Clusterf*cked: The Cruelty is the Point

 

Clusterf*cked: The Cruelty is the Point

by C.A. Matthews

Editor's Note: This week we ran into a very interesting person who expresses a very disturbing point-of-view. We asked her what she thought about some recent headlines to get a reading on how she felt about the issues. Her answers might surprise you. Or not.

The Revolution Continues: Thank you for chatting with us today, Nellie Neoliberal. Tell us a little about yourself.

Nellie Neoliberal: I’m just your “typical progressive” who votes “blue no matter who.” I raise money and awareness for Democratic candidates and support liberal causes and fight for equal rights. In my spare time I like to shop, watch The View, and play tennis and golf at our local country club. 

TRC: Let’s start with  equal rights and some recent news stories. Would you say you’re supportive of trans rights and the right of people of all ages to have access to gender-affirming care?

NN: Of course, you can’t legally discriminate against men who want to play women’s sports in tennis dresses, but I really don’t think they should because it’s just not fair. I can barely return the serve without hitting the net some days. And definitely children shouldn’t be allowed to change their birth gender. That’s barbaric.

TRC: Even if the child strongly feels they’ve been misgendered and their mental health professional believes gender-affirming care would be good for them and their parents agree?

NN: What does mental health got to do with it? Next thing you know you’ll be saying the taxpayers should pay for these cosmetic surgeries. I paid for my own face lifts and tummy tucks, by the way, so that’s that. Besides, these parents are just plain abusive. 

TRC: Abusive? How so?

NN: The child needs a good shrink and signed up to play football or hockey or something equally rugged so they can discover their true masculinity and get over their cross-dressing fantasy. There’s enough sissies already on the streets.

TRC: Oh...kay. Switching subjects, a federal judge ruled recently that social media platforms should not be forced into censoring or blocking free speech just because the FBI, CIA or other government organizations advises them to do so. What are your feelings on free speech? Do you feel people should be able to post whatever they like online and readers should be able to read it and share it freely with others?

NN: Of course people should be able to post and read whatever they like on the internet, but the government ultimately knows what's best. There’s got to be some parameters to what can or cannot be posted online. 

TRC: Explain what you mean by “parameters.”

NN: Well, there’s got to be rules. You can’t go spreading unfounded rumors and making up crazy conspiracy theories without proof. And bad language… There’s enough online already. It's “violence” according to A.O.C.

TRC: So you would allow government agencies to censor whatever they feel is “misinformation”?

NN: Who’s talking about censoring? I’m just saying that people shouldn’t be saying things online that make other people uncomfortable.

TRC: Uncomfortable? How exactly?

NN: They shouldn’t be able to say things and point things out about the issues or a candidate that causes doubt in his supporters’ minds. We shouldn’t have our faith shaken by outsiders.

TRC: Outsiders? People who don’t belong to the same group as you belong to? What group do you belong to that needs government censorship protection from outsiders’ opinions?

NN: Blue-no-matter-who voters, of course.

TRC: Oh, you mean people shouldn’t post content that could lead Democratic voters into believing Joe Biden is suffering from dementia, for example. They shouldn’t mention anything about him walking off a stage abruptly, shaking invisible hands, having to be led by the arm around a public venue so he doesn't get lost, or shouting out “God save the queen” for no reason whatsoever?

NN: (Volume and pitch rising.) Joe isn’t senile! He just has a playful sense of humor.

TRC: And the hair sniffing behaviors, groping women, making them feel uncomfortable that has been observed and recorded on numerous occasions?

NN: Those are photoshopped videos. I know they look real, but they’re fakes. The people in them are right-wing actors. That’s not our Joe in them.

TRC: They very well could be “right-wing” as you say. You seem very sure about it.

NN: (Sniffing.) I have to be. I’m in charge of membership retention of our local Democratic Women’s Club. Some of them are already insisting they want the DNC to hold primaries and debates with Bobby Kennedy Jr. and that Marianne woman. Some even say they’ll vote for Cornel West because he was a fan of that awful Commie Bernie Sanders.

TRC: Are you saying there’s trouble afoot among the ranks?

NN: (Shrugging.) Nothing a good fundraising party and a stern talking to can’t solve.

TRC: Following along the line of government-sponsored censorship, what about censoring what the public can know about the proxy war in Ukraine? Only recently The New York Times admitted what independent journalists have said all along about the strong Neo-Nazi elements in the Ukrainian army and government. Prior to February 2022 the Azov Battalion and Right Sector were reported about in the mainstream media, but at the start of the hostilities suddenly reporters who reported on these groups were labeled “Putin puppets” or  “disinformation spreaders.” What do you say about that?

 NN: They were disinformation spreaders. The American public didn’t need to know about the Nazis. It makes them nervous and doubt our motives. That just clouds the whole point of going to war.

TRC: And what is the point of giving Ukraine hundreds of billions of dollars in aid and weapons?

NN: To punish Putin, of course! We have to destroy him and the Russian economy before it destroys us. 

TRC: Are you saying that Putin is to blame for rising food and gasoline prices and the recent rent price hikes across the US?

NN: (Frowning and crossing her arms.) Say what? Joe Biden is on top of the economy. It’s bigger and better than it’s ever been. Go Bidenomics!

TRC: Do you happen to do your own food shopping?

NN: No. That’s what my housekeeper is for. If she doesn’t get herself deported by running into Ron DeSantis, that is. (Whispering) Hiring illegal aliens is a real bargain. They’re ever so appreciative.

TRC: Uh-huh. In your opinion, is Russia preventing US workers from striking and organizing? 

NN: Always about the striking! Always about the unions! You’d think people would be happy just to have a job. Instead, they’re getting all whipped up about wanting a (miming air quotes) “living wage” and better working conditions. So much conspiracy theory getting out there on the internet that isn’t being stopped like it should. American workers have it good. It’s all Russia’s doing.

TRC: Putin and Russia must be destroyed is your contention? At all costs?

NN: Whatever it takes. 

TRC: You don’t believe the hundreds of billions of dollars sent to Ukraine so far could have been used more productively at home? Spent on programs to give Americans health care, for instance.

NN: More disinformation and exaggeration. Everyone in the US can get health insurance through their jobs or Obamacare. (Harrumphing.) You’re not one of those Bernie types who thinks Americans have some kind of inborn right to food, housing, and health care, are you? How can businesses make profits if people get things like that for free?

TRC: We’re running short of time, so let’s not go there right now. What do think about the US supplying deadly cluster bombs that have been outlawed in over 110 countries to Ukraine?

NN: A cluster-what? Just sounds like something rude to me.

TRC: President Biden announced it this week. Cluster bombs are large shells that contain hundreds to thousands of smaller bomblets. When they’re dropped from the air they can scatter across football field-sized areas. The bomblets often don’t explode until children—thinking they’re toys—pick them up and then they can explode. Many innocent children throughout the world have had their arms and legs blown off by cluster bombs. It's even estimated that civilian rather than military targets are hit by cluster munitions up to 90% of the time.

NN: (Looking uncomfortable.) Never heard of them. Have they been around long?

TRC: Yes, they have. During the secret US war on Laos during the Vietnam War, the military blanketed the country with almost 300 million bomblets. Many didn’t detonate right away. Instead, they killed and injured tens of thousands of Lao people in the decades after the US pulled out of Southeast Asia. 

NN: (Frowning.) That doesn’t sound like something we’d ever do. Another conspiracy theory that shouldn’t be shared online. Besides, you said they were outlawed. America always does what's right. It follows rules based order.

TRC: What are these rules? Who created them?

NN: I'm not really sure, but President Biden says we follow them, so I believe it.

TRC: Unfortunately, they don't jive with the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) which prohibits the use, transfer and stockpiling of cluster munitions. The US, which has killed more people with cluster bombs than any other country, is not a signatory. During the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan, cluster bombs killed and injured hundreds and littered the countryside with deadly unexploded ordnance some of which are still there, bomblets waiting for an innocent bystander to pick up or accidentally step on. The US has also been implicated in the use of cluster munitions through its support for Saudi-led forces in the Yemen conflict. 

What are your feelings toward cluster bombs now that you've been informed about their lethality and cruelty?

NN: Oh… (Biting her lip.) That's the whole point of war, isn't it? So what if a few Russkies get their arms blown off? That’s the price you pay for invading another country.

TRC: I'm not sure you understand. Cluster bombs are more than likely to cause more deaths and injuries to Ukrainian civilians than Russian soldiers. These cluster bomblets don't end war—they prolong the killing years after a war ends. 

NN: (Shrugging.) Not our problem really once the war is over, now is it?

TRC: Isn't it? In Iraq, the devastation of cluster bombs was compounded by the use of depleted uranium munitions. This led to the people of Fallujah experiencing higher rates of cancer, leukemia, infant mortality, and sexual mutations than those recorded among survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the years after those cities were nuked by American atomic bombs. The US and the UK have said they would supply depleted uranium munitions to Ukraine. 

The introduction of cluster bombs and depleted uranium could lead to an escalation of hostilities to the point of nuclear conflict. Do you understand now why these weapons should be outlawed and never delivered to the proxy war in Ukraine?

NN: (Sighing and nervously tapping a finger on her lip.) Dear, oh, dear. Well, I guess that’s the price you pay whenever you ask the US for more weapons, right? That dishy Mr. Zelensky wants more firepower and we deliver… Just like Joe Biden delivers! (Flashing her BIDEN 2024 button and grinning.)

TRC:  He certainly does. Thank you for your candid responses, Nellie Neoliberal. You've explained a lot about what’s going wrong in the world today.

Related Articles and Interesting Links:

Ukraine Clusterf*ck - The Grayzone Live https://www.youtube.com/live/5Q4tsJQ4GeU

Biden Defends Decision to Send Cluster Bombs to Ukraine https://scheerpost.com/2023/07/10/biden-defends-decision-to-send-cluster-bombs-to-ukraine/

Cluster Munition Use in Russia-Ukraine War https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/05/29/cluster-munition-use-russia-ukraine-war

Sending cluster bombs to Ukraine, Washington makes clear it will stop at nothing https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2023/07/08/oewz-j08.html

US Depleted Uranium to Make Ukraine War Dirtier https://popularresistance.org/us-depleted-uranium-to-make-ukraine-war-dirtier/ 

Today in War Propaganda https://caitlinjohnstone.substack.com/p/today-in-war-propaganda  

The Democratic Party isn’t interested in protecting trans folks; only in furthering U.S. imperial violence https://rainershea.substack.com/p/the-democratic-party-isnt-interested

Federal Judge Rules Against Biden Admin Attack on Free Speech
https://scheerpost.com/2023/07/05/louisiana-judge-limits-contact-between-biden-officials-and-social-media-companies/

US Court Victory Against Online Censorship https://popularresistance.org/us-court-victory-against-online-censorship/

Biden Administration appeals the federal ruling on censorship https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.lawd.189520/gov.uscourts.lawd.189520.296.0_3.pdf

Establishment Dems Outraged as Court Bans Biden & FBI From Coercing Big Tech Censorship; NYT Defends Illegal Domestic Surveillance | SYSTEM UPDATE #110 https://rumble.com/v2ybni6-system-update-show-110.html

Censorship & Blacklists: Chris Hedges, Stella Assange & Matt Kennard https://youtu.be/k4lgsyo-3SE

Attila the Stockbroker Speaks Out On Corporate Censorship https://open.substack.com/pub/almartinez/p/attila-the-stockbroker-speaks-out

First There Were Neo-Nazis, Then There Were No Nazis, Then There Were https://scheerpost.com/2023/06/06/patrick-lawrence-first-there-were-neo-nazis-then-there-were-no-nazis-then-there-were/

Biden taps Elliott Abrams, champion of death squads, for US diplomacy panel https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2023/07/08/bwzp-j08.html

World’s Richest Added Average of $14M Per Day to Their Wealth Over Past 6 Months https://truthout.org/articles/worlds-richest-added-average-of-14m-per-day-to-their-wealth-over-past-6-months/

Report: 1,500 Big Oil Lobbyists “Double Agents” for Supposed Climate Champions https://truthout.org/articles/report-1500-big-oil-lobbyists-double-agents-for-supposed-climate-champions/

COVID Hasn’t Disappeared — But Empathy, Care and Solidarity Have https://truthout.org/articles/covid-hasnt-disappeared-but-empathy-care-and-solidarity-have/

Rank-And-File UPS Workers Prepare To Strike And Refuse To Back Down https://popularresistance.org/rank-and-file-ups-workers-prepare-to-strike-and-refuse-to-back-down/

UN Forcefully Hits at US Blockade of Cuba and Prison in Guantanamo https://scheerpost.com/2023/07/05/un-forcefully-hits-at-us-blockade-of-cuba-and-prison-in-guantanamo/

Stop Cop City Is Everywhere https://popularresistance.org/stop-cop-city-is-everywhere/

Patrick Lawrence: We Need to Talk About Nahel https://scheerpost.com/2023/07/06/patrick-lawrence-we-need-to-talk-about-nahel/ 

Jill Stein Explains Why She Thinks Cornel West Is 'The Right Person For America' In 2024 https://youtu.be/e2PVcxPJkns 

Seen on Twitter: 

Twitter won't allow this Tweet that shows what cluster bombs really do to human beings to be embeded, but you can see it here:

https://twitter.com/LynnSchore/status/1677775891894796289

Wow. #bluemaga has ZERO concern for human rights. They think it's a cute game. pic.twitter.com/C8Ucys6iMX

— gaijingirl2004 Bronx Leftist/Green. 🦺 🇵🇸✡️ (@gaijingirl2004) July 8, 2023

THE RULES-BASED ORDER
1. The USA rules the world.
2. The USA makes all rules including these rules.
3. No one can know what the rules are, only that they exist.
4. No one is allowed to ask what the rules are.
5. The USA will be in charge of the flexibility provided by the rules’…

— Nury Vittachi (@NuryVittachi) July 10, 2023

When Nations Become Mentally Ill

False narratives and fake news detours abound on the information superhighway known as the Internet. What harm can a few "fibs" cause? Most people can tell a fabricated story from the real thing, but what if they can't? How can false narratives shape their thought processes? And what happens when these unhealthy thought processes become more common throughout a country? Our guest blogger dives into this topic, one that is more important than ever before as some try to portray the coronavirus pandemic as a hoax, putting millions at risk.

 

Possibly the most destructive false narrative ever perpetuated.

When Nations Become Mentally Ill        

by Vegematic (Deluxe)

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, approximately 1 in 5 people in the U.S. experiences mental illness in a given year. Approximately 1 in 5 youth aged 13–18 (21.4%) experiences a severe mental disorder at some point during their life. For children aged 8–15, the estimate is 13%. Among the 20.2 million adults in the U.S. who experienced a substance use disorder, 50.5% or 10.2 million adults had a co-occurring mental illness. Those numbers are staggering.

Mental illness may be triggered by any number of factors. Fear of climate catastrophe, the decline in living standards, or the perpetual state of terror that comes from barely existing on the margins of a dysfunctional society. It may be triggered by mass surveillance or perpetual war. It may show itself as post traumatic stress disorder, clinical depression, schizophrenia, or a myriad of other disorders all neatly categorized and classified.

Images like this convince conspiracy theorists.

Those with even a passing knowledge of the history of advertising will be aware of how Sigmund Freud's nephew, Edward Bernays, used Freud's theories of the unconscious to begin the modern advertising age. Although highly effective at the time, Bernays' efforts seem extremely primitive in comparison to the constant barrage of electronic propaganda and disinformation being spoon fed to us hundreds or thousands of times a day.

I have come to believe that today's increase in mental disabilities has been in large part created by the near constant exposure to electronic propaganda that becomes embedded in our subconscious from infancy. We are programmed to blindly accept the dominant false cultural narratives of the military industrial complex. We are told that above all, happiness may only be found in mindless materialism and slavish devotion to the corporate state. That honor and glory are to be found in military adventurism, that the police are always your friend, and that the poor deserve their lot in life.

Scare tactics to keep the public fearful and easily controlled?

These memes are sowing the seeds of future psychological disorders. The cognitive dissonance created when fiction is blindly accepted as truth does profound damage to the the human psyche. In order to cope with the mental discomfort, many build up worlds of fantasy and denial in a vain attempt to cope. It's easier to pretend to be a heroic freedom fighter than to accept the bloody facts about a war of aggression being fought for oil. This is why the suicide rates for returning veterans are off the charts. The veteran returns to the relative normality of civilian life, and despite the years of jingoism and programmed patriotism, he/she recognizes the horrible truth. Divorced from the military culture of the battlefield, he/she is forced to confront the inherently human belief that murder is always wrong.

Of course, such cognitive dissonance extends well beyond the military. There are countless examples of how dangerous, and psychologically damaging, belief in the dominant cultural narrative can be. Take the case of twenty-two year old Elliot Roger who, from all reports, lived a life of wealth and privilege. Roger was responsible for a series of killings in Isla Vista, California. The 2014 Isla Vista killings were by gunshot, stabbing and vehicle ramming. When it was over, he had killed six people and injured fourteen before killing himself. He had cultivated the belief that due to his wealth (and because he considered himself an "alpha male") he was entitled to have sex with women who had no interest in him. 

See how easy it is to create a false narrative?

Could it be that Roger had absorbed that twisted thinking by lifelong exposure to cultural and advertising memes? After all, advertisers for years have used our sexuality to sell us products. Buy this car and beautiful women will throw themselves at you. Be wealthy and you won't need to develop social skills. Of course it's simplistic to suggest that his hateful act was inspired entirely by cultural memes, but how much of a role did this narrative play?

We live in an age of increasing economic and social uncertainty. How do people react as they find out that contrary to the cultural narrative, hard work and playing by the rules does not equal success? That the culture they are living in is corrupt and sees their lives as completely expendable? I believe I know the sad answer to that question. Mental illness will continue to grow to epidemic levels.    

BIO: Vegematic Deluxe is back in the saddle again, creating lively and thought-provoking progressive weekly video podcasts on his You Tube channel. Check his videos out and tell him the TRC blog sent you:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2vzbyWki1kWC6SAzeqw_Iw

Other articles for your consideration:

How to Manage Your Mental Health When Feeling Stressed During COVID-19
https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/2020/04/how-to-manage-your-mental-health-when-feeling-stressed-during-covid-19/

Cognitive Biases Tricking Your Brain
https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-cognitive-biases-tricking-your-brain

UPDATE:  Why It's Important to Push Back on Plandemic and How to Do So
https://www.forbes.com/sites/tarahaelle/2020/05/08/why-its-important-to-push-back-on-plandemic-and-how-to-do-it/#fa873bf5fa35
The following meme outlines the viral video Plandemic, pointing out its origins and its false narrative. If you have friends who argue that COVID-19 is a "hoax created in a Chinese lab," share this and the following Google doc link. You might save a life (or lives) if you can convince them to follow the CDC's guidelines.

Debunking Plandemic (Google doc)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QwU4jcRw-qb77BLCLs99af05S1mL2E2vUz2x2M1396U/preview?pru=AAABciB83LI*tnjoZMM7PQYmqDJYD3Fqzw 

Top Ten Conspiracy Theories

https://www.livescience.com/11375-top-ten-conspiracy-theories.html

MAGA vs. COVID
https://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/62821-focus-maga-vs-covid

***

More examples of national insanity...
From Color of Change:

Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man, was jogging near his neighborhood in Brunswick, GA when he was chased down, shot, and killed in cold blood.¹ 
 
His executioners were a father & son, Gregory and Travis McMichael, two white men, who told police they believed Ahmaud fit the profile of a suspect in a series of break-ins in the area.² The entire thing was filmed by a third person, Bryan Williams. But the truth is: Ahmaud’s murder was an act of hatred and white supremacy.

Worst of all, the two DAs who've recused themselves, District Attorney Jackie Johnson and District Attorney George Barnhill, played a key role in a blatant cover-up and delays in justice for Ahmaud and his family. DA Barnhill even defended Ahmaud’s murderers by making the outrageous claim that Travis McMichael acted in self-defense and his actions fell within Georgia’s citizen arrest laws.³

Instead of seeking justice, DA Johnson refused to bring charges against Ahmaud's killers and DA Barnhill abused his authority to exonerate the McMichaels in the media.⁴ Police are quick to arrest and throw our people in cages, but when we are killed, it's crickets for months from the legal system. For their complicity, both District Attorney Gregory Barnhill and District Attorney Jackie Johnson must immediately resign. 

Sign the petition. Demand DA George Barnhill & DA Jackie Johnson resign immediately.

Glynn County law enforcement is doing everything it can to ensure the McMichaels get away with Ahmaud's murder. Gregory McMichael is a retired police officer who worked with DA Barnhill's son in District Attorney Jackie Johnson's office.⁵ In the moments leading up to Ahmaud's death, the McMichaels stated they saw him stop by a house that was under construction and look through the window.⁶ But you actually have to be observing a crime or be in the immediate knowledge of a crime for self-defense or citizen laws to be applicable.⁷ Ahmaud was not committing a crime, he was jogging. Any effort to use citizen’s arrest or self-defense as an excuse for Ahmaud’s murder is a weak attempt to cover-up this injustice.

What’s clear is Gregory McMichael’s former affiliation with the local DAs office is allowing him to escape accountability. The McMichaels grabbed their shotgun and a pistol, chased Ahmaud in their truck, and when Ahmaud attempted to defend himself he was shot twice and killed. Nevertheless, Ahmaud's case has been tossed from one DA's office to the next. Every step along the way the police have been quick to shift the blame away from the McMichaels. Police even told Ahmaud’s mother that her son was involved in a burglary and there was a confrontation between Ahmaud and the homeowner and a struggle over a gun.⁸ THESE ARE LIES. Glynn County law enforcement has been quick to do nothing but ensure the McMichael’s are not held for this atrocity.

White supremacy and corruption are running rampant in Glynn County-- and both DA Barnhill and DA Johnson are perpetuating it. In his letter to the Glynn County police, Barnhill stated, "it appears {Travis and Gregory McMichael's} intent was to stop and hold this criminal suspect until law enforcement arrived. Under Georgia law, it is perfectly legal."⁹ Barnhill also went on to falsely claim that Ahmaud was prone to violence and that there was no need for arrest.¹⁰ It is because of Barnhill's suggestions to police that two months have gone by without an arrest or any form of accountability. Now, Tom Durden of Liberty County has finally decided to bring the case to a grand jury -- which doesn't convene until after June 2.¹¹ And even he is doing his part to delay justice. Durden could issue an arrest warrant right now on a complementary charge if he wanted to, he doesn't need an indictment.¹² Instead, he continues to protect the vigilantes' rights to utilize their weapons and their power to end Black lives. 

DA Jackie Johnson is known for letting corrupt officers off the hook. During her first six years in office, she had at least 16 cases where she's recused herself because of conflict of interest.¹³ In 2010 she protected an officer who later went on to murder his ex-wife and then himself.¹⁴ And earlier this year three former top officers and the police chief were indicted for ignoring evidence that an officer was working with drug dealers --  one was having sex with two confidential informants.¹⁵ The lack of police accountability in Glynn County has reached a fever pitch. Voters are even considering getting rid of the police department for good.¹⁶ And this year Johnson is vulnerable because she is up for re-election.¹⁷ Elected leaders must take the necessary steps to ensure our people are protected and free to live without fear of violence and destruction. That's why now more than ever, both DA Barnhill and Johnson must feel the pressure from us to resign. They need to know we are on to them -- we won't allow this corruption to continue in Glynn County. 

DA Barnhill and DA Johnson have got to go. Sign the petition. 

Every second Ahmaud’s executioners evade accountability shows just how little Glynn County law enforcement cares about Black lives. Under no circumstance should it be acceptable for these men to roam the streets and relax in their homes while Ahmaud’s family and community continue to mourn the premature loss of their son and loved one. Black communities deserve protection -- not to be preyed upon and hunted down in the street.

The most painful part of this injustice has been the fact that Ahmaud's murder took place almost eight years to the day after Trayvon Martin was slain by a racist vigilante. Time and time again, our communities face the highest rates of state-sanctioned violence -- whether it’s mass incarceration, police killings, ‘stop and frisk,’ or the all too familiar rhetoric of broken windows policing. Ahmaud's death is just another disturbing example of a violent society that marks Blackness as inherently dangerous -- where Black people are more likely to be seen as instigators rather than people in need of help in times of danger.

Demanding DA Barnhill and Johnson to resign is crucial to getting the justice Ahmaud deserves. Our leaders must stop treating Black lives as if we are disposable. We must stand up to this racist terror and that starts with holding local prosecutors accountable. Enough is enough. We are demanding justice for Ahmaud -- we refuse to lose any more of our loved ones to these reckless acts of violence.

Ahmaud deserves justice. Demand DA Barnhill & DA Johnson resign NOW. 

Until justice is real, 

--Scott, Rashad, Arisha, Clarise, Erika, Malachi, Marybeth, Madison, Leonard, Cheryl, and the rest of the Color of Change team

---

References:
 1. "A Georgia man was chased and killed while jogging, his mother says." CNN. https://act.colorofchange.org/go/245948?t=7&akid=42331%2E3399430%2EH3zyHj
2. Ibid.
3. George E. Barnhill Letter to Glynn County Police Department. NYT. https://act.colorofchange.org/go/245949?t=9&akid=42331%2E3399430%2EH3zyHj
4. #iRunwithMaud. Our Prism. https://act.colorofchange.org/go/245950?t=11&akid=42331%2E3399430%2EH3zyHj
5. George E. Barnhill Letter to Glynn County Police Department. NYT. https://act.colorofchange.org/go/245949?t=13&akid=42331%2E3399430%2EH3zyHj
6. "A Georgia man was chased and killed while jogging, his mother says." CNN. https://act.colorofchange.org/go/245948?t=15&akid=42331%2E3399430%2EH3zyHj
7. Ibid.
8. Ibid.
9. George E. Barnhill Letter to Glynn County Police Department. NYT. https://act.colorofchange.org/go/245949?t=17&akid=42331%2E3399430%2EH3zyHj
10. Ibid.
11. "Status of Liberty County Jury Trials." Liberty County Office of the Clerk of Courts. https://act.colorofchange.org/go/245954?t=19&akid=42331%2E3399430%2EH3zyHj
12.#iRunwithMaud. Our Prism. https://act.colorofchange.org/go/245950?t=21&akid=42331%2E3399430%2EH3zyHj
13. Ibid.
14. Ibid.
15. "Glynn County police chief, 3 ex-officers booked into jail." News 4 Jax. https://act.colorofchange.org/go/245952?t=23&akid=42331%2E3399430%2EH3zyHj16. "Legislation first step to abolishing county police department." The Brunswick News. https://act.colorofchange.org/go/245953?t=25&akid=42331%2E3399430%2EH3zyHj
17. #iRunwithMaud. Our Prism. https://act.colorofchange.org/go/245950?t=27&akid=42331%2E3399430%2EH3zyHj

*** 

          

From the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe:

As a further update, the hearing that was originally scheduled for May 7, 2020 for the preliminary injunction against the Department of the Interior (DOI) to halt its efforts to disestablish the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe's reservation, has been pushed to Wednesday, May 20, 2020.

The hearing will be held via video conference with public access available through the Court's public teleconference. Notably, for now, the DOI has agreed to extend the Tribe's Land in Trust status until June 5. 

Until that time, your efforts directed to Senator Hoeven, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, asking him to support the Tribe's pending legislation (HR312, the Mashpee Wampanoag Reservation Reaffirmation Act) will be especially helpful.  Here again is a script you can use:

My name is __________ and I reside at ____________ in [City], [State].  I am a proud supporter of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and am calling to voice my strong opposition to Secretary Bernhardt’s recent directive to disestablish the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Reservation and to ask Congress to act quickly to enact HR 312 -- the Mashpee Wampanoag Reservation Reaffirmation Act.  

They are the first peoples of this land and extended their hands to the European settlers in peace and friendship. I am calling to urge Senator Hoeven to lead the effort to protect their Reservation from being disestablished on his watch.      

I urge Chairman Hoeven to take the steps needed to pass the bi-partisan legislation, HR 312, that already has been passed by the House and now awaits Senate action. 

I want to ensure that my message reaches the ears of Senator Hoeven and is shared with the rest of the Senate Committee for Indian Affairs. Thank you. 

To call: (202-224-2551)
To email:  send to both

1.  Mike_Andrews@indian.senate.gov 

2.  https://www.hoeven.senate.gov/contact/email-the-senator

With gratitude and hope for a positive outcome.

***

From Beyond the Bomb

In the midst of a global pandemic, we need stable leadership more than ever. President Trump’s handling of the crisis has been unsettling, to say the least. Now is not the time for him to be beefing with Dr. Anthony Fauci, the longtime director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Take Action: Don’t Fire Fauci!

Trump’s coronavirus task force certainly isn’t the most inspiring, but Dr. Fauci is an experienced health expert who knows what he’s talking about more than anyone else in the administration. His expertise in this time of national and global crisis cannot be taken for granted.

That’s why it’s especially concerning that Trump recently retweeted a post with the hashtag #FireFauci in it. As a result, we’ve joined a number of other organizations to endorse a Daily Kos petition urging Trump not to fire Dr. Fauci.

The COVID-19 crisis has exacerbated the inequalities already present in our country. Communities that have been exposed to radiation from nuclear weapons production and testing , like Navajo Nation, are already more susceptible to contracting coronavirus. Thus, unstable leadership on the coronavirus task force directly impacts the health of these communities. We’re ensuring that communities have the care they need during this time, and that’s why we’re calling on Trump to not fire Dr. Fauci. 

Please join us to demand that Trump not cut ties with Dr. Fauci, arguably the most competent member of the administration’s coronavirus task force. 
 
In solidarity,
Tristan and the Beyond the Bomb team