By David Futrelle
Three white supremacists have been charged with attempted murder after one of them fired at a group of antifascist counterprotesters after a speech by neo-Nazi celebrity Richard Spencer at the University of Florida in Gaineville yesterday.
The Miami Herald reports:
Just before 5:30 p.m., just as protesters outside Spencer’s speech at UF’s Phillips Center were wrapping up, Gainesville police said the trio started heckling some anti-Spencer protesters with Hitler chants, Nazi salutes and threats. At one point, cops said, convicted felon Tenbrink pulled out a gun and the brothers encouraged him to use it.
He fired a single shot that missed the group, police said, then sped off in a silver Jeep. An off-duty Alachua County Sheriff’s Office deputy spotted the car 20 miles out of town around 9 p.m. and arrested the group. The Fears brothers are held on million dollar bonds in the Alachua County jail. Tenbrink’s is $3 million.
Surprise, surprise: Two of the three were amongst the alleged “very fine people” marching with their fellow white supremacists in Charlottesville.
Tenbrink, 28, and William Fears, 30, were spotted at Charlottesville, the site of the largest white nationalist gathering in years that erupted in violence. Fears identifies himself on Twitter as “Charismatic leader of a White breeding cult” and tweeted “blood and soil,” the notorious Nazi slogan.
This is terrorism, plain and simple. It’s appalling the story isn’t getting more attention in the media.
Here are some tweets with more details on what happened.
3 white supremacists arrested in Florida for shooting at anti-racism protesters https://t.co/zn6bUBqFK3
— Vox (@voxdotcom) October 20, 2017
https://twitter.com/efoster_eric/status/921495556790325248
“Kill them”: Three men charged in shooting after Richard Spencer speech https://t.co/gqCXtWSmD3
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) October 20, 2017
And these three aren’t the only violent white supremacists who should be getting a lot more attention from the press — and the cops.
Who are the white supremacists assaulting people at rallies in Berkeley, Charlottesville and Huntington Beach? We found some of them: pic.twitter.com/fL5yzyI8Om
— ProPublica (@propublica) October 19, 2017
A Cali racist group—the Rise Above Movement_is full of violent felons. Law enforcement pays it little attention: https://t.co/8AFZS9HVsO
— ProPublica (@propublica) October 19, 2017
The ProPublica piece is a long one but I think a necessary read for anyone concerned with the rise of a violent fascist movement in US.
— 🏳️🌈Spacedad (@SuperSpacedad) October 20, 2017
My thoughts exactly.
Meanwhile, everyone in the White House continues to lie about Trump’s shockingly callous treatment of a grieving Gold Star mother and the congresswoman who has stood up for her.
Specifically, this entire John Kelly story is fiction. Not one bit of it actually happened. pic.twitter.com/eGSQU0S3wc
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) October 20, 2017
https://twitter.com/TVietor08/status/921452065338953729
Hey @realDonaldTrump I know how much you love calling out FAKE NEWS so here’s your daughter-in-law quoting a transcript that doesn't exist. https://t.co/TheR8FGrWY
— shauna (@goldengateblond) October 20, 2017
"He knew what he signed up for"
Kelly: I told him to say it
DJT: I didn't say it
LaraT: I saw the transcript
Sanders: There's no transcript— Jules Suzdaltsev (@jules_su) October 20, 2017
Don TrumpJr. has thrown himself into the fray though he apparently has trouble telling black women apart.
https://twitter.com/kibblesmith/status/921064156610088962
Rachel Maddow has a pretty convincing theory on why Trump doesn’t want to talk about Niger: that the 4 US soldiers died in part as a result of the Trump administration alienating the government of Chad, which pulled its troops out of Niger after Trump put the country (a longtime ally in the war on terror) on his alleged non-Muslim ban list for an extremely stupid reason.
Maddow connects the dots on how Trump adding Chad to his travel ban may have gotten soldiers killed in Niger https://t.co/PYk203GxVM
— David Futrelle (@DavidFutrelle) October 20, 2017
In a whole other arena of terrible, things are even worse in Puerto Rico than official reports acknowledge:
Real death toll in Puerto Rico is probably 450 — much higher than official count https://t.co/msCyhMDyyQ
— Sarah Kendzior (@sarahkendzior) October 18, 2017
But our country still has its heroes. Along with Rep. Wilson and all those working diligently to save lives in Puerto Rico, there is this dude:
A man in an apartment on Connecticut Ave. mooned President Trump’s motorcade to the Embassy of Kuwait tonight, per the pool report pic.twitter.com/ifGC8ycXat
— Hunter Schwarz (@hunterschwarz) October 19, 2017
Here are some cute animals because we all need more of them this week. And every week these days, frankly.
everything is terrible so here’s a baby lion cub learning to roar pic.twitter.com/JZpZGj69FJ
— shauna (@goldengateblond) October 18, 2017
https://twitter.com/awwcuteness/status/921260735119970307
https://twitter.com/ItsMeowIRL/status/921245209526132742
@violet
You just broke my heart.
My eldest stepdaughter is Trans, when she came out, her grandparents were (and still are) awful about it. She tries to have a decent relationship with them, but they misgender her and still constantly use her birth name.
Which is why I’m so worried about what needs to happen soon.
My spouse is getting ready to start taking T and to start “going public”. I’ve known he was trans for years, but when the kids came along he decided to put things on hold for a bit, as hormones would have fucked with breastfeeding etc. But now he’s going to be coming out as male to the rest of the world and I know his parents won’t handle it well at all, since they didn’t handle their grandchild coming out well, there’s no way they will be ok with their only child doing the same thing. And they own the home we live in, which we are buying off of them.
I’m pansexual, so my spouse going from being my wife to my husband isn’t really a problem for me (I fell in love with a person, not their body parts) but I’m super protective of him, his first husband was an abusive monster. I know his parents are going to be utter shits about this. Please let us know what happens with the kid your friend is trying to help, I just want to take them in my arms and tell them it’ll be ok, that there are people out there who will love them and not treat them like shit.
@Valentin
“and painkiller is anti-inflammatory.”
Yeah, I would be wary of this. Sounds like he’s maybe getting a NSAID (probably meloxicam?), and cat’s are *very* sensitive to NSAIDs. Meloxicam (Mobic in human medications), is a newer generation of NSAID with less side effects than older generations such as asprin and ibuprofen (both deadly to cats). It is used in MOST mammals with great success. In the US, it was originally approved for use in cats as well, but cats ended up getting organ failure from repeated doses. Cats are kindof weirdos when it comes to their metabolism.
In the US, Meloxicam is approved for use in cats as a single dose ONLY to be injected at the time of surgery. Repeated doses are explicitly forbidden.
I hope I’m wrong, but beware.
Disclaimer: I am not actually a vet. Just someone who’s spent a fair amount of time caretaking sick animals.
@Fishy Goat
Well, that’s scary. It’s terrifying how quickly this has spread to ordinary people.
I would say – talk to him about what he’s read and debate him on it without being aggressive. I think a lot of people end up in areas like 4chan because they are looking for a fight, and I’m usually happy to give them one, but this is your son so that relationship needs nurturing.
I might let him run on about whatever is on his mind and respond placidly and ask him things like “where did you hear that/ Do you think that’s a reliable source/ What are the actual stats on that/what was that study, I’m interested in finding out more, let’s look up some research together/ if that’s true then yes it would be horrible but do you think it’s true/ Who was attacking and who was defending? What would you have done in that situation? Do you think it’s right that girl got run over? ” Things like that. Get him to think about it critically without giving him (and whoever he’s talking to) a reason to cast you as the enemy and thus dismiss everything he says. Make your feelings and views plain without saying anything about him being wrong. Use “I” phrases (I don’t agree/I don’t think that’s true/I saw research that indicates the opposite/I don’t like Nazis) and if you feel yourself getting angry be like “I have to go do something” and leave the conversation for then.
The goal is to get him to think critically about what he’s reading rather than just swallowing it.
Anyway, I hope that helped. Best of luck.
@Fishy Goat
Also, if he’s immersed in the 4chan world then using some of the buzzwords might help, ie “Sounds like fake news.” The sooner he gets hold of the idea that “fake news” could be things he’s reading, the better.
@Violet Thanks. <3 If nothing else it does solidify my own thoughts. Now to bolster my flagging self-esteem with regards to my ability to deal fairly with him. :/
Hey @Fishy Goat
My nearly-16-yr old has also given me some questioning on antifa, as well as the ol’ “I try not to get into politics” (we live in a very red state, most of his classmates at his teeny tiny school live in Republican homes, if not Trump-supporting).
And even though he and I have a very good relationship about most things, this is one of those things where I have to fight my, “GAAAAAH JESUS CHRIST NOOOOOO WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU THINKING, BOY I RAISED YOU BETTER THAN THIS!!!!” and descending into a 4-hour lecture about our extremely long history of racism, institutional racism, white privilege, etc. etc.
Violet has some excellent advice and I co-sign on it – be calm, mildly ask questions to lead him into some critical thinking. My son also enjoys watching some of the satirical news shows with me – John Oliver, Daily Show, Samantha Bee – so I try to make a point of watching them with him. Try not to panic. I know that all my hours of teaching haven’t been a total waste, and that he HAS listened although it might not seem like it.
Good luck, I’m in your corner!
@Fishy Goat: This is a really hard thing to have to do, but it’s really good that you’re thinking about the best way to talk to him. I’ve had the best responses when I’ve done what Violet suggested, and let someone talk themselves out, pushing back and asking for more information when appropriate.
This might help: How to spot fake news (and teach kids to be media savvy)
4chan is a weird beast. People are anonymous, so they can do and say anything they want, without violating a social contract. If you can, it would be great to remind him that each voice on there is a real person, and each person they are talking about is ALSO a real person. How would their ideas sound, said out loud in a normal space? The mall? Your house? To the person (or type of people) they are to or about?
If they sound awful, why is it less awful to say them online?
Good luck! You can do it!
(I couldn’t resist this pun)
I think it’s important to remember, too, that antifa is not an explain-to-kids-friendly movement. We teach our kids that violence is never the answer, and then along come antifa and Nazis, and suddenly violence is the answer. If you’re a kid, maybe nuance is difficult for you, and antifa requires a lot of nuance to understand.
I’m not going to tell someone else how to parent, since I am not a parent and know next to nothing about it, but I think that’s something to keep in mind when formulating a discussion. You may need to break down why it’s okay to punch Nazis but not the kid next door.
One more thing to blame Nazis for: making parenting even more complicated.
I had a somewhat related conversation with my son (just about 15) recently. He’d read that one of the Charlottesville nazis had been disowned by his father and he found this really disturbing.
I could have said something like “isn’t what happened to Heather Heyer far more disturbing?” but that would have been unproductive to say the least.
My son was focused on one thing: a parent cutting ties with a child. We talked about the circumstances where this might fall within someone’s range of options and how horrible that would be.
Then we got on to what PoM referred to: why an anti-violent stance might not extend to nazis. It’s really tricky, especially when kids are forming their own sense of separate personhood.
It’s very easy for people to get caught up in a defensive mindset. This is especially true of teenagers, who are working with brains that are in the process of reconfiguring themselves. It’s horrible to deal with, and I wish you all the luck in the world. I also gotta say – now is the time where he will be most sensitive to what you say and do.
I’d be very wary of treating it like a debate, or leaning too heavily on critical reasoning skills. Those same skills can be used to be wrong, and to reinforce wrongness.
I think the most important thing, by far, is to prevent him from feeling as if you and he are on different sides. If he thinks of it as an attack on “his side” he’ll have a thousand and one ways to discredit whatever reasonable things you say. Instead:
– Engage honestly with his opinions. Treat his statements as his, not something he’s parroting from the chans.
– Invite him to explain his sources. “How do you know that,” asked honestly and openly, is your absolute best line of attack in my opinion. Once he answers, investigate. Together, if you like. Pull out your phone. Rationality is an activity, and it’s best as a group activity.
– Your second best line of attack is “I don’t know, let’s find out.” Demonstrate that you’re on his side. You aren’t trying to prove him wrong, you’re trying to help him be more right.
The weight of the evidence itself will do all of the arguing you need to do. All you have to do is be open to what he’s saying and invite him to investigate the truth value of those things with you.
School isn’t going to teach your son how to think critically, @Fishy Goat! That’s not in the curriculum as more than a buzzword. You have to do it. This is the right time, the right topic, the right motivation. You’re all set up to do it good. Feel free to ask here if you’re looking for evidence or help on anything that your son’s brought up and you need help with. Good luck!
Semi-OT for this thread:
So, there’s a post that evidently originally started on Facebook (somehow attributed to former CBS reporter/anchor Dan Rather) that’s starting to make the rounds describing what went down in Niger, and it’s not painting the military in a nice light. I found a version of it on Peter Daved’s blog:
http://www.peterdavid.net/2017/10/21/a-post-from-dan-rather/
Snopes looked into the story, and gave it a review of ‘Mixed’, but only because most of the information of what went down and why has yet to be publicly released in any form as of yet.
https://www.snopes.com/was-niger-attack-worse-than-benghazi/
Will this story become Trump’s Benghazi? With the current makeup of Congress, who knows?
mrex
this one is for oral administer, not injection. my cat already old he is 4 so it is not same like America I think. also I spoke already with vet about this one. if I don’t give to him he will not eat and he will be very sick.
@Valentin,
He’s four? But that’s a teenager in cat years (roughly speaking). My last three were nearly 18 when they passed.
Your kitty is practically a baby 😀
(unless there was a typing error, in which case, sorry!)
I’ve now got an image of Valya’s kitteh hanging outside the malt shop cleaning his nails with a flick-knife.
mish!))
no actually I thought 4 is like adult and then 9 is old age. well then he is young and strong and will be all okay. congratulations for your cats living so long time! I hope my cats will too.
Alan,
I think he more like This Is England teenager;))
Outdoor cats have a median life expectancy of five years. Indoor cats of fifteen.
Of course, a cat that survived being a kitten probably has much more than one year left even if they’re an outdoor cat.
all my cats inside in the apartment. so they will have long life each.
@Valentin
I’m glad that your kitty is feeling better because you are taking care of him. You are a good and caring pet owner. Kitty is lucky to have you looking out for him.
@Viscaria
I am just thankful I can come on here and ask for advise! and kitty says thank you too ))) ?
True, indoor vs outdoor does make a difference. Although when I was growing up all our cats were outdoorsies, and they lived to around 10 or 12, so I guess it varies a lot.
Mine are always indoors; outside in courtyard under supervision. Although, just today Shiro disappeared, and we searched everywhere in the neighbourhood. The wee bugger was in the Harry Potter cupboard under the stairs, fast asleep.
Obviously with indoor cats one has to make extra efforts to entertain them as they can get bored.
@Alan,
Teenagers aren’t outside, you silly. Don’t you know they’re all indoors, on social media 24/7 while also devouring smashed avocado and destroying their chances of home ownership?
(sarcasm just in case ’twasn’t clear)
my brother told that cats like sweet corn from the tin. I tried on my parents cat but she didn’t eat it. also my brothers cat ran away, maybe for this reason.
Ha! Cats like all sorts of odd things. Ours love nicking some of my scrambled eggs. That’s fairly normal – except I put a ton of tabasco and pepper on my eggs, so they’re about madras heat levels. 😛
One of them absolutely adores carrots. Not the tops – those seem to be a universal like for cats – but the actual carrots themselves.
@ mish
Well I still think we should cancel the Prom; just to be on the safe side.
my black cat likes butter bread. he tried to steal it soon after we adopt him, he could eat chilli con carne but he only wants bread!
and he takes croissants from inside packet!
My cat loves Vegemite sandwiches. He gets all sulky if I don’t share mine. =P