Generational Dynamics World View

[Bob Butler 54]

Let’s go down the groups that are instigating and participating violence.

We’ll start with the racist violent policing, the bad cops.  There is no doubt they are racist and violent.  If you feel like murdering someone of color, then do.  I also put them red.  The Democrats proposed laws to curb the racist violent police that did things like ban chokeholds and make a cop who does not stop an illegal racist violent act an accomplice, at least partially responsible for the action.  The Republicans offered a counter bill which offered to study the problem.  No teeth.  It resulted in no change.  Thus, I would label them as red and violent.

The military is not supposed to be partisan, is not supposed under the law to act unless invited in by the governor.  Famously, the original Constitution gave the federal government no police powers.  This did not slow Trump down about the time he wanted to hold his Bible photo op.  The secretary of defense wearing camouflage was put in change of all things violent.  Military helicopters tried to intimidate protestors.  I suspect the pentagon quietly put their foot down.  It stopped.  While for a while the military would be rated as violent and red, after a brief time it stopped.

Trump turned to his secret police.  As I said, the feds officially have no police power.  Still, they have agencies and manpower dedicated to defending federal buildings, guarding federal prisons, inspecting ports and manning borders.  The FBI is often involved in kidnappings and cross state border crimes.  Anyway, Trump stripped his people of identification of what agency they came from and who they were, and instigated and committed violence.  As they were following Trump’s orders, they would be labeled as red.  As they ran afoul of the local governors for making the violence worse, they eventually were sent home.  Much like the military, for a time they were red and violent, then their time was past.  Not much has been seen of them lately.  It was the blue governor’s seeking control of peace efforts who had much to do ending their time.

There are instigating militias active near Portland.  They are loyal to Trump.  They have equipped themselves with with paint ball guns and real guns and have travelled from rural to urban areas in order to instigate and commit violence.  Trump has declined to rebuke them.  They would be red and violent.

The Boogaloo Bois want boogaloo.  They are violent.  These days they usually use Black Lives Matter as cover, which might make them seem blue allies.  However, Black Lives Matter to not promote violence, and the Boogaloo Boys would use any protest as cover.  They will go to whatever protest exists.  As they are generally in opposition to both the red or blue factions, seeking to overthrow the government, it is hard to pin them down on the red blue scale.  They are motivated by something different.  What is common is that they are opposed by both red and blue groups.  Both groups will encourage the good cops to arrest and prosecute them.  Everyone else tends to renounce them.

There are vigilante groups.  They are often well armed.  They defend themselves, their families, their neighborhoods, and in their way enforce the law.  This is what the founding fathers envisaged.  Classic Xer claims to be part of one such group.  It would not surprise me if there were more such groups both red and blue.  As long as the take a defensive role and stay where they live, this seems fine.  This is the first group I have no trouble with.

There are the KKK, the Neo Nazi, and Antifa.  All three would rather protest than use violence.  All three are quite ready to use violence if they have too.  The KKK and Neo Nazi are generally considered right leaning, Antifa blue.  If they leave it as protest, fine.  If they instigate and use violence, not fine.  They might include people who will drive through a crowd or suddenly escalate things from non lethal to lethal levels.  Antifa are anti fascists.  Originally, Antifa countered KKK and Neo Nazi presence.  These days Black Lives Matter, and Antifa might be found near them.  The side that instigates and escalates the trouble is the one I consider more at fault.

The looters are not political.  They are neither red nor blue, generally.  They are out for themselves.  The locals do not like them.  Black Lives Matter do not like them.  The vigilantes don’t like them.  The militias do not like them.  The good cops do not like them.  The bad cops do not like them.  Trump does not like them.  Even Biden does not like them, and that is unusual.  I don’t like them.  If somebody wants to give them a color, they can, but I would paint them a dark shade of grey.

There are the rural militia.  They are clearly red and not yet violent.  They seem to care more about protecting their Second Amendment rights that advocating other causes.  I have not noted them as being active yet.

There is Black Lives Matter.  They are into protest.  Protest is a protected First Amendment right.  As long as they hold to that, do not insist that they hold their protest outside of federal courthouses or police union buildings, let them protest.  If you choose targets that can defend themselves, indeed are itching to defend themselves, you are letting the Boogaloo Boys instigate and commit violence.  Fireworks, brawls and arson are apt to follow.  For the most part they have learned this.  They are holding their protests far from the instigators, forcing the Boogaloo Boys to leave their cover to boogaloo.  Still, the instigators in places have learned to come to them.

And those are the single motives, most of them.  Individuals can and often do have multiple motives.  Someone may go to protest, but if an opportunity for looting arises become a looter.  Some may be peaceful and non violent until somebody else throws the first punch, but they are ready, willing and eager for that first punch.  Some are there to do their jobs, to follow orders, to enforce the law, but the other guys have a different skin pigmentation so they get aggressive.  If you try to label such a person violent or non violent, red or blue, you had best be ready to split hairs.

The two men arrested claimed to be Boogaloo Boys, militia, and Antifa.  Which?  What color are they supposed to be?  If you pretend to know the answer, your view is too simplistic.

What worries me is the various red violent groups, the bad cops, the military, the secret police and the mobile Trump supporters.  Trump supposedly is the law and order guy, but he seeks to escalate the violence.  To the extent that the protesters can keep away from the instigators, fine.  That leaves the Boogaloo Bois, looters and Trump supporters causing trouble today.

Thus, I am dubious about the idea that the violence is caused by Black Lives Matter.  The reds have been instigating a lot of it, but it is only a few reds.  Unfortunately, it only takes a few reds.  The people in the pick up trucks armed with paint guns and real guns are a tiny fraction of the reds, but they change the dynamic.  If the protesers strive to stay away from the instigators, if they avoid the federal courthouses and police union buildings, if the cops can go after the instigating reds, democracy will take over November third.