton and Newt Gigrich were in meetings to cut back Soc Security, but then the Monica scandal broke, and Bill couldn't do much of anything after that.
Believing in the improbable can make your life a miracle.
Snark of well, Waukesha is not sufficient.
That was a hate crime against a white woman and her two dogs, likely by a white asshole. I hope she stays brave and angry. Tell her Solidarity from c99 (I think we can all agree on that).
Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.
It's infecting folks across the board.
Our adult daughter teaches in a Seattle high school. White, near in, computers for every kid and two for teachers. A male teen came into the school wearing a Trump hat and was beaten up by, well, who knows.
They had to have a school-wide intervention. The meanness is pervasive. None of it is ok. Some adults I have shared the story with thought he got what he deserves. I say again: none of the violence, sneering, name-calling divisiveness is ok.
It starts with the parents and adults, the kids usually are ok with "otherness". The millennials are some of the most tolerant age groups there are: disabilities, color, gender....it's all good as they say.
We need more.
You may choose to look the other way, but you can never say again you did not know. ~ William Wiberforce
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The violence and division was the plan, I think
We know that elections can be rigged, so what if it was rigged for Trump to divide this country even more than when it was under Obama.
I'm in Utah and see that type of comment all the time.
"Obama has divided this country"
They never say how he did that, but keep repeating it.
If it gets out of control, the militarized police are ready to step in. We have already lost so many of our civil liberties, especially Habeous Corpus under the MCA, and the NDAA gives the president the power to lock people up without charges and no access to a lawyer. Now why would they continue writing laws such as those?
There were problems with running a campaign of Joy while committing a genocide? Who could have guessed?
Harris is unburdened of speaking going forward.
It makes sense when you lift it to a movement-level
I find your comment insightful, snoopydawg. Utah is a great place for this type of fieldwork. Rigid and responsive at the same time.
My inclination to reductionism marks it as a fascist trend of opportunity by powerful people installed in the permanent government, enacted during a time of political chaos or social dislocation.
I would identify its incubator as indirect blowback as a result of the US attack against the innocent people of Afghanistan where the US murder and mayhem continues to this day. I can smell the reckoning upon us. The laws of physics in this universe make tit for tat mandatory. Even if it is self-inflicted. There's a lot of payback waiting in the wings as a consequence of US Empire, willingly funded by the American people.
IMAGINE if you woke up the day after a US Presidential Election and headlines around the the world blared, "The Majority of Americans Refused to Vote in US Presidential Election! What Does this Mean?"
Isn't It Ironic?
This principle is a basic detail of the Sharia Law these MoFos fear being imposed upon them. They must really like the concept more than they admit, provided THEY are the ones imposing it on everyone else.
Vowing To Oppose Everything Trump Attempts.
You are right! Sharia law by white MoFo males.
Go back to Saudi, jerks!
Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.
Is that quotation saying that women who voted for Mr. Trump
deserve this sort of treatment because he said sexist things?
Personally, I've always been in support of all women, even sexist women like Phyllis Schlafly, having the right to vote regardless for whom.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Thank you for this comment
I am a believer in people being able to exercise their own free will in voting even when it is for someone I do not support.
Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?
“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy
Nope!
Merely a comment (as I intend it to be regardless of the original commenter's motive) as to the practical result of voting for a throwback to the Bronze Age. Have you lined up YOUR male guardian yet? It's how they do it in 7th Century Saudi Arabia, after all.
Vowing To Oppose Everything Trump Attempts.
In that case, voting for Hillary, the KSA candidate
wouldn't have helped.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Choose your enemies carefully
For you will end up resembling them.
Good advice for us all.
We can’t save the world by playing by the rules, because the rules have to be changed.
- Greta Thunberg
I eshcew the gun culture weirdos
and I'll never own a gun. Bear mace however....
"I can't understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I'm frightened of the old ones."
John Cage
Males have made laws against women being able to protect
themselves.
Depending on which state you live in, it might be illegal for you to carry pepper spray on your person for protection unless you have a license for it.
Then again, I say fuck the laws.
Before you go out and buy the baddest sprays, make sure you also take a course in how to use it. It's not just shoot and spray.
1. Be aware of your surroundings. Doorways and windy areas can ruin it for you. Don't want to spray that shit and have it blown right back in your face. Don't want to get overcome in a small doorway with the fumes.
2. Don't just depend on the spray. Take some martial arts classes. Escapes are key to giving yourself some time and space away from the attacker so you can even spray them.
3. Spray and then run away. Scream FIRE!!! Not rape or help. Americans don't hear a woman screaming help. Most think it's a domestic "thing".
Pepper spray is not the best answer especially if a person has never learned how to be aware of their surroundings, who is walking near them, and don't walk around with tons of shit on ya --- watch footage of women trying to carry all their groceries up to their apartment to save time....
4. Be light and ready to fight. Dump the purse for a wallet.
Many areas provide self defense courses for free or sliding scales.
Pepper Sprays are good but only if the person knows what they are doing.
"Love One Another" ~ George Harrison
Being male
Some of your excellent suggestions do not apply. I learned the hard away about mace. Many years ago, my girlfriend had a small canister on her key ring. I was fooling around with it, thinking it was a small flashlight, managed to mace myself in the face. BRILLIANT!
It is legal to carry mace where I live, but as you said, fuck it.
"I can't understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I'm frightened of the old ones."
John Cage
Heh. I used to carry it at the ready at all times - because if
you have to dig in your purse for it, it's not likely to help much. So it started to rain and I struggled to put my umbrella up, and managed to mace my hands! Not my face fortunately, but that stuff still burned like fire! I don't carry it any more either.
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One effective tool that's legal and MANY times better
is sold in gardening departments everywhere is WASP Spray.
First of all you need not be close to the attacker as you can shoot a steady stream 10 feet or more (I haven't looked at the label in years), not a cloud that be blown back on you just hit the general chest area and when it wafts up on the attacker they will wish it had been mace.
The stuff suffocates wasps and as the warning label says to avoid any inhalation, the stuff is dangerous to both insects and humans and just another chemical sold everywhere of which the general public is unaware. Like many other products (legal) in bathroom cabinets and under kitchen sinks all across America.
For example one woman I know said she couldn't shoot mace out her passenger side window to stop someone from barging in because she would be in the cloud, that's when a Vet friend of mine (Korea, Vietnam) talked about it and he even said one doubter let him hit him (very very briefly) at distance of at least ten feet (the volunteer, another Vet) said the only thing he could think of was oxygen, would he be able to breathe? He confirmed, "mace ain't got shit on this stuff".
Our sensei used to mention that
stuff. Along with brass knuckles or having your keys ready to gauge a guys eyes.
But if a woman doesn't know how to be aware and ready to defend herself it doesn't matter what type of arsenal they have, many women are harmed with the very thing they thought would protect them... sprays, scissors, and even guns.
Sadly, I see a lot of sprays being sold as impulse items at some checkout lines. Pretty pink sprays. It's a weapon. And it needs to be treated as such and it takes practice. Just sticking it on our daughter's backpacks or bracelets isn't a good idea on it's own.
I wished they taught jujitsu in school for every girl.
"Love One Another" ~ George Harrison
I do carry my keys at the ready. It's simple enough to wind
them through the fingers.
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OH dear
If you are using your keys like that, just go ahead and get some brass knuckles, you're less likely to cut your hands all up if you ever have to actually swing at an attacker with a handful of keys gripped between your knuckles.
Trust me, it's not a pretty sight and isn't really useful. Just punch a pillow with your clutched keys you will see you will do more damage to yourself than to the attacker... or pillow.
You have to be very close to make any contact with clutched keys...
If you desire a weapon on your key chain, I highly rec a Kubaton. I love mine.
It's a metal piece the size of a Sharpie marker. Most airlines have zero clue what it is. (airlines took my daughter's knitting hooks but my Kubaton gets through all the time) It is great for jabs and escapes as well as to hit your car window in case of flood/water probs.
Edited: because most of this is just so overwhelmingly triggering for me. I don't know why I try to share in these diaries.
But maybe I should do a few diaries about useful tools that can save one's life. But I'd want to start the diary off letting victims know I fought but not all find they can fight or should fight. I hate the division in some survival circles...
We do what we can to survive. Even if that means laying completely still not breathing or making a sound. I respect what we all have done to survive, our stories should never be judged or criticized. So I've never written it out. (not fully)
But sometimes I get so worried for others when I see them depending on some items that they might find will actually not be that useful. But those diaries tend to dissolve into a weirdness that then... sets another trigger...
I think it was Oprah Winfrey who used to talk about what she would do if she had to fight off an attacker, she'd go on and on how she'd just grab him by the balls and squeeze. That was her plan. ... ... That would just get her punched in the face a few times. I cringe when I hear others state that that's all that needs to be done to prevent a rape or attack.
Finally she had Gavin DeBecker on, author of Gift of Fear and he explained how that is not a fail safe plan.
But maybe a series on useful items... Kubatons are actually really cool. There's even youtube videos of techniques and ways to use it.
addition: Tomorrow I'm having an artist tattoo the scars from a night almost 31 years ago. I survived a knife attack. I almost didn't survive the judgement. I was 17.
"Love One Another" ~ George Harrison
Wanted to send you massive
Wanted to send you massive hugs, Damnit Janet.
And congratulations on the tattooing idea; I gather it helps and it certainly seems like a very positive thing to do.
Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.
A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.
Super Massive Hugs to you Ellen :) thank you nt
"Love One Another" ~ George Harrison
My wife carries wasp killer spray - a good choice I think
"The justness of individual land right is not justifiable to those to whom the land by right of first claim collectively belonged"
It's scary how quickly that stuff kills wasps.
I would think that you would go from being a victim to being the attacker, with that stuff.
"I’m a human being, first and foremost, and as such I’m for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole.” —Malcolm X
I'm afraid that would invoke an attempted murder charge.
"I can't understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I'm frightened of the old ones."
John Cage
Not sure if you're responding to my comment or someone
else's (darn these parent/child confusions anyway!), but in all cases sure, you have to be sure in your mind that you're operating in self defense or defense of the lives of others. And you may have to defend yourself to the cops and/or the courts.
Part of my calculus is no doubt because I pass as white, I can probably get away with a self defense case.
But if some random guy runs up, starts trying to kick my dog, knocks me to the ground, and starts yelling hatred at me, thinking that my life might be at risk does seem a reasonable thought.
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I was refering to the use of wasp spray...
"I can't understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I'm frightened of the old ones."
John Cage
I was taught to yell "911!" continuously
because people tend to assume people yelling other things are "horsing around." But, I guess people can assume "911!" is horsing around, too.
"Hey stop fucking with that car!" is also suppose to work
or "That car is on fire!!!" Because everyone, parks next to something
Fighting for democratic principles,... well, since forever
What happens when people look around
and see no flames or smoke, tho? I guess nothing is foolproof.
When I was in high school, I read not to panic if you are hurt because people won't know how to help you. Just calmly say what the problem is. So, when someone slammed a car door on my finger, I said calmly, "Garry, you closed the car door on my finger." He said, "yeah right," and kept going. So, I screamed and he couldn't open the door fast enough.
As they say, "Go know."
BTW, I have been subject to sudden, extreme physical pain on a few occasions and have noticed that that kind of pain doesn't fully register for a few seconds, which is why I could say something in a normal voice. The scream was totally involuntary, a result of the full extent of the pain having washed over me.
Not all Gun Owners are Weirdos...
To some of us they are tools...
Nothing more...
I'm the only person standing between Richard Nixon and the White House."
~John F. Kennedy~
Economic: -9.13, Social: -7.28,
Hey now! As a gun owner, I think I'd rather be a weirdo than
nothing more than a tool.
But srsly, I think the poster's reference to gun weirdos is not referring to all gun owners necessarily. There are those of us who use them as tools, and then those who caress them like they're their dream date. If you've ever gone to a show, you know; there are some gun weirdos out there.
Please check out Pet Vet Help, consider joining us to help pets, and follow me @ElenaCarlena on Twitter! Thank you.
My own views are unsettled.
I live in a city. In cities, two year olds sitting in high chairs get paralyzed for life by a stray bullet, fired in a gang war, coming in the kitchen window or they get killed because their car seat is in Daddy's car and Dad is a gang member.
On the other hand:
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Mahatma_Gandhi
And the idea that the right is armed and government is armed, but the left is not troubles me.
Still, I can't get past my visceral revulsion. Have I been brainwashed?
Well, the US is the last remaining country
…where guns ownership a right rather than a privilege. (Now that Yemen is a failed state.) There were four cowboy nations left when I started paying attention.
Given the fates of the rest, I can only assume that the policy is a deliberate one.
IMAGINE if you woke up the day after a US Presidential Election and headlines around the the world blared, "The Majority of Americans Refused to Vote in US Presidential Election! What Does this Mean?"
I understand completely...
The city view and the rural view are very different...
In the city the bullets are flying in a gang war, and in the country the fox or bobcat raiding the hen house gets shot...
Entirely different worlds...
I'm the only person standing between Richard Nixon and the White House."
~John F. Kennedy~
Economic: -9.13, Social: -7.28,
I completely disagree
To look at Trump as the root cause of her attack is, to say the least, hopelessly blind. BOTH parties have embraced the politics of identity based hate. In doing so, they have normalized the attitude. Anyone who buys into that bullshit is responsible for her attack.
Or, put differently, I'm equally horrified at the left. NONE of it is "OK" but I'm certainly not laying the blame for this at the feet of Trump. I am, after all, a "Bernie Bro".
A lot of wanderers in the U.S. political desert recognize that all the duopoly has to offer is a choice of mirages. Come, let us trudge towards empty expanse of sand #1, littered with the bleached bones of Deaniacs and Hope and Changers.
-- lotlizard
If you read what I wrote
I blamed Trump and the media for their continual broadcasting Trump's hate speech. And while Kathie, in the immediate aftermath of the assault, which is still effecting her, blamed Trump voters, in her television interview she retracted that initial reaction when she was obviously in shock and terrified, and said she did not blame Trump voters, but did the blame the rhetoric from him and his campaign that she said had an effect on a few hateful people.
"You can't just leave those who created the problem in charge of the solution."---Tyree Scott
Trump may not the root
but he's the one that made it O.K.
"I can't understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I'm frightened of the old ones."
John Cage
Oh no, it goes back to at least 2008
And two women were predominantly responsible for unleashing the demons: Sarah Palin, overtly and blatantly, and Hillary Clinton, more subtly and insidiously.
Both of them made it OK to regard someone who is "not like us" as Other, Not A Real American, even Not A Real Human.
Not enough people cried, "This is wrong, stop it!" (NOBODY did so on the Democratic side that I recall) - and so now here we are.
There is no justice. There can be no peace.
That is true
but Trump's appeal to the white frat boy (educated or not) mentality is now releasing itself wholesale.
"I can't understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I'm frightened of the old ones."
John Cage
The democratic party hasn't embraced hateful identity
politics.
Hillary, her campaign, and her supporters embraced the exploitations of tensions along lines of identities by starting practically from the onset of the campaign with rhetoric that hinted or even explicitly accused her opponents of one "-ism" or another.
It's a mistake to think Democrats embrace any sort of "politics of identity based hate." Rather, they've embraced a politics of identity based division on the belief that the two largest not-white demographics, hispanics and black folks, coupled with "just enough" white folks will be sufficient to win elections. There are many problems with that strategy. Some have to do with the fundamental cynicism of exploiting identity based politics necessary to pursue it, but some have nothing to do with identities at all and more to do with a fundamental misunderstanding of how elections in this country work (officially and unofficially).
We could say he predicted this one correctly!
Glenn Greenwald comment referenced in Feb 2015 article by Mike Krieger:
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-02-21/hillary-clinton-exposed-how-she...
Give me an E, give me a V give me an I give me an L
And it's only going to get worse. (though I wonder what Obama did to ruin granny's life)
On to Biden since 1973
Get assaulted, post to Facebook?
Yeah that's gonna help, not.
- Close idiotic corporate social media accounts.
- Organize local self-defense training, like Poland. Starts today! Heh. I think we should train every body, not just women but anyone who feels threatened. Aikido, jujitsu, regular gatherings to stay in shape and protect each other. Non violent self defense, for the majority (non-Trump voters).
Don't let them continue to make money playing up emotions, don't let them! It is not so hip to go around with a tiny TV always on, constantly telling members how to think. That is what social media is, good luck to all.
http://arstechnica.com/staff/2016/11/its-time-to-get-rid-of-the-facebook-news-feed-because-its-not-news/
Solidarity
I am sorry
That sounds like blaming the victim to me.
"You can't just leave those who created the problem in charge of the solution."---Tyree Scott
"That sounds like blaming the victim to me"
Maybe because you did not bother to follow the links and read? Free software, free society. Those people are the ones working to protect your privacy against total surveillance, not facebook, not twitter. Either be part of the problem or part of the solution. At least try and understand the technology and don't just react.
We are all victims of something or other as far as I can tell. I was not talking about victims, I was talking about organizing local groups for non violent self defense, in lieu of screen time. To me that sounds healthier then the every day outrage that makes modern media money.
Peace
I was responding to this
Get assaulted, post to Facebook
Yeah that's gonna help, not.
Your other points are valid, but unfortunately for many people, especially small business folks, Facebook is a very inexpensive and invaluable tool to spread news about the services they provide. In Kathie's case, as both a published author and the owner of a writing workshop which teaches both online and in person classes.
"You can't just leave those who created the problem in charge of the solution."---Tyree Scott
You are still mildly mansplaining, Steven
And some women are so scared of LEOs that they can find a voice on FB. Not effective, IMO, but if they get strokes and feel validated...
And that brings up the ?smallnum for false claims. Even I as a female can realize that there is the potential for grifters. If we could eliminate grifters (even at Federal Level) and Frown Upon it, it would not be that little niggle of doubt. That is mostly spent on women and male Olympians.
Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.
I know this person very well
And I trust her and the fact that the police are pursuing the case. She is not a grifter. She called the police first thing after he left. It is in the links provided.
Please explain your reference to my mansplaining. I have my own triggers regarding violent assaults. Just check further down on this thread in my response to Chitown Kev. So I truly do not understand what you meant.
"You can't just leave those who created the problem in charge of the solution."---Tyree Scott
Maybe this part where you try to explain
why your friend uses facebook, because it is cheaper and easier for her to make money is what I read.
Okay, profit for her and yuge profit for these owners: http://www.whoownsfacebook.com/
In my first comment I deleted the top suggestion, report the assault, because I could not verify her story, because it was on facebook, which exists to make money for megalomaniac 1%ers who are destroying the planet and people I love. That is my conundrum. Sorry if the harsh words offended anyone. sry
Peace
I ended many friendships after Obama won.
I had no idea how racist and bigoted they were until he won. They felt emboldened to say crap out loud, assuming I was of like mind.
During the Bush years, I heard 2 local politicians give public speeches about how they, as Christians, would kill every single Muslim in Iraq. They drew applause, I was ejected from the building by a cop for simply asking if that included innocent children. Seems Muslims do not give birth to innocent children.
I have been listening to people ranting about food stamps..."let the sorry fuckers die of starvation!" while decked out in crosses and fish pins for years.
There is nothing new about the hatred. It is there.
All we can do is hope the police, prosecutors, and judges will make these haters pay for their crimes.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
No, there is nothing new
But I don't recall this level of violence after someone won an election before. And I have seen reports of physical assaults against people wearing Trump gear also. And I blame the candidates but even more so the media for their constant coverage of hateful rhetoric.
"You can't just leave those who created the problem in charge of the solution."---Tyree Scott
At the global level, the breakout of unusual social violence
…in a country is generally attributed to neoliberal policies resulting in income inequality and widespread austerity.
I don't know whether that is a feature or a bug of neoliberalism, however.
IMAGINE if you woke up the day after a US Presidential Election and headlines around the the world blared, "The Majority of Americans Refused to Vote in US Presidential Election! What Does this Mean?"
...so troubling...
I am really bothered by people who call themselves Christians but forget about the "Thou Shalt Not Kill" commandment.
In 2007, the county chairman of the democratic party
personally warned me not to put up signs or stickers, or wear a tee shirt in support of Obama. He said it would get me hurt or killed. He was a deputy, kept a weapon on at all times.
I guess I am not shocked because in my part of the country, it is just more of the same.
Fox and Rush have been stirring up hatred for a long time.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
That is certainly true about Rush et alia
In what region of the country in general do you live, or is that something you would prefer to keep anon for now?
"You can't just leave those who created the problem in charge of the solution."---Tyree Scott
East Texas.
A Trump supporter with a giant rebel flag in his truck bed, carrying a semi automatic weapon, parked at the courthouse, stood around for several hours. He did it twice.
It was his way of showing how he would react if Obama tried to get his guns before leaving office. It had little to do with Trump.
Hillary was leading in the polls at the time.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
...
...
If you have something to say say it
No reason not to if you are going to join this community to post here.
"You can't just leave those who created the problem in charge of the solution."---Tyree Scott
25 years ago I was attacked by a skinhead
in a Chicago -el station (Probably the Damen-North Ave. stop on the Blue Line) simply because I was doing some drunk PDA with a white guy.
I've know what has been unleashed in this country because I know up close and personal what has always been there.
I am not safe.
Truthfully, I never have felt all that safe and I've never been confused about it.
Since the election, I have felt like a marked man...but some people call it an "identity issue"...it's literally a life and death matter for me right now and I don't know what to do about it at the present time.
Blaming this, that, or the other might feel good and I might be justified in doing so but..ultimately, what's done is done.
And I have miles to go....and everything else that Frost said about that...so I have some decisions to make
The attack on your friend does not surprise me at all, Steven D
Stay safe, Kev.
Do whatever you have to do for that.
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Thanks...
[deleted]
[deleted]
A little bit...but it isn't simply the Democrats...
Let's say DJT manages to get a decent infrastructure bill to his desk; a bill that he would likely need some Democratic help on.
It's also possible that that under that circumstance that I would probably not be hired for the job as soon as I walk in the door...or if I were hired, it would be legally permissible to make my on-the-job experience miserable...and I've had both of those scenarios happen under currently existing law (very undercover, of course, but I knew what was happening).
Having said that, I do think that being a) black and b) gay are probably the least interesting things about me, in my view, and I don't think that in the big scheme of things, they are all that important...because it leaves so much out of the mix...
Kev
When I was in my early 20s I was beaten twice while living in a gay neighborhood. Once coming out of a gay bar.
The other time I was beaten unconscious when I was cut off by a van in the same neighborhood and rear ended them. While I looked for my ID they pulled me out of the car and kicked the shit out of me. Saved by a Taxi driver who saw them do it. All three were white Aryan brotherhood types with criminal records for violent crimes. I don't know if they assumed I was gay (I am bisexual) or not, but I was in the hospital for a week because I lost my balance and could not walk. That and a lot of cuts to my face that required stitches.
So I have a understanding about what it is like to have a target on my back.
The three men who beat me unconscious? The one with the worst record got away and the other two blamed him for all my injuries. I was the only witness who had a close look at them but all I could recall was the boots one of them wore. Same boots he wore at the Prelim hearing at which I testified. The two who were arrested got off. No one gave a damn about informing me of that decision by the prosecutor because at the time I was a poor likely faggot in their minds, or so I believe.
The other beating was by some random guy, and I was too scared to tell the police about it (the ones who stood outside the bar) because I was told it would only get me in trouble. This was about 1980 or 81. Not happy memories.
"You can't just leave those who created the problem in charge of the solution."---Tyree Scott
Wow. I gotta say, I'd step in the way to protect my dog too,
and the fight wouldn't end with me on the ground. I have begun carrying concealed again. Maybe I shouldn't; this a$$hole would be too tempting.
Regardless of whether Trump, Clinton, or their minions enable this crap, the attackers need to be treated like criminals and charges need to be pressed.
Please check out Pet Vet Help, consider joining us to help pets, and follow me @ElenaCarlena on Twitter! Thank you.
Well said
Thanks Elena for cutting to the core of the issue better than I did.
"You can't just leave those who created the problem in charge of the solution."---Tyree Scott
You're welcome, but I don't know if I really did that!
You discussed the issue quite well, IMO.
As a tough old pedestrian, I have been through a few attacks in my life and don't get scared any more. I get enraged. And if I have to put a few holes into a few men in order not to be their victim, my soul is okay with that.
I'm quite easygoing usually, as you know. The last couple people who attacked me ended up more scared of me than me of them.
Please check out Pet Vet Help, consider joining us to help pets, and follow me @ElenaCarlena on Twitter! Thank you.
I have a Bubba stick that i use as a cane
and take it on my walks.
The end has a heavy brass knob on it and the wood is hardwood and I know that if I'm attacked the first place I'm hitting is the knees.
Women should know a few defensive moves and if possible always go for the knees. A swift hard kick to them can disable an attacker because they can't run after you if their knee is dislocated.
Another great defensive spot is the windpipe. I don't know what happens if I kill someone by crushing the windpipe, but I would be alive.
I have two Bubba stick I bought for $25. I just looked them up online and the cheapest I found is on eBay for $32.
http://www.bubbastik.com
There were problems with running a campaign of Joy while committing a genocide? Who could have guessed?
Harris is unburdened of speaking going forward.
Your Bubbasticke, snoopy,
look like very effective tools. The design has been used as shiileileighs (sp?) and as warrior clubs among the Native American tribes (ie were still in during Tecumseh's time, ca 1811).
I agree with you about the importance of knees. I read once that striking the side of a straight, weight-bearing knee will pt that knee out of commission with only 7 pounds of strike-force (not that I understand how to measure strike-force, but the point of the article was about how one can easily disable an attacker).
Years ago, I organized a woman's self-defense training at the local YMCA taught by a cop. He didn't try to make us into strong physical fighters (although he taught use some kicks), focusing mainly on brief, sharp strikes that we were physically capable of that would hurt enough to make the (assumed guy) stop and give us a chance to escape. Some of the blows he taught us, such as the heel of the hand striking upward to the nasal bone could have killing capacity. So, at the end of the training, I asked him how to describe our self-defense actions to police. He made quite a point of telling us to frame our description of what we did as 'wanting to stop him', wanting to 'get him to stop'. he made sure we understood not to say anything like 'I wanted to hurt him' because that could be used badly in court. 'Wanting to stop him' implied self-defense, rather than intent to harm.
I went to the bubbastik site (thanks!). I am old enough and have enough balance/mobility problems to make carrying a cane reasonable. Although the sticks are pricey, I'd have more confidence in their design & construction strength (if needed for self-defense) than something I might pick up at CVS.
Another good one is
the new super bright LED flashlights, these lights are temporarily blinding especially at night and can give you enough time to run or ?. I have two of them and always carry one when walking the dog, mainly for critters but you never know. The good ones are not cheap " SUREFIRE" is a good brand and they are also great flashlights.
When Obama won I was really saddened to realize how rascist
this country still is. The haters came out of the woodwork big time. Now it's the same except the haters are on both sides and the type of hate has expanded to include all the other 'isms' along with racism. I took down my Jill Stein bumper sticker and yard sign in fear that some HillBot would blame me for Killary's loss, Trumps win and vandalize my house or car. Scary times ahead folks.
"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." - JFK | "The more I see of the moneyed peoples, the more I understand the guillotine." - G. B. Shaw Bernie/Tulsi 2020
Times are hard
And the media has spent the last 8 years pushing this polarization and divisiveness rather than speak to the common issues that affect so many of us regardless of race, gender, religion etc. That was what was so special about Sanders was his ability to cut to the chase and expose the problem was that both parties didn't care a crap about us. He offered up policies to help everyone and did that without demanding anyone.
And the Dems made sure there was no way they would allow him to win the nomination. Too bad they didn't care about Trump the same way, but then again the . 01 % obviously have decided they can work with Trump and they are probably correct.
"You can't just leave those who created the problem in charge of the solution."---Tyree Scott
Only the Beginning...
I fear we have not yet seen just how bad it is going to get here in the good ole U-S-A. Followed by the old Genie and bottle blurb.
Beyond the undeniable increase in senseless violence and mindless hatred we will all encounter in an ever growing tidal wave of tRumpdom (Yes, I blame him as well as the media, etc., etc. They made us all hear it but he is the one that took that stage and spewed) there is something even more scary to consider: Look at the lengths to which the Repukes in charge of their State and local governments have gone to suppress votes, make fear the way of life for immigrants, gays and lesbians, transgender persons, uppity wimmin who want to control their own bodies (how dare they). They never stop! They will never stop! They have tasted a country and a world in which other people gained freedoms to Be Themselves and flaunt it in the face of the Righteous (that hurt to type). They have lived with the fear that it would just keep getting worse (in their warped eyes and hearts) and it would go on and on and they would be, indeed, living in that Hell on Earth promised in the book of gibberish. Do any of you think, I mean really believe, that THEY, having finally won back the Entire Federal Government will just hand it back. They do not care about Laws, they will change all the laws. They do not care about Democracy, it has failed them and proved itself to be a Godless, Socialistic, Communist Plot. They now feel the thrill, the promise, the surge of joyous Knowledge that they are on the threshold of the realization of the Only form of Government that is truly acceptable, truly righteous, truly Good. That government will reward the Faithful, the Superior, the Male, the White, the Rich (for one surely cannot be Rich unless God loves them, just check anywhere on your TV dial on Sunday), the CHRISTIAN.
Too far at this point some of you might say. Well, to run the risk that everyone does when using such analogies, just consider this: The Nazis came to power by being voted in. Sure they intimidated and threatened people. They made it known how one had better vote and showed the slow learners. It did not happen overnight but really did not take all that long either. But to the point, the one thing they Did Not Do was to relinquish power. Have a different political point of view? Well, step into this alley with us and we'll talk about, show you the error of your way. Indeed, when they gained power they would never give it up. No matter what it took they hung on to it. Laws? Baha! We are the Law! Should we think that we are about to witness anything less? Now that tRump's Squirming Bag of Insanity has been opened and the Hellhounds have been unleashed, should we think that all we have to do is bear up through two or four years of a rough time and the Electorate will shake itself and say "Oops!, Let's change that little mistake." Just watch. Perhaps I am an alarmist on this, but I am in fear of the worst. I am in fear that We Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet. I am in fear that peaceful, even slightly out of control because of frustration, shows of civil disobedience just won't get it, won't matter, won"t change a thing but will get those protestors Seriously Hurt. I am in fear that little did those who picked up Bernie's call for a Political Revolution realize just what might be required to bring about the change we would like. I am in fear that being pushed off the sidewalk, punched in the face while eating, intimidated by tRump-hat and confederate shirt wearing, gun toting racist, misogynist Fools is just the beginning of a long and very dangerous time for our country and for the world.
Yes, I am in fear for there are people that I love here and I fear for them. There are people I do not even know here and I fear for them. I know that, just like for the entirety of my life up to this point in time, I will not be able to keep my mouth shut. Protested the Vietnam War even after I was drafted into it. Spoke up about every damned thing I could not keep silent about. Still stick my name out there and say things some people, maybe a lot of people don't want to hear, don't want said, because shutting up is not really in my nature. I've been threatened with death over Religious discussions, some people are so shaken by Truth. Just like many of you, I won't shut up because someone wants me too. Just makes want to talk longer and louder. I am in fear for myself and for us all.
Did y'all hear Jon Stewart?
He was on CBS the other morning. I liked his take that the left can't id T-rump voters as all alike - racist, and so on.
Remember when there was fear the T-rump supporters would take to the street in violent protest after he lost? Yet, it happened the other way around.
I'm sorry about your friend Steven. Did the fellow know your friend (and her politics), or was it random violence? Here in Alabama it could be either.
Here's Jon (first 5 min)
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUkv_jPgTeg]
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
Random
No idea who he was.
"You can't just leave those who created the problem in charge of the solution."---Tyree Scott
Trump Voters
I will never again try to have a conversation with a
right winger because it is futile and it is upsetting.
But if I were in a conversation with a Trump voter and they
told me that they voted for him because they are concerned about their insurance premiums.
I would be thinking... so you gave a pass to all the hate and lies about Mexicans
and Muslims, the groping of women, the carpet bombing proposal, global warming denial and
all the rest because of your insurance premiums ??? really, I run screaming from the room.
Or, if they complain about their job situation and economic hardship.... I say,
so you blame those even worse off then you, illegal aliens, the poor and disabled
receiving meager assistance.
I could go on and on... but these are not my favorite people...
And all that stuff about Trump building up our infrastructure... I read that his
plan is to give those projects to private interests and then they will charge use fees,
bridge tolls et... to make a profit on the commons. I hope that is not the kind of
plan that Bernie will support. I fear that is what is coming though. That is what
the corporations are doing in other countries... We are not special any more.
Did she report this to the police. It's assault.
Plain and simple.
Don't believe everything you think.
Yes
I did link to the story regarding the police investigation.
"You can't just leave those who created the problem in charge of the solution."---Tyree Scott
Mixed Feelings
This is one of those instances when I wish I had been there. This is one of those instances when I am so very glad I was not there.
Normally I have great impulse control, but as I read your re-accounting of the events the adrenaline surge was large. I am still a bit shaken.
The most frightening aspect, in my opinion, is the effect this will have on your friend. This kind of thing can permanently alter the way one lives one's life. I have seen it happen, and it makes me sad.
Be sure to tell your friend a lot of strangers here at c99p wish her well.
I hope the police and prosecutor take this seriously
i worry that some people will believe the police will look the other way in crimes like this. Or more importantly, that the police are taking it seriously and come down hard on the attacker.
Many cops have their own problems with racism and sexism,
but not all, so it's certainly worth a try. You might have to put up with some crap from the cops, but persistence may win out, and you're keeping the streets safe from this guy doing it again to someone else.
Please check out Pet Vet Help, consider joining us to help pets, and follow me @ElenaCarlena on Twitter! Thank you.
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