Very Fine Men

I figure we'll go under the wire a bit today.  We pretty much know what the news is, and in detail since most major topics get covered relentlessly throughout the day -- and continue for days after that.  I almost decided to write about the statement that General Mattis released, since it was pretty remarkable in its harsh, pointed denunciation of Trump's efforts to divide the country (though it's hard not to wish the General had said more previously).  

But instead, there was a story that pretty much got ignored -- even unfortunately on TV news -- and though it isn't major, it's important in its perspective.

The perspective we all know well.  Indeed, it's related to that division that General Mattis was referring to.  And related, too, to a tweet Trump sent out today, similar to many he's been sending out these days.  He wrote, --

"If you watch Fake News @CNN or MSDNC, you would think that the killers, terrorists, arsonists, anarchists, thugs, hoodlums, looters, ANTIFA & others, would be the nicest, kindest most wonderful people in the Whole Wide World. No, they are what they are - very bad for our Country!"

And shortly after, he tweeted again, simply -- "LAW & ORDER!"

This was the same day the New York Times decided, for some unfortunate reason, to print the fascist op-ed by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) titled "Send in the Troops:  The nation must restore order.  The military stands ready."

What the news story was yesterday that got overlooked, as these two very fine men -- and other Republicans in Congress -- railed against, as well, about the protests by what they called left-wing hoodlums, looters and groups like "ANTIFA" (which, for the record, is not a "group" at all, but a movement, like environments and Hippies, and their movement is to oppose fascism), to the degree that Trump even said he'd be declaring them a terrorist group...despite it being just a movement, is the following:

Yesterday, three right-wing militants associated with the boogaloo movement were arrested in Las Vegas on terrorism charges.

To reiterate in case that wasn't clear -- on terrorism charges.  

And in case you're not up on your bugaloo, the movement is dedicated to the overthrow of the United States government.  As opposed to those other protesters opposed to police murdering Black citizens.

And Trump cries, "LAW & ORDER!" and cries about left-wing anarchists, killers, hoodlums, movements against fascism and "terrorists" and Tom Cotton wants to Send in the Troops to attack Americans protesting under their 1st Amendment Constitutional Right to peaceably assemble -- while both very fine men and all elected Republicans as far as I can tell have been silent on this arrest for actual terrorism.

Silent.

You'd think they and all Republicans would be cheering and parading around for three actual terrorists being arrested on U.S. soil.  But no, despite decrying anarchists and terrorists and hoodlums and killers, all these very fine Republicans have been SILENT about the arrest of three men suspected of terrorism.  Silent?  Why on earth??  The only thing I can think of that makes even a modicum of sense is because the three are white and right-wing.

Oh, and they are also real patriots.  The complaint said that Andrew Lyam is an army reservist, Stephen Parshall formerly enlisted in the Navy, and William Loomis formerly enlisted in the Air Force.  Very fine men.

While all the outraged very fine Republicans kept pointing to dangers of those protesting the murder of a Black man by the police, the story in the Seattle Times explained that the terrorist defendants had in fact met at a protest rally themselves, albeit one of these Trump-inspired rallies to protest the stay-at-home lockdowns, in this case meeting at a "ReOpen Nevada" rally, which apparent is an OK-government approved protest rally whose level of peacefulness includes taking rifles into statehouses and...well, making terrorist incendiary devices..

Furthermore, while the Trumps and Cottons and "outraged" Republicans of the world whined about the violence of those protesting the death of George Floyd -- even though many in the intelligence community thought that some, if not much of the violence was from right-wing provocateurs -- it turns out that the three men arrested were doing that very thing, going to a rally protesting the murder.

As the report by Scott Sonner and Michelle L. Price continued: “They were arrested Saturday on the way to a protest in downtown Las Vegas after filling gas cans at a parking lot and making Molotov cocktails in glass bottles, according to a copy of the criminal complaint obtained by The Associated Press."

And Trump and Tom Cotton and the "outraged" very fine Republicans have all been silent about that!!

You can read the full story here.

I'm sorry that this story has gotten almost no coverage.  Hopefully it will as it develops.  It's significant on many levels -- not the least of which is that three men were arrested on terrorist charges.  And that they are associated with a movement to overthrown the U.S. government.  And that they were attempting to co-opt a peaceful rally on behalf of George Floyd.  After having met at a Trump-exhorted rally to re-open business. And that despite this very real terrorist threat, Trump, Cotton and elected Republicans have been silent, unwilling to be "outraged" by the terrorist actions nor even willing to celebrate their capture.  All the while calling for the military to be on combat duty to fight Americans. 

All the while enabling Trump and very willingly being complicit.