Just how much force is needed to subdue protesters armed with nothing more than picket signs and raised fists?
The chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, Army General Mark Milley, confirmed that some US troops sent to Washington during protests over George Floyd’s killing by Minnesota policeman, Derrek Chauvin, were issued bayonets.
“The Associated Press, which reported on the bayonets in June, also obtained documents revealing that the service members sent to the capital area for crowd control, did not have training in riot response.
This reckless act of defiance not only lacked foresight but is so reminiscent of Donald Trump calling for immigrants to be shot in the leg and ordering the building of alligator moats as a means of deterrence from them breaching, The Wall!
Many have questioned the appropriateness of using US military force as a pretext to attacking US Citizens or a means of forcing them to stop protesting,“ says the Associated Press.
Purportedly, the armed forces is committed to upholding the constitutional principles that protect freedom of expression, “while simultaneously maintaining the integrity of our nation's public policy."
But isn't the use of bayonets on local citizens in order to demonstrate the power of government or its excuse to maintain “crowd control” demonstrative of a lack of moral principles? It is as reprehensible as Hitler and his Nazi Regime forcing thousands of Jewish people into concentration camps in the year of 1941.
“It is a great mistake to use the military to kill and intimidate the people of our nation,“ says the Associated Press. And we thought using pepper spray and teargas on protestors was an extremely dangerous exercise of force. A man carrying a weapon is one thing but an unarmed citizen impaled by a bayonet? Simply put, “The use of bayonets [on American citizens] represents violent acts of violence.
There are laws that are intended to protect the rights of individuals protesting, and those laws have seemingly been penetrated. Freedom of Expression, Human Rights and Privacy “are protected under the Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights of the United States of America. “The use of pepper spray and teargas on protestors, violates civil liberties, freedom of expression, and the rule of law.
Selfishly, Trump cleared protesters for a photo-optic demonstration in the White House last month. A move criticized by many anti-Trumpers as illegal under the law. In a statement, Trump reiterated his administration’s commitment to protecting peaceful protesters while maintaining law and order.
Meanwhile, many question the president’s tactics in fanning the flames of racism and xenophobia and criticized the administration's support of weapons and chemical restraints as an appalling example of how an unhinged president is using violence to divide and conquer, African American communities.
African Americans are fed-up with racial discrimination, and they are frustrated that America is not doing enough to protect them in the face of the threat of violence. "It's a terrible time to live in a country where we have a government that uses violence to oppress minorities," said one representative at the American Civil Liberties Union.
Notwithstanding the angst, Blacks have been encouraged lately by the global display of solidarity crossing communities, and racial lines. “We've been given the opportunity to build bridges and build coalitions to fight for the good of humanity; to fight for equality; and, to unite across our communities," says the American Civil Liberties Union. But it is not without some degree of skepticism given the vicious, nasty words of a loose cannon and the anticipated out outcomes once the fury does down, or, the incinerator becomes to hot.
Many may recall that Hitler also used violence to silence African Americans in 1948. Neither are they likely to forget the appalling acts of other madmen. Saddam Hussein used chemical weapons on his own people and Stalin's regime murdered 20 million of its citizens. So what can we expect next from an incorrigible, likeminded Commander-in-Chief who rules with an iron fist? And a fearful GOP which coddles him while hanging onto his every word.
We should all brace ourselves for the next episode of Donald Trump's ire, never forgetting his malicious modes of operation. First, he displayed his fury with subtle gestures, then followed them with divisive words, "Go back to the shithole countries from where you came." Later, the world witnessed his dispatch of militant forces; his onslaught of chemical restraints; and threats of vicious dogs. Now, he's resorted to bayonets!
Who knows what a desperate president in an election year will resort to next. Millions who have benefited from the Trump presidency are demanding he maintain law and order and tow the line. And protesters—most of whom are African Americans—are highest on the totem pole, destined to become his personal casualties of war!