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Normalcy Bias, and the Bigger Picture #168121
09/23/2018 11:16 AM
09/23/2018 11:16 AM
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Normalcy Bias, Rojava, AntiFa, and the Bigger Picture


by NC Scout | Sep 21, 2018

It’s easy for many to dismiss AntiFa as nothing more than street thugs; little organization, little experience, little threat to anyone or anything other than at public demonstrations. After all its much easier to reduce an enemy in your head to nothing more than what you want to believe. While a lot of folks went to sleep after the 2016 election, others found a cause.

With the battlefields of Syria raging, anarchism and syndicalism found a natural home among the socialist Kurds of the Rojava region of northern Syria. Bordering Turkey to the north and Iraqi Kurdistan to the east, the Kurdish YPG (or People’s Protection Units in English) found itself in need of foreign volunteers. While Americans fighting ISIS in Iraq has been going on since the rapid rise in the extremists’ power, it was mostly limited to prior service Vets who had specific knowledge of the region. I was approached in mid-2015 as part of a group to aid the Peshmerga in Kirkuk who were concerned with not just ISIS but the expanding influence of Iran in Iraqi politics. I declined for many reasons, some personal, some not; we had bigger problems at home and despite what some think, they might be worse now.

With the Obama years waning and the election of President Trump, disaffected Leftists no doubt inspired by tales of the Socialist International and Anarchist Brigades of the Spanish Civil War found a new enemy in ISIS. Europeans, Canadians and Americans all flooded the Rojava region by 2017 looking for purpose, looking for revolution, and above all, looking to take the fight to what they saw as another form of fascism, the Islamic State. The Socialists, Anarchists, Syndicalists and Communists who comprise AntiFa saw common cause in what they named the “Rojava Revolution.”

Many of the volunteers lacked any sort of military experience, resulting in a brief guerrilla camp called only the Academy. Established to train them in the art of fire and maneuver, small arms marksmanship and crew-served weapons employment the month-long course was designed to rapidly create effective guerrilla fighters. Instructed by both veteran Peshmerga and battle-hardened foreign Communists, the course had seen success in many areas, including training informal Snipers to be used in Kobane. From Rolling Stone:

More foreigners arrived, all leftists, and they formed a sniper unit. “This was the first internationalist team,” Franceschi said, showing me a photo of himself in Kobani alongside a Spanish anarchist, a British Kurd and Keith Broomfield, the first American known to have died in the ranks of the YPG. “A lot of comrades were martyred during that time,” Franceschi said. “There was a lot of violence. But believe me, there was so much warmth. The conversation, the intimacy that you get knowing that you’re fighting for something and that you’re in the right. There were no ranks. You could go to your general, slap him behind his head and ask him for a cigarette. It was amazing. I had the time of my life, even though I lost my best friends there.”

The fundamental question is what happens to those battlefield skills once the war stops? The situation in Rojava has changed dramatically even since 2017. Pressured by relations with both the Syrian and Iraqi governments, as well as the evolving US policy of supporting the YPG with air strikes, the culture fostering AntiFa on the ground in Rojava has come to an end. But has their ‘Revolution’? Some chose to take their skills to the next battleground in Ukraine. From another article in Rolling Stone:

But when Clark and Wilmeth tried to go back, their contact told them the YPG no longer had the ability to bring foreigners over the Iraqi border. Shut out of Syria, the two of them began making plans to go to Ukraine, a front line against Kremlin aggression since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. Clark ended up staying behind, but Wilmeth went in March. In April, he was joined by Benton, who seems to have developed a rather winking relationship with the Scotland Yard agents keeping tabs on him. They joined a militia known as the Georgian Foreign Legion, on the side of the Ukrainian nationalists against the Russian-backed separatists. Hundreds of foreign fighters from a dozen or more countries have been reported on both sides of the war in Donbass.

What of the revolutionaries who didn’t find another fight overseas? It would not be a stretch to say their revolution is here at home. Those skills forged in combat will be used to teach others realities of guerrilla warfare. They have shown the motivation and they have a united cause. Falling into the normalcy bias of Leftists simply resorting to shouting folks down and minor clashes is a trap- they are armed, they have a combat experienced cadre behind the scenes, and they have financial power structures behind them. These are not the sunshine leftists of the boomer generation. All of the dog and pony show of ad campaigns, political stunts and campus demonstrations will lead to violence- its only a matter of time. AntiFa is serious about what they’re doing. Are you?

***********


"The time for war has not yet come, but it will come and that soon, and when it does come, my advice is to draw the sword and throw away the scabbard." Gen. T.J. Jackson, March 1861
Re: Normalcy Bias, and the Bigger Picture [Re: ConSigCor] #168175
09/29/2018 03:37 PM
09/29/2018 03:37 PM
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That is the same conclusion I have come to. I've edited this down from 12 minutes in which I covered much of the same topics in your post. Although I have a much different take on the Russian/Ukrainian situation. I would caution people from being too much on the leftist anti-Russia train. Ask yourselves why the left hates Russia so much that they openly indemnify them?

https://youtu.be/O9BTt7MXuwk

Last edited by Mexneck; 09/29/2018 03:42 PM.

Well, this is it.
Re: Normalcy Bias, and the Bigger Picture [Re: ConSigCor] #168178
09/29/2018 11:53 PM
09/29/2018 11:53 PM
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Dang. That's you?. We've crossed paths before but I go by a different name on the tube.

Agree with your commentary. This is a critical juncture for the US.

Don't know if you listen to John B. Wells, but you should give tonight's Ark Midnight broadcast a listen. Soon as it goes into archive I'll try to post in on the forum. Everyone should hear it.


"The time for war has not yet come, but it will come and that soon, and when it does come, my advice is to draw the sword and throw away the scabbard." Gen. T.J. Jackson, March 1861
Re: Normalcy Bias, and the Bigger Picture [Re: ConSigCor] #168181
09/30/2018 12:04 PM
09/30/2018 12:04 PM
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Yes, that's me. You can PM me your YouTube name if you don't want to post it here. I knew Breacher (RIP) on here for years and a couple years on YouTube before he told me that I was talking to him on both forums. By that time I had kinda put 2 and 2 together since we had discussed many areas of mutual interest, he just confirmed it by straight up telling me. I'll check out John B Wells.


Well, this is it.
Re: Normalcy Bias, and the Bigger Picture [Re: ConSigCor] #168183
09/30/2018 12:28 PM
09/30/2018 12:28 PM
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I can't remember where...but we had both commented on Breachers death and i saw your vid about him.

John B broadcasts out of Dallas every Sat. night. You can probably pick it up on a local station.

Here's a link to his website. https://www.youtube.com/user/JohnBWellsCTM/videos

Full show are 2 4 hours long and require a subscription. But the daily news broadcast and his Sat night show are free. Scroll down the site and you'll find it.


"The time for war has not yet come, but it will come and that soon, and when it does come, my advice is to draw the sword and throw away the scabbard." Gen. T.J. Jackson, March 1861
Re: Normalcy Bias, and the Bigger Picture [Re: ConSigCor] #168223
10/02/2018 01:40 AM
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Antifa’s New Blend In And Attack Strategy

Sleeper cell communists plan violence online

Jon Bowne | Infowars.com - October 1, 2018


Social Media would protect us all from questioning the narrative, but when it comes to fueling the violence of the left their supposed terms of service banning violent hate speech don’t exist.

As a case in point, look at communist podcast host Dr. Bones who tweeted, “Hey quick little question for military minded lefties: should leftists train/organize in a ‘insurgent’ focus where they blend into a civilian population for potential attacks or a more ‘militia’ structure focused on holding/maintaining turf?”

He then suggests using concealable weapons as Antifa blends into the general populace in order to do more covert damage.


"The time for war has not yet come, but it will come and that soon, and when it does come, my advice is to draw the sword and throw away the scabbard." Gen. T.J. Jackson, March 1861
Re: Normalcy Bias, and the Bigger Picture [Re: ConSigCor] #168226
10/02/2018 12:32 PM
10/02/2018 12:32 PM
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I suspect this is the route they will go, after all they are just a bunch of terrorists that want to loot and burn.


Well, this is it.
Re: Normalcy Bias, and the Bigger Picture [Re: ConSigCor] #168281
10/09/2018 01:58 AM
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Video: Antifa Thugs Block Roads, Direct Traffic, Threaten People Who Don’t Obey

Leftist agitators scream "white supremacist" at anyone who answers back

By Paul Joseph Watson | INFOWARS.COM Monday, October 08, 2018

Stunning video out of Portland shows leftist Antifa thugs trying to block and direct traffic while threatening anyone who doesn’t obey with violence and calling them “white supremacists”.

The footage, which was filmed on Saturday, shows a group of about 20 leftists gathered at an intersection.

This is the type of street anarchy that routinely happens where I live. Here is video from 6 Oct showing Antifa directing traffic in downtown & threatening people who don’t obey with violence. Mayor @tedwheeler, who really runs this town? pic.twitter.com/OgjZNByxat

— Andy C. Ngo (@MrAndyNgo) October 8, 2018

Several members of the group attempt to direct traffic, blocking cars from turning left for no apparent reason while hurling obscenities at drivers.

“Just go that way,” one obese woman tells a driver. When he asks why, she snaps back, “Because I told you to!”

“Yeah, you little white little f**ker!” shouts another man wearing a black hoodie (despite being white himself).

The leftists then accuse the driver of “blocking traffic,” despite the fact that it is they who are blocking traffic.

The group then accuses the driver of being a “white supremacist” because he is from North Carolina.

“Go back to North Carolina where you came from. We don’t need your KKK in Portland Oregon!” shouts the man in the hoodie.

Another black man is also seen repeatedly threatening physical violence, shouting, “You’re lucky you didn’t hit me I’d have beat your ass!” at one pick up truck driver.

A female driver then confronts the leftists, telling them, “I pay my bills, shut the f**k up.”

At the end of the clip, one of the thugs strikes the back of a car after it beeps at him.

At one point, the footage show a police officer at the end of the block but he doesn’t appear interested in intervening.

“This is the type of street anarchy that routinely happens where I live. Here is video from 6 Oct showing Antifa directing traffic in downtown & threatening people who don’t obey with violence. Mayor @tedwheeler, who really runs this town?” commented journalist Andy Ngo.


"The time for war has not yet come, but it will come and that soon, and when it does come, my advice is to draw the sword and throw away the scabbard." Gen. T.J. Jackson, March 1861
Re: Normalcy Bias, and the Bigger Picture [Re: ConSigCor] #168284
10/09/2018 07:05 PM
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Rand Paul is worried someone is going to be assassinated. He's already been beaten up and shot at, so I suspect his worries are well founded.

Quote
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) on Tuesday said lawmakers should tamp down their political rhetoric, warning that otherwise it could lead to violence.

Paul, during an interview with a Kentucky radio station, said he was concerned that there "is going to be an assassination," after a few tense weeks around the Capitol because of the Supreme Court fight.

"I really worry that someone is going to be killed and that those who are ratcheting up the conversation ... they have to realize that they bear some responsibility if this elevates to violence," Paul said.

Paul recounted the June 2017 shooting at a practice session for the congressional baseball game, where a gunman shot five people, including House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.). The Kentucky Republican also recalled how his neighbor assaulted him late last year.

"These are people that are unstable. We don't want to encourage them,” he added. “We have to somehow ratchet it down and say we're not encouraging them that violence is ever OK.”

Paul was asked on the radio show about Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), who urged members of a group advocating for an end to homelessness to "get up in the face of some congresspeople and tell them about common sense solutions."

“I think what people need to realize, that when people like [Sen.] Cory Booker say ‘get up in their face,’ he may think that that's OK,” Paul added. “But what he doesn't realize is that for about every thousandth person that might want to get up in your face, one of them is going to be unstable enough to commit violence.”

Paul's wife, Kelley Paul, wrote an op-ed to Booker in which she appeared to blame him for the threats and protests her husband has faced this past week. Booker's office argued, in a separate op-ed, that his remarks are being taken out of context and that he "has nothing but respect and admiration" for Paul and his family.

Hundreds of protesters flooded the Senate office buildings in opposition to Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination. The heated debate led to Republican senators, and some Democrats, being confronted by activists in hallways around Capitol Hill, at D.C.-area airports and restaurants and in their cars.

Several GOP senators were escorted to votes or committee hearings by Capitol Police, and many have said that they or their staffs received threatening or "vulgar" calls or mail during the confirmation process.


Onward and upward,
airforce

Re: Normalcy Bias, and the Bigger Picture [Re: ConSigCor] #168285
10/09/2018 07:15 PM
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Michael Savage Calls on Trump to Order Arrest of Antifa Members

Homeland Security should “round up the leadership”

Paul Joseph Watson | Infowars.com - October 9, 2018

[Linked Image]

Radio host Michael Savage has called on President Trump to direct Homeland Security to arrest prominent members of Antifa, labeling the organization a “domestic terrorist group”.

During an interview with the American Mirror, Savage said the group should be treated like the new Weather Underground.

“I think they have declared themselves to be a terrorist organization,” said Savage, pointing to a story from last month about how Antifa members strategized how they could carry out “ambushes and assassinations” to further their political agenda.

“They’re absolutely a domestic terrorist group, what else would anyone call them?” asked Savage.

He then called for the Department of Homeland Security to “round up the leadership and arrest them,” adding, “what else do you do, wait for them to kill people?”

Savage warned that the left are “in a revolution” and would continue to enact it by “smearing and destroying anyone who stands in their way — first verbally and then physically.”

“They are absolutely on the warpath. There’s very little opposition,” he added, noting that those on the far-left still revere Communist regimes that engaged in mass executions of political enemies.

Savage is known to be close to Trump and has met him privately on several occasions.

As we reported yesterday, stunning video out of Portland shows leftist Antifa thugs trying to block and direct traffic while threatening anyone who disobeys with violence and calling them “white supremacists”.

Another clip shows irate leftists chasing a driver in his vehicle who then gets out to confront the mob.

https://youtu.be/jQXXLM8xA0I

https://youtu.be/SnKlUbq0daw


"The time for war has not yet come, but it will come and that soon, and when it does come, my advice is to draw the sword and throw away the scabbard." Gen. T.J. Jackson, March 1861
Re: Normalcy Bias, and the Bigger Picture [Re: ConSigCor] #168296
10/11/2018 12:32 PM
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Hillary says Democrats can't be civil until they're back in power. "You can't be civil with a political party that wants to destroy what you stand for," she said.

Quote
Donald Trump seems to think civility is for losers. The candidate he defeated in the 2016 presidential election, by contrast, argues that civility is for winners.

"I would love to see us return to civility," Hillary Clinton told CNN's Christiane Amanpour on Tuesday. Unfortunately, she added, that won't be possible until the Democrats return to power. "You cannot be civil with a political party that wants to destroy what you stand for, what you care about," she said. "That's why I believe, if we are fortunate enough to win back the House and/or the Senate, that's when civility can start again."

The problem, Clinton explained, is that Republicans in Congress have abused their power and treated Democrats shabbily, which is something Democrats would never do to Republicans. Unlike the Democrats, you see, the Republicans are "an ideological party that is driven by the lust for power." Trump may be comically lacking in self-awareness, but Clinton gives him a run for his money in her own drearily self-righteous way.

Clinton's comments drew a rebuke from Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.). "That's ridiculous," she told CNN's Anderson Cooper on Tuesday evening. "I can't imagine how you get anything done if you don't bring civility back into politics, and that goes for both sides." Maybe Heitkamp is just a nicer person than Clinton, but I suspect her evenhandedness has something to do with the fact that she is up for re-election in a state that went for Trump by a margin of more than 2 to 1.

If incivility prevents Congress from getting things done, that may count in its favor, since most of what Congress does—especially when it attracts broad, bipartisan support—is either not worth doing or positively pernicious. Then again, there is a case to be made that some worthwhile projects, such as spending cuts and entitlement reform, can be accomplished only with a certain amount of interparty trust.

But the case for civility goes beyond getting bills passed. Treating political opponents as mortal enemies is a recipe for constant rancor and strife. It invites people to view themselves as morally superior, to abandon principle when it benefits the other side, and to automatically dismiss ideas espoused by members of the wrong tribe. Ultimately, if people take seriously the idea that everything they care about is on the line, it invites violence.

Clinton's idea of civility—the grace that good people with power deign to grant their defeated and benighted opponents—reminds me of Nira Cain-N'Degeocello, the smug Sacha Baron Cohen character who sees his mission as "listening respectfully, without prejudice, to Republicans, with the hope of changing their racist and childish views." But when she says "you cannot be civil with a political party that wants to destroy what you stand for," she demonstrates an even more disturbing failure of empathy, since she denies the possibility that people may sincerely disagree with her for what they take to be good reasons and may therefore think she is trying to destroy what they stand for. If civility is out of the question in that situation, peaceful and rational debate is impossible.


Onward and upward,
airforce

Re: Normalcy Bias, and the Bigger Picture [Re: ConSigCor] #168297
10/11/2018 01:09 PM
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If Republicans had said this about Kanye West... Seriously, how is this not racist?

Quote
Kanye West, an outspoken Trump supporter, has dared to think for himself and instead of being respected for his opinion, Hollywood and the liberal talking heads are ridiculing him in the most despicable ways.

Here are the highlights from the segment on "CNN Tonight with Don Lemon":

“Kanye West is what happens when negroes don’t read,” said CNN commentator Bakari Sellers.

Kanye West a “an attention whore like the president,” declared CNN’s Tara Setmayer, who also said, “Black folks are about to trade Kanye West in the racial draft” and that Kanye is “the token Negro of the Trump administration.”


Onward and upward,
airforce

Re: Normalcy Bias, and the Bigger Picture [Re: ConSigCor] #168312
10/13/2018 10:41 AM
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Antifa Vandalizes NYC GOP Headquarters, ‘Attack Merely a Beginning’

'We are not passive, we are not civil, and we will not apologize'

By Infowars.com Friday, October 12, 2018

In the most recent example of anti-conservative violence, the NYC GOP headquarters was vandalized by violent leftists on Thursday night.

The vandals broke windows, glued door locks shut, spray-painted anarchy symbols on the doors and left a menacing note warning of more attacks.

See the note here or read it below:

Tonight, we put the Republican Party on notice, in defiance to the policy of mass misery they have championed.

The U.S. government has established concentration camps around the country for Latino people, shamelessly murdering black people, and continues its war machine that has slaughtered Muslim people with impunity for decades. The so-called “Land of the Free” leads the world in incarceration rates per capita, all the while profiteering in the new plantation within the prison walls.

While these atrocities persist unabated the Metropolitan Republican Club chose to invite a hipster fascist clown to dance for them, content to revel in their treachery against humanity. The Republican Party joined by their spineless partners in crime, the Democrats institute a policy of domestic and foreign terror felt the world over.

Our attack is merely a beginning. We are not passive, we are not civil, and we will not apologize. Those of good conscience and clear mind know this state of oppression cannot remain. The US fascist political system is one of the most savage institutions in history and we will combat it relentlessly until all are free of American barbarism.

In a Twitter post, the Metropolitan Republican Club claimed Antifa was behind the vandalism and added that they “will not be intimidated by violence, threats, or hate speech. We will continue to fight for freedom of speech and liberty here in New York City and all across this great nation.”

The NYC GOP called for NYC Democrats to condemn the terrorist act.

Last night our NYC hq at the Metropolitan Republican Club was vandalized by anti-Republican forces saying this attack is “merely the beginning.” @NYGovCuomo @SenGillibrand & all @nydems must condemn this attack & urge civility. pic.twitter.com/cuxS2rdrtA

— New York GOP (@NewYorkGOP) October 12, 2018

Assaults on conservatives and their property have been through the roof in 2018 and according to the note left by these vandals, they aren’t done yet.


"The time for war has not yet come, but it will come and that soon, and when it does come, my advice is to draw the sword and throw away the scabbard." Gen. T.J. Jackson, March 1861
Re: Normalcy Bias, and the Bigger Picture [Re: ConSigCor] #168329
10/15/2018 03:47 PM
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Portland, Oregon, is looking more and more like Beirut. Antifa and the Proud Boys fight again, with the police pretty much just standing by and watching.

Quote
Gangs of masked left- and right-wing protestors clashed again in Portland, Oregon, on Saturday night, raising the question of whether political street violence is the new normal in the Rose City.

The weekend's violence began with an impromptu gathering of the right-wing group Patriot Prayer—a staple of Portland's street melees over the last couple of years—who rallied in the city's downtown to call for the ouster of Mayor Ted Wheeler, who they accuse of surrendering the city to far-left protestors.

Pictures and video from the rally show demonstrators waving American flags and sporting MAGA and Proud Boy hats. One man wore a homemade t-shirt with the slogan "I hunt Antifa cowards."

In attendance were Joey Gibson, leader of Patriot Prayer and unsuccessful candidate for U.S. Senate in Washington state, and Tusitala "Tiny" Toese, another prominent member of the group, who's been charged with assault for his brawling at past protests.

Following the Patriot Prayer rally, the assembled group marched through the city's downtown, shouting chants of "USA" as they passed a vigil for Patrick Kimmons, who was killed by Portland police last month.

According to Willamette Week, the first scuffles started shortly after the Kimmons vigil ended. One vigil attendee set fire to an American flag, which was then snatched away by a member of the Patriot Prayer crowd. Insults started to fly between the two groups, followed by squirts of pepper spray.

One video, captured by Portland freelancer Mike Bivins, shows right-wing protestors he identifies as Proud Boys and a black-clad antifa demonstrator approaching each other, fists raised, before another leftist lets loose a string of pepper spray.

The violence only escalated from there, reaching a peak at around 8 P.M. when a full-scale brawl broke out in front of the bar Kelly's Olympian. Video shows the two sides exchanging more blows and pepper spray. One clip, again captured by Bivins, shows what appears to be a right-wing protestor repeatedly stomping on a left-wing counterdemonstrator, who's lying prone on the ground.

Portland Police eventually intervened, firing pepper ball rounds and other non-lethal ammunition.

"We are aware that there was a large, violent encounter between opposing groups on Southwest Washington Street," Portland Police Chief Danielle Outlaw said in a press release. "Officers responded to the scene and used less lethal munitions to break up the fight and prevent further violence. We will continue to investigate this incident and ask that anyone who was the victim of a crime to come forward and file a report."

No arrests were made Saturday. After being broken up by police, the two sides dissipated, with the Patriot Prayer crowd chanting "Trump, Trump, Trump" as they marched away from the scene.

Violent protests are hardly an unprecedented phenomenon in Portland. The city was affectionately nicknamed "Little Beirut" in the late 1980s for the raucous protests that greeted visits by President George H.W. Bush and Vice President Dan Quayle.

Still the street warfare of the kind we saw this weekend is a relatively new phenomenon, spawned from the hysterical aftermath of Donald Trump's election. As right and left repeatedly face off, the Portland Police have been criticized for both overpolicing and underpolicing the rallies.

And while the fighters like to present themselves either as dogged defenders of racial equality against the forces of white supremacy or as free speech warriors standing up to an intolerant leftist mob, all I really see in these street scuffles are a bunch of angry people looking for a fight.


Onward and upward,
airforce


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