@allyn I hope I'm here for it. I just found out one of my cousins died - it was sudden. Her sister died a couple of months ago and she was devastated. We all were - we're a close family. And the situation in the country - she was taking it very hard. Frankly I think she just gave up. This year has been very discouraging, and the last few years have been awful.
I think what you say is probably right, but I do not appreciate the way things were handled before this.
One hamburger too many - I love it.
Sorry! I think my message was unclear. I only wanted to share with you what I have seen/feel the future holds. It seems to be more or less in line with other predictions here. I certainly don't want anyone not to vote or do anything drastic. Some of you have shared your visions of the future and I wanted to chip in with my small bit. I don't normally have any insights of the future but felt this shift in 2020 (hence me finding this forum) and because of that I am carefully optimistic about the rest of my vision.
As I have seen it things are already unfolding as planned and the opportunists will soon enough have their luck change. I just wanted to share that. If, against all odds, the nightmare continues after november, so not despair. It shouldn't last for very long after that if I'm right. It will be just long enough for them to think they've won and then they will be sitting alone in a mess of their own making.
That being said I do hope this ends long before that.
The state of Minnesota launched a sweeping civil rights probe into the Minneapolis Police Department on Tuesday, a week after an officer allegedly killed a black man during an arrest, officials said.
The probe, stemming from the death of George Floyd, will be designed to root out "systemic racism that is generations deep," Gov. Tim Walz told reporters.
The Minnesota of Department of Human Rights is filing a commissioner's charge of discrimination and launch a civil right investigation against the Minneapolis Police Department," Walz said.
The investigation will review MPD's policies, procedures and practices over the last 10 years to determine if the department has utilized systemic discriminatory practices towards people of color."
The Minneapolis City Council said it would assist.
"We welcome and fully support the Minnesota Department of Human Rights’ robust investigation of the Minneapolis Police Department," according to a council statement.
"We urge the state to use its full weight to hold the Minneapolis Police Department accountable for any and all abuses of power and harms to our community and stand ready to aid in this process as full partners."
The city lawmakers said their efforts to oversee its police department have "been historically constrained by the City Charter and state law" so they "welcome new tools to pursue transformational, structural changes."
We shall see what happens
It won't be from lack of trying, of course. Trump and some of his minions talk as though they want one. For the last few years, we have had one crisis over another.
But have you noticed that Trump supporters are no where to be seen?
Unfortunately I am seeing this in my city (Philadelphia). Lots of people took to the streets last night with bats and other weapons (someone I saw via video footage had a hatchet) to "protect" their neighborhood from the protestors. In a shocking twist, the police interacted with them nicely and otherwise left them alone. Lots of footage of it.
Thankfully the violence was minimal -- a few people were punched, I think, but that's par for the course in Philly -- but I fear more is to come.
There is a local "Neighborhood Watch" group on FB that my sister-in-law added me to. Everyone is so afraid of the riots showing up at their front door. LITERALLY at their front door, and we're out in the suburbs. I wanted to leave the group but decided to stay in order to keep an eye on it. Nearly every single person comments to say they are "locked and loaded." I could cry.
Then you have people commenting, "There are three people protesting in front of the Acme at the corner of A and B. They look like Antifa!" I'm like, calm down you friggin nut. You're talking about three high schoolers. Jesus Mary and Joseph!
Anyway, I tried reporting the group to Facebook for incitement of violence but was told it did not break FB's guidelines.
God save us.
@suspira44, I am very sorry to hear about your cousins. It must be so hard, especially with your family being close. I will be praying for you and your family.
suspira44, I hope that I'm here for it too. I'll be turning 68 soon. I am exhausted. We all need a break. I do believe that I have more to offer this world. We all do.
I have a question for the community: is anyone getting a feeling that something is about to explode? I don't know if explode is the right word, but it feels like something big. Today I feel like I want to jump out of my skin. I often feel that way when something is around the corner. It feels like something more than anxiety. Perhaps what is growing in the collective is so massive, that's what I'm picking up on? Or is it more specific?
Sorry for the delay in response. I had a lot of catching up to do. Lol
Even though you will never fully see it, its not that hard to understand the world thru your son's eyes. My wife is black, our daughter is mixed, and we are adopting twin black boys at the moment. I knew the divide existed, but when I started to sit back and observe the world alone vs when I was with my wife and kids, the differences were clear as day. Sit back and look at how the world treats you alone and how they treat your son when he is with you. Then have a conversation with him about how he sees it. That will give you all the insight a parent needs.
Also, there is no need to asterisk the statement that he is your son. Biology has no effect on who a real parent/child is. He is your son with no explanation necessary.
Oh, I'm not sleeping. We are all blowing in the winds of time right now. Meditating helps and brings me peace.
Outside of meditation, I'm thinking about Kent State and have been for two days now. All day long, Kent State comes to mind. I remember my mother crying when the National Guard killed peaceful protesters on the campus of Kent State. I was college age myself then. So, there's that. My gut says this whole presidential reality TV drama about calling in the military to protect us from protesters is going to end badly. Anyone can see it. This is a recipe for disaster.
Three pieces of pizza aside, I am hopeful of getting some rest tonight.
I'm crying, your post is so funny and so very true. I feel like I know these people in that Facebook group. Mass hysteria is crazy. LOL
I don't know how to share it, but there is a video in the Orange nightmares response feed to his most recent tweet about the cop who was killed. It shows a black woman begging 3 uniformed military men to march with her. They couldn't leave their post without severe reprimand, but the knelt in unity with them. It reminded me of the famous flower in the gun barrel photo.
@deetoo - yeah Polarberry and I are both down for the count with migraines today. Pepsi for her and Mexican Coke for me LOL! I feel a little better, but yeah, I'm not stressed out and haven't eaten anything that should trigger a migraine. Sometimes I think the moon has some minor effect that snowballs. I know that in NoVa I got way more of them - every time the barometric pressure dropped I'd get one. There's something definitely happening - I feel a disturbance in the Force too.
@Bluebelle - I've had that Neil Young song in my head since Saturday... Let's see if I recall the lyrics correctly for those not familiar:
KENT STATE (Neil Young)
Tin soldiers and Nixon's coming,
We're finally on our own,
This summer I hear the drumming,
Four dead in Ohio.
Gotta get down to it,
soldiers are gunning us down,
shoulda been gone long ago,
What would you do if you found her dead on the ground?
How can you run when you know?
@bluebelle, the past two days I've also been having those memories of Kent State. Yesterday that infamous picture of the Kent State shooting popped into my mind, and I said to my husband "I have a feeling that if troops are deployed, something bad is going to happen." Today what I felt was different and much more intense -- closer in time, maybe? I just couldn't calm down and barely ate my dinner.
Then two hours ago I heard Rachel Maddow report that T. has deployed about 700 members of the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division to Andrews AFB near D.C. Another 1400 soldiers are on standby, armed with riot gear and bayonets. Energetically I could feel some of these deployed servicemen -- they don't want to be part of this. My feeling of dread then left and I felt a sense of calm in my solar plexus. I even fell asleep on the sofa for about 45 minutes. As I am writing this post, the following lyrics from the Crosby Stills & Nash song "Chicago" are blaring in my head:
We can change the world
Re-arrange the world
It's dying ... if you believe in justice
It's dying ... and if you believe in freedom
It's dying ... let a man live his own life
It's dying ... rules and regulations, who needs them
Open up the door
I remember that song was written about the anti-Vietnam war protests that took place during the 1968 DNC convention in Chicago, as well as the trial of protest leaders who were charged with conspiracy to incite a riot. During the trial they gagged and chained the sole African American defendant to a chair in the courtroom, following his repeated outbursts in protest of the Judge's rulings.
At this moment I don't know what to make of it. I am calmer right now, but I still intend to raid my stash of chocolate. Pizza sounds good too, but I don't have any here!
Sleep well, my friend.
@laura-f, good Lord! We both got CS&N songs running in our heads ...
@laura-f and @polarberry, I'm sorry to hear about your migraines. Glad that the Pepsi/Mexican Coke helped a bit. I get migraines too, usually ocular, often stress-related -- been getting a lot more lately. Laura-f, you're right -- the NoVa barometric pressure doesn't help!
Some positivity - pics of things you wouldn't expect from the front lines of the protests: