My social media feed keeps telling me that it is mostly quiet on the Portland front.
The short videos I get are reassuring in their similarity. Someone points a camera at a quiet intersection, at a park, at storefronts, or at a schoolyard with children playing. It is all quiet. All normal city life.
The videos go one of two ways. Sometimes the narrator states flatly that nothing bad is happening -- See? No war here, Mr. Trump. Other times the narrator is ironic, shoving the Trump/Fox story back at them, with visuals that show a peaceful city at leisure while the narration uses words like "chaos," "rubble," and "war-torn."
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| "It's like living in hell." |
A frequent theme is teasing Portland for its reputation as a place now run by laid back hippies and their children and grandchildren, a city still steeped in Age of Aquarius consciousness. Like this:
We have all undoubtedly heard by now that Donald Trump has announced plans to deploy troops to "war ravaged" Portland. (Apparently even the Pentagon was caught by surprise - Trump did not bother to notify our military leaders of these plans).I have been been reading Peter's blog for years, and have been tempted many times to post comments. I generally don't respect those who aren't courageous enough to identify themselves, but I need to remain anonymous because I am a local professional who does business with many local governments. An unfortunate (and very un-American) reality of the current political situation in this country is the heightened need to keep our mouths shut in order to avoid negative repercussions at work, up to and including even getting fired, for stating political opinions that MAGA doesn't like (or even stating facts that MAGA doesn't agree with!).Getting back to this latest tomfoolery from Trump - I was just in Portland on Thursday and Friday, delivering one of my children to college (in downtown Portland).There was no unrest in Portland, no protests, just the usual loveliness and quirkiness of Portland, one of the best cities in the world.Sure, there were quite a few homeless people, some trash, the occasional odor of urine. Just like you will see in every city in this country (and in many other countries as well). My spouse noted that Portland was the cleanest and most attractive that they have seen it in years.It is obvious to all but the most MAGA-brainwashed among us that Trump's deployment of military troops into our cities is at best, political theater, and at worst, an effort to bait opponents into becoming violent and thereby giving Trump an excuse to rachet things up even more.One of my children is in the Oregon National Guard, and is concerned that they may be called up on farcical orders to "protect" Portland. They just returned from a year-long deployment in the Middle East, and now they may be ordered to patrol the streets of Portland?? This is unbelievable. And very bad for troop morale. My child tells me that the Guard is having trouble recruiting new members - not surprising given how the National Guard are being used as political pawns.I feel like this is a "laugh so you don't cry" moment, and people's reactions on social media to Trump's announcement are providing a good dose of humor."Portland? The place with therapy llamas at the airport?" quipped one social media poster.Another funny comment: "Portland Farmers Market was absolutely terrifying this morning. I was almost attacked by a bin of ornamental squash!"
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10 comments:
According to Trump, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities are “under siege from attack by Antifa, and other domestic terrorists.” He said it, so it must be true. In fact, I saw a video showing one of those terrorists throwing a Subway sandwich at an ICE agent…oh wait, that was in D.C. and he was later apprehended by a SWAT team – whew! I sure hope Portland isn’t that out of control.
These deployments are, I'm told, not illegal orders. They should be, for no other reason than they are a waste of money, $2 million a day . The crime is spending tax dollars on stupid clown shows, including ICE, when those same funds could be helping to solve hunger, homelessness and addiction. They only serve to show us the utter capitulation of Republicans to an depraved demagogue. MEANWHILE NEW DOCUMENTS HAVE BEEN RELEASED FROM THE EPSTEIN ESTATE THAT SHOW EVEN MORE PICTURES OF TRUMP AND EPSTEIN AS IF WE NEEDED THEM.
I think this is a bad look for Trump as most Americans are uncomfortable with the military being used this way. It is a step too far and is too transparent towards authoritarian rule. Americans are an independent culture unlike Russia that has accepted authoritarian leadership. At some point we will rebel as a people as it’s in our nature.
Just so you know, legally the National Guard cannot arrest anyone. They can only detain and wait for the police to come.
Here’s hoping that the supposedly nonexistent Rose City Antifa doesn’t play right into Trump‘s hands by committing their usual pointlessly destructive theatrical violence.
Here’s also hoping that either the Portland Police or the National Guard stop them dead in their tracks if they try it, and that Portland doesn’t repeat the
disgraceful permissiveness towards antifa violence that that we saw in 2020.
PeterC - since when has legality contained Trumps commands of his goons? Due-process anyone? Speaking of which, does anyone know the fate of “detainees” (ie prisoners) held in other other countries?
Let's not "Antifa, Antifa, Antifa" distract us from "Epstein, Epstein, Epstein." Yes, there are violent wingnuts on both sides of the spectrum. Nothing new there. What's new is a such a depraved president. Maybe his sending troops into U.S. cities that neither want them nor need them will awaken America's conscience. It's time we woke!
MT, just so you know, most of the people dressed entirely in black with their faces covered are not Portland residents. I personally saw a group of four men get out of a black SUV with Washington plates. They were wearing black clothing, masks, and helmets, and were heading toward a demonstration along the waterfront during the George Floyd protests.
That’s certainly possible. Whoever they were, if they committed an act of violence, the cops should have come down on them like a ton of bricks.
HA! The person who doesn't "respect" other people for commenting anonymously is Commenting Anonymously.
Everyone who posts anonymously has their own specific reason(s) for doing so. Others use made-up fake names, which is the same thing. What a hypocrite and an idiot.
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