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?”

Twin Cities Situation Deteriorating As Keith Ellison Fans the Flames…

John H. Hinderaker

Keith Ellison

✔@keithellison

This man doesn’t look like any civil rights protestor I have ever seen. Looks like a provocateur. Can anyone ID him? “Suspicious Man Breaks Window & Starts Minneapolis Riots” - YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vurPRZbLvc …

"Is this the most despicable thing I have ever seen in politics? It is definitely a contender, but we shouldn’t be surprised. Ellison is on record supporting groups that commit political violence:"

"We're all in this together, are we? Not at all. Some are more "in this" than others. Let my people go!"

Colin Kaepernick, then that purple-haired women's soccer player, CNN, MSNBC and virtually any Hollywood personality you care to name has pretty much driven out any desire to post "United We Stand" anywhere. Sort of like; I can't find a house having both a police memorial flag and a "Beto" sign. TD

By Karen Larson  "Lawn signs sprouting in my suburban neighborhood state: "Graduating Class of 2020 — #AllInThisTogether."  Our seniors chose that message, no doubt, because it's in use everywhere.  But one more pronouncement of our so-called "togetherness" may make me scream.  Across the country, some are more "in this" than others.  It's all a matter of being essential.  Or not.  Or caught at a particularly good (or not so good) stage of your life or career.  How do you prepare for the unexpected?

"My dentist is non-essential.  It's impossible to offer virtual dental services.  Too bad for those who have gone without dental care for more than two months now.  My dentist owns and operates a small business.  I wonder how long can he continue to pay the rent without any income.  Yet government workers and members of our news media are essential.  Who makes these decisions: essential and non-essential?  Using what criteria?  I'm happy for those deemed essential and those who can work virtually.  I'm delighted that a few stores continue to be open.  However, that left a huge swath of the population wondering where the next paycheck will come from.

"My hairdresser has been allowed (allowed!) to re-open her home-based business starting next week so long as she operates at 25% capacity of her former load.  Too bad for the many customers who have waited for months for the regular services she performs for them such as perms and colorizations and cuts.  . . .

Karen Larson is mad as hell and isn't going to take it anymore.  She has been at the bottom of several companies and at the top of one.  She has been a wordsmith and the one who wields the red pen.  She is a parent with grandchildren biological and otherwise.  Now retired, she enjoys sailing on Lake Superior with her husband, Jerry, among her many hobbies.

Joe Biden Veepstakes Take Bad Turn as Scandals Hit Amy Klobuchar, Gretchen Whitmer

The old "botched joke" alibi again.

Rich Terrell

Breitbart   "Two women reportedly on Joe Biden’s shortlist for vice president have been hit with major scandals that could cripple their chances of being nominated.

"On Thursday, Minnesota-based Mint Press News reported that U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D) was the district attorney at the time Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin shot and killed Wayne Reyes in 2006.

"According to Mint Press News, between 1999 and 2007, Klobuchar “did not bring charges against more than two dozen officers who had killed citizens while on duty – including against Chauvin himself.”

Chauvin was involved in a fatal accident in 2005, killed Wayne Reyes in 2006, shot another man while in uniform in 2008, and had a litany of complaints against him. To be fair to Klobuchar, the Reyes shooting happened in October 2006, as her time as state prosecutor was coming to an end and she was campaigning for the senate. By the time Chauvin’s case finally made it to a grand jury, she had relinquished her role.

"The site reported Klobuchar “declined” to bring charges against the officer who was filmed putting his knee on the neck of George Floyd on Monday, allegedly causing his death.

"The news site claimed Minneapolis had a “history of racist policing, thanks to Klobuchar.”

"Meanwhile, in Michigan, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has suffered a series of scandals, most recently her husband’s attempt to use his wife’s stature to get his boat in the water before other residents.

"Whitmer at first denied the story, then claimed it was a “failed attempt at humor” on her husband’s part, before demanding an apology from Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey after he said she “lied” about the situation." . . .

. . . “My husband made a failed attempt at humor last week when checking with the small business that helps with our boat and dock up north,” Whitmer said.“Knowing it wouldn’t make a difference, he jokingly asked if being married to me might move him up in the queue,” she said." . . .

Explaining to Rush Limbaugh the purpose of Joe Biden; "He's Xi's Guy."

Don Surber

Apple was only one of many, many companies that handcuffed themselves to the slave labor of Red China. And our country in turn is handcuffed as well.

"On Thursday, Rush Limbaugh asked, "What’s Biden’s Purpose?"
"It's a good question that I can answer in three little words.
"But first, let us examine what Limbaugh said, "You know, I intellectually understand it, and — to a certain extent — I politically understand it. But Joe Biden as the Democrat nominee — and then I have a story in the Stack where Silicon Valley tech gazillionaires are all-in on Biden. Joe Biden hasn’t even mastered the rotary phone yet, much less learned how to use an iPhone and yet tech wizards are all in on this guy."
"That is Clue No. 1. The Silicon Valley tech gazillionaires are all-in on Biden.
"I love the rotary phone line, by the way. Biden is Elmer B. Fudd-led.
"Clue No. 2 is Limbaugh's brilliant summation of the situation, "The purpose of Plugs Biden is to empower people who we really don’t know who will be running the country. He’s just gonna be a placeholder. He’s almost acknowledged as much.' "

Pictures circulating online are not of Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin

What you need to know   "Several photos featuring a man that appeared to look like officer Derek Chauvin have been shared online and throughout social media on Wednesday. The men featured in the images, however, are not Chauvin, multiple news reporters confirmed.
Photo via @WFTV

Chenue Her@ChenueHer·May 27

The pictures circulating online showing a man in a “Make Whites Great Again” hat and another man at a Trump rally are NOT former Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, even though many are saying it’s him. Facts matter. Via @bringmethenews

But Chauvin wasn’t featured in this photo either
"Police officer involved in death of #GeorgeFloyd not on stage at Minneapolis Trump rally last year, despite social media rumors."

Academic Freedom Win: Israel Boycott Supporter Ilana Feldman Will Not Be Dean at George Washington U

William A. Jacobson

You can have academic freedom, or you can have a pro-BDS Dean, but you can’t have both.

"Ilana Feldman, a professor of anthropology at George Washington University (GWU), recently was appointed Interim Dean of the Elliott School of International Affairs at GWU.

There was an immediate firestorm of controversy, since Feldman is a supporter of and longtime activist leader of the academic boycott of Israel, which is part of the larger Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign.

"As we have documented, BDS was launched at the openly anti-Semitic Tehran and Durban Conferences in 2001, a repackaging of the Jewish Boycotts of the 1920s and 1930s, and the Arab League Boycott of Israel. BDS was a rebranding meant to appeal to western liberals, framed in the language of social justice. Part of that repackaging was to claim BDS started in 2005 as a call from Palestinian civil society. BDS supporters in the West mosly are ignorant of the history of BDS.

Feldman Will Not Be Considered For Permanent Dean 

"Feldman’s pro-BDS background, which involves a commitment not to treat Israelis (and by implication, supporters of Israel) fairly, went against the requirements needed for the senior administrative post of Interim Dean or permanent Dean.

"GWU acknowledged the criticism, and issued a statement  reiterating its rejection of BDS:

May 18, 2020We have listened and heard the concerns from some members of our community about the appointment of Dr. Ilana Feldman as interim Dean of the Elliott School of International Affairs and personal views she has expressed about the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.

 More...     All emphases in the original. TD

Jim Acosta Goes After Kayleigh McEnany on Trump "Lies", Backfires in His Face

The Federalist Papers  "In one of the best clips of the day chief CNN clown Jim Acosta tried to go after White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany and got eaten alive.
"He asked if it was right that the President got fact checked given how many “false and misleading statements” the President has made.
"McEnany hit back hard saying “look, if you’re going to get into the fact-checking business, there is no one that should be fact-checked more than the mainstream media that has been continually wrong about a number of things.”
"It all went downhill for Jim Acosta after that.

"Take a look, via The Hill:

‘If Anybody Needs To Be Fact-Checked, It’s The Media’: Kayleigh McEnany Unloads On Jim Acosta . . . “So if anyone needs to be fact-checked, I think it should be the media,” she concluded.
“ 'News outlets make mistakes from time to time. We own up to those mistakes. We correct those mistakes,” Acosta protested.

“ 'Not always,” McEnany replied."

Biden Has Earned 11 Pinocchios From Fact-Checkers During Coronavirus Crisis

CORONAVIRUS Coronavirus checks, direct deposits are coming. Here's everything you need to know.

NBC News

Who qualifies? How much is being sent? When? How will I get the money? Questions and answers.

"WASHINGTON — As the coronavirus crisis ravages the U.S. economy, millions of Americans are about to receive help from Congress in the form of direct cash payments.
President Donald Trump signed into law a massive $2 trillion emergency economic package on Friday that includes direct cash payments and unemployment benefits, among other provisions, for people across the country.
"But who’s eligible to get a check or direct deposit, and for how much? Here are some questions and answers about who qualifies for cash from the federal government:
"Q: How much will I get?

Depends on how much you make.

"If you made less than $75,000 in 2019, you will be eligible for the full payment of $1,200. Couples who filed jointly and made less than $150,000 will get $2,400. An individual who filed as "head of household" and earned $112,500 or less gets $1,200." . . .
Full article with video here...    Hat tip to Mary Torrens; Lompoc, CA

Muddy Maxine Waters — What a Riot

Michelle Malkin  . . . "She’s earned a lifetime of left-wing adoration for whitewashing the deadly riots as a “rebellion,” excusing the week-long shooting, looting and arson orgy as “a spontaneous reaction to a lot of injustice and a lot of alienation and frustration,” and coddling Crips and Bloods gang members — with whom she performed the Electric Slide as part of her “fearless support and understanding of young people and their efforts at self-expression.”
"I covered Waters in the early 1990s as an editorial writer and columnist at the Los Angeles Daily News. Her federally funded Maxine Waters Employment Preparation Center was a gang-infested boondoggle.
"She embraced Damian Williams, the infamous thug who hurled a chunk of concrete at white truck driver Reginald Denny and performed a victory dance over the bloodied innocent bystander.
"And she and her family personally profited from her rise to racially demagogic power.
"She owns a tony mansion in predominantly white Hancock Park, several miles outside her congressional district." . . .  Her Democrat liberal privilege helped out.

For those who don’t know about the LA Riots of 1992, 58 people died, and many more were gravely injured, including a man called Reginald Denny.  . . . "It all happened on videotape, a helicopter caught it, and it happened in Maxine Waters’ city. But she did not denounce the attack. On the contrary, she all but endorsed the attack.

"The leader of the mob that nearly murdered Reginald Denny was called Damien Williams.

"Maxine Waters visited Damien Williams’ mother to offer her support. Williams was sent to prison on a single felony charge of mayhem, but when his accomplices got off, Waters joined in the celebration."  . . . Those guys were simply "protestors":

Tucker Carlson Slams ‘Dangerous’ CNN For Calling Violent Minneapolis Rioters ‘Protesters’   

“Diverse countries only survive if the groups within them can coexist peacefully and thankfully almost everybody in America wants to coexist peacefully.”And CNN doesn’t want that kind of coexistence. Especially in the era of Trump.“News organizations like CNN do not want that, and that’s why every day they work hard to fan racial resentment to make different groups distrust and hate one another,” he said.

 Woman in Wheelchair Is Beaten by Minneapolis Rioters Who Then Claim She 'Deserved' It  . . . "Jennifer said looters and rioters beat her from the front and back. Indeed, there’s video of a woman beating her in the head from behind. Fortunately, looters and rioters around her had some scruples and begged the woman to stop.

"Journalist Andy Ngo cast about on Twitter for more video of the rioters and Jennifer found this video of her being choked by a concerned citizen who was ostensibly upset over the police killing." . . .

Maxine Waters on all the above:
Maxine Waters Dumps Gas on the Fire as Violent Riots Leave Parts of City 'Unrecognizable'  . . . "Waters’ comments, which play on the racial aspects of the case, seem poised to only fan racial divides in the city.

"Her dismissal of the justice system and blanket attack against many cops is not far off from the lawmaker’s usual rhetoric, but the timing of her latest comments mean her words now have even greater potential to result in violence." . . .