In Congress, the big winners last week were the police and the military.
The votes came as violence continues to escalate in cities across the U.S…. and throughout the continent.
Over the weekend, the protest in Portland, which has been ongoing since the 25 May killing of George Floyd by a policeman in Minneapolis, violently continued.
The Portland Police Bureau officially stated, “Failure to adhere to this order may subject you to arrest or citation, or riot control agents, including, but not limited to, tear gas and/or impact weapons.”
Video had shown federal law enforcement officers not wearing any ID forcing protesters into unmarked vans and taking off to undisclosed locations. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit against the tactics.
As we have been reporting in the Trends Journal, beyond the ongoing protests and riots, there have been pronounced increases in crime and murder since the onset of the national shutdown in response to the COVID-19 lockdowns.
Indeed, as Gerald Celente has been long saying, “When people lose everything, and have nothing left to lose, they lose it.
On the National Front
Against this background, last Tuesday, the Senate turned down an attempt to prohibit the Pentagon from shifting military-grade weaponry to local police. The 51-44 vote could not meet the 60 votes needed to pass. The program being challenged was created in the 1990s by the Clinton administration under the guise of fighting the “War on Drugs.”
To date, over $7 billion worth of military supplies have been transferred to police including items ranging from armored vehicles to assault weapons.
For his part, President Trump continued backing his pledge to “dominate the streets” against protesters by using paramilitary units of the Department of Homeland Security; the FBI; the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA); the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); and the U.S. Marshals Service. They also include:
- Last Wednesday, the president accused “extreme politicians” for causing the rise in violence in cities across the country. His comments follow reports that federal officials will be sending hundreds of additional law enforcement personnel to Chicago and other metropolitan areas as part of the president’s “law and order” campaign message.
- Also last Wednesday, the Trump administration sent in members of the Department of Homeland Security’s Rapid Deployment Force, wearing camouflaged clothing and using tear gas and flash grenades, against demonstrators in Portland.
The city’s Democratic mayor, Ted Wheeler, was loudly booed when he tried to address the protesters, a reaction to his previous strong-arm tactics that earned him the nickname, “Tear Gas Ted.”
- Last Friday, the president deployed additional federal police to Detroit, Cleveland, Milwaukee, and Albuquerque. The White House has released “notes” that lay out the administration’s additional plans for more federal police action in a number of cities.
Keep the Killing Going
Last Tuesday, in a rare show of the political parties working together, the House soundly defeated an amendment calling for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, thwarting President Trump’s mission statement to remove all troops from Afghanistan before the November election.
And, despite the Federal budget deficit soaring and the economy in crash mode, last Wednesday, the House passed a bill that gives a record high $740 billion to the Defense and Energy Departments’ national security programs (2019’s defense budget called for $686 billion).
The Senate agreed to the $740 billion price tag for the military even more enthusiastically than the House, voting in favor by 86-14, with 37 Democrats casting “yea.”
TRENDPOST: There is virtually no political or public outcry to end the murderous wars launched by the United States since the onset of the 9/11 “War on Terror.”
Moreover, in these times of economic despair, with the worst yet to come, rather than redirecting resources to rebuild and/or salvage the severe economic destruction that will cause deep hardship and social unrest, we at Occupy Peace & Freedom are among the few who are fighting to reverse this negative trend.
Please do what you can to help support us if you believe in Liberty, Love, Joy, and Beauty over criminal, murderous wars.