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When I began Schwartzreport my purpose was to produce an entirely fact-based daily publication in favor of the earth, the inter-connectedness and interdependence of all life, democracy, equality for all, liberty, and things that are life-affirming. Also, to warn my readers about actions, events, and trends that threaten those values. Our country now stands at a crossroads, indeed, the world stands at a crossroads where those values are very much at risk and it is up to each of us who care about wellbeing to do what we can to defend those principles. I want to thank all of you who have contributed to SR, particularly those of you who have scheduled an ongoing monthly contribution. It makes a big difference and is much appreciated. It is one thing to put in the hours each day and to do the work for free, but another to have to cover the rising out-of-pocket costs. For those of you who haven’t done so, but read SR regularly, I ask that you consider supporting it.
Stephan: I have been covering and reporting on the trend of White supremacist militia members infiltrating the police in America for years (see SR archives), since I first saw a report from the FBI on this issue. Violence prone White supremacists in and out of law enforcement constitute the largest terrorist threat in the country. Even stranger the police command structure has failed to realize that these terrorists are a threat to the police themselves. For instance, two police officers this year have been killed by these thugs.
Riot police move protesters after confrontations between protesters and militia members in Stone Mountain, Georgia. Photograph: Nathan Posner/Rex/Shutterstock
White supremacist groups have infiltrated US law enforcement agencies in every region of the country over the last two decades, according to a new report about the ties between police and far-right vigilante groups.
In a timely new analysis, Michael German, a former FBI special agent who has written extensively on the ways that US law enforcement have failed to respond to far-right domestic terror threats, concludes that US law enforcement officials have been tied to racist militant activities in more than a dozen states since 2000, and hundreds of police officers have been caught posting racist and bigoted social media content.Far-right leader and Washington officers face civil rights lawsuit over violent incidentRead more
The report notes that over the years, police links to militias and white supremacist groups have been uncovered in states including Alabama, California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Virginia, Washington and West Virginia.
Police in Sacramento, California, in 2018 worked with neo-Nazis to pursue charges […]
Stephan: There is something deeply wrong with the police in Kenosha, Wisconsin. They shout out their support and offer a water bottle to a teenage White supremacist murderer, but immediately arrest... well, you read the story.
Police officers stand guard inside of a fenced area that surrounds several government buildings on August 27, 2020 in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers approved a request for an additional 500 National Guard troops to be deployed into Wisconsin on August 26. Many arrests have been made with the additional presence of law enforcement. Credit: Brandon Bell/Getty
Soon after their Wednesday arrival in Kenosha, Wisconsin, eight volunteers from Seattle-based Riot Kitchen who planned to distribute free food to protesters were arrested by law enforcement officials who emerged from unmarked cars, as the Seattle Timesreported.
Footage recorded by a bystander and widely shared on social media was featured in the Washington Post. The video shows law enforcement officers jump out of black SUVs and smash the window of a minivan before handcuffing both of the vehicle’s occupants:https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/c/embed/9f6692e7-f639-4031-b6d9-e39539bb5fcd
Riot Kitchen board member Jennifer Scheurle told the Post that off-camera, officers arrested six additional members of the nonprofit group.
“Our mission is to feed people for free—protesters and everyone in need,” Scheurle told the Times. “We were from out of town—but that’s not illegal.”
On Thursday afternoon, Scheurle said four of members […]
Stephan: You couldn't make this up and not be taken for a dingbat. It isn't just that Melania (who sleeps in a separate bedroom from her husband) thought the Obamas' bedroom was "shabby" not fancy enough for her; it is the racism implicit in this report that is amazing. Consider this Saturday's Republican Scum Report.
Melania Trump
“Melania just flat out refused to move to Washington DC until it had been completely redesigned and revamped,” a book insider said.
“Stephanie talks about how she took one look at her bedroom and bathroom and demanded a new shower and toilet.
“She was not prepared to use the same bathroom as the Obamas or anyone else for that matter – it wouldn’t matter if it was the Queen of England.
“She wanted everything redecorated, repainted, new furniture and decor – everything was old and shabby and she wanted it to be brand new.
“Melania is the wife of the president and doesn’t expect she should have to make do with second hand or previously used facilities.
“In fact she seemed to be much more concerned about the decor than she did about allegations of her husband’s alleged infidelity, according to Stephanie.”
A new book released by her ex-friend claims she wanted the toilet used by former President Barack Obama […]
Danielle Renwick and Shoshana Dubnow, - Kaiser Health News
Stephan: In the racist anti-immigrant Trump world the non-White and immigrant men and women who have worked day and night to save the lives of every American needing medical care regardless of their race, gender, or religion don't count. And yet thousands of Americans would be dead were it not for these people, 1,000 of whom gave up their lives doing this service for the rest of us. Here are the facts from Kaiser Health News
Medical personnel who are either immigrants or people of color or both
More than 1,000 front-line health care workers reportedly have died of COVID-19, according to Lost on the Frontline, an ongoing investigation by The Guardian and KHN to track and memorialize every U.S. health care worker who dies from the coronavirus. Earlier this month, the organizations published a major interactive database. It is the most comprehensive accounting of U.S. health care workers’ deaths in the country.
KHN and The Guardian are tracking health care workers who died from COVID-19 and writing about their lives and what happened in their final days.READ THEIR STORIES
The virus has taken a disproportionate toll on communities of color and immigrants — and health workers haven’t been spared.
Guardian and KHN reporters have published profiles of 177 of the 1,079 victims we have identified based on obituaries, news reports, social media posts and other sources. Of those 177, 62.1% were identified as Black, Latino, Asian/Pacific Islander or Native […]
Stephan: If you were part of any of the Portland demonstrations this summer where tear gas was used, or any other city where it was employed, you would do well to have your physician examine your lungs and do a blood panel workup. It turns out you may have been deliberately poisoned. Here's the story.
Federal officers use tear gas and other crowd dispersal munitions on protesters outside the Multnomah County Justice Center on July 17, 2020 in Portland, Oregon. Federal law enforcement agencies attempt to intervene as protests continue in Portland. Credit: Mason Trinca/Getty
The city of Portland recently sent the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) information they requested about the chemicals contained in the crowd control agents that have been sprayed on Black Lives Matter protesters by law enforcement since May — and their documents reveal that the tear gas contains chemicals that are apt to pose a health risk to those exposed, particularly given the high quantities sprayed. The documents provide insight into the potential health and environmental hazards posed by the tear gas that has blanketed protesters in the streets of downtown Portland nearly every night for months.
The documents also confirm that the city of Portland sources its tear gas from Safariland, LLC, a “security products” manufacturer that has faced scrutiny for its role in supplying tear gas used by law enforcement to suppress protests over the
Stephan: Today I read that Jeff Bezos is the first man in the history of the world to have a net worth of $200 billion. To give you a sense of scale there are 189 countries in the world, and that is more than the Gross Domestic Product of 137 of them. Jeff Bezos is personally the 52nd richest nation in the world, just behind New Zealand at $204 billion, and Greece at $203 billion. It made me think again, I have done stories on this earlier (see SR archives), how billionaires, in general, are doing under Trump during this pandemic when 20% of American kids aren't really sure where their next meal is coming from, or if it is coming at all, and tens of millions of Americans couldn't write a $4o0 check in a crisis. Here's what I found.
As President Donald Trump and top members of his administration continue their push to deliver another round of tax cuts to rich investors, an analysis published Tuesday by the Institute for Policy Studies and Americans for Tax Fairness showed that U.S. billionaires have seen their collective wealth soar by nearly $800 billion since Covid-19 began spreading rapidly across the country in March.
The new research found that between March 18 and August 20—a five-month period in which the economy tanked and tens of millions of people across the U.S. lost their jobs—the combined wealth of America’s more than 600 billionaires jumped by $792 billion, bringing their collective net worth to a staggering $3.7 trillion.
“By demanding even more tax cuts for the rich at this crucial moment, President Trump shows he is as out of touch with our nation’s needs as America’s billionaires are disconnected from our nation’s misery.” —Frank Clemente, Americans for Tax Fairness
“For billionaires, this is a heads we win, tails you lose economy, boosted by Trump policies to funnel wealth to the top,” Chuck Collins, director of the IPS Program […]
Stephan: As I have watched the Republican convention this week, and listened to speaker after speaker spew baldfaced lies, describe the Pandemic in the past tense as 75,301 new cases were reported and 1,969 died, I saw the fantasy world of the Trumpers on display. The talk about how the violence we are seeing in the news each day is the fault of the Democrats. They describe how great the economy is, and how any problems are due to the Democrats, when Trump and the Republicans in Congress have controlled the economy for the past four years, and on and on. It made me think it would be useful to list all Trump's lies and failed promises on those issues. So here is a top 40 list -- the whole list would require you to read several hours worth of material. It will stand as the Friday Republican Scum Report.
Trump voters. Nearly 4 years in, here’s an updated list of Trump’s 40 biggest broken promises.
1. He said coronavirus would “go away without a vaccine.” You bought it. But it didn’t. While other countries got the pandemic under control and avoided large numbers of fatalities, the virus has killed more than 130,000 Americans*, and that number is still climbing.
2. He said he won’t have time to play golf if elected president. But he has made more than 250 visits to his golf clubs since he took office – a record for any president – including more trips during the pandemic than meetings with Dr. Fauci. The total financial cost to America? More than $136 million.Defend democracy. Click to invest in courageous progressive journalism today.
3. He said he would repeal the Affordable Care Act, and replace it with something “beautiful.” It didn’t happen. Instead, 7 million Americans have lost their health insurance since he took office. He has asked the Supreme Court to strike down the law in the middle of a global pandemic with no […]
Stephan: As I have been watching the Republican convention four things have stood out for me. First, the grotesque violation of the Hatch Act and the misuse of our public properties and symbols; I wonder who is paying for all the staff these violations require. Is the RNC convention being funded by taxpayers? Has anyone else noticed that last night when Trump entered the scene with two marines opening the door and then standing at attention it was an exact mirror of Putin's entrance in the Kremlin? Second, the lies that make up almost every presentation. Third, the complete lack of any detailed policy statement; it is nothing but a homage do our "Dear Leader". Fourth, the blatant racism. It isn't just the endless White blonde-haired women, it is also the fear-mongering; they're (Black and Brown people) coming to steal your suburbs. And it is this last that particularly concerns me because it is deliberately designed to stimulate hate and violence.
Why am I so concerned about that. Precisely because of what just happened in Kenosha, Wisconsin. As you read this story note particularly the support these White militiamen received from the police. Remember that the police have killed over 700 people so far this year.
Note that this 17-year-old could not legally carry such a weapon, or even buy it. So who did buy it for him? Is he living at home? How did his parents let him go out armed like that? Why didn't the police confiscate the weapon?
I think we are moving into a period where violence caused by the White militias is going to become an increasing problem. These are domestic terrorists. They seek violence.
Kyle Rittenhouse
Kyle Rittenhouse, the 17-year-old charged with shooting three people — two of them fatally — during a Kenosha protest Tuesday evening, considered himself a militia member trying to protect life and property, according to videos, interviews and social media posts.
Video recorded in the hours before the shooting shows Rittenhouse hanging out with older armed men who say they’re protecting a car lot. Rittenhouse, of Antioch, Ill., also did a video interview with the Daily Caller in front of a boarded up building.
“People are getting injured and our job is to protect this business,” Rittenhouse says in the clip. “And my job also is to protect people. If someone is hurt, I’m running into harm’s way. That’s why I have my rifle; I’ve gotta’ protect myself, obviously. But I also have my med kit.”
Earlier Tuesday, a local militia group known as the Kenosha Guard created a Facebook event called “Armed Citizens to Protect our Lives and Property.” The invitation was re-posted by the far-right website Infowars.
The Kenosha Guard’s Facebook page, which was taken down late Wednesday morning, called it a social […]
