Smell the fascism

They aren't even trying to hide it anymore. Not wanting to curb stomp some emotionally disturbed kid and/or taser the shit out of him and/or pepper spray him into a coma = being psychologically incompetent to be a police officer, in today's Soviet Amerika. And the good Sovoks cheer, because yay, it keeps the streets safe! Or they just cheer like the good plebes in George Orwell's 1984 who applaud when the newsreel shows a fighter plane strafing a boat full of Jewish refugees from Europe, and cheer as a small child is blown to pieces by bullets.

This is one scary-ass nation that I'm livin' in right now, is what I'm sayin'. And before you say "but the kid had to be beat down because he was crazy!", bull fucking shit. I've worked with emotionally disturbed kids before. If you have overwhelming force available to you and calmly explain the options, by and large you can talk'em down and get'em off to where they need to go without having to beat the crap out of'em. I mean, they're *crazy*, not *stupid*! But preferring to talk the kid down to beating the crap out of him clearly makes that policewoman unfit to be a police officer in today's Soviet Amerika. Yay, freedom. For some definition of "freedom" that looks suspiciously like stale freedom fries.

-- Badtux the Sovok Penguin

Bloggered up

Yah, Blogger just forced me to the "new Blogger". Maybe the "new blogger" will actually publish my music videos when I schedule them to be published, the last two days I had to manually force the videos to post hours after they were supposed to have been auto-posted.

So anyhow, Santa Monica College campus police pepper sprayed a 4 year old child last night. WTF is with campus cops and pepper spray? It's like their solution to any problem is, just spray. Now, you and me, if the meeting room is overcrowded yet students are still trying to get in, we might, like, adjourn the meeting and re-convene in one of the neighboring campus auditoriums. Like, duh! But see, that's because you and me, we're sane rational people. We're not campus flatfoots or their overlords on the Board of Trustees. If we were, we'd know that the *correct* solution to an overcrowded meeting room (required by California law to be open to the public) is to declare the meeting room overfull, and start pepper spraying everybody who wants to get in.

The saddest thing is that if you read the comments on the Gawker post above, you see so many people say "she shouldn't have had a child at a protest." But it wasn't a protest. It was a regularly scheduled meeting of the Board of Trustees, advertised and open to the public and required to be so by California's Constitution. Who expects violence at a Board of Trustees meeting? And there wasn't violence -- other than violence meted out by the campus police, who apparently feel so threatened by four year old children that they must pepperspray the little hellions. Man, that took balls. But not big brass clangin' ones. Marshmallows. Just sayin'.

- Badtux the "Pepper spray is not a condiment!" Penguin

Condiments

What is it with cops and pepper spray nowadays? They seem to view pepper spray as the next best thing to sliced bread. I wouldn't be surprised if they sprayed it as underarm deodorant, given how much they seem to like the stuff. Well, maybe not under their arms, but, rather, under the arms of random non-violent protesters, college students, and miscreant tardy middle schoolers at Jack Robey Junior High School in Pine Bluff, Arkansas.

Dear cops: This is a condiment:

This, on the other hand, is an instrument of torture used by third-world dictators everywhere to punish those who dare protest their rule, an instrument of torture which causes enormous pain and suffering on the part of the victim along with respiratory distress and the possibility of permanent eye damage:

Are there any questions?

-- Badtux the Snarky Penguin

Some things to think about

The current crony capitalist system in place since the Reagan Revolution dismantled the New Deal consensus that capitalism had to serve both labor and capital is requiring ever-increasing levels of repression to milk additional increments of wealth out of labor for the benefit of capital. Currently almost 5% of the U.S. population is either in jail, on probation, or otherwise involved in the correctional system. We have more people in prison both as a percentage and as a sum total than Stalin had in his gulags.

It was amazing to see the amount of police state brute force used against the Occupy movement. We're talking about a movement that, if it had been ignored, would have simply faded away within a few weeks because people would have gotten bored and moved on. Instead it was in the headlines for weeks because of the level of brutality used to suppress it. Why in the world were the oligarchs so panicked? It's because they have just about reached the end of the amount of force they can apply to eke out tiny increments of wealth out of the labor of the 99%. When you're already applying as much force as Stalin applied, you're reaching the point where it costs more to apply additional force than you'll get as a return on that additional force.

At this point I want to mention something called "retreat mining". In pillar-and-room mining of large shelves of valuable mineral, pillars and walls of valuable ore are left standing to hold the roof up. Once the shelf has been exploited to its full extent, then starting at the back of the mine, and moving forward, the pillars and walls are systematically pulled out and as the process moves towards the front of the mine, the back part of the mine starts caving in behind them. The goal is to outrun that process of collapse, get all that valuable ore out that had been wasted as pillars and walls to hold the ceiling out, and if the whole mine ends up collapsing behind you after you get the last bits of ore out of the last pillars and walls, well who cares, right? This reminds me of what our elites are now starting to do. Because the cost of the violence to hold up the walls / keep the system from collapsing is so expensive, they're now retreat-mining -- cutting police forces and fire departments (San Jose now has fewer cops than in the early 70's when it was literally half its current size), cramming more and more prisoners into less and less space with fewer and fewer prison guards in order to save money, etc. They're hoping they can suck the very last resources out of the economy and spirit them off to safety (where?) before the whole system collapses.

Will it work? Who's going to stop them? Us silly flightless waterfowl babbling on the Internets? I don't think so! But at least there will be this record, some time in the future, of what they are doing...

-- Badtux the Violence Penguin

The TSA Follies

So, fresh from their victories over the cupcakes of mass destruction, deadly hair weaves, and colostomy bags of terror, the TSA has a new target: Girls. Seems that of the passengers that are "randomly selected" to go through the "porno scanners", a disproportionate number are women. Usually *attractive* women. Because, y'see, the porno scanner operators are mostly male.

But you can refuse to go through the scanner and opt for a pat-down instead. Of course, given the bull dykes that the TSA hires to do the patdowns of female passengers, I'm not sure whether, if I was a straight woman, I'd find that any more acceptable...

Is it any wonder that over 500 Americans per year die because they drove long tiresome distances rather than subject themselves to this indignity?Congratulations, TSA -- you've killed more Americans over the past six years than the 9/11 attackers did, all without capturing -- or even *detecting* -- a single terrorist. Way to go, gang! (And I do mean "gang", since you TSA gang-bangers have killed more Americans than the Crips and Bloods combined, and have just as distinctive a uniform).

-- Badtux the Sovok Penguin

The Toe Sucking Assholes (TSA) Strike Again

British tourists deported for tweeting British slang for "party". Because they might dig up Marilyn Monroe. Or somethin'.

TSA calls the bomb squad to remove two 'pipe bombs' that they'd already determined were harmless -- six hours previously!

And that's just the past two days, that's not including the cupcakes of mass destruction, Star Wars light sabre of horror, butter knife confiscated from pilot (who, remember, is at the helm of a 100,000 pound weapon of mass destruction and can crash it by simply pushing the wheel forward while the copilot is out of the cockpit), a 4-inch plastic rifle from a GI Joe action doll (whoa, now *that* is a deadly terror weapon!), and a baby's baby rattle.

Let's face facts: The TSA is, by and large, an overglorified workfare program for people too stupid to work at a fast food restaurant. Can we just put the TSA on welfare and keep them out of the airports? It would be both cheaper and better for our country's reputation.

-- Badtux the Snarky Penguin

Google: Still evil.

Google + is notorious for not allowing pseudonyms. Today, Google said they'll allow some pseudonyms. But only under very specific circumstances.

They don't get it. Using your real name on the Internet is fine if all you're doing is sharing recipes with your grandkids. But if you're engaging in political discussion on the Internet, using your real name can be dangerous to your health and safety. In repressive fascist regimes, using your real name on the Internet and espousing politics that are not sanctioned by the heads of the fascist brownshirts can result in your child's cat being cruely murdered, your car windows smashed and tires slashed, or even being shot and killed.

It's as if they want to shut up all us political types. Evil. Simply evil. That is all.

-- Badtux the Pseudonymous Penguin

Yay

Obama agrees to sign bill saying he can indefinitely detain anybody -- including American citizens -- arrested by the military.

Yay, the land of the, uhm, well, not so free, but home of the, err, well, not exactly brave either, now that I think of it. U S A! U S A! We're number... well... not exactly #1 in anything except body count, but hey, that's okay, right? Right?!

At least the Soviet Union gave you a show trial before disappearing you. Just sayin'.

-- Badtux the Disgusted Penguin

Trials are overrated

I mean, they sometimes result in people going free. When everybody knows that the police would *never* arrest an innocent person, and thus this results in dusky fellers walkin' the streets who ought to be in jail, not outside jail leering at our white womens and taunting us good God-fearin' white men with their long... err... trombones.

It just ain't right, ain't right I say! Which is why we need this law that says the military can lock up anybody, any time, without trial, even an American citizen, just by claiming that said citizen is a "terrorist". I mean, I feel terrorized by them dusky-skinned fellers, and by them young hippie folks with their drum circles and shit too, so why shouldn't we be able to lock one of'em up without trial anytime some white person somewhere feels threatened? I mean, it ain't as if they're real Americans, god-fearing white male Americans, after all!

Now, some fellers say, "well, they can pass this law, but the Supreme Court will just say it violates the Constitution and nullify it." You mean a Supreme Court packed with Republican-nominated judges? *SNORT!* All I gotta say is, are you fucking kiddin' me? Really? Alrighty, then!

-- Badtux the Republican Penguin

Must See

Wonkette today features A Children’s Treasury of American Cops Brutally Attacking Citizens. Like a fashion show of fascism, yo.

But never fear. The Atlantic's editor sez it's not the fault of the cops. Because of course they are just following orders. And if those orders called for a Final Solution? Well...

-- Badtux the Snarky Penguin

Bitter rain

As I type this, police officers are beating students in Berkeley. At least one student is lying bleeding on the ground and ambulances are being kept away by the police until the situation is "secured", whatever that means. Meanwhile, in Pennsylvania the Penn State students are rioting over the firing of Joe Paterno and the cops are just standing around with their nightsticks stuck up their asses, because hey, it's just kids letting off steam, it's not as if they were threatening the profits of the 1% or anything, right?

To say that I am disgusted beyond belief is an understatement. I cannot blog further on this tonight. So I will give you some bonus music that is all too fitting:

-- Badtux the Sickened Penguin

Is the Black Bloc a COINTELPRO operation?

It happens over and over again, wherever a successful left-wing protest movement is underway. A peaceful march is going along, and suddenly mysterious black-clad ninja wannabes step out of the crowd and start throwing rocks through windows and throwing rocks, bottles, and firecrackers at police officers. In response, TV news shows only the violence and covers the cause that the protest was about not at all, newspapers print outraged editorials about how violent, vile and despicable left-wingers are, and the majority of people shake their heads and turn on Rush Limbaugh, who, after all, has never thrown a brick through a window.

Is the Black Bloc a COINTELPRO operation? That's certainly a question worth asking. The fact that they show up *only* at left-wing protests, not at any other events that attract crowds, is rather... odd. As is the fact that they show up in geographically far-removed places with no visible means of funding for such widespread travelling. And while the Black Bloc claims to be anarchists, anarchists of my acquaintance have nothing but disdain for the Black Bloc and their tactics, pointing out that smashing the windows of a Starbucks is hardly the same thing as smashing the power structures that anarchists believe must be removed in order to bring anarcho-paradise of voluntary syndics of like-minded people blah de blah.

So asking the question, "who funds the Black Bloc and arranges for them to arrive at left-wing protests" is hardly the odd question it might first seem. They show up in too many unlikely places to be there accidentally and appear to have no agenda other than to cause property destruction and general annoyance to police officers. If they are not paid provocateurs, they certainly behave like such. Note that I'm not saying that the individual members of the Black Bloc are all employees of X (for some mysterious X), but whoever is guiding and influencing them certainly seems to be very successful at generating news stories that discredit left-wing causes and it's certainly a reasonable question to ask, "is this a COINTELPRO operation intended to discredit left-wing causes?". Just sayin'.

-- Badtux the Cavuto Penguin

Another vet almost killed by Oakland PD

This time they got a Ranger, Kayvan Sabeghi.

Now, the spin the officials are going to put on it is "he was violent and resisting arrest and thus had to be subdued by force." At which point I ask: Where are the bodies?

Uhm, bodies, you ask? Yes, bodies. If a U.S. Army Ranger is violent, people die. That's sorta the whole point of being a U.S. Army Ranger. And lest you say, "but he was unarmed and the policemen were armed!", dude. That doesn't matter. Not at all. If you're close enough to a Ranger to put your billy club on him, if he wants you dead, you are *DEAD*. Period.

Those cops are damned lucky that Sabeghi was *not* violent, or there would be a *lot* of funerals today. One of them undoubtedly Sabeghi's, but probably five or six cops woulda ended up dead too before they got him down. So keep that in mind as the officials spin and spin and spin. Rangers are hardcases. If a Ranger decides on a course of violence, there *will* be bodies. There are no bodies here. Draw your own conclusion.

-- Badtux the Military Penguin

Update: Aside from being a former U.S. Army Ranger, Kayvan is a small businessman who co-owns a popular brew pub and was walking towards his home when he was accosted by the police. So we ain't exactly talkin' about no dirty fuckin' hippy here, we're talkin' about the Oakland PD did the beat-down not only on a war hero, but on a genu-wine JOB CREATOR. Yay Oakland. If you was tryin' to solidify your claim as the hellhole of California, u're doin' it rite.

The law is for the little people...

not for the cops of the NYPD.

Just following orders? Dude. The NYPD's union is fucking'a righteous. If cops were being ordered to do illegal shit that the cops didn't want to do, you better believe that the union would file grievances out the yinyang. Which they didn't. Why? 'Cause fixing tickets was just fine with the rank and file of the NYPD. Duh.

But let's not forget, the law is for us little people, not for the jackboots. Rule of law? In what country? You mean in Soviet America? Puh-LEEZE....

-- Badtux the Sovok Penguin

Quote of the day

A former police officer says, regarding the Oakland police riot yesterday evening and the video of the Oakland PD taking out former Marine Scott Olsen because, apparently, it's okay only to fight for our freedoms, not to use them:

Seeing those cops standing around while someone is injured, laying in the streets, really pisses me off. That is not how a professional police officer reacts, that is how a gang reacts. The Oakland PD is just another California gang.

-- Badtux the Can't-say-it-better Penguin

Be careful out there

Bryan, a former New York cop, is annoyed by the NYPD brass blatantly ignoring New York State law and their own policy handbook. He especially points out that pepper-spraying someone in the eyes and hitting someone on the head with a truncheon are both actions that can result in permanent injury to the victim and thus are explicitly prohibited both in the NYPD policy manual and in New York state law.

I suppose what surprises me is just how blatant the NYPD is when it comes to committing illegal actions. It's not as if they have to do anything illegal in order to deal with the protests and protesters. They have plenty of experience with handling these kinds of things in a manner that complies with both the law and with their own policies that end up with protesters *not* having a nice day. So why the senseless violations of law and policy? It doesn't make sense, unless they're trying to gain support for OccupyWallStreet, which if that's what they're trying to do, they're doing a heckuva job, Bloomie.

-- Badtux the Law-and-order Penguin

A game of thugs

You'll notice that I haven't posted anything this past week about the "Occupy Wall Street" protests. That's because, by and large, they've been meaningless street theater along the lines of, "provoke the cops and then get videos of the results to show the world how mean the cops are." A perfect example is the following video, which has flown around the world and appeared in the news media of both Western democracies and various dictatorships that are using it to say "see? The USA does the same things to protesters that we do!":

The problem is that this means nothing, nada, zero, zilch to the average American. They'll nod and say "Yep, NYPD is brutal", and move on to the next thing on their agenda, because the average American doesn't live in NYC and the brutality of the NYPD is not of personal importance to them. If that was the goal -- to get their fellow Americans to say "Yep, NYPD is brutal" -- mission accomplished. Thing is, that wasn't the goal. Or was it? What WAS the goal, anyhow?

And that's the problem. You look at the above video, and what is most striking about the protesters is that they're young, they're hip, they're dressed in cool clothes, they're completely unlike most Americans. The chances of a non-hip American looking at these protesters and identifying with them as ordinary Americans is pretty much nil. Compare to this photograph:

These civil rights protesters are clearly mature middle-aged men dressed in suits and ties. They're not aliens dropped from another planet. They don't do "drum circles" or spend hours holding "assemblies" to decide what color the ink on the posters is supposed to be. They wouldn't know a patchouli from a partridge, and they wouldn't be caught dead in a tie-dye t-shirt in public. And their signs make no secret about what their objectives are: They want equal opportunity, they want an end to government segregated schools, they want equal rights under the law.

The reason the protests led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. succeeded is because the protesters looked like dignified adults, not like slovenly children on a day trip to the city, and because their demands were serious, focused, and well articulated, not an incoherent chanting of anarchist rant alongside anti-capitalist rant alongside progressive rant. And it took place day after day, year after year, for literally a decade without stop. That is why we remember the success of the Civil Rights movement -- and why we will not remember this "Occupy Wall Street" thing a month from now.

-- Badtux the Protest Penguin

A word of advice

If you're a government agency and the only way you can deal with protests is by engaging in tactics more familiar from tyrannical dictatorships in the Middle East, such as, say, cutting off cell phone service or arresting reporters... maybe you, and not the protesters, are the problem? BART or, rather, the BART Police Department, has officially jumped the shark. Arresting reporters simply is not how it's done in a democracy. Just sayin'.

-- Badtux the Sovok Penguin

Welcome to National Pee Your Pants Day

Today is a national holiday where everybody pees their pants on command while chanting "Save me, oh kindly Big Brother!". We are supposed to either cower in terror that Zombie Dead Osama is coming to get us, or we're supposed to go grab our guns and go kill a darkie for Jeeeezus! The television airwaves today will be filled with death porn commemorating the murder of a couple thousand people in New York City and a few hundred elsewhere with Important People solemnly intoning "we shall never forget". The question of *what* we shall "never forget" is never asked. We've certainly forgotten the names and faces of those who died on September 11, 2001, after all. Well, unless you're one of those who lost a friend or relative in the attack, but folks who lost a friend or relative in the attack aren't one of the Important People who will be intoning "we shall never forget", they'll be someplace private where they can avoid all the death porn.

And let's not even think about all the hundreds of thousands of deaths of innocent civilians and not-so-innocent soldiers (both American and otherwise) that were "justified" by the fact that "them darkies attacked us!" (for any random darkies that had nothing to do with the 9/11 attacks, such as Iraqis, the Taliban, and so forth), or the loss of civil liberties where you now must accede to an anal probe and carry an internal passport oops "government-issued ID" if you want to travel more than a few hundred miles from your home or even vote in many states (gosh , just like the Soviet Union!), or any of that. No no, this is a solemn day, where we worship death while whipping out our big swinging dicks and, like, jizzin' *all over*, not just on our own country, but in random other places overseas where we swing our dicks and jizz all over'em just because, well, because we can.

So it goes. It's enough to drive a penguin to the sauce. Herring sauce, that is.

-- Badtux the Rude Penguin

Quote of the day

"I have stood by the officers since Day One, and I will not waver from that position because they have done nothing wrong." -- Denver police union president Nick Rogers, explaining that beating senseless random people on the street then lying about it under oath is just expected police behavior, and it's thus wrong to punish cops for doing it.

-- Badtux the Snarky Penguin