Moments after the decision was announced, Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson expressed her deep concern about the outcome. Not concern that the police killed Garner, who was allegedly selling untaxed cigarettes, without facing legal repercussions. But concern that anger over the decision could impact a “the tree lighting ceremony” scheduled for that evening at Rockefeller Center.
Sadly for Carlson her worst fears were realized.
The mayor’s appearance tonight at the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting has been canceled.
— Mike Grynbaum (@grynbaum) December 3, 2014
Yeah it really sucks when the unnecessary death of a black man, and a miscarriage of justice, screws up people's holiday plans.And coming in a close second in tone deafness is potential 2016 presidential candidate Rand Paul, who blamed the whole thing on taxes. That's right taxes:
Well you know I think it’s hard not to watch that video of him saying ‘I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe’ and not be horrified by it. But I think there’s something bigger than the individual circumstances. Obviously, the individual circumstances are important. But I think it is also important to know that some politician put a tax of $5.85 on a pack of cigarettes so that driven cigarettes underground by making them so expensive. But then some politician also had to direct the police to say, ‘hey we want you arresting people for selling a loose cigarette.’ And for someone to die over breaking that law, there really is no excuse for it. But I do blame the politicians. We put our police in a difficult situation with bad laws.
Well so much for Rand Paul's attempt to court the African American vote.
Is Rand Paul plain evil or is literally mentally retarded? Because that mess of a reaction is horrifying. This is a so-called libertarian (who happens to be anti-reproductive choice, by the way), who puts his criticism of cigarette taxes above the death of a man. I guess freedom to buy lower-taxed smokes is more important that actual life.
ReplyDeleteCue the "War on Christmas" gestapo in 3...2...
ReplyDeleteCan we finally say it out loud THE POLICE ARE OUT OF CONTROL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteWhen the Nazis came for the communists,
ReplyDeleteI remained silent;
I was not a communist.
When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.
When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.
When they came for the Jews,
I remained silent;
I wasn’t a Jew.
When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.
- Martin Niemoller
****
America, you’re sick.
There is much about you which is beautiful. But a part of you is diseased.
It’s the part which speaks about being “pro-life”, but then casts aside those who are already here.
It’s the part which sees someone different than you as a cancer to be cut out.
It’s the part which revels in violence, both at home and abroad.
We’ve had Trayvon Martin. We’ve had Mike Brown. We’ve had Eric Garner. And each time justice was denied.
But that’s okay, isn’t it? It was “them” who got it. “They” deserved it. “They” always deserve it. They’re lazy. They’re thugs. They don’t respect themselves. They’re animals.
But “they” is a funny idea. You can go along your whole life, confident in the notion that you’re “one of us”, that you’re of the elect, that the world is made to cater to you. And then, suddenly, one day, without expecting it, you’re no longer “us”. You’ve become “them”. You’re no longer needed. You’re expendable.
You weren’t a communist. You weren’t a Jew. You weren’t black.
But if you think that those who stoke racism to remain in power actually care about you, you haven’t studied history. (Of course you haven’t studied history. That’s also part of the plan.)
more...
http://theobamadiary.com/2014/12/03/america-the-beautiful-2/
Those sanctimonious RWNJ Faux News viewers won't show any indignation until the police start attacking their "perfect", lily-white children--then watch the tantrums, pearl-twisting anger and good ol' boy militias coming out against the Gubmint. I keep thinking of an acquaintance of mine who claims that God talks to her personally (uh huh) and has the most dysfunctional, fucked up family I know. Her kids have been in trouble with the law more times than I can count, but they always got off with a slap on the wrist and a fine. And did Mommy whine about the injustice of it all! No matter that her darlings are what RWNJs should rightly call "thugs", but you know, they don't fit the physical description. Anyway, while I don't wish anything on them, I can only imagine that those kids would have been dead several times over if the current standard for police conduct spread beyond people of color. And, who knows, if this garbage continues to be excused as "just doing their jobs" and "it was the victim's fault", it could easily enter the Rill 'Murika bubble.
DeleteUnlike our intrepid former vp journalistic expert candidate, there isn't enough stupid in that clip to make a puddle. A human being was publicly choked to death, and Gretchen is worried about a tree lighting? Add the man's "seat belt ballet" theory and there STILL isn't enough stupid.
ReplyDeleteAs an aside, but appropriate to this post, I sat in a doctor's office today, and this entitled white woman scoffed loudly "here we go again.... Police bashing, how many (expletives) are there in NY that need to be taken down?" I gave her the "look" and enough time to say something like "I'm sorry... having a bad day.... just venting" ANYTHING. Crickets chirping and racially charged inflammatory language. So I was compelled to let her have it. "Suppose, for one second, that Mr Garner was a human being, deserving of all the rights and freedoms afforded to all human beings, would the police killing look justified to you? You know he's married with children, right? And how do you suppose they feel?" She gave me the eye roll and spoke softly calling me one of those "liberul commie fascists" , so I shot her the look again and REALLY let her have it.
This wasn't an old hag raised in a barn, she looked pretty well put together, maybe in her mid fifties, and wore nice clothes. I might give an ignorant person in their 90's some slack,
At this point, I honestly don't know what bothers me more, the open racism or how proud people are to use racially charged language with no concern whatsoever who's in the room. And why do people NOT speak up? There was a roomful of people of all races and they just squirmed nervously while flipping through magazines. The receptionist took me aside and thanked me. She said she would have joined me if she wasn't at work.
Clearly, a note of apology is due Ms. Carlson:
ReplyDeleteDear Missy Gretchen,
Oh behalf of all us GOOD (kindly and respectful) colored folks, ah hopes y'all will please accept our apologies for ANY dead black bodies what EVER gits in yo' way. S'just some n***ers so dumb, dey don't even know where it'd be convenient fo' da white folks fo' dem to get killed!
Y'all never know just how sorry we is.
We humbly do thank y'all, Missy Gretchen! Yes, we do ...
Oh, most excellent reply. 1m likes.
DeleteRAinNC
The right wingnuts keep saying "if he'd only surrendered peacefully, he'd still be alive.
ReplyDeleteBut they had a different tune when Ruby Ridge happened. And God forbid Cliven Bundy or any of his gang would have gotten shot for resisting arrest. The second civil war would have broken out.
Evidently, you can only resist authorities in this country if you are a white supremacist or a "white patriot".
Gretchen is a little pig-faced bitch.
ReplyDeleteAttention, Randy, there is NOTHING bigger when you can't breathe!
ReplyDeleteRead her inflection. She can't wait for "something to happen" in New York City. There were protests after Garner's death that kept up until the report from the medical examiner ruled his death a homicide. That she would spin on a "leak" is very telling. This is crowd-baiting, not news reporting.
ReplyDeleteAlaska has its own issues on this. Try looking Eskimo, Aleut or Indian, even vaguely, and walking near APD. The only respite from the ugly attitude was when Chief Anderson led the department way back in the days of yore. Oh yeah, and remember no pissin' in th' alleys.
ReplyDelete