Thought for the Day

But, the question is, why Portland?

"Between 1 January 2020 and 30 July 2021, Portland saw 128 demonstrations that were violent and/or destructive, amounting to 31% of the total number of demonstrations in the city in that period. This was more than 10 times higher than the national average of 3% of demonstrations becoming violent or destructive.

In the same time period, Portland saw 21 armed demonstrations – about 4% of all armed demonstrations across the country in that time. Fourteen of those – or 67% – turned violent or destructive in that period, whereas only 16% of armed demonstrations did in the country as a whole."
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/...otest-violence

My sense is that geographically Portland is caught in between two worlds. Lots of progressive activism in Northern California and in Washington state but there are also a lot of militias and white supremacists in the pacific northwest. It's not all that close together up there but it seems almost like it's become a meeting ground for right wing and left wing radicals to engage in street fighting.

Often times right wing groups like the proud boys will seek out areas where there are a lot of left-wing activists because that is where they believe problems are. So they were starting shit at UC Berkeley in San Fran and they sense they can cause a big stir in Portland as well.

I had not realised how weird California's recall election system is until I read this article.
https://www.vox.com/22617048/califor...om-larry-elder

The incumbent Newsom has to get over 50% of the vote on the recall question to stay in office. If he fails, he will be replaced by the candidate (out of 46) who gets the most votes on the second question. This means that a Governor supported by 49.9% of voters could be replaced by somebody supported by less than half that. American democracy is nuts.

To add to the weirdness, the Democrat Party has opted for what looks like a risky strategy of focussing only on defeating the recall question and not nominating a serious alternative candidate for the second question.

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Originally Posted by filghy2

I had not realised how weird California's recall election system is until I read this article.
https://www.vox.com/22617048/califor...om-larry-elder

The incumbent Newsom has to get over 50% of the vote on the recall question to stay in office. If he fails, he will be replaced by the candidate (out of 46) who gets the most votes on the second question. This means that a Governor supported by 49.9% of voters could be replaced by somebody supported by less than half that. American democracy is nuts.

To add to the weirdness, the Democrat Party has opted for what looks like a risky strategy of focussing only on defeating the recall question and not nominating a serious alternative candidate for the second question.

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Yes,it's just nuts!:iagree:

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Originally Posted by broncofan

My sense is that geographically Portland is caught in between two worlds. Lots of progressive activism in Northern California and in Washington state but there are also a lot of militias and white supremacists in the pacific northwest. It's not all that close together up there but it seems almost like it's become a meeting ground for right wing and left wing radicals to engage in street fighting.

Often times right wing groups like the proud boys will seek out areas where there are a lot of left-wing activists because that is where they believe problems are. So they were starting shit at UC Berkeley in San Fran and they sense they can cause a big stir in Portland as well.

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:iagree: Yes I lived in Portland in the early 1970's and have family there and visit Portland and the Long Beach Peninsula at least once a year (we have a family beach house in Long Beach,WA) . Lots of "Skinhead " types visible there now.

“Our creator endowed us with the right to life and yet millions of children lose their right to life every year because of abortion,” -Greg Abbott

“Our creator endowed us with the right to life and I have authorized the execution of 50 prisoners on death row who lost their right to life because of me…”Greg Abbott

Funny old world, innit?

You could also add to the list of contradictions their attitudes toward deaths from guns, Covid, police brutality, poverty, lack of access to health car, etc. Life is apparently sacred up to the point of birth; after that it becomes a lesser concern. Other peoples' freedom is paramount over safety for those actually living; the reverse applies for potential lives.

A lot of Republicans also place an enormous amount of value on the life of Ashli Babbitt, a clown who tried to climb through a shattered window into the House Chamber and was shot and killed. Apparently they don't think the life of an unarmed Black person resisting arrest has any value but a white woman being shot while trying to enter the House Chamber inside the capitol during an attempted insurrection is an example of tyranny. Really obvious racism and hypocrisy. If ever there were a justifiable shooting it was that one.

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Originally Posted by broncofan

A lot of Republicans also place an enormous amount of value on the life of Ashli Babbitt, a clown who tried to climb through a shattered window into the House Chamber and was shot and killed. Apparently they don't think the life of an unarmed Black person resisting arrest has any value but a white woman being shot while trying to enter the House Chamber inside the capitol during an attempted insurrection is an example of tyranny. Really obvious racism and hypocrisy. If ever there were a justifiable shooting it was that one.

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Another example of the Trump Enablers Party trying to distract and change the narrative of what happened on Wednesday January 6th 2021.And completely agree that it is racism and hypocrisy from the Trump Enablers Party. And the shooting was justifiable.

House Minority Kevin McCarthy is threatening companies that might participate in the January 6 select committee 's investigation,saying Republicans will remember they involvement when the GOP comes back into power. Kevin McCarthy is afraid that when the companies hand over phone records to the January 6 select committee,it's going to implicate Republican Members of Congress. and Kevin McCarthy knows is that the GOP is going serious trouble,and is trying everything he can to prevent the truth about what happen on that dark day from coming out. and in the end his efforts will fail and the truth will be revealed.