Idiots 'R Us: the boogaloo

Protesters in Michigan peaceably gathering at the state capitol.  Note the sign whose maker does not seem to know how to spell the name of the governor they are protesting against, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

The political division in America has become a part of Covid-19 pandemic.  The major media have reported how
"the debate over how soon to loosen restrictions on businesses and workers has moved from the hands of health experts to become an increasingly political fight over costs to the economy, which Mr. Trump sees as crucial to his re-election."

Trump is, of course, tweeting at his followers to take action. His tweets are:

"LIBERATE MINNESOTA!”  

"LIBERATE MICHIGAN!"
"LIBERATE VIRGINIA, and save your great 2nd Amendment. It is under siege!"

NBC news reports:

Trump's tweets, however, pushed many online extremist communities to speculate whether the president was advocating for armed conflict, an event they’ve termed "the boogaloo," for which many far-right activists have been gearing up and advocating since last year.

 If you aren't aware of the term "boogaloo":

"Boogaloo" is a term used by extremists to refer to armed insurrection, a shortened version of "Civil War 2: Electric Boogaloo," which was coined on the extremist message board 4chan.

 This raises the question of if things get a bit dicey in South Dakota, could Trump be charged under Gov. Noem's new law against riot boosting:

22-10-17. Incitement to riot--Violation as felony.Any person who, with the intent to cause a riot, commits an act or engages in conduct that urges three or more people, acting together and without authority of law, to use force or violence to cause any injury to any person or any damage to property, under circumstances in which the force or violence is imminent and the urging is likely to incite or produce the use of force or violence, incites riot. For the purposes of this chapter, urging includes instigating, inciting, or directing, but does not include the oral or written advocacy of ideas or expression of belief that does not urge the commission of an act or conduct of imminent force or violence. This section may not be construed to prevent the peaceable assembly of persons for lawful purposes of protest or petition. A violation of this section is a Class 5 felony.

2) "Incitement to riot," any person who, with the intent to cause a riot, commits an act or engages in conduct that urges three or more people, acting together and without authority of law, to use force or violence to cause any injury to any person or any damage to property, under circumstances in which the force or violence is imminent and the urging is likely to incite or produce the use of force or violence, incites riot. Urging includes instigating, inciting, or directing, but does not include the oral or written advocacy of ideas or expression of belief that does not urge the commission of an act or conduct of imminent force or violence;

When interviewed, Republican governors who want to reactivate their states cautiously so as not to trigger a resurgence of Covid-19 deny that Trump is inciting riots.  With the death toll of the virus victims reaching 5 percent (it's 7.5 percent in Michigan) the GOP governors see the restrictions against public gatherings as the only means to combat the disease as the only way to combat at this time.  But they will not say anything critical about Trump.  Rather they follow the example of Vice President Pence:

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) pressed Pence on Trump’s Twitter feed at the end of (a conference) call, asking why the president was trying to incite division by tweeting “LIBERATE” Virginia, Minnesota and Michigan and aligning himself with protests in those states over their lockdowns. Pence said the administration is working with governors but that the president will continue to communicate with the American people as he always has.

Democratic governors see Trump's tweets as a clear incitement:

Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington, who ran an unsuccessful bid for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, said Mr. Trump’s tweets “encourage illegal and dangerous acts” and said the president was “putting millions of people in danger of contracting Covid-19.” Mr. Inslee added: “His unhinged rantings and calls for people to ‘liberate’ states could also lead to violence. We’ve seen it before."

When one looks at how the social restrictions are playing out in the rest of the world, violence is beginning to erupt.  In South Africa, it is reported that ".People have broken into tuck shops. They have attacked people. The simple reason is because they are hungry.”  [A tuck shop is a small, food-selling retailer,  a term principally used in the UK, Ireland, Grenada, South Africa, Nigeria, New Zealand, Jamaica, Australia, Pakistan, India, Canada, The Bahamas and  other parts of the former British Empire.]

In the meantime, some folks are parading with their assault weapons, ready for the boogaloo.  One blog commenter said let those who want free reign for Covid-19 gather together and breathe on each other to their heart's content.  Just warn the rest of us where they are at.  As for the boogaloo, it is quite possible.  A few years ago, a gun dealer noted that more than half of his sales  of assault-type rifles and tactical shotguns were to people who thought they might need to defend themselves against the right-wing extremists at some point.  Covid-19 seems to be pushing us to that point in places.

A retired historian I once worked with says the political division we are experiencing should not be defined as a division between Republicans and Democrats.  It is actually a division between those who are not burdened with intellects and those who are.  Those who are not so burdened are faced with the choice of death by Covid-19 or by firearms.   That's what the boogaloo is all about.