Kingdom of Knuffel

Oh maaaaaaaaaannnnnn.... Brexit is such a clusterfuck. I think this comic from Scandinavia and The World says it best... http://satwcomic.com/brexit-to-the-right

A bit of history: The UK (England, Scotland, North Ireland and Wales) has never been a full-hearted participant in the European Union. From an American point of view, this seems to be because of local rivalries between European countries, but the British insist it's because they're British not European. (same thing, right?) The UK never switched currency to the euro and the older generations never accepted a European identity--unlike British millennials who have.

So the story begins a couple years ago when the Prime Minister David Cameron was struggling to control the far-right branch of his Conservative Party, who wanted to leave the European Union. He did not want to do that. In 2013 he had what probably seemed like a great idea at the time: hold a referendum on whether or not to leave the EU. Let the people vote, he announced, and then the matter will be settled. Of course, he never expected to lose. Because leaving the EU is a really stupid idea that could have catastrophic results. Because there are huge benefits to being part of the EU (like being part of the worlds largest common market, and being able to move freely throughout Europe to work and study). And because much of the UK's influence in today's world is derived from their role as a leader of the EU and the fact that London is the EU's financial hub.

But as we now know, things did not go as David Cameron planned. In the lead up to the vote, some people campaigned to Leave the EU and some campaigned to Stay. Both campaigns did a really bad job. The Leave campaign just basically went around lying through their teeth and whipping up racist anger, culminating in the murder of a British politician who was working for the Stay campaign. Meanwhile, the Stay campaign apparently didn't even bother to explain to people why the EU was so important. The leader of the Labour Party, who was supposed to be in charge of the Stay campaign, is currently being accused of at best negligence and at worst sabotage.

In the aftermath, it seems that many people thought they were voting to kick out immigrants, which is absolutely not what this vote meant but unfortunately absolutely was what the campaign was about. Some people thought their vote was a protest vote. Some people just thought it was cool. Or something. I don't know what the hell these people were thinking, with their tiny country and their lack of natural resources or any kind of significant manufacturing industry...

Anyway, so the people voted and they voted to Leave. Now, the vote isn't legally binding so technically the British government could do nothing, but that would be unprecedented in a modern democracy. The process of leaving the EU doesn't begin until a country invokes something called Article 50, and Cameron has said he won't do it so that role falls to his successor. The European Parliament in Brussels has made it very clear there will be no informal talks to smooth the transition until Article 50 is invoked, which in reality means that until a new Prime Minister is elected there isn't going to be an end to the chaos and uncertainty. Once it is invoked it's a two year process to leave, and then the UK will have the task of crafting all-new trade laws. Meanwhile the EU is going to be making an example out of the UK, because if they don't the whole Union will fall apart, so even then it won't get any easier.

And here's where the shit hits the fan.

So it turns out no one was prepared for this to happen. Like, at all. As soon as the vote was announced the pound crashed and markets crashed. The US alone lost over $1 billion in wealth from investments that night. Immediately, racists across the UK began attacking anyone they viewed as "foreign"--mostly Polish people it seems. David Cameron resigned as Prime Minister. Major financial figures are already making plans to leave London. The leader of the Labour Party received a vote of no confidence from his party.

The leader of the Leave campaign, former London mayor Boris Johnson, was expected to run to take Cameron's place. Instead he announced that he couldn't do it. Nigel Farage, another leader of the Leave campaign and a far-right extremist with links to neo-Nazi and fascist groups, as well as being someone who has sworn to leave Britain out of the EU for over a decade, announced today that he was returning to private life.

Meanwhile, Scotland and North Ireland--who already are on the fence about being part of the United Kingdom--both voted overwhelmingly to stay in the EU and both are now reconsidering making a play for independence so that they can continue to benefit from access to the EU.

My analysis is that a small collection of complete and total assholes thought "leaving the EU" would be a great way to get their voter base riled up so that they could seize power, and that they never expected to actually win the referendum and they have no intention of following through on any of their promises. So now they're all jumping ship like the rats they are.

The really fucked up thing is how the whole Brexit affair feeds off of ignorance, poverty and fear. It was all about convincing poor people that other poor people from other countries were coming to take their jobs and destroy their sense of identity. Which is not only stupid but incredibly hypocritical coming from the country that colonized half the planet and created the arbitrary borders that cause so much trouble today. The UK is almost certainly going to be in a recession in the near future, and the poor people who voted to leave the EU will suffer. Normally those people would have been helped by the EU through grants and investment and educational opportunities, but no more. But it's even worse than that--the EU will now be even more strict with its members, and immigrants and minority groups in the UK may be threatened. The damage to the global economy could go on for decades, creating more and more of the poor people in other countries who are willing to migrate to find work--increasing the very thing that scared people into voting to leave in the first place: immigrants.

I don't know why people don't get it. If the problem you face is that there are too many outsiders coming into your community, you don't fix that problem by making life harder for those outsiders. That's why they're coming in the first place. Instead of trying to fix a problem the UK tried to hide from a problem and in doing so they ripped a hole in the fabric of the international community.

Hold your breath, because if this ends up destabilizing the EU and the union breaks, we're all fucked. Thanks, Britain!

It does make you wonder though....


So the world as we know it was mostly drafted after WWII, when Europe and Asia were both largely decimated by the war and Africa and India were still colonized. When the Allied forces were trying to figure out how to put the world back together they created the alliances and organizations that currently govern the world.

Part of the problem with that arrangement was that often the people making decisions about the borders of new countries had no understanding of the regions or the people in those areas. So you have modern countries that are comprised of different groups who have been fighting for centuries, and suddenly they're supposed to be on one team because someone in London or Washington DC thought it made sense when they were in their offices staring at maps. Maps that were mathematically inaccurate, I might add.

If the world we know today can be created under such arbitrary circumstances, maybe it actually can't work? I find myself wondering if people living in the late 1800s, before the World Wars and later on the Cold War which also had a huge impact on the shape of the world, ever thought the globe would be completely different and include different countries when they died compared to when they were born. Maybe, if the world falls apart, we'll be able to put it back together in a more enlightened way that actually respects local cultures and peoples instead of trying to rule them from afar.

But at the same time, I don't think we have time to fall apart. Climate change is real and its happening now. Island nations are already drowning, and pretty soon people living in areas most prone to heat waves will have to flee. The kind of migration that would result from major climate change would make the levels of migration we're seeing as a result of the wars in the Middle East and North Africa look like a cake walk. If more secure and stable nations, like the US, can't even handle orphans from Syria or Venezuela, I dread what will happen when hundreds of millions of people are wandering the world, just looking for a safe, dry place to live.

...I'm putting a lot of my hope in space travel. Maybe if some of us were living on other planets we'd be more appreciative of what we have, as a species. I dunno. That might seem unrealistic, but we're just about at Hail Mary time so if I have to choose a crazy idea that just might work, space travel is it.

So the entire EU will be screwed with London gone? It seems like Britain pulling away from the EU will have repercussion in the states. Would it actually affect us if they do go through with it? And god, they truly are stupid as hell.

Reading that the British went after mostly Polish people kinda scared me. Being part Polish and having a Polish last name. I have no idea what to think right now. It seems like more and more bad shit is happening to the British people and no one seems to be realizing this at all.

I heard that their tax claims was going to change, like only two children per family was allowed, and a few other things was going to change a few years ago. Now this is happening, I have no idea what to think at the moment. It's like no one over there seems to know their own head from a hole in the ground. Gotta wonder if the royal family still had their power if this crap would be happening. I honestly don't think the Queen would be stupid enough to do this.

There is so much stuff that would be affected that the world uses from Britain if they do this. I know fashion is huge over there and thing that would affect the entire world. At least Northern Ireland and Scotland are smart not to do this. I'm glad for that. Like you said if they are too concerned with immigrants coming to them, don't they seem to realize what that would do to the entire world?

I have no idea what to say. I'm speechless that a country could do something so terrible as pulling away from a union they have been in so long. I truly hope something good comes of this and it can be fixed so everyone isn't screwed over on something so stupid and easy to realize the major effects it will have on people.

This week is just too much....

This whole month.....


Okay......it's been too much for over a year, but even by that standard THIS WEEK IS JUST TOO MUCH.

FUCK. We don't have proper mental health care. We don't have effective gun control. We don't have constructive criminal justice reform. We don't have a stable political system. We don't have a reasoned press. We don't even have 24 hours to mourn between one tragedy to the next.

Alton Sterling should be alive. Philando Castile should be alive. Those five cops in Dallas should be alive.

I went to another vigil tonight. This is the fourth in a little over a month.

It was a good vigil. I saw some familiar faces, people I've known as leaders in the community my whole life, so that was good. People got up and read poetry and prayed, people of color got up and talked about their experiences with police in our community (mostly positive) and some children got up and talked about how they were starting to be afraid, even in our small rural town. The local cops made a statement of solidarity. Parts of it were heartbreaking. One conversation I thought was really important was how we, as the community, wish our police chief--who has done an amazing job--would do more to be a leader in law enforcement and in our state. The point was, it's not enough for some areas to do well when others aren't. You've got to share what you know is working. Especially when our community members are driving to a nearby city and getting killed over traffic violations, despite all the good work we're doing at home.

So it was productive, I think. But still...too many vigils.

One woman told a story about how when she was a teenager growing up in our town, she went out to a party one night and got really, really drunk. So she walked to the police station and asked for a ride home, which they gave her.

Then she moved to the South, and she says it's interesting because she can't trust the cops in her new town to protect her children, but there are more opportunities for her as a woman of color because she's not in a tiny minority the way she is in predominantly-white New England. So her choice is being (relatively) safe from persecution, or being a part of a larger community that shares her culture and heritage. What kind of fucked up choice is that, especially in this country? That should never be the choice--people should be safe no matter where they live or what they look like.

Because obviously.

I completely agree with you Pwale. No one should make that choice.
And I saw one of the videos of those men and .... Not easy to watch.

Then I read a post a black cop in Flordia posted about how he did so much research about why his own people hate him and why the colored community seem to hate cops and mentioned BLM as being terrorists. He stated that they don't care about black on black when that is the majority of the deaths. Not white on black. Black on white is even higher I guess than white on black. It was a eye opener and makes you think about how things are and how people are not even seeing the truth of things.

Those men should be alive. Truly should be.

No idea about Trump atm. I know he's to show up here in Cleveland. I live not far from it and it seems people are already preparing for the worse for this right now. I don't blame them to be honest. Just wished this whole crap election was over and we had a great president running and we didn't have to deal with the anti christ.

saiyouri wrote:I completely agree with you Pwale. No one should make that choice.
And I saw one of the videos of those men and .... Not easy to watch.

Then I read a post a black cop in Flordia posted about how he did so much research about why his own people hate him and why the colored community seem to hate cops and mentioned BLM as being terrorists. He stated that they don't care about black on black when that is the majority of the deaths. Not white on black. Black on white is even higher I guess than white on black. It was a eye opener and makes you think about how things are and how people are not even seeing the truth of things.

Those men should be alive. Truly should be.

No idea about Trump atm. I know he's to show up here in Cleveland. I live not far from it and it seems people are already preparing for the worse for this right now. I don't blame them to be honest. Just wished this whole crap election was over and we had a great president running and we didn't have to deal with the anti christ.

The thing is...Black Lives Matter isn't about hating cops. Black Lives Matter is about ending violence. At it's core, that's what it is. The only reason these people are in the streets at all is because someone is dead who shouldn't be, and no one is being held accountable for that.
So part of the problem we're facing now is that our system has become so degraded that a man can die of unnatural causes, and everyone can agree on that like in the case of Freddie Gray who died of a broken neck after he was hand cuffed (so he couldn't protect his head or neck) and placed in the back of a van without a seat belt, and everyone can agree that he died as a result of his injuries that wouldn't have happened if the cops had strapped him in (SOMETHING THEY ARE REQUIRED TO DO BY LAW), and everyone can agree that he shouldn't have been arrested in the first place because all he did was make brief eye contact with an officer and then start jogging...but no one is held accountable. A man is dead and we can all agree that he shouldn't be, that this should have never happened, and yet....and yet, there is no justice. No one is held accountable.

Meanwhile, you've got people of color all over this country being sent to prison because they can't afford to pay their parking tickets.

Or the case of Tamir Rice. 12 year old child. Playing in the park. Playing with a toy gun. A TOY gun. In Ohio, an open carry state. Someone calls 911, and says there's a young black man in the park with a gun but it probably isn't real. Dispatcher calls patrol. Black man in park with gun. Police car pulls up and two seconds--literally, two seconds later--a police officer has shot and murdered a little boy. And he was never held accountable for his actions. There was no justice for a child who was killed for being suspected of doing something that is legal in that state.

This isn't about ALL types of crime or violence. Yes, violent criminals do tend to attack people of their own race more often, but that's a psychological thing and despite what the alt right community might want you to believe, it's true of ALL demographic groups. The phrase "black on black crime" isn't really about black people, it's about deflecting from the actual problem. Because what we are specifically talking about, in terms of police shootings and fatalities, is how much authority do we give law enforcement? Should police officers be allowed to execute people with impunity? Because in far too many cases, that is what is happening now.

Reform has to start with repairing community relations. Over the last few decades, as police departments have become more militarized they've also become more removed. Nowadays, many police officers don't even live in the communities they work in. They don't know people's names or faces, they don't know what people are going through, they don't know who to talk to and they don't know who they can trust. So they come into neighborhoods, grab men off the street and search their underwear all the while sticking guns in their faces, and then if someone gets agitated or tries to run or fight back they are immediately sent to jail. That isn't a sustainable relationship.

But change also has to go all the way to the top. We can't keep deciding cases of police brutality by grand jury, because grand juries are given way too much power and aren't equipped to understand the very complicated issues at play--so they virtually always pick the cop.

And there ARE bad cops out there. Everyone knows that. Right now, there is NO way to get rid of those bad cops. That's a problem, and if it isn't fixed it's going to be a bigger problem.

But Black Lives Matter does not support violence against police, either. Now, yeah, there are always going to be people who are disturbed or in it for the adrenaline rush or just plain old stupid who will latch onto a cause and use it for their own sick purposes. That's an inevitable reality, just like it is an inevitable reality that sometimes cops will make mistakes. But that doesn't change the fact that, right now, in this country, it is far too easy to be murdered for being a person of color.

But remember, white people are dying too--it's just not because of racism. It's because cops are acting like soldiers.

Here are two articles I'd like to hear your thoughts on:

This first one is about another shooting that happened in Florida. Fortunately, this one did not result in anyone dying nor does the video show the actual shooting itself.
In this case, a black man was shot by police in the street while lying down on his back with his hands raised in the air. He was a behavioral therapist from a nearby residential facility, and a severely autistic resident had wandered into the middle of the road, sat down and started playing with a toy truck. You can see the rest of what happened in the article:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/mor ... ge%2Fstory

For me, I am absolutely and completely terrified of interactions between law enforcement and autism. Someone who is severely autistic has no chance of being able to understand let alone comply with police instructions, and police are being trained to kill anyone who doesn't comply. The way police are trained to impress their authority--by shouting orders and brandishing their weapons and being physically forceful--is a recipe for absolute disaster when combined even with high functioning autism. I always thought, "at least as long as there's a caretaker nearby, there will be someone who can explain to the cops what is happening, who can help..."
But after seeing this? It's terrifying. Absolutely terrifying.


And here's a second article about a community gathering organized by a Police Chief and Black Lives Matters activists as a way to heal wounds and build new relationships. THIS is the future we need to keep on working towards:
http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/ ... e-rolls-in

I heard of the Rice case but not the full extent and Jesus Christ. Morons today. I didn't even know Ohio was open carry. I never saw a person yet with one yet and thankfully I didn't. The fiance is a bit freaky when it comes to them. He would get scared and shove me out of the store and we would go somewhere else where there is no weapons on people. He's adorable.

That first article is at least mild compared to the one I heard about last year or earlier this year. A mentally disturbed woman, possibly autistic was in a store with her caretakers. The woman grabbed a knife and the cops shot her dead. I knew damn well she had no idea what she was doing was bad and I was beyond pissed about it. She didn't do anything wrong to her and they should of never open fired at a person who is autistic. Makes me freak out at times worrying about family who are autistic.

The article itself pissed me off. You fuckers, his hands are in the air, duh no reason to shot for Christ sakes.

The second one is sweet and yes we do need that more often in this world.
I couldn't agree more with you. We badly need to stop the bad cops and it's sad how so many are out there and there is not one damn thing to do because the police stand behind the bad ones. You don't often hear that they are like, "get the hell out" because they did a huge no no. Wished people would make the bad ones take responsibility for their actions but sadly it's not true.

What you said about them not living in the areas they are protecting hit a nerve with me. I got yelled at and threatened with arrest because my children ended up getting the cops called on them for their fighting. I had nothing to do with it and I tried to stop them from what they were doing. I saw no harm caused by either of them and one ass wouldn't shut up threatening me because I am a bad mom who can't control her kids. Ya I'm sorry but a single parent can only do so much on their own when the father refuses to step up and help out. >.> So glad I no longer live in that area in Wisconsin. One bad thing about Wisconsin is if you have minor kids, the cops go over board and make everything worse than they are and make the parents suffer when they are trying their best with their own children. Otherwise I haven't had any bad issues with them.

I read recently that people have been recommending a national policy of community policing for almost 100 years now. I think it's probably about time we actually did it, considering....


So I'm in Philadelphia this week, and though I'm not actually at the Democratic National Convention itself, I am hanging around outside, talking to people, taking pictures, live streaming protests....it's been crazy. Also, a lot of fun and really inspiring, and very thought provoking.

I keep trying to write about my experiences, but by the time I get back to the apartment I'm staying in I'm so tired I can't even think straight.....I can't believe I've only been here for two days!

So far I've attended an event called The People's Convention yesterday (we did a bunch of work shops and networking, ratified a political platform for the progressive movement and listened to Jill Stein from the Green Party give a speech) and today I participated in the March for a Clean Energy Revolution. Temperatures at both events broke 100 degrees, and today it was so hot that my phone and my video camera stopped working due to the heat. I almost stopped working too...I had to leave the rally at the end of the march a little early cause my vision was starting to swim, so I stumbled to the closest restaurant and just collapsed at a table.

It's really interesting being this close to the action, and I think it will get even more interesting tomorrow when the convention actually starts. It seems like half the people in the city are just here for the convention, so I've been going around eavesdropping on delegates. So far most of the conversations have been about logistical stuff, like what room they're supposed to meet in later and stuff like that, but sooner or later I'll "overhear" something actually meaningful! Mwa ha ha!

Okay, I don't really have evil intentions. I'm just curious. And since I'm not technically a journalist I get to satisfy that curiosity without worrying too much about ethical considerations like what's "on" the record and what's "off."