This needs to be on Netflix. Right on the homepage, for a month. Distribution is king, and Netflix far outstrips the reach of the "New York Times." But most people will never see it.
If one watches it, at least we can agree on the facts, pictures don't lie. Then again, I'd expect the right to accuse the "Times" of doctoring the footage. But the truth is many on the right will see this video as a triumph, just as it is. And that is what is scary. That we had a demagogue who cooked up a lie that the election was stolen and now most Republicans believe this. Even worse, elected Republicans refuse to create a commission to study the insurrection. This would be like high school seniors breaking into the College Board to gain access to the SATs and administrators then saying the invasion should not be addressed, that it's best to just move forward without investigating the how and the why. How do we protect the Capitol in the future?
Protection. It is clear, when there are enough law enforcement personnel on duty the rioters are turned back. Why weren't there enough there? Why was preparation so poor, why did it take so long for reinforcements to arrive? We need to investigate procedures, actions of individuals in power, but we must see this riot as a harbinger of what is to come. It's not the end, just the beginning. Just like Capitol police, all law enforcement agencies involved didn't think there was any danger, most Americans believe there's no danger in the future. They're just plain wrong.
We can start at the top, with the Supreme Court. The same man who won't investigate January 6th single-handedly made sure the makeup of the institution is skewed right and not representative of the public at large. As far as the court system saving you? Hell, the Supreme Court just said voting restrictions in Arizona were cool, on a 6-3 basis, split on party lines. In other words, you can't count on the last resort. And even though the right dominates in the judicial system that's not enough, you've got these rioters taking matters into their own hands.
As for Trump himself... You needed a power-hungry imbecile like him to focus the white rage. After all, what do these rioters want? White power. There's hatred against everybody of color and Jews and Asians and it's worse than a loyalty test, it's a birth test.
Honestly, I thought I'd seen enough. I delayed watching this video. But when I did, I was drawn in and horrified. Furthermore, it's like these people never went to high school, never heard of the concept of your PERMANENT RECORD! Talk to rock stars, it's different from the way it used to be, because everybody's got a camera in their pocket now, bad behavior does not go unchallenged, you think first, try to act responsibly. And it's the smartphone camera that caught footage of George Floyd being killed, but the people in this video are proud to be recorded, they're so ignorant as to believe there will be no consequences, some are now scrubbing their feeds, but it's too late, the "Times" already captured the video.
And since this video was created by the "Times," it's considered untrustworthy by not only the right, but so many on the left. Trump did a good job of sowing discontent over the news business, but the Fourth Estate is all we have left. And the truth is the "New York Times" and the "Washington Post" are in competition, and competition breeds excellence, they're each trying to top each other, and that's great for our society. As for cable news...watch it, there's no reporting, they just quote the "Times" and the "Post," the "Wall Street Journal" isn't even close.
Meanwhile, the media outlets tell the truth and it makes no difference. It's in plain sight, this is the ultimate gotcha video, but it doesn't matter. There's a belief if the truth outs that's all that's required, but that is patently untrue.
Rust never sleeps, nor do the Republicans or these rioters. Republicans have an unequal advantage in the Senate, they represent far fewer people than Democrats, it's tyranny by the minority, and they want to institutionalize it.
And it gets worse, the city of New York just undercut faith in elections with its bungling of the mayoral vote. Once you stop trusting the institutions, it's over. Done. And we're at the precipice. Why bother to have any elections if the side that loses doesn't accept defeat.
Well, the Democrats accept defeat, but not the Republicans, and now they're instituting voting laws to ensure they get and retain power. And what will the Democrats do? Play by the rules, accept their fate, while democracy is lost. I thought Democrats would revolt once abortion was made illegal, but in some states for all practical purposes it already is, there's only one provider in the state and tons of hurdles, meanwhile the left is somnambulant.
What will it take for the left to take action? I'm thinking nothing. As long as they've got their flat screen, can make ends meet, they don't want to get off the couch. The rich don't want to risk anything and the poor are already demoralized, believing they've got no power whether they vote or not. Meanwhile, these rioters are middle class, they've got dough, and they're not backing down.
It's over folks. Will you stop being optimistic, stop looking for institutional solutions? They aren't gonna let them happen! The United States is a laughingstock all over the world, but our country's disinformation campaign keeps telling us the U.S. is the greatest country in the world, and if you challenge that, want change, want to improve it, you're unpatriotic.
As for the mob mentality... This is what you get when you have agitators like the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers and Donald Trump, they rally the people who get caught up in the action and leave their brains at home. Everybody else is doing it, it must be fine! I guess none of their parents ever asked them if everybody jumped off a bridge would they do so too? Parenting... Hell, there's not enough of it, if for no other reason than both parents are working like dogs to make ends meet, and that there is in defense of their children, the teacher is wrong, not the student, it can never be little Finn or Madison's fault. And if you're rich enough, the rules don't apply anyway, you live in a completely different America.
Technology got us here. Organization took place online, without new communication methods this never would have happened, it's too hard to spread the word and get people motivated. But the truth is as guilty as Facebook is all it did was help amplify a prominent message, that white people should rule the country, people of color are takers and all immigrants should be looked at askance and the country shouldn't let any more in.
The most important article you'll read today is the one about Joe Rogan in the "Times": nyti.ms/3wdgQyD It's about his REACH! It far exceeds that of the "Times" or the "Post" or Fox News or MSNBC... This is the culmination of twenty five years of tech. Those in power didn't want to admit it was true, that it was coming, that they were unprepared for it. The truth is all the tools of communication are essentially free to everybody, and you can build your own audience without the help of any traditional outlet, whether it be a record company or a newspaper. If Joe Rogan says it, I get e-mail about it, if the "New York Times" does...crickets.
Bob Dylan asked when we were gonna wake up. It appears never.
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