Bob's Political Musings

It has been over a year since I posted to my Blog. A lot has happened since then. Some things good and some things bad. My work has dealt with cases in the US, Chile, Ecuador, China, Columbia and Peru over the last year. However, I did not travel to any of these countires during the year. Instead, I just completed desk-top analyses due to travel restrictions and personal restraints.

My mother passed away in April this year. She was just shy of her 89th birthday and Mom and Dad were married 69 years and 4 months at the time.

Unfortunately, it was necessary to place her in an Assisted Living facility back in November. This was an eye-opening experience to see the waste and abuse that permeates the medical system here in the US due to regulations in Medicare and the Affordable Care Act which has resulted in the consolidation of doctor offices into franchises owned by large corporate medical companies. What I saw due to this experience was:

• The system is setup by  Government Bureaucrats so that Hospice and Home Care programs promotes or entices the elderly to die and not to provide quality end-of-life care.
• There seems to be a lack of doctors or real medical care in these programs. No MD ever evaluated my Mom from September until we pulled her from the program and took her to the Hospital just a few hours before her death. The doctor (MD) in charge of the hospice program just let a nurse practitioner evaluate her conditions and make recommendations for him to sign-off.
• There is a lack of skilled nursing and qualified help in this country. We had Mom in what was supposed to be one of the best care facilities in her town and yet we had to provide for most of her daily care due to the lack of staff. Many of the other facilities we considered had less staff than the one we chose.
• The professional care takers that were assigned to Mom had to maximize the number of patients to bill Medicare. This in turn minimized the time spent they could spend with Mom. Most of them that we dealt with were very compassionate people but had limited time to help her as they had a bunch of other patients that they were also assigned to assist.
• Rather than addressing health issues and working with her confusion due to worsening dementia, they insisted on prescribing anti-anxiety drugs which turned her into a zombie in order to make her compliant without any real awareness of people, things going on around her, or the ability to express her needs. Several times I had to insist they terminate the medication resulting in a Mom we were familar with.

I could go on about the poor experience I had with Mom and her end-of-life care. Needless to say, I am still grieving over her loss so I will quit for now. However, it did reveal to me that Government regulations and intervention in our health care system has many negative consequences.

While its been a while since I posted, the current war between Russia and Ukraine has been interesting. I played hockey in 1991 and 1992 in both countries and have done consulting work in eastern Russia and have just completed an assignment for a Ukrainian CEO on a project here in the USA. The people of both countries are absolutely wonderful, kind, hospitable and are people that are warm and kindhearted which you would love to call friends.

But then, during my career and international travels, that is what I have found out about almost all the people in the different countries I have met. Most people are just looking to be able to make a comfortable living, to provide for their families and to make an easier life for their sons and daughters and grandchildren. They generally love good food, good people and try to show outsiders the wonderful things about their culture, their history, and their communities. Over the years, I have found that my interactions with other people groups only to enrich me as a person and help me understand that, even as diverse people, we are all valuable despite any geographical, governmental, or political divisions or differences we may have.

I also have come to understand that while the Ukrainians and Russians histories have been greatly intertwined, they also have definite and distinct differences. Which is part of the root of the current conflict. It is my belief that it is not for any group to try to force their political leanings or ideals upon one another but to let individual groups decide for themselves the direction and values to pass on to their further generations.

Remember that Putin is an ex-KGB thug and bully assigned to a mid-level post in East Germany at the time of the fall of the Berlin Wall. I was in Berlin a few weeks afterwards and saw, first hand, the kind-heartiness of both the East and West Berliners and how much they were really joined together as one people. I also saw in their resentment for the Russian occupiers and forced oppression from which they were liberated.

Apparently, Putin with his East Germany KGB assignment never realized the wonderful cultural difference between the people of Russia and East Germany. But then again, his task as a mid-level bully and operative for the KGB was to ensure the culturally different people group (Germans) obeyed and submitted to Russian doctrines and values. It is a shame that he did not discover the oneness of the German people and respect their differences but he just followed his orders required for the position to make sure the East Germans gave him and Russian troops the respect and honor due to their hierarchical societal position. This doesn’t surprise me because again in my travels, the most hostile and inhospitable people I have met always tend to be government Bureaucrats that hold themselves and their politics above the lowly masses they should be serving. They tend to think the “peasants” exist to make their lives easier for them and their families rather than the other way around.

What I see from American television and in discussions with a few Ukrainians, is that Mr. Putin is of the old 1989 KGB mindset of: you will “assimilate or else” and “resistance is futile”. In “Star Trek the Next Generation”, we see a parallel to what appears to be the mindset of Putin in the BORG. One quote in the series (from an episode in 1996 I think) sums up the BORG: “we will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Your culture will adapt to service us. Resistance is futile.” This is exactly how I view what Putin is telling the Ukrainians – that they should be grateful, to lay down their arms and again assimilate as part of Russia and service the Russian people.

Vladimir Putin – it is my opinion that the destiny, values, and future of the Ukrainian people should be determined by the Ukrainian people not by you or the Russian Oligarchs. If they wish to align with Russia that is fine. If not, let them make that choice. Ultimately, the BORG was destroyed by freedom fighters in Star Trek and, history always shows that the will of the people (or the workers using Russian terminology) always will eventually triumph. The Ukrainians wish to be governed on the terms they decide and not the terms of foreigners. As eventually with Hugh of the Borg, the Ukrainians understand that they are individuals and not third of five in a collective.

Mr. Putin, get a grip on reality. You are not in the 1980’s and enter into the 2020’s. In the USA the old guard Republicans pine for a return to the 1950’s and the old guard Democrats’ view the country as they are still living in the 1960’s. Ultimately the world will be a lot safer and enjoyable place if all of you would realize that world has changed since then tremendously and try enter into the 2020’s. The 2020’s is a lot more exciting, promising, and easier place to live in and has it has a brighter future for our families than back in the good old days of the past.

It has been a while since I posted primarily due to the confusion going on in the country. We have a President that seems to have dementia and, at times, appears to babble incoherently at press conferences. Our inflation is kicking in and at a higher rate than the US government publishes, a southern border out of control, and athletes representing our country in the Olympics that want to win the medals but do not want to represent the country. However, to my surprise, many people in this county think President Biden is doing a good job and bringing us together and moving us in the right direction. Either that, the pollsters are just lying, dog faced pony soldiers (whatever that means) propogandist trying to convince the people that everything is great and people indeed love the dictatorial tyranny our government has digressed and become.

This leads into the topic of this post. The government reaction to the so called Covid D Variant “plague” about to hit the US. We are facing another round of lock-downs, mask mandates for everyone and vaccination shaming and/or dictates. I find it interesting since the same people so hysterical about people must be forced to take the experimental vaccine are the same people who for years shouted and protested with the slogan “MY BODY MY CHOICE”.

But lets look at the facts (not the science as science anymore is apparently an extension of political thought and not derived from facts). If we examine facts, it appears to me that at this moment in time the alarmism is akin to the little boy who cried wolf.  The CDC recently released a study on July 30, 2021 about a ‘superspreader’ event in a county in Massachusetts. They looked at 470 (469 to be exact) people that had contracted Covid in Barnstable county, MA. There were a total of 5 cases resulting in hospitalization and zero deaths as of July 27th.

Four of the five hospitalized were vaccinated, only one was not vaccinated. This is important because the US Government and President Biden has been pushing that the way to overcome the coming apocalypse is that all “patriotic” American need to be vaccinated. Ask the four people that ended up hospitalized how good their vaccination were in preventing hospitalization. But more important, why are we so worried about the Covid D variant? True that there were a lot of people in this incident infected (469), 74 percent were reportedly fully vaccinated but, there were zero (0) deaths.

The real facts of the story (verified by a CDC publication) interjects doubt into the minds of most reasonable thinking people. Is the vaccination is really a vaccination? This question promotes the suspicion that either the government is lying to us (wouldn’t be the first time) or that the politicians have just redefined the definition or vaccine in order to force/trick people into taking a dangerous drug for the financial gain of the pharmaceutical companies and their lobbyists. While I believe it is not my problem whether people chooses to take or not to take the vaccine, it becomes apparent why reasonable adults (with or without certain pollical agendas) could quickly come to the conclusion that the whole matter is a government sham or conspiracy.

Getting back to Covid D in general, if we look at the (facts), the total number of deaths from COVID (all variants) from July 1 to July 24 totaled 2,791 (provisional figures as of 8/3/2021). This is an average of 112 per day. The Covid deaths in all of January 2021 was 95,641 or an average of 3,085 per day for that month. The death rate (for all variants) has been reduced 96.4 percent of what is was in January.

How can we then say we need to go back to the draconian prevention measures in place in the month of January just because the Covid D is more contagious when, the current death rate is way down. It is like saying that because we are all catching a cold in December we should all wear masks, shut down our schools and recreation centers and shutter our economy.

If the new CDC guidance is actually justified based on some other unpublished hidden CDC medical facts let us see the facts or data. Until then, it is my opinion that it appears that both political parties and the new billionaire pharmaceutical executives are grossly negligent in their actions to the American people.

First the pharmaceutical companies have developed, sold, greatly profited from and labeled a vaccine that is not a truly a vaccine; which in previous times would be considered fraud. Second, the Republicans (Trump’s party and administration) appears to have developed and authorized use of a faulty vaccine. Third, the Democrats and Biden is now coercing the faulty vaccine on the American people through threats, mandates and policies which encourage employers to fire people who do not want to take the vaccine and encourage businesses to refuse to offer their services to the unvaccinated because the government cannot Constitutionally do it themselves.

Fourth, the Supreme Court is grossly negligent in that it sees the FRAGRENT violation of both Constitutional and human rights by the US government in real time and their 9 member justifies inaction by waiting for challenges to work its way through the lower courts which will take years. I believe this to be morally irreprehensible, shameful, a violation of their oath of office and inhumane. By the time the Supreme Court acts, the pandemic will either be over or the orders will have been lifted/expire/replaced so they will just dismiss the case(s) for non-standing. We have seen so many state governors use the tactic of getting cases dismissed in court by issuing temporary orders and, the courts won’t even hear the case because the order the subject of the proceeding was had expired by the time it got to the hearing. Ruling that a new case can be filed on the “new” order which in turn will be expired before its hearing. In the meantime the courts sit idlily by watching the rights of the American people being trampled upon. In my opinion it would be nice for the court system to put aside its complete incompetence and cowardness and stand up for the rights of the citizens of this great country.

This is tyranny in its ultimate form since all three branches of government is colluding in stripping the American people of their God given rights and forcing people to choose to be vaccinated as a requirement for them to access necessities such as food, health care, medicine and vital services. This is ultimately slavery of people to the political whims of government. This is why America rebelled from the King in 1776.

Since the election, I have been disappointed with the game of dodge ball that the Supreme and other Federal courts has been playing. The Courts’ reaction has been a complete farce as they continue to play ping-pong with the issues surrounding the 2020 election. The courts’ credibility has degraded in the last four years by the Chief Justice’s political maneuvering to please both the executive branch and the legislative branch to prevent court packing and what he precieves as a treat to the Federal Judicial system. But it is not only the Chief Justice, the entire Supreme Court is at fault as they act like a bunch of yellow belly chickens and refuse to hear and rule on the facts but look for excuses not to take cases based on timing or standing.

In 2017 the Federal Courts gave standing to non-US citizens concerning emigration yet refused standing for the state of Texas against Michigan which is one of the constitutional specified Constitutional mandated purposes of the Supreme Court (to hear and make judgement in disputes between the states) . They simply denied to even hear the dispute and evidence which in my opinion is in VIOLATION of the US Constitution..

It is reported that the Chief Justice did not want to hear the Texas case because there would be rioting. What cowardness on his part! If the Supreme Court in 1954 had been worried about rioting then the landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education would have never been issued and the President would not have had to call out the National Guard to enforce the ruling.

We have also seen that the Chief Justice has refused to hold those committing perjury to the FISA court accountable or to reign in the super secret FISA court abuses which the US people have given this responsibility to the Court. If the Supreme Court will hear disputes of non-US citizen and not a dispute between the states or ignore their legal responsibility to the people of the United States, it is no wonder that the people question why these unelected justices should have a life-time job.

Politically the Supreme Court is at a cross-roads and should have never made the decision to ignore the Texas case without hearing the evidence and only rule using vague legal technicalities. The US people expect that the Supreme Court will rule on facts and do what is right and protect the rights of the people.

I have been contemplating the similarities of Antifa and the KKK today. After I look at the pictures below ,the only difference I see is that one group is dressed in white while the other in black. What I have witness on TV over the last few month, I have come to the conclusion that they are quite similar because: 1) they hide behind masks; and 2) they use intimidation, violence and force to coerce others to embrace their thoughts and ideals. In both movements, they used tactics from the classic playbook of fascism – kill, beat, burn, eliminate or destroy the property and livelihood of those who may disagree with them or get in their way. One truly American value is that are everyone has the God given Right of their individual thoughts and speech. What has made the US great since our founding is that we are all free to think and express our opinions – right or wrong – without the fear of physical harm or retribution.

During the pandemic/lock-down or whatever you want to call it, I have watched the Star Wars series like a dozen times. The eighth episode of the series (Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi) is what inspired me for this post and I find it interesting that in the movie we see many parallels to what is happening in our country and politics today.

First we have Snoke the leader of the “First Order” empire trying to snuff out all resistance to his empire and eliminate those seeking to live in peace and free from the first order tyranny. After viewing the film the last time, I noticed an uncanny resemblance with Snoke and our current one world order mastermind of today George Soros see the pictures below and just imagine Snoke with some hair and a little more weight. I think that Mr. Soros should sue Disney or Lucas Films for using his likeness in the film.

Enough for that, if we go back to the plot, we find Kylo Ren and Snoke obsessed with the elimination of Luke Skywalker (the last Jedi) because he posses a threat to the absolute tyrannical control or domination of the galaxy. The irrational hatred goes so far as to when Luke walks out of the breached resistance’s base to face the army of the first order, Kylo Ren orders “I want every gun we have to fire on that man”.

I find it ironical that in today’s politics we see this same sort of hatred to President Trump. Those seeking to bring us under the one world order is so obsessed with eliminating President Trump they will stop at nothing to get rid of him. We have named it as Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS). Was Kylo Ren in the film really suffering from a form of TDS?

Finally, I think Disney would have a big hit if they would do a remake of Star Wars: Episode VIII with George Soros playing Snoke, Chris Coumo playing Kylo Ren and Donald Trump playing Luke Skywalker. Either that, they might just Photoshop their faces over the original cast’s so save some money.

Everyday we see news reports on the TV, Internet, Phone or however you get your news feed, stories about the “mostly peaceful protesters” for Social Justice or Racial Equality. I will write a post sometime in the future about my views of social injustice and racial inequality but for the moment I am focusing on what I see as portrayed as “mostly peaceful protesters” by both the left and right wing news outlets.

How does one define the term “peaceful protesters”? To me, a “peaceful protester” is a protest without violence. Hence a “peaceful protest” is non-violent and those involved do not allow violence to be associated with their effort or cause. A peaceful protest is a movement or demonstration of a person or a group of people in order to bring attention to or to right a wrong or injustice with the absence of violence and physical harm to others or property. When a protest or demonstration sinks into chaos and physical, mental or emotional violence then it is no longer a peaceful protest. In my book, a protest is either peaceful or it is not.

Hence, the term “mostly peaceful protest” I feel is an oxymoron. Calling a riot a “mostly peaceful protest” has nothing to do with reality. It is like trying to assert that I am kind of a virgin, I am kind of pregnant, I am almost a Ph.D. Many things in life are actually binary. Either it is or it is not. Protests in my view are like that too. Either a protest is peaceful or it is not.

Globalist postulate that in order to achieve detente and avoid all out World War III with China the US must decline to and allow the debt driven Neo-colonizing China and multiple other nations within the Chinese Belt initiative to rise and replace us as a super-power. Specifically, they want a totalitarian draconian state-run Marxist economy to replace American capitalism which was founded upon the principles of individual freedom and liberty. The interesting fact is for the US to do so and to allow world economic domination by China and its colonies would ultimately require Americans to surrender our their rouged individualism, our privacy, our personal rights and our cognitive liberty.

This is something most Americans will not do. China, through its colonialism and so-called benevolence and multi-lateral treaties and economic agreements is trying to leverage their money and economic influence with the rest of world in order to isolate and force the US into adopting a circular Marxist economy primarily run by totalitarian plutocrats lead by China. This is fine for the privileged few but it eliminates the rights and ability of the average person from achieving or surviving without the express consent of the autocratic elite.

Throughout history we have seen the failure and overthrow of these systems that trample upon people’s individual rights and freedoms to enrich the societal elites and to enslave the minds and souls of what they view as ungrateful bitter commoners. Ultimately these systems give lip service to the rights of all stakeholders but, in truth there are very few true legitimate stakeholders in a totalitarian government. The unspoken concept in Marxist thought is that individual rights is in direct conflict with the rights of the collective (or workers or people). The collective concept fails to recognize the sanctity of individual life and the worth of all of God’s peoples. They do not value personal and cognitive liberties, a pillar in western civilization. The idea of the sanctity of individual rights is deemed to be in opposition to rights of government (collective) so it ultimately needs to be programmed out of the culture through indoctrination of children about how destructive these ideas and values are to the advancement of civilization.

If we look throughout human history, almost all of the biggest advances in easing the burdens and meeting our physiological needs (human survival) came out from capitalistic societies. Once our basic needs are meet and we have free time, people are free to explore their cognitive abilities to improve both themselves and their communities. Advances in agriculture, shelter, medicine, technology and security have all been driven throughout the centuries by individuals with to time to figure out a way to make life easier for themselves and their families. It was not from the elite with some altruistic goal of improving the life of the ruling class. Hence, within our freedom loving American capitalistic society each individual has potential of obtaining money and power through creativity, innovation and exercise of our cognitive liberty. The difference in our society versus a Marxist society is we are working to better ourselves and not forced to work or forced to use our abilities to make life better for the privileged elites.

The Marxist conflict with the American system is based in the American’s recognition that the government is an agreement of individuals joining together for the common purpose of survival, advancement and security to assist all individuals in the contract to better achieve their goals and ambitions. A government for the people and by the people or the government is subservient to the people. In contrast, totalitarian governments like China view their role as owners of a system they developed and the people (collective) are just “honey bees” or a means to fulfill the security, wants, desires, advancement, entertain and to feed the ruling class. Survival of the few is the primary objective not of the survival and development of all individuals. We see that totalitarian governments will use Marxist ideals to justify their personal greed and to convince the collective that they have their best interest at heart. They view the people, or collective, is beholden to the benevolence of the government.

I spent all day yesterday watching Attorney General William Barr testify. While it was informative on the cultural divide and differing points of view in this country, I take exception to the parallels drawn between the protests in Lansing Michigan vs Portland Oregon by a certain radical member of the US House of Representatives.

During the hearing, Ms Jayapal (by the way from Washington State) made a statement “But in Michigan when protesters carried guns and Confederate flags and swastikas and called for the governor of Michigan to be beheaded and shot and lynched, somehow you are not aware of that“.

First I would like to point out that Attorney General Barr is the head of the Justice Department of the United States. From my limited knowledge of the law and of the separation of Federal powers versus States’ powers I believe that AG Barr’s (or Justice Department’s) duties is limited to charging those who break Federal Law and not to those breaking State Law. Maybe this is a over simplification, but I think it is somewhat accurate.

So let’s dissect Ms. Jayapal’s statement and ask if Federal Law was violated:

• “Protesters carried guns” – Is it against Federal Law to carry a gun on property owned by the State of Michigan? NOT in this case! It could be against Michigan law but it is not breaking their state law since Michigan is an open-carry state and it is NOT illegal to bear firearms inside of the statehouse in Michigan. It is also NOT against Federal Law as the State of Michigan has jurisdiction over their property not the Federal government. In fact, from a Federal standpoint, the second amendment to the US Constitutions generally allows Americans to bear arms. While the Federal Courts have allowed local jurisdictions to limit that right in specific instances, the State of Michigan has chosen not to at their state capital. So, in my opinion, Ms. Jayapal has no legal argument. In her statement she is suggesting the AG should disregard the US Constitution and Federal Codes and arrest and charge those holding scary fire arms relying on her opinion and not actual state or Federal law. My opinion is that a true patriot respects differences in or a diversity of opinions. Only fascists uses force and feelings to make others conform to their view.
• “Confederate Flags” – Again, is it against Federal Law to carry a Confederate Flag? NO WAY! It may not be politically correct or frowned upon by others but this is America. It is one of our fundamental rights to enjoy free expression of thought and ideas. As for flags, we can even burn American Flags and it is not against Federal Law. We can carry Mexican flags, Chinese flags, Russian flags, LBGT flags, state flags anytime we want. That is the American way and we do it all the time. Ms. Jayapal’s implies in her statement that it was the AG’s duty to arrest and charge those with different political views than her own. In my opinion, this is in conflict with both American rights and ideals.
• “and swastikas” – It is against Federal Law to display or wear a swastika? NO WAY! While I agree that maybe it was a distasteful way to express the protester’s frustration because of the symbol utilized, it is not a Federal crime to display,wear or to protest with a swastika. I would also remind Ms. Jayapal it is also not illegal in America to be a NAZI. Again, it is a fundamental right in America to express our political views, even repulsive views. If Representative Jayapal would have done her homework instead of relying just reports from unreliable sources, she would have seen that the swastikas displayed were on signs suggesting that the Michigan Governor was being a fascist dictator with her shut-down orders. The protesters were trying to compare her orders to the fascist mandates used by NAZI’s in Germany in the 1930’s. Even the Speaker of the House has made similar references to Trump referring to the DHS and US Marshals as his “Storm troopers.” Apparently its OK for Democrats to make references to NAZI’s (although it could be a Star Wars reference) about their opponents but think it is a Federal Crime for anyone to make NAZI (or Star Wars) references concerning a Democrat.
• “and called for the governor of Michigan to be beheaded and shot and lynched – Is this speech against Federal Law? I don’t know the legal answer to this but I think NOT. Why? Well no one was prosecuted when people n NYC’s Central Park depicted beheading President Trump. In fact, my recollection is that these individuals were praised in the media as patriots for boldly exercising their first amendment rights of free speech. If it is not a Federal Crime to advocate that the President of the United States be beheaded, then likewise it cannot be a Federal crime to advocate such for a state Governor. If I am wrong and it is a Federal crime, I would note that the Federal Government has not prosecuted those type of threats against President Trump and again, under our Constitution we expect equal treatment (not selective treatment) under the law which was stated by the AG as his goal: to restore confidence in equal treatment under the law for all Americans.
• Is the Michigan capital building and grounds where the anti-lock-down protest was held on Federal property? NO. I believe it is the property of the State of Michigan therefore, it is Michigan’s responsibility to hold anyone in that peaceful demonstration that might have violated Michigan laws accountable not AG Barr’s duty. As a side note, I cannot find any reports of vandalism, arson or violence, against either lawmakers of the officers protecting the Michigan capital building only references to scary items which were in the lawful possession a few of the demonstrators.

So, getting back to the alleged usurpation of duties by AG Barr, what Federal Law was broken in Lansing that the Justice Department or AG Barr failed to enforce? I just don’t know of any so maybe Ms Jayapal could elaborate because those items she mentioned is really a “nothing sandwich” which appears to distract and imply responsibility to AG Barr where non exists. If Ms. Jayapal believes these should items and actions should be unlawful at the Federal level, then she should introduce legislation in Congress and push to make it so.

In contrast, lets look at Portland where Ms. Jayapal implies that AG Barr has overstepped his duties by sending in US Marshalls and arresting people. It is my understanding that part of the Justice Department duties is to arrest and prosecute people in violation of Federal statues. So is it a Federal Crime to:

• Intentionally destroy Federal Property? – YES
• Intentionally deface Federal Property? – YES
• Intentionally break windows of a Federal building? – YES
• Fire explosive materials (fireworks) at Federal employees? – YES
• Throw kerosene filled balloons in a Federal building and start fires? – YES
• Attempt to set fire to, or to actually set fire to Federal facilities? – YES
• Attempt to permanently blind a Federal employee with a laser? – YES
• Attempt to harm a Federal employee? – YES
• Throw rocks, bricks, water bottles, feces at Federal employees? – YES
• Interfere with the lawful arrest of those committing Federal Crimes? – YES
• Obstruct Justice by shielding or hiding those committing Federal Crimes? – YES

These are all Federal Crimes and we see these Federal crime are being perpetrated nightly in Portland. So I believe that it IS AG Barr’s duty and responsibility to use the police powers of the Justice Department to apprehend and convict those in violation of Federal law and statutes.

In short, what happened at the peaceful anti-lock-down demonstrations in Lansing appears to me to have no comparison to what is happening in Portland. In one case (Lansing) it appears it was a peaceful protest without illegal activity from individuals who view certain actions of the Michigan governor as an overreach and as unlawful. In the other case (Portland) the peaceful protests seem to erupt into nightly acts of theft, vandalism, violence and attacks on Federal property and employees which are in violation of Federal law and statutes.

I think that most honest people would conclude that what happened in Lansing can not be compared to what is happening in Portland. As the Attorney General so eloquently stated in his testimony “Since when is it okay to burn down a federal court“