Is it possible that these "Federal troops" that Trump and Barr have unleashed are actually Eric Prince goons?
@mushrj Anything is possible. They are unidentifiable. Could be legit CBP agents, an assortment of federal agents from various agencies, mercenaries, militia volunteers, Russians...?
The only concrete thing I've heard is that they appear disorganized and poorly trained. Could guess from that that they aren't specifically "protest" police and typically do something else.
@stark @mushrj Exactly. This is important: feds arrived in Portland and the number of protesters DOUBLED. Then Trump gets on TV and says the response to federal action in Portland was "fantastic".
That's because making the protests *bigger* and getting the media talking about them to the exclusion of other things (e.g. Deutche Bank) is what he wanted to happen.
Cynically observing from Europe, it has that effect you describe, a distraction. It also has the effect of seeing what they can get away with and how fast, because they do not have a lot of time between now and mid November when they need to declare martial law (or similar) to postpone the election (which if postponed, will never happen).
@stark @mushrj My thoughts exactly. I've always expected they'll find (or make) some excuse to postpone the election forever, if we let them. If they can't make the pandemic last that long they'll escalate protests nation-wide until they can use that excuse. If they can't postpone the election itself they'll contest it, and postpone the inauguration indefinitely instead.
Barr has a lot to answer for, but also those in the Senate aiding and abetting this travesty playing out before our eyes.
@stark @mushrj My greatest fears at this point, in order, are:
1) Trump's term not ending, or his second term starting.
2) Biden winning, but pulling a Ford and pardoning everyone involved "to preserve the nation's unity" but in fact letting them all walk away free. Sending the message that this is all right and normal and should happen again in the next few years.
Aye. Pardoning these criminals would be a travesty that would cause *more* polarisation and division, not less.
The sheer amount of fixing up that will be necessary to close all the loopholes that has been used/exposed in the last 3.5 years is mindboggling. And unless House is kept and Senate is taken, with big majority, Moscow Mitch will just stall the next four years out.
@ScionAltera
They're essentially Sturmabteilung then. They're there to stir things in the direction of Kristallnacht and Reichstagsbrand.
@mushrj