Welcome to Denton, Texas, where a 69 year old black man holding up a sign protesting the town square's Confederate monument (which had been defaced by a spray painted message suggesting it was "racist" that very morning) was confronted by an irate screaming racist-invective-hurling white resident
waving a loaded AR-15 rifle.
Witnesses said Passariello appeared agitated and unreasonable during the confrontation.
“He was, like, angry and he was jostling [the gun] like this,” Rinkleff said, motioning as if moving a gun at his hip. “I didn’t know if he had the safety on, I didn’t know if that gun was going to go off at any moment. I would say he was pointing the muzzle toward people as he talked. I was worried.”
Ah, but in Texas showing up screaming in the town square while waving a loaded assault rifle is, because guns, perfectly legal. Police summoned to the scene told Passariello that he should put his weapon on a sling rather than gripping it tightly in his angry trembling hands because that way it would be harder for someone to "steal" it, but the angry crazy armed person was breaking no Texas laws, because guns, and so there was little else to be done.
That was Monday. By Tuesday evening, the shock of the incident had inspired other residents to stage a counter-protest at the same Confederate statue. Was it to show solidarity with the black man and his decade-plus long battle to remove the monument to Confederate defenders of institutional slavery? No. No, it was not. The reason five or so area residents took to the monument Tuesday evening was to defend their right to carry loaded guns in the town square, which is an entirely sensible thing to do and ought not be made to look bad by one unhinged screaming racist exercising his own right to do just that.
“We’re out here to protest the sickening behavior of yesterday,” said Ian McDougal, Lake Dallas resident openly carrying a loaded AR-15, concealed revolver and “Don’t Tread On Me” flag. “It’s ruining the charm of this town.”
And so the rights of the AR-15 were defended that day, and the charm of Denton, Texas was saved by the bearded man in the camouflage cap with a gun strapped to his waist and another slung across his back so that he could properly and more effectively carry the flag signaling his resistance to the government-backed oppression of his people, good and decent people, the people of the loaded gun.
As for the Confederate monument, it remains in place.
Blast from the Past. At Daily Kos on this date in 2008—Andrea Mitchell Lectures Us On Media Responsibility:
Not that she doesn't have a point... on MSNBC this morning last night, referring to the footage of Obama hitting a basket in front of the troops, and the other trip photos, Andrea Mitchell said something like
Let me just say something about the message management. He didn't have reporters with him, he didn't have a press pool, he didn't do a press conference while he was on the ground either in Afghanistan or Iraq. What you're seeing is not reporters brought in, you're seeing selected pictures taken by the military, questions by the military and what some would call fake interviews because they're not interviews from a journalist. |
Interesting point. Andrea's right when she says the military ought not to be in the business of journalism, and we should be skeptical of what we are seeing.
I'm sure this emphasis on skepticism is exactly what she said when reporters were embedded during the war. And when the statue of Saddam came down (the wide shot showing hardly anyone there, but the close-up making it seem like a spontaneous crowd had gathered.)
And this is what she said when McCain walked around the Iraqi market in a flak jacket without the shots of his guard, repeating the point day and night (like now) so that everyone understood it.
I'm almost certain that Andrea warned us to be skeptical when George Bush maneuvered the aircraft carrier for a better backdrop for his Mission Accomplished stunt.
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On
today's Kagro in the Morning show,
Greg Dworkin rounds up news on the 2016 players of the day. First, there's TRUMP! The next white, working class hero! Somehow! Oh, and there's also kasich. The former (future?) Fox news employee is also in the running for president. But why?
Arliss Bunny has an idea. New video of the Sandra Bland arrest adds layer upon layer of new questions. And from the wide world of 'What Could Go Wrong?' we have stories about self-driving cars and remotely hackable cars, plus the latest trend for self-styled militia types: guarding military recruiting centers.
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