H245: Hundreds and Hundreds of Cops

The news apparently isn't covering the police breaking into homes and arresting people in Minnesota. As Digby says:

If you're not following the story of these raids in Minneapolis, you should be. Of course, you can be forgiven since the news media feel it's necessary to give Bobby Jindal hours of airtime and don't have any to spare once they are through analyzing the impact of the hurricane on John McCain's heroic POW experience in North Vietnam, but still ...

Here's a list of links gathered by John Emerson at Seeing the Forest. This really is unamerican. but then, it's nothing new for the authorities to be unamerican, is it? In fact, considering our history and ongoing willingness to put up with this stuff, one has to conclude that it's actually quite American after all:

Glen Greenwald and Firedoglake have been following this closely.
DNC - RNC - Troops Out Now (an activist group).
Legal Team.
Legal team's twitter update.
Minnesota Indymedia.
Minnesota Blue (a liberal Democratic site).
Minneapolis Star Tribune Convention page.
Google Blogsearch: "Republican + convention + arrests".

[ . . .]

Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming. How would a heroic POW handle a hurricane? Why, heroically, of course. He will chase that hurricane into the gates of hell.

The police presence swarming Denver was frightening in the clips that I saw. The brand new black uniforms, very swat, dark and hiding the face was reminiscent of the imperial forces of Star Wars. The first incidents had observers reporting no name tags or badges evident on a whole phalanx of cops outside the Pepsi Center. I watched as a huge cop clubbed a woman without provocation, sending her flying to the pavement. I saw an ABC reporter shoved and his face grabbed simply for filming a building where corporate sponsors were meeting. I don't have these links right now.

The mercenary police, Blackwater are headed for New Orleans again. This is terrifying. Let's not pretend that this shadow army isn't already out of control. Blackwater personnel are murdering people, harassing and torturing and are accountable to nobody. Mondo Fucko just renewed their contract for another year despite them being investigated for corruption.

On this Sunday night, my intent is not to cover the history of the GOP harassment, the habeas corpus again suspended, the hate that is Blackwater or the Hurricane Gustav horrors that may yet come. I just want to holler loudly - wake up America. Pay attention.

This might ring a bell for some:

Then They Came for Me

First they came for the Muslims, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Muslim.

Then they came to detain immigrants indefinitely solely upon the certification of the Attorney General, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't an immigrant.

Then they came to eavesdrop on suspects consulting with their attorneys, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a suspect.

Then they came to prosecute non-citizens before secret military commissions, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a non-citizen.

Then they came to enter homes and offices for unannounced "sneak and peek" searches, and I didn't speak up because I had nothing to hide.

Then they came to reinstate Cointelpro and resume the infiltration and surveillance of domestic religious and political groups, and I didn't speak up because I had stopped participating in any groups.

Then they came for anyone who objected to government policy because it aided the terrorists and gave ammunition to America's enemies, and I didn't speak up because...... I didn't speak up.

Then they came for me....... and by that time no one was left to speak up.

Stephen Rohde, a constitutional lawyer and President of the ACLU of Southern California, is indebted to the inspiration of Rev. Martin Niemoller (1937).

At what point do we accept it is a police state or steps away from becoming one?

Happy Face soldiers by Banksy

See his New Orleans work.