“My first thought was not again, not one more killing. And I’m reflecting on all of the killings of young black men in particular, but of course, black women too, at the hands of the police and at the hands of, you know, these white supremacists….I think that the officer who had his knee on his neck enjoyed doing what he was doing. I believe sometime some of these officers leave home thinking, ‘I’m going to get me one today.’ And I think this is his one that he got today…And I’m thinking about the way that the president conducts himself. In a way, he’s dog-whistling, and I think that they’re feeling that they can get away with this kind of treatment. And I’m just so sorry about the loss of another life.”
—-Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Cal), in full race-baiting, hate-mongering, Big Lie peddling, mind-reading mode as she sought to draw damning generalities from the death of African-American George Floyd
I wonder: Has there been a more destructive, vicious, irresponsible and divisive political figure on the American scene over the last 50 years than Maxine Waters? George Wallace was pretty much through by 1970. Who else? Has there been any such figure, whose rhetoric was even close to this reprehensible, that the news media and Democratic Party were so reluctant to call out for what he or she was?
The woman, who has previously called for the public to harass members of the Trump administration in public places, was permanently emboldened by the Left’s generous pass to any politician demonizing the President in the wake of the 2016 election. Waters has always been a notable example of the Dunning-Kruger Effect, a defiantly stupid woman who nonetheless broadcasts her stupidity at every opportunity.
George Floyd was killed by a sickening example of police bullying and brutality, in a videotaped incident that requires only the necessary investigation to satisfy due process. Even the confounding elements that made Eric Garner’s death arguably fall short of murder were absent here. Negligent homicide or second degree murder, Floyd was killed by Minnesota police officers. There is no reason to think they won’t be successfully prosecuted. The riots following the incident, meanwhile, are pointless and destructive. Responsible public officials and African American leaders should be trying to prevent them. Waters is encouraging them.
Floyd’s death also was a single incident that proves nothing about racism, police attitudes toward blacks, white supremacy, and especially President Trump. To claim otherwise is intellectually and ethically indefensible. Yet Waters will face no consequences for her rant, nor will any member of her party hold her accountable for the hate, fear and divisiveness she is deliberately spreading.
No political party that tolerates and enables someone like Waters within its leadership can be trusted with power
Ethics Alarms 
The fact that Congresswoman Waters is still able to spew such unsupported and volatile opinions is that she has a willing voter pool who are ready to consume her vitriol.
I see little difference between Waters rhetoric and the rhetoric from those white supremacists she decries. Her goal is to play to the false beliefs and fears of her ignorant constituents just as white supremacists play on the fears and false beliefs of the ignorant whites who look for an excuse to justify their own lack of achievement.
The question is why do we have different attitudes toward sl purveyors of this BS based on their race. Is this Black privilege?
Why, yes!
I see little difference between Waters rhetoric and the rhetoric from those white supremacists she decries. Her goal is to play to the false beliefs and fears of her ignorant constituents just as white supremacists play on the fears and false beliefs of the ignorant whites who look for an excuse to justify their own lack of achievement.
Nice try Chris. But that argument can’t work. This is (I would respectfully suggest) your pet theory: that the lunatics like Waters are comparable to what you refer, far too broadly, as ‘white supremacists’. You use the term ‘supremacist’ just as the progressive left uses it.
How might you go about defining and defending, for example, an average Austrian from defining a political and social policy that asserted it desirable, ethical and *good* to maintain a largely homogeneous population?
“We want Austria to be composed of Austrians or other Europeans largely similar to us.”
What if a Nigerian said the same thing?
You say they cater to *fears* but they actually cater to ideas just as much. The arguments of those who desire to preserve their cultures are idea-based.
You also speak of *false-beliefs*. This means that you have and can reveal the *true-beliefs*. But when you do this (again I respectfully suggest) you totally flounder. Why? Because it is not their ideas that are ‘false-beliefs’ but rather numerous of the assertions you have taken into yourself. Unexamined, you *believe* them.
Waters and people like her hold to a unique and different vision of what is good and proper and necessary. She may use bad tactics and sophisties — as does Charles Blow — but their general ideas and ideologies are no irrational nor unintelligible. They have a function and a purpose.
It is you and many people who write here who simply cannot get things clear. Because of core and profound mystification. Not only do I assert this, I can prove it. Here, to you, and anywhere else and to anyone.
Mad Max should team up with MSNBC creature, ummm, I mean, “correspondent”, Joy Reid. & go on the road with their act.
Reid:
“Europeans came to this country to get away from being subjects of the kings in Europe. But what they did was they created for themselves sort of a kingdom, every man a king. But the subjects are Black people. Black people, & Brown people, indigenous people…
Amy Cooper citizen. Christian Cooper subject. So that she feels she has this inherent power to make him tell her, to defer to… she has to decide what he can do. He can’t have his own decisions. She makes those decisions. She can use the police to enforce her rule over him…
Trayvon Martin, Ahmed Arbery… people say you know I can act as the police, I can pursue you, I can chase you even if you’re a kid & then I can say that you’re the one who’s dangerous. Then I can say I have the right to kill you & just do it. Just do whatever I want to you.
The Breonna Taylor situation. You can be in your bed. You are a subject not a citizen. That is how Black people feel right now. That we are being treated as subjects and not as citizens.
White men who can get armed up and walk into a state capitol & that’s OK. And the police are benign, they don’t even act afraid. But let Black people show up and protest the death of an innocent Black man and suddenly you know what we need tear gas and we gotta go full force.
Charlottesville the same thing. The police were there to protect the people there who were marching as neo-Nazis. Not to protect the Black people who were being victimized by those neo-Nazis.
Black people’s right to protest is secondary to White people’s right to be in armed protest with long guns. Terrifying looking war weapons. That’s fine. The police are there to protect their civil rights…
For Black people it is simply subjugation. It is simply we’re there to control you, we’re there to minimize your movement. To minimize your opportunity to protest. You are simply a subject in this country. That is something that has never been fixed. 400 years we have not fixed”
This begs the question.
Is Joy Red under the impression that the police will enforce “common sense”, “sensible” gun legislation in an even-handed manner?
Jack asks:
Has there been a more destructive, vicious, irresponsible and divisive political figure on the American scene over the last 50 years than Maxine Waters?
If this is a math question, the answer is: quite possibly. But the fundamental problem with this question really boils down to a matter of intent, from my perspective – particularly when it comes to the viciousness aspect, which implies an actual understanding of what she’s doing.
If she IS actually aware of it, then It may be a fair question – and a simple one, a binary choice. But having watched her antics over the years, the possibility occurs to me that she’s personally stupid enough to actually BELIEVE this nonsense.
Which, sad to say, is an even greater indictment of the voters who keep sending her back to the swamp. As the old saying goes: “In the land of the blind, the one-eyed….”
Those St Paul standard police ixsue respirators don’t come cheap either. Difficult to get, uncommon, and $400 including the filters. Usually reserved for law enforcement, but I have seen them sold for civilian use.
You have a problem. Either a well funded highly professional false flag to incriminate the police, or the police themselves. An Agent Provocateur anyway, that much is certain.
If it is a cop vandalizing the auto parts store he or she must be extrordinarily stupid to wear an item that can be linked to police issue when other equally effective respirators could be used along with the means to protect eyes,and obscure the face.
You have to wonder why the same people who cannot seem to understand that burning and looting in their neighborhoods is counterproductive have the ability to conclude that the guy in black is be a cop in disguise. Unless it is a set up.
An identification by a suspect’s wife has been made. She may be mistaken. It may only be a strong resemblance.
Besides which, even if the identification is accurate, a big if, the perp may be able to claim sovereign immunity from any criminal or civil prosecution.
Having seen photos of the suspect in uniform, I would not make a more positive identification than “it could be him”. That is not nearly enough, barring further conclusive evidence. All it shows is that the defence can’t prove it’s not him based on photos. But they don’t have to, there must not just be proof on the balance of probabilities – but proof beyond reasonable doubt, that it definitely was him. And that there is certainly not, based on this evidence alone. Regardless of what the suspect’s wife says.
I’d make a lousy juror.
No, I’m not mentioning the suspect’s name. Nor any organisation, state or federal, he may be associated with.
Even if I was convinced of guilt – and I’m not, not by a long shot – until a court has determined that, I wouldn’t.
Until the autopsy report, I’m not even going to say the triggering incident was homicide, rather than police brutality worthy of dismissal.
I’m from Minneapolis and ground zero, Lake & Minnehaha, where the third precinct (the one the cops were stationed from) is located, is literally the area where I grew up. The Auto Zone that burned first, used to be a restaurant my dad cooked at. The police station, I remember it being built and have photos of opening day. The Target we shopped at constantly and my bff worked there when we were in high school.
The whole of Lake street, from Uptown to 45th, the place I spent my years from 4-18 have been nearly obliterated. My mom thankfully just moved to the burbs last fall. We lived near the river, three blocks off Lake. She feels guilty because she touted what I great place her home and neighborhood was to raise a new baby to the new owners. They bombed the first place I had a broccoli cheese omlet. I know that seems silly but it’s one of my favorite things to make.
They looted, then looted again, then looted again, then looted again, then burned down the liquor store I saw out my living room window for years. In 83′ a Native American robbed the place and murdered an owner and staff member. I heard the shots and my mom and I hunkered down for hours because there was a manhunt. I got to take my wife to Minnehaha Lake Liquors this last summer. The owner gave me a free tee shirt when I told him I once lived close. I called the owner after the first night of looting and he remembered us. I told him I’d pray for him.
My mom said the democratic leadership there has abandoned them. My best friend from the age of twelve is near Lake & Hiawatha and has heard bullets, fireworks, and sirens for days. Her daughter is in a safer place.
I’m sorry if I’m punch-drunk with grief in sharing all this. I knew someone like Waters would go there. I’m not really sure what she and so many of her ilk are trying to do other than get people killed. I’m trying to believe there are ethical leaders out there to recover this situation. Frankly after seeing the reflection of your childhood go up in flames and the leaders basically allow the twin cities to become a dystopian shit show, it’s hard to know if there even is anyone who can make this better.
There will be theories about this event for years. And worse, we don’t know if more of these riots will spread. My neighbor tells me to be positive. Minnesota is full of hearty people and things will recover. But Waters and her race-baiting fellows are not helping anyone, especially the black men they claim to care about.
1. Unless and until the autopsy report shows death by anoxia, it should not be automatically stated that this was a homicide, negligent or deliberate.
2. Sickening example of police brutality – stipulated.
3. As for successful prosecution, good luck finding an untainted jury. A fair trial may be impossible. If I were a juror, I’d fear for my life should I not convict on all counts. Now while that wouldn’t affect my own vote, it would be unreasonable for me to expect any of the other jurors to feel the same. I’d never perjure myself to gain a plea deal taking a death sentence for me down to a week’s probation. Again, I don’t expect that attitude to be viewed by others as anything other than insanity.
4. Because of the unique circumstances here, it is unlikely that there is clearly established law that what was done was illegal. Thus a defence of qualified immunity might succeed. You don’t have to go far in caselaw to find just as egregious miscarriages of justice.
5. ” videotaped incident that requires only the necessary investigation to satisfy due process. “… No, no, a thousand times NO! Under the Code Napoleon perhaps, but not under the Anglo Saxon Trial by Combat between Prosecution and Defence. Due Process always requires that the Defendant be allowed to present a defence.
5. Due process regarding arrest and charges, not conviction. Should have been clearer. The kneeling cop could be charged under current guidelines NOW, even before an investigation.
Thanks for the clarification.
“Should have been clearer”…yes, but even Jove nods.
If I hold you to standards higher than I hold myself, I’m an asshole. I try not to be. Just as I try – and sometimes fail – to be clear myself.
I was reading yesterday a critical assessment of Robert E. Lee in comparison with U.S. Grant, who was famous for writing extremely clear orders to his subordinates, resulting in effective coordination on the battlefield that was unusual in the Civil War. Lee, on the other hand, was consistently vague, leaving much to the discretion of his officers. For example, JEB Stuart was much criticized for his activities around Gettysburg, but here were Lee’s orders he was trying to follow:
“You will . . . be able to judge whether you can pass around their army without hindrance, doing them all the damage you can, and cross the [Potomac] east of the mountains. In either case, after crossing the river, you must move on and feel the right of Ewell’s troops, collecting information, provisions, etc.”
1. Individual is shown with grown man kneeling on his neck. Man is heard complaining that he is in pain and unable to breath. No other agency or cause is visible or apparent. Man dies. That’s a prima facie case for murder.
Maxine Waters is barking up the wrong tree. If she is truly interested in ending the murder of black men she needs to take her rants to black men. They are the most frequent killers of black men. The number of black men, or women for that matter, murdered (or killed) by “white supremacists” let alone the police is virtually zero compared to the number killed by other black men. A quick visit to “heyjackass.com” will give a quick snapshot.
And Zoe is right… until an official, medical, cause of death is provided we only have emotion guiding us.
Taxpayers pay 175 large every year to listen to that overbearing, angry, racist windbag.