What the left has devolved to.

[Bob Butler 54]

(02-02-2017, 03:30 AM)taramarie Wrote: Sorry I prefer to not smear everyone as the same because they aren't.

Yep.  The folks on the furthest extremes make a lot of noise and don't represent a lot of folk.  I sympathize with neither Yiannopoulos or the black clad protestors.

CBS described Yiannopoulos as follows...

CBS Wrote:Yiannopoulos, a 32-year-old right-wing provocateur, is a vocal supporter of President Trump and a self-proclaimed internet troll whose comments have been criticized as racist, misogynist, anti-Muslim and white supremacist. He was banned from Twitter after leading a harassment campaign against “Ghostbusters” actress Leslie Jones.

As a general rule, I suspect if Trump continues to ignore non-violent protest, continuing his policies without showing any sign that protests will effect him, the protests aren't apt to stay non-violent.  I'm not advocating violent protest, but I anticipate protests are going to get more violent.  Trumps persona is not one that backs down.

I've been trying to watch the spiral of violence, and this does seem to break new ground, at least in recent history.  This was organized and thought through.  The black clad protestors were masked and had a uniform of sorts.  With video cameras everywhere these days, this seems prudent.  The style of uniform reminds me more of the KKK than the fascists of the 1930s.  The old fascists wore pseudo military outfits and left their faces exposed.  Still, if you are trying to ask whether a group more resembles the brownshirts or the KKK, they aren't nice people.

It does not remind me much of the 1960s protests.  There were few masks and no uniforms back then.  The crowds of protestors were much much larger.  Early days, though.

While the black clad agitators were reported as throwing molotov cocktails and commercial grade fireworks, there were apparently no major injuries?  While the action was correctly described as violent, this suggests that the protestors were ready to take it only so far.

The next question is whether this is a one off or a template for an ongoing series of incidents.  Also, will Trump escalate?  I've often said it takes two to spiral.  If both sides are trying to intimidate the other into backing down, things are most likely to get out of hand.  Since Ruby Ridge, Waco and OKC, the federals have treated right wing militants with kid gloves, trying not to escalate violence or create martyrs.  We'll see what Trump's approach is.  A true fascist demagogue might use the incident as an excuse to mobilize the secret police.  I personally don't think he is a true fascist demagogue, but we'll have a chance to find out.