Just another Saturday in June.
At the time of writing, the world looks pretty hopeless.
Minnesotan Democratic state representative Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark have died at the hands of a politically-motivated assassin who also grievously wounded Democratic state senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette. The perpetrator was disguised as a police officer and is still at large at the time of writing; he had made a list of other Democratic representatives to kill.
The President of the United States has organized a North Korean style military parade ostensibly to mark the US Army’s 250th anniversary and not at all to celebrate his 79th birthday that just happens to sit on the same day. 28 Abrams tanks, 28 Bradley Fighting Vehicles, and 6,700 soldiers will march on Washington in a brazenly authoritarian show of power that broadcast news media is happily painting as a fun day out.
Protests are scheduled across the nation to protest the current administration under a No Kings banner. The core organizational website reads: “They’ve defied our courts, deported Americans, disappeared people off the streets, attacked our civil rights, and slashed our services.” It is designed to be a peaceful protest. Meanwhile, peaceful protests in Los Angeles against ICE deportations have been met with federalized National Guard troops and 700 Marines, who have begun detaining civilians. Far right groups like the Proud Boys — many of whom were pardoned by President Trump after the Jan 6 insurrection — are discussing how to respond to the No Kings protests with violence.
Meanwhile, Israel and Iran are trading missiles, the situation in Gaza looks a lot like US-enabled ethnic cleansing, and the Ukrainian-Russian war continues apace.
Just another Saturday in June.
