Celebrities and the rioters: virtue-signalling and boot licking

The Federalist’s David Harsanyi asked Mr. Rogen to donate instead to black Minneapolis residents like Stephanie Wilford, who gave an interview sobbing over the destruction, or Korboi Balla, a former firefighter who saw rioters destroy the bar he had bought with his life savings.

Isn't it about time Target got rid of Chrissie Teigen?  "Chrissie Teigen, as Andrea Widburg noted here, is joining the growing celebrity cavalcade of woke leftists vowing to bail out "protestors." She pledged $200,000 to get the looters out of jail, the better to Get Trump, upping her pledge when people on Twitter protested.

"It was bizarre stuff, given that she's already made millions from her shelf space selling her own brand of cookware for Target.

"Wasn't Target ... one of the first business to have been trashed utterly by the violent, thieving looters? Hasn't Target been forced to shut 24 stores in Minnesota alone due to looting?

"The footage from the south Minneapolis looting of Target, on the first night of the riots, was utterly appalling. And the destruction from the first night sent the message to all the dirtballs out here that looting was profitable and blue-city authorities would be doing nothing. After that, they hit Target again." . . .

Biden Campaign Staffers Contribute To Group Bailing Out Rioters In MN
. . . "The Fund cleverly used social media to capture the attention of celebrities, offering Twitter users an opportunity to match donations being made, thus, being able to virtue-signal that they are down with those being arrested – the rioters and looters. Biden campaign staffers were happy to announce participation on their Twitter accounts. For example, this is a tweet from a self-described “Organizer for Joe Biden for President”: . . .

Like clockwork, actors and celebrities jumped on the bandwagon to prove their wholeness. Once the matching fund challenge began on Thursday, “dozens” of donations from the entertainment field have come in, usually around the $50 level of contribution.

In the meantime, in his latest attempt to stay in the spotlight, left-wing documentary filmmaker Michael Moore stoked racial tensions Friday morning.

This, after demanding that the Minneapolis Police Department headquarters must be demolished as a “contrition to Black America”.

Celebrities blasted for donating to protester bail fund as rioting, violence escalate  
. . . "The Federalist’s David Harsanyi asked Mr. Rogen to donate instead to black Minneapolis residents like Stephanie Wilford, who gave an interview sobbing over the destruction, or Korboi Balla, a former firefighter who saw rioters destroy the bar he had bought with his life savings.
“ 'Rich white dude bailing out thugs who are burning down black neighborhoods,” tweeted Mr. Harsanyi.
"Tweeted another commenter: “You gonna donate to the small businesses that had their whole livelihoods destroyed by these ‘protestors’ that burned their building to the ground or looted all their stuff?”
"Others pointed out that some Democrats are blaming the rioting on white supremacists, meaning that those being bailed out may be Nazis and fascists." . . .

Gullible rioters and their psychopathic press, like, you know...CNN

Gullible rioters are doing the bidding of radical progressive ringleaders bent on destroying America 
"Meanwhile, mainstream media is trying to paint this as an effort by "right-wing white supremacists." Seriously."

. . . "This is clearly a coordinated effort. Black Lives Matter, the organization that’s at the forefront of these initial protests, have been turned into rioting, looting masses for the sake of promoting the destruction of the United States. Many if not most of them aren’t even aware of the agenda for which they are being utilized. They still believe this is about George Floyd, but their protests have been commandeered by evil forces who are using the combination of lockdown frustration and racial anger to push for anarchy.

"Antifa is clearly involved, but contrary to popular belief, they are not the ringleaders. They may be coordinating efforts on the ground, but the level of coordination and sophistication tell us very clearly that someone else is calling the shots. Antifa has never been clever enough to pull off anything like this. Police stations are under siege. Mass looting is happening. Someone else is organizing this, but who? Is it China? Russia? America Communists? George Soros? Demonic forces? All of the above?" . . .

Just Ignore Your Own Eyes, CNN’s Josh Campbell Implies White Supremacists Behind Riots In Minneapolis

"As my colleagues Elizabeth Vaughn reported, MSNBC’s Joy Reid spread the claim that white supremacists were behind the riots in Minneapolis.
"So disregard the fact that you see the locals looting and the radical leftists rioting there, 
eid’s got the real scoop for you.
"But this ridiculous narrative is not only being spread by Reid, it’s also being encouraged by CNN’s Josh Campbell.
"Here’s what he said: . . ."

USA Today has a story saying both sides are right but that it’s the far-left protesters who are mostly responsible thus far:

Riots were clearly pre-planned domestic terrorism by the radical left

Then they simply let the evil in humanity take charge. TD

Little do they know these leftists care little about them. They are ideologues and all they care about is their ideology. The really sad thing is President Trump is the first president to come along in a long time who really has helped black Americans. M. Dowling

Independent Sentinel  "Last night’s riots in Dallas, Atlanta, and elsewhere were pre-planned by radical leftist organizations. Organizers were directing the crowd where to go. They had pallets of 100 bricks ready for rioters at strategic locations, and were yelling to the crowd “go left, there are 100 bricks on the corner over there”
"This wasn’t random chaos, and it’s not grassroots.
"As Attorney General Bill Barr said yesterday, the agitators are “far-left” and the violence appears to be planned.
“In many places, it appears the violence is planned, organized, and driven by left extremist groups, using Antifa-like tactics, many of whom travel from outside the state to promote the violence.”
"We posted this next clip twice but it deserves posting again and again:" . . .

"Some black leaders in Atlanta are speaking out"

Vernon Jones

✔@RepVernonJones

I refuse to allow a bunch of ANTIFA affiliated thugs to come to my beloved city of Atlanta and burn it to the ground, under the guise of #BlackLivesMatter. They don’t give a damn about black lives. They only care about DESTRUCTION.

Leftists Working Overtime to Frame the Narrative on George Floyd Riots

CNN peddled this same nonsense with a recent article headlined "The protest pictures alone tell the story of America's racial hierarchy," which used selectively edited pictures to suggest that callous white cops were needlessly throwing tear gas at innocent black teens for protesting peacefully, while dangerous white protesters were left alone by police at the Michigan State Capitol, despite the fact they were putting everyone in danger by carrying long guns and refusing to social distance and wear masks. 

Christopher Paslay   "In 1989, District of Columbia Mayor Marion Barry, Jr. insisted that his city was basically crime-free except for all the murder.  "Except for the killings, Washington has one of the lowest crime rates in the country," he told a luncheon audience at the National Press Club.  

"On May 28, MSNBC reporter Ali Velshi said something just as mind-bogglingly absurd.  As violent riots erupted in sections of Minneapolis over the death of George Floyd, Velshi insisted that the protests were basically peaceful.

" 'I wanna be clear on how I characterize this," Velshi said, as buildings literally burned to the ground in the background of the broadcast.  "This is mostly a protest.  It is not, it is not, generally speaking, unruly."

"It's interesting to watch Velshi struggle to find the words to shape the narrative he's trying so desperately to tell: that the violence and upheaval unfolding around him aren't really happening.  That the burning buildings are somehow not indicative of what is really taking place on the ground.  That the whole scene is really just a peaceful protest, so please don't misinterpret the fires, the destruction and evacuation of Minneapolis's 3rd police precinct, the vandalism of police vehicles, and the looting of the Target and arson of the AutoZone as "unruly."

"According to the Saint Paul Police Department, more than 170 businesses were damaged or looted that night, and there were dozens of fires.

"Liberals are so obsessed with controlling the narrative on race, so immersed in their own self-serving propaganda, that they actually believe that society is going to accept their bald-faced lies over reality itself — over the television footage of the destruction, over the police reports documenting the property damage, over the cries from governors and mayors urging citizens to please stop the looting and rioting." . . .

MSNBC's Ali Velshi Downplays Riot In Front Of Burning Building: "Mostly A Protest," "Not Generally Speaking Unruly"

A bit of decency emerges: Incredible Video Shows Army of Volunteers Showing Up In Minneapolis

RedState

"Here’s a reminder that humanity still has its moments.

"After days of rioting, looting, and violence across the country, the sun rose in Minneapolis this morning to reveal an eerily quiet hellscape. Businesses were burned out as people walked the streets documenting the devastation.

"Then something amazing happened.

"What looks to be hundreds of people showed up to help clean the area that had been destroyed the night prior. People were told to show up with brooms and trash bags and the call was answered. These are people that didn’t have to give their Saturday to do this, not after so much venom has been spewed, but they did it anyway. That’s real empathy for the people of that neighborhood, not the faux anarchy being perpetrated by the left’s Antifa army.

"In the end, this may not make much of a difference. It’s a small gesture to a neighborhood that’s going to take years to recover. But it shows that not everyone has lost their minds, nor their hearts in 2020." . . .

Protester, 27, is arrested for attempted murder of four NYPD officers for 'throwing Molotov cocktail at police cruiser' at Brooklyn demonstration while her 21-year-old sister is detained for resisting arrest

Not to worry; Hollywood celebrities will bail you out and talk show hosts will pay you big money to appear on an anti-Trump tv show. CNN will adore you. TD

Samantha Shader

UK Daily Mail  "A woman from upstate New York who allegedly threw a Molotov cocktail at an occupied police cruiser during protests in Brooklyn on Friday night has been charged with four counts of attempted murder. 
"Samantha Shader, 27, is accused of throwing the petrol bomb at the NYPD vehicle - which had four officers inside - in Crown Heights shortly after 10.30pm.

"The lit bottle did not explode, and no officers were injured.

"According to a statement provided to DailyMail.com, the NYPD officers exited the cruiser and attempted to arrest Shader, who allegedly bit one of them on the leg. 

"Shader's younger sister, Darian, 21, tried to interfere and was

Darian Shader

also taken into custody. She was charged with resisting arrest and obstruction of governmental administration.

"Both sisters - who hail from the town of Catskill - have a history of clashes with police at protests, a law enforcement source told DailyMail.com. 

"Their mother, Amy, said she had no comment when reached by phone by on Saturday afternoon. 

"The Shader sisters were among 3,000 demonstrators who took to the streets in New York City overnight as part of a series of nationwide protests over the death of black man George Floyd in Minneapolis on Monday." . . .

Federal Protective Service officer killed, another injured in Oakland shooting amid George Floyd protests  . . . "According to The Associated Press, about 1,000 protesters in Oakland smashed windows, sprayed buildings with “Kill Cops” graffiti and were met with chemical spray from police, who said several officers were injured by projectiles." . . .

Watch: CNN Reporter Claims That Riot Is ‘Entirely Peaceful,’ Immediately Gets Stuff Thrown At Him  "A CNN anchor just said on live TV that the riots in MN were "entirely peaceful" and a "merry caravan" and then seconds later someone throws a bottle directly at him" They throw stuff at the media, "but not in a mean way', as he said to Don Lemon."
But they are "protestors", not rioters

Newsom Fiat: No California Protest Can Have More Than 100 People

No, this is not, repeat NOT from the Babylon Bee. The Tunnel Dweller

California Political Review  "Regressive Supreme Leader Gavin Newsom is angry.  On Saturday more than 2,000 showed up at the Capitol to protest his dictatorship, issuing 40 Executive Orders and changing close to 200 State laws, without a vote of the Legislature or even telling them in advance.  He signed over 400 NO BID contracts—some for firms owned by the Chinese Communist Party.  People are angry—so they protest.

"Now, in the name of “safety and health”, Newsom has issued another illegal edict—no protest can have more than 100 people.  Watch as that edict is violated in every corner of the State.  This is no different than what the Chinese Communist Party is doing to the people of Hong Kong.  No, I am not accusing Newsom as being a communist—I am noting he is using their tactics to control the population." . . .

“ 'The agency “recommended” that protesters use “alternative” channels such as online and broadcasting platforms.

"Under the new restrictions, attendance at a protest is limited to 25 percent of the area’s maximum occupancy or capped at 100 attendees, whichever is lower.

"The restrictions also say physical distancing of 6 feet between attendees coming from different households will be enforced at all times. Failure to abide by this rule, the department said, “may result in an order to disperse or other enforcement action.”

"Unless the people use their First Amendments rights, they will continue to be taken from us—right to assembly, right to free speech, freedom of religion—all gone.  Even the Legislature, per the Governors new budget loses most of its rights to participate in the governance of California.  Obviously, Newsom is not watching re-runs of Seinfeld, he is studying the Chinese method of government." . . .

You MUST have a reservation.

Exploiting George Floyd's Death

Lloyd Marcus  "99.9% of our American family is saddened and outraged over the wrongful death of George Floyd. We want the responsible police officer prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

"And yet, rather than bringing our nation together, fake news media and the Democrats are excitedly throwing gasoline on the flames of racial hate and division. Their message is that America is still a hellhole of racism in which blacks are routinely murdered by whites and police. Blacks must continue voting for Democrats to keep racist white America at bay.

"As expected, Democrats and fake news media are absurdly blaming Trump for Floyd's death. These vile human beings in the media will say anyone wearing a MAGA hat is a racist complicit in Floyd's death. Minneapolis rioters chanted, “Kill the white folks.”

. . . 

The dirty little secret is Democrats love creating race-based crises because it allows them opportunities to demand more sure-to-fail gazillion dollar government-fix-it-programs which end up fattening Democrat pockets. Along with selling their lie that America sucks, Democrats believe spreading racial hate and division wins them votes.  (Emphasis added) by TD)

. . . "As a proud grateful American who happens to be black, I am appalled to witness Democrats and fake news media exploiting the tragic death of George Floyd. They are stirring the pot of racial hate to instigate violence while disrespecting blacks as useful idiots.

"Blacks have experienced unprecedented prosperity and historic low unemployment under Trump.  To separate black voters from Trump, insidiously evil Democrats will use Floyd's death to outrageously assert that reelecting Trump will mean open season for police to murder blacks. As baseless and stupid as that sounds, it reflects Democrats' low opinion of blacks. It is the sort of emotional brain-dead lie Democrats believe will win over easily deceived black voters."  Lloyd Marcus, The Unhyphenated American

Steve Carell, Seth Rogen among Hollywood stars donating to bail out Minneapolis protesters

The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that charter schools were among the facilities damaged. Windows have been smashed in at storefronts as well as local charter schools. An Autozone business was set on fire. Numerous arrests have been made, but celebrities have come forward to help out by offering donations to the Minnesota Freedom Fund.

 Black firefighter 'devastated' after rioters destroy bar he spent life savings to build
Celebrities Carell, Rogan, and Hollywood in general: if you have money left over from bailing out the rioters, can you spare any to help people like this business owner?

140 Republican Lawmakers Pile Onto Lawsuit Against Democrats Over Proxy Voting, File Injunctions On New Proxy Votes

The Federalist

"An additional 140 House Republicans have joined a lawsuit Friday filed earlier this week against Speaker Nancy Pelosi over new rules in the lower chamber allowing for proxy voting.
"The suit was initially filed Tuesday by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy joined by 20 GOP lawmakers and four constituents on the eve of the first time members of the House have ever voted without being physically present, upending more than 200 years of precedent.  
“ 'In the 231-year existence of the United States Congress, neither the House of Representatives nor the Senate has ever permitted a member to vote by proxy from the floor of the chamber,” the lawsuit opens. “Through the Civil War; through the burning of the Capitol during the War of 1812 and the terrorist attacks on Washington on 9/11; and through the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 and the Spanish Flu Pandemic of 1918, the Congress of the United States has never before flinched from its constitutional duty to assemble at the Nation’s Capital and conduct the People’s business in times or national peril.”

"Among those joining the lawsuit that now features 161 Republican Congressman includes Shipley Swayze, a constituent of Florida Democratic Rep. Charlie Crist’s who cited the “ongoing public health emergency” as reason for his absence from Washington for Wednesday’s legislative business.
" 'Crist however, held no such reservations in attending the NASA/SpaceX historic space launch on the same day, which was ultimately postponed to Saturday due to weather." . . .

What the rioters, and their apologists, have squandered

American Thinker "First of all, a disclaimer: In stark, unmistakable contrast to the narrative being promulgated by the so-called news networks, I am not conflating rioting (with its subsets of looting, burning and pillaging) and protesting.

"If there was one positive thing provided by the death of George Floyd, it was the sheer universality of the condemnation of the shameful, inhuman behavior of the police officer and his colleagues in whose custody Mr. Floyd met his end (I say "if there was" instead of "if there were" because that one positive thing is already a thing of the past).

"It was the one thing that distinguished this incident from every other one that has inspired widespread protests, be it the deaths of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Freddie Gray or any of so many others. In every one of these preceding incidents, there were voices disputing the "victim" status of the departed, and often making a viable case. Not everyone was on board with the protests, even before they degenerated into riots." . . .

. . . 

"It was only when the "news", and the usual gang of America-hating politicians and celebritards deliberately became apologists for the pillagers, painting protesting and rioting as two sides of the same coin, did all that unity, commiseration and sympathy come to be squandered. George Floyd's death might have actually served a positive, noble purpose, but No. The last thing these cynical, opportunistic Leftists want to see is all Americans unified and in agreement over anything."

Just as race riots lay waste to Minneapolis and cities well beyond, out comes the baleful presence of Barack Obama, to hector the nation that elected him that it's full of racism.  . . . Then he socializes the guilt again - we're all guilty, see:

 to work together to create a "new normal" in which the legacy of bigotry and unequal treatment no longer infects our institutions or our hearts.

. . . "What we are seeing here is Peak Obama, a wretched leftist failure of a president looking at the crisis at hand as an opportunity to not let go to waste and trying to find a way to make political hay out of it by blaming every American instead of his own beloved one-party blue cities. That's not on us, that's on Obama's political machine allies. His bid to socialize the blame is also accompanied by a bid to personalize the gain. To heck with that. He needs to get off the stage."  Emphasis added by TD

Schadenfreude: CNN's Fredo Cuomo loses half his viewers

Schadenfreude is a complex emotion, where rather than feeling sympathy towards someone's misfortune, schadenfreude evokes joyful feelings that take pleasure from watching someone fail. 

Monica Showalter  . . . Fredo's real problem is his behavior in general.

"First, he says he hates is job, which isn't the brightest way to attract a network audience. Seriously, would you want to watch a guy who hates his gold-plated job and quite probably you? Audiences pick up on these things and get the heck over to some rival program.

"Second, he got into public altercations with strangers, probably the stupidest thing anyone with a high profile job in New York City can do, given the ubiquity of cell phone cameras. Sure enough, when some provocateur called Cuomo a 'Fredo' he got into a public altercation captured on video and afterwards said he wished he could get into such dust-ups with strangers more freely. Incidents this stupid can only raise questions as to why he got his job at all at CNN. Seems there really is a 'Fredo' factor, suggesting that he was only hired because he was a powerful politician's relative.

"As if that wouldn't be enough to drive viewership away, he caught the coronavirus. But instead of isolating and recovering with dignity, he once again managed to pull off the opposite. He refused to wear his mask as the law dictated, which was example enough of an immature soul. Then, when a stranger on a bike asked him to put on his mask, per regulations, he got into yet another public altercation with a stranger.

"This guy isn't stable. And he's nor ready for prime time. No wonder his audience is fleeing."

Who was ‘Fredo’?  . . . “Fredo” as an insult is even related to the word “ciuccio,” which Falco said can mean “donkey” in Italian but also used to describe an incompetent family member in need of constant help.

Column: Showboating with 100,000 Dead

Lizza’s reporter girlfriend Olivia Nuzzi tried this tactic first, in a more baldly political way, asking Trump directly a month earlier: “If an American president loses more Americans over the course of six weeks than died in the entirety of the Vietnam war, does he deserve to be re-elected?”

Newsbusters   "On May 27, the American death toll from coronavirus sunk into the six figures: 100,000 lives lost. That’s a very sad number, made sadder when we ponder that the virus prevents loved ones from saying goodbye in person, and makes any funeral an extremely small event.

"The nation’s largest national newspapers have all made dramatic front pages out of the number. The New York Times came first on Sunday, filling their entire front page and three more pages with names of the victims. USA Today followed on Wednesday with an entire front page in black, with photos of the dead. The Washington Post waited until the horrible number was true, but still printed some actual news stories on the front page.

"In the Post, Marc Fisher brought the usual emotional language to the milestone. It “slipped by like so many other days in this dark spring, one more spin of the Earth, one more headline in a numbing cascade of grim news.” It’s hardly “slipping by.” They’ve made sure of that.

"CNN promoted each and every one of these performative pages, which strongly enhanced the notion that this wasn’t just a number. It was a political strategy. Each of these newspapers and CNN haven’t just reported on President Trump, but have cast him as a dangerous man who should be removed from office long before he had a chance to campaign for re-election.

"It’s the same strategy callously projected by Politico writer (and CNN analyst) Ryan Lizza, who asked White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany: “We’re about to cross the 100,000 dead American [sic] milestone… on Election Day, what does the White House view as the number of dead Americans where you can say that you successfully defeated this pandemic? Is there a number?”