Fauci is Fact Checking... Your Text Messages? Internet Access a Major Economic Factor for Rural America,BLM is Anti Cuban Protest, 13-Year-Old Dies in NYC's Ignored Gang War (The Five for 07/16/21)
Hey, welcome to The Five.
It’s Friday, so let’s get into Culture & Commentary.
[one]
Buried in article from Politico this week about the door-to-door vaccine drives has uncovered what I believe to be one of the most disturbing things in modern politics I’ve read in years:
Unless this is an error, we can assume:
A). The government is preparing save and scan all SMS message, as they were in 2014. This is a violation of Civil Rights that’s unprecedented since…the last time they did it seven years ago.
B). Government employees, without your consent, may read your text messages, and write replies.
C). And there’s nothing you can do about it, currently.
The best advice I can offer at this point is to download the Signal app and have any sensitive, text-based communication there.
[two]
19-year-old Tyquill Daugherty (left) and 13-year-old Jaryan Elliot (right).
A major gang war has kicked off in New York City, leaving tragically young victims int it’s wake.
A “major gang war” between ruthless Bronx crews who are unafraid of cops has left a 13-year-old boy and two other teens dead in just the past five days, law enforcement sources told The Post on Monday.
“We can’t keep them in [jail], and they’re going after each other,’’ a high-ranking police source said, referring to juvenile suspects who end up back on the streets after being sent to family court instead of being prosecuted as adults.
A city prosecutor added, “They don’t go to jail, so they do robberies, get in fights and carry guns.
“Life on the streets in 2021.”
The first teen to die in the bloody gang-fueled stretch of borough violence was 19-year-old Tyquill Daugherty, who was shot in the head in front of his home in Crotona just before midnight Wednesday, sources and cops said.
Daugherty’s gang-related death was followed by Sunday’s fatal retaliatory drive-by shooting of Jaryan “Jay Ripp’’ Elliot, a 13-year-old suspected member of the Crips, about five blocks away in Belmont, sources said.
Observations:
A. I don’t see Black Lives Matter, Antifa, Proud Boys, 3%ers, Democrats, Republicans, Anarchists, Socialists, Communists or anybody else caring about this.
B. There’s a huge difference between 13 and 19. Daugherty (19) was an adult man, who’s life (sadly) ended due to his choices. But Elliot (13) was a kid, in every sense of the word. A jr. high student who joins a gang…is a victim. Full stop.
C. If you’re a victim in America, you’d better pray to God you’re connected to a larger political cause, or you’re screwed. Elliot wasn’t anybody important, and nobody could politicize his death…so a brief headline in a local paper is it for him. Meanwhile, the mainstream media will continue to focus on headlines that draw more clicks…he’s just another statistic in inner city violence, caused by a complex system of poverty, bad schools, lack of opportunity and role models…that has no easy set to partisan talking points to fix. Solving this issue isn’t really profitable for any group, so the Jaryan Elliots of the world will just keep dying with little attention or fanfare.
D. No matter how well intentioned defund the police movement, the unintended consequence of less beat cops on the street does appear to be a correlation with a higher murder rate and more violent crime. I hope the stark reality facing many major cities will cause some to ask whether or not there’s not a better way to address police brutality/unethical law enforcement that doesn’t result in so many civilian deaths.
[three]
Lack of broadband internet access is still a major economic issue for much of America.
I say “economic issue” because every dollar I make in a year, in one way or another, is tied fast, reliable internet access. Now, a new study by Consumer Reports is taking a look at how much rural Americans pay for (their usually sub-par) internet service, as the lack of equal access to this utility has far-reaching effects.
The Daily Yonder reports:
At least 60 percent of rural residents have said high-speed internet is a problem where they live, according to data from Pew Research Center.
“Broadband access is one of the most pressing civil rights issues of our time,” said Whitney Kimball Coe, coordinator of the Rural Assembly. “For too long, rural places and Native communities have been on the losing end of the digital divide, unable to fully participate in the economic, social, and cultural forces shaping our world today.
Much of rural America already struggles economically, and lack of equal access to the modern information hub is a huge disadvantage.
If you’re reading this in rural America, please take a moment to upload your internet bill here to be part of the study…and hopefully a part of the solution.
[four]
Black Lives Matter released a statement on Instagram blaming the U.S. for the current pro-democracy protests in Cuba.
Aside from what you think of the U.S. economic policy around Cuba, the statement clearly ignores the Cubans who are risking their lives to stand up for freedom by peacefully taking to the streets.
Observations:
A. I’ve been mostly quiet about BLM, because there are essentially three categories of people who associate with the phrase:
Those who identify with the Sentiment of the phrase as a statement.
Those who see the Brand as a catch all for issues surrounding policing and poverty in the U.S.
Those who believe in the Ideology, which has transformed from one around poverty and policing to an open push for Communism in America.
B. Since 2015, I’ve heard “how can anyone be against Black Lives Matter.” As a Sentiment, you can’t be, unless you’re an open racist. As a Brand, that got a lot more complicated in 2021, when Mike Brown’s father went public with the fact that almost none of the money raised in the name of his deceased son has made it to Ferguson, MO (for the record, I can easily confirm this…as I live about three miles from Ferguson).
So, to go back to the original question from 2015, “How can you be against Black Lives Matter.”
As a Sentiment, I’m not. No one should be.
As a Brand, I have profound hesitations about aligning with any organization with such huge ethical questions around money donated in good faith to help people on the ground, and never got there. BLM as a “brand” is significantly different in 2021 than in 2015, and my views have changed as the organization has gone in a new direction, away from on-the-ground issues and towards global Communism.
As an Ideology, I grew up with neighbors and relatives who suffered under the oppressive yoke of Communism before escaping Laos, who saw their countrymen beheaded in the street. I cannot, and will not, ever align myself with any organization that ignores than 100 million dead from Communism in the 20th century and says “REal ComMunisM has nEvEr beEn trIed.”
It has, and it’s bloodied six continents with the bodies of the innocent. My neighbor growing up fought against it, was captured and held in a literal dog cage for months before escaping from his own execution and making it to America.
All that being said…when someone talks about BLM, I always ask “what do you mean by that.”
It may be that this person and I have more in common than we hold in differing views, and it’s worth clarifying. As a rule, try to pause and find the reasonable conversation and points of connection when things heat up.
If you would like to make a donation that helps people in Ferguson, MO, since I can’t recommend my friend Brian Owen’s L.I.F.E. Creative Arts nonprofit highly enough.
[five]
As always, let’s head into the weekend with a pop culture roundup:
Netflix scored another huge release with the upcoming Red Notice, which pairs Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (Fast & Furious, Moana), Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman, Justice League) and Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool, The Proposal) for the tale of an art thief on the run from the FBI. Streaming November 12th.
Netflix also announced the release date for season 2 of the uber-popular fantasy series The Witcher, which returns December 17th. See the trailer here. The first season was obviously popular, because Netflix also announced an anime spinoff Nightmare of the Wolf as well as a prequel, The Witcher: Blood Origin. +
The social media embargo for director James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad has been lifted, and the general consensus is that the kind-of DC Universe sequel is a hyper-violent, hilarious experience. Gunn drew heavy inspiration from 70’s war films, so if gore isn’t your thing, maybe stay away from this one when it hits theaters and HBO Max on 08/05. But, if you’re looking for a thrill ride from the Guardians of the Galaxy director that features a villain that kills people with [checks notes] polka dots, mark your calendar.
The streamer released on of my most anticipated films of the year, the action vehicle Gunpowder Milkshake, featuring an all female leading cast including Karen Gillan (Avengers Endgame, The Big Short), Carla Gucino (Watchmen, American Gangster), Lena Headey (Game of Thrones, 300), Freya Allen (The Witcher, Into the Badlands), Angela Basset (Black Panther, Olympus has Fallen) and Michelle Yeoh (Crazy Rich Asians, James Bond: Tomorrow Never Dies).
A documentary on the late Anthony Bourdaine of No Reservations fame used AI to recreate the travel/food show host’s voice to make it sound like he was reading a line for a documentary on Bourdaine’s life, which presents some significant ethical dilemmas on how technology can and should be used in entertainment.
MUSIC NEWS: Former Staind vocalist/current country singer Aaron Lewis made waves this week by releasing a single that contains the lyric “Am I the only one who quits singin' along/Every time they play a Springsteen song?” A for a suprise single from a not-super-popular singer, the song has quickly become a cultural flashpoint. I don’t have time to go into it here, but Saving Country Music has a writeup that’s worth your time. Mark Hoppus of Blink 182 is battling an aggressive form of cancer. Current teen angst queen/Disney channel alumna Olivia Rodrigo appeared at the White House to push a pro-COVID-vaccine message, and wore sock with heels for some strange reason.
NEW MUSIC: John Mayer’s Sob Rock has to be the most hilariously titled release of the week. Missouri native country/soul vocalist Nathaniel Rateliff releases Live at Red Rocks, along with new albums from Ohio-based rapper Stalley and Chicago hip hop staple Vic Mensa and Canadian emo innovators Boys Night Out, who return after a 13+ year hiatus. EP’s are apparently a thing again, as Gen Z phenom Julia Michaels, roots/country rockers Midland and Australian indie rock band Gang of Youths all dropped projects with short run times.
[epilogue]
Jonathan the Turtle is a giant tortoise living in Saint Helena, a British territory smack dab in the middle of the Atlantic (see map below).
At at least 190 years old, Jonathan was alive for the Trail of Tears, the forced removal of the Cherokee tribe from the eastern US in 1831. He is the oldest living animal in the world.
Until the next one,
-sth