Look right for the internal terrorism risk. These days it’s not the weathermen…it’s the modern day far right. https://www.cfr.org/blog/violent-far-right-terrorist-threat-american-law-enforcement

I follow the chatter in places like gab and Telegram. That NYT reporter found a third of New York Occupy were for overthrowing the government. This is where MAGA is at this point. Violent, genocidial speech is an every day occurrence with a dash of civil war and dissolution. That same reporter speaks of lone wolves every time we have a far right wing inspired violent attack, because, and this is a problem with US papers like the NYT, they are afraid of pointing out this is a pack of wolves. But they will accuse this mythical left of the violence that exists with the right.

There are three parallels to this. The first are from American history, and why we don’t have a far left. The red scares of the 1920s and 1950s. The second is the rise of the third Reich. The German press, likewise, accused socialists and communist of street violence, while ignoring the brown shirts. Oh never mind those socialist and communists pointed fingers at each other…which did not help. Remember my two teachers? Even after a global war…it got bizarre. For an 18 year old it was fascinating. But I had no context. Now I do.

I knew on J5 there would be violence, and the chatter is back there after Trump was indicted. I actually warned my congressional delegation over Twitter. If I could tell, I don’t buy it the authorities did not.

As to cities burning, in the sixties it came after the murder of the leadership, whether you speak of King, Malcolm x who embraced peaceful protest near the end of his life, or Bobby. After that, people pretty much gave up on more peaceful means. Or at least enough did. Could we see targeted murders? We have in the past, why not now?

Pearson and Jones are aware of that history. So were my local leaders. In private they conceded they may not see grandchildren.

As to Baez, she is comfortable with people like AOC. But Baez is from the corner of the Democratic Party that is more, ahem, liberal. And AOC is a product of NYC politics. She could not be elected even in Albany. This is a nuance a lot of people miss. Our political parties are formed by factions that in a multiparty democracy would be in their own parties.