COVID-19 Lockdown, Day 67
Macchiavelli.
Those who have taken Humanities in college have learned at least a little about Niccolo Machiavelli. He was a Renaissance diplomat who taught his contemporaries how to maintain power yet extend mercy and reason. One thing I remember most about him is how he asserts it is better to be feared than hated, which is why you can execute a man's father for a petty crime, and he might forgive you as long as you leave his inheritance alone.
Hence, Machiavelli was, if anything else, a pragmatist. He was ruled by reason. I have seen little pragmatism in the George Lloyd matter this week.
Before I continue, I want to commend the many police chiefs across the country who have condemned this hate crime and called it what it is: murder. Now, I wish to denounce Hal Marx, the mayor of Petal, Mississippi, who said, "if you can talk, you can breathe," referring to George Lloyd's last words. Has this man even graduated high school? Seriously?! It does not take an asthmatic like me to know that, while you will not be reciting the Gettysburg Address at the moment, you can suffocate and still utter a few words. On October 28, 2012, I was having an asthma attack, in which I drove myself to the hospital (yes, it was a stupid move) and walked from the parking lot to the emergency room. I sat and waited until the clerk called me over to ask why I was requesting treatment. I answered two of her nonchalant questions while I was literally suffocating. Then, when asked the third question, I opened my mouth, but I could say nothing, so I merely signaled that I could no longer talk. Imagine what could have happened if I waited one more hour to go to the hospital. I probably would not be here writing this. So, Mr. Marx, you dufus, people can still talk even if they cannot breathe.
All over the news and social media, I see pictures of the rioting and looting in Minneapolis. I read comments from people asking, "What will this accomplish?" "Will this bring George Lloyd back to life?" Ilhan Omar, the US representative from that area, made the first reasonable suggestion in her regime. She asked everyone to protest peacefully. The sad fact is, the protests on Tuesday started peacefully. They were angry, but they protested peacefully at police stations, at Chauvin's house, and at the home of the county prosecutor. Even Mayor Frey acknowledged this. What happened? The MPD happened. When the police approached the protesters, they did not acknowledge their feelings or apologize for their rogue comrades. Instead, they drove these unarmed protesters away with tear gas, chemical irritants, and rubber bullets. Even today, a police officer in a moving squad car pepper sprayed peaceful protesters without cause. Here is the link to the video: https://www.facebook.com/shaunking/videos/1173124483031642/?t=22
When an angry and outraged person realizes he cannot even protest without being attacked, what is the only trajectory for someone who feels they have nothing to lose?
This.
As you can see, while some African Americans are guilty of looting this Target, the culprits above are Euro-Americans, Asians, and Latinos. Are they expressing rage for the murder of George Lloyd, or are they using the situation to get merchandise for "free"? Yes, reason and pragmatism, friends, are harder to find than Waldo or even Carmen Sandiego in Minneapolis. There is a way to hasten their return, and that is for the prosecutors to get off their bony behinds, arrest Chauvin and his accomplices, and charge them with murder NOW! Until this is done, I fear we have not seen the last of the riots.
As for good news, today was the last day of Phase 2 in Illinois. Tomorrow begins Phase 3. While I will continue this blog as planned, the beard comes off tomorrow night. I know someone who will be pleased.
--Signing off.
Here is the pepper spray video: https://www.facebook.com/shaunking/videos/1173124483031642/?t=22
https://wccoradio.radio.com/articles/police-show-photos-of-damage-to-third-precinct-police-cars
https://www.twincities.com/2020/05/28/george-floyd-minneapolis-fires-lake-street-protests-damage-businesses/
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/mississippi-mayor-under-fire-over-comments-george-floyd-s-death-n1216341
https://www.startribune.com/twin-cities-protests-grow-after-gov-walz-calls-up-guard/570830002/?refresh=true#1
Those who have taken Humanities in college have learned at least a little about Niccolo Machiavelli. He was a Renaissance diplomat who taught his contemporaries how to maintain power yet extend mercy and reason. One thing I remember most about him is how he asserts it is better to be feared than hated, which is why you can execute a man's father for a petty crime, and he might forgive you as long as you leave his inheritance alone.
Hence, Machiavelli was, if anything else, a pragmatist. He was ruled by reason. I have seen little pragmatism in the George Lloyd matter this week.
Before I continue, I want to commend the many police chiefs across the country who have condemned this hate crime and called it what it is: murder. Now, I wish to denounce Hal Marx, the mayor of Petal, Mississippi, who said, "if you can talk, you can breathe," referring to George Lloyd's last words. Has this man even graduated high school? Seriously?! It does not take an asthmatic like me to know that, while you will not be reciting the Gettysburg Address at the moment, you can suffocate and still utter a few words. On October 28, 2012, I was having an asthma attack, in which I drove myself to the hospital (yes, it was a stupid move) and walked from the parking lot to the emergency room. I sat and waited until the clerk called me over to ask why I was requesting treatment. I answered two of her nonchalant questions while I was literally suffocating. Then, when asked the third question, I opened my mouth, but I could say nothing, so I merely signaled that I could no longer talk. Imagine what could have happened if I waited one more hour to go to the hospital. I probably would not be here writing this. So, Mr. Marx, you dufus, people can still talk even if they cannot breathe.
All over the news and social media, I see pictures of the rioting and looting in Minneapolis. I read comments from people asking, "What will this accomplish?" "Will this bring George Lloyd back to life?" Ilhan Omar, the US representative from that area, made the first reasonable suggestion in her regime. She asked everyone to protest peacefully. The sad fact is, the protests on Tuesday started peacefully. They were angry, but they protested peacefully at police stations, at Chauvin's house, and at the home of the county prosecutor. Even Mayor Frey acknowledged this. What happened? The MPD happened. When the police approached the protesters, they did not acknowledge their feelings or apologize for their rogue comrades. Instead, they drove these unarmed protesters away with tear gas, chemical irritants, and rubber bullets. Even today, a police officer in a moving squad car pepper sprayed peaceful protesters without cause. Here is the link to the video: https://www.facebook.com/shaunking/videos/1173124483031642/?t=22
When an angry and outraged person realizes he cannot even protest without being attacked, what is the only trajectory for someone who feels they have nothing to lose?
This.
This is what happens when desperate people feel that they are at the end of their ropes (no pun intended). They destroy things they may need later, usually in their own communities. They fight back. If those first responding officers would have allowed people to assemble and protest, maybe this would not have happened. Who knows? Also, how much of this is rage, and how much is opportunism? By the latter, I refer not only to the destruction of property, but also the looting. And for those who want to decry how "those people" are destroying their own communities and stealing merchandise in the name of justice, allow me to illustrate the diversity of looting in Minneapolis:
As for good news, today was the last day of Phase 2 in Illinois. Tomorrow begins Phase 3. While I will continue this blog as planned, the beard comes off tomorrow night. I know someone who will be pleased.
--Signing off.
Here is the pepper spray video: https://www.facebook.com/shaunking/videos/1173124483031642/?t=22
https://wccoradio.radio.com/articles/police-show-photos-of-damage-to-third-precinct-police-cars
https://www.twincities.com/2020/05/28/george-floyd-minneapolis-fires-lake-street-protests-damage-businesses/
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/mississippi-mayor-under-fire-over-comments-george-floyd-s-death-n1216341
https://www.startribune.com/twin-cities-protests-grow-after-gov-walz-calls-up-guard/570830002/?refresh=true#1
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