Wondered what Martin Gugino, 75, was doing  when he walked up to the Buffalo police, who pushed him away. With them advancing, why did he in effect try to stop them? Well it seems there was method in his madness. 

During his effort Gugino was attempting to capture the radio communications signature of Buffalo police officers. CTH [Conservative Tree House, this blog] noted what he was attempting on Thursday night as soon as the now viral video was being used by media to sell a police brutality narrative. [Thread Here] Today, a more clear video has emerged that shows exactly what he was attempting

In this slow motion video, you see Gugino using a phone as a capture scanner.  You might have heard the term “skimming”; it’s essentially the same.  Watch him use his right hand first to scan the mic of officer one (top left of chest).  Then Gugino moves his hand to the communications belt of the second officer. [emphasis added]

What was he up to?

This capture of communications signals [explained in detail here] is a method of police tracking [that is, the tracking of police] used by Antifa to monitor the location of police. In some cases the more high tech capture software can even decipher communication encryption allowing the professional agitators to block (black-out), jam, or interfere with police communication. In addition, many police body-cams are bluetooth-enabled which allows syncing.

Watching the video, you see a 3rd policeman charging up to Gugino, apparently once he saw what he was doing — basically an act of terrorism — and joined in pushing him away. It was comparable to his grabbing for a policeman’s gun, and the cops had to stop him.

Trump caught this, assessed it shrewdly, and tweeted his assessment, to the horror of his enemies in the media.

via Buffalo Officials Duped By Professional Antifa Provocateur – Arrest and Charge Two Police Officers – Righteous Police Team Stand Together and Walk Out… | The Last Refuge

. . . blocking their progress, as seen in the video, even putting a hand out and touching one of them as they moved along. What was he thinking?

The special response unit was formed in 2016 and is deployed to manage mass demonstrations and riots. They are the first line of defense and best trained officers in the department for these situations, according to [John Evans, PBA president.]  and other police sources. Their training includes pushing through crowds in order to maintain control. [Emphasis added]

“Don’t put them out there if you don’t want them to do the job,” Evans wrote in a text to Investigative Post. “This is an example of officers doing exactly what they’re supposed to and then getting charged. It’s so wrong.”

No wonder the whole unit resigned when two of them were suspended  — and later were charged. Why was the man getting in their way? Was he carrying his protest too far and trying to stop them?

What if he had obstructed their path by lying down? Instead, he went at them, not of course to punch or push them but to put his hand on one or two of them, thus presumably preserving his nonviolent status — maddeningly so — but clearly interfering.

The cops were acting as trained to keep the crowd back. He tried to stop or delay that. One hand went out to push him away, and backing away several steps on the force of that, he lost balance and went down.

This is all to judge from the video. Does anyone else know what he was attempting?

via Police crowd-control unit resigns in protest – Investigative Post

Schools full of masked men, women, and children?

The CDC guidelines for opening schools recommend keeping desks 6 feet apart, closing shared spaces like playgrounds and dining halls, and mandating masks for staff and children. These guidelines are excessive and create a culture of fear.

Which is what we have now.

With a few rare exceptions, the conversation about opening schools back up in the fall so far is dominated by short-term symbolism. [Emphasis added]

Absent some realistic plan to prevent its spread, we will continue to spin our wheels [ditto], remain stuck in idealism, and still impose huge costs on the most vulnerable among us. Sooner or later realism must take hold.

Symbolism has its uses, but this isn’t one of them. Message is: Get real.

via Masking Kids: Safety without Efficacy – AIER

(Some-)Black-Lives-Matter street crowds , broke the embargo. paved the way

Trump will be particularly eager to get on the road in light of recent polls. The RealClearPolitics average of polls shows Biden with an eight-point lead over the president — up from a 4.4-point lead in May.

Yes, Biden has plenty of weaknesses — his support appears soft and less dedicated than Trump’s — but eight points is a lot. For Trump, the return to the campaign trail represents a way to make up the ground lost in three horrendous months. He’s ready to get back. [Emphasis added]

!! via Byron York’s Daily Memo

What the heck. Give criminals a chance. See what happens.

One feature of our current politics is how quickly bad events trigger a rush to bad policies. So it is that the response to the killing of George Floyd has sprinted past police reform to “defund the police.”

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti wants to redirect $150 million from public safety to social programs, and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey was hooted from a protest on the weekend because he admitted he didn’t want to defund the police.

City Council members now pledge to dismantle the force whether he wants to or not.

via Defund Police, Watch Crime Return – WSJ