#186. Chauvin

I'm always surprised when politicians get away with labeling certain events as a "tragedy."  If there's an incomprehensible degree of malicious intent, it is not a tragedy.  A tragic event is something unforeseen or preventable.  For example, a bus driver falls asleep at the wheel and drives off a cliff?  Now that is a tragedy.  

 

Let me be blunt.  The crush asphyxiation death of George Floyd was not a tragedy.  I don't even think describing George Floyd as a victim of police brutality is accurate.  The murder of George Floyd was an act of sadistic torture that defied description.  Personally speaking, if forced to make a choice, I'd opt for bring dismembered and hacked to death in a manner similar to the Jamal Khashoggi murder.  As opposed to getting nonchalantly, agonizingly choked to death for 8 minutes, 46 seconds (while in a prone position, handcuffed and helpless).

I remember when Trump weighed in on Fox News.  He called George Floyd's killing a "disgrace."  That's pretty much his go-to description for everything under the sun.  A bad golf shot, poverty and food insecurity, an athlete kneeling for the national anthem, Hunter Biden sitting on the Board of Directors of a Ukranian natural gas company, etc.  So Trump labeled George Floyd's death a tragedy and a disgrace... and then quickly shifted the conversation to his admiration for the police and all the great work they do.  And how it's unfortunate when a few bad apples tarnish the reputation of our wonderful men in blue.  

Days after George Floyd was tortured to death, the Orange Prolapse did a victory lap in the Rose Garden regarding the new jobs report.  The unemployment rate had fallen from 14.7 percent in April to 13.3% in May. 

“Hopefully, George is looking down right now and saying there’s a great thing happening for our country,” Trump said. “There’s a great day for him, a great day for everybody. This is a great day for everybody. This is a great, great day in terms of equality.”

Just something to think about.

Chauvin
sonofsaf

Kill me, won’t you kill me
It’s time to take a knee
Nine minutes,
Dare to dream Chauvin

The Chauvin ain’t testifyin’
He’s totally guilty
Asphyxiating a neck’s not nice
He likes to use his knee
Torture time and he be dealin’
Gonna take you for a ride
Hatred and the denial
Been a while since someone died

Chauvin the games that you play,
Bring the pain
Risk all out war
Agony is here to stay

Chauvin, oh Chauvin

When the Chuavin’s empathizin’,
On the pavement down below
Lookin’ forward to the mourning
Make those donuts to go

He’s the epitome of badness
Prone, handcuffed, and filled with tears
He kills with a nonchalant strangle
When dyin’ time is here

Chauvin the games that you play,
Bring the pain

Risk all out war
Agony is here to stay
Oh kill me, won't you kill me,
You will not make a sound
No remorse and,
No regrets,
oh Chauvin

Jazzman
Carole King

Lift me, won't you lift me
above the old routine
Make it nice,
play it clean jazzman

When the jazzman's testifyin'
a faithless man believes
He can sing you into paradise
or bring you to your knees
It's a gospel kind of feelin',
a touch of Georgia slide
A song of pure revival
and a style that's sanctified

Jazzman take my blues away,
make my pain
The same as yours
with every change you play

Jazzman, oh jazzman

When the jazzman's signifyin',
and the band is windin' low
It's the late night side of morning
in the darkness of his soul

He can fill a room with sadness
as he fills his horn with tears
He can cry like a fallen angel
when risin' time is near

Jazzman take my blues away,
make my pain

The same as yours
with every change you play
Oh lift me, won't you lift me,
with ev'ry turn around
Play it sweetly,
take me down,
oh jazzman

 
 

Carole King came to Pittsburgh in the summer of 2010 when she played with James Taylor at the Civic Arena (in the round).  Gigi went solo, hooked up with her friends Rose and Beetle, and said it was one of the "best concerts of her life." 

Feel free to share this information with Carole King, former President Donald J. Trump, and the Minneapolis Police Department, in particular, officers Derek Chauvin, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane.