John Funiciello

He plans to send in his no-name troops (drawn from whatever agency of law enforcement that he has under the Executive Branch), literally to battle demonstrators exercising their rights under the First Amendment. And battle, it will be, against unarmed civilians, so it is clear that it won’t be much of a battle for the Star Wars-like-equipped troopers of the president who thinks like he’s already a king.

It will be a long haul, but it needs to be done and, as Frederick Douglass said, “Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.” And on another occasion, he said, “The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.”

There needs to be a complete change of police culture and that doesn’t happen without changing the nation’s culture.

This time of chaos, with the COVID-19 pandemic and the demonstrations against police abuse of power, is a time of opportunity, a time when real change can be made. That’s why the fight for racial equality and justice for all must be combined with the environmental movement and all other movements for equal justice and against oppression in all its forms.

Trump has yet to call out the dogs, but he seems willing to do so. When he once saw cops holding the heads of suspects they were placing in their squad cars, he told the cops that they were being a little too gentle, that it would be okay to rough them up a bit. Lest we forget, these are suspects, not convicted criminals. His personal history shows his disdain, if not contempt, for minority citizens.

the rich nations need to start thinking of the needs of the poorer nations, if not for the people of those nations, but for the general health of humanity and the planet, including themselves.