Cordillera International Film Festival: Flight Out of OIA

Posted on by Thor

The flight to the Cordillera International Film Festival from Orlando International Airport just happened to line up with the day Hurricane Helene was churning north in the Gulf of Mexico. My sister reported that the eye of the hurricane would be west of Port Charlotte about Noon on that day.

I caught a Lyft to the airport about 10 AM to catch a Noon flight. It was cloudy but clear when I left, but we drove right towards a wall of dark grey clouds on the trip south to the airport. Half way there it began to rain. I joked with the driver that it would likely rain for the rest of the day. I realized that I likely left a ceiling fan on at home. There was no going back. Perhaps a power outage might save some electricity?

In the airport waiting area it seemed like everyone was checking their phones to see the track of the eye of the storm. I was sure the airplane would fly north away from the front bands of the storm. I was sure of that since airplanes roar over my home daily every half hour or so, their engines rattling the windows. I had hoped that I might sketch someone else wearing a mask, but I was the only one, except several airport staff. Am I crazy? Well that is rhetorical, I know the answer, but I also know too much about the invisible damage the virus is doing to peoples vascular systems, brains and immune systems.

There was a 15 minute delay boarding, but we were assured that we would make up the time with a strong tail wind. Strangely as the plane tires left the tarmac, it was sunny out. There were a few gut wrenching bumps on the ascent to cruising altitude but after that it was a smooth flight. I watched the movie Dune on the flight north west. We flew to Minneapolis where there was a 3 hour layover before catching another flight to Reno. It felt good to be flying thousands of miles away from the advancing hurricane. It was a rather extreme form of voluntary evacuation.

 

Enemy of the People?

Posted on by Thor

Freedom of the press is the right of newspapers, magazines, TV Radio, etc., to report news without being controlled by the government. The First Amendment of the United States constitution states… “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

Journalists have been under attack since the first nights of protest of the George Floyd murder in Minneapolis, Minnesota on May 25, 2020. Some are sustaining serious injuries. Demonstrations have continued for the past 22 days despite the police violence. As of 9pm Thursday June 5, 2020, the US Press Freedom Tracker had received 192 reports of journalists being attacked by police while covering the protests across the US.

“When the looting starts, the shooting starts,” Donald Trump tweeted as mass unrest unfolded in America following the death of George Floyd. This seemed to set the tone of the police violence to follow. Since then, the president has called protesters thugs, terrorists and hoodlums. He tweeted… “If you watch Fake News CNN or MSNDC [sic], you would think that killers, terrorists, arsonists … would be the nicest, kindest most wonderful people in the world.”  And then, shortly after: “It is almost like they are all working together?”

“When the president declares you an enemy of the state … Well the police, their job is to protect the state, right? So if they view us as the enemy they will treat you any way they choose,” says Pulitzer prize-winning photojournalist Barbara Davidson. “I think the police see journalists as attacking their tribe – they feel they are getting a lot of bad press because of what happened to Floyd and so I think they are retaliating against us.” she added. If police terrorize the journalists into going away, they can do as they please to the protesters with no chance of accountability.

“There are a lot of Trump supporters in police departments,” said Christopher Mathias. He pointed out the speech made by Trump in Long Island in 2017, when a crowd of officers clapped as he encouraged them to rough people up.

On the third night of protests May 29, 2020 a CNN new crew was arrested live on national TV. On the same day Breonna Taylor and her crew were shot at by police live on TV while covering a protest protest in Louisville. Police fired off paint balls and tear gas at reporters in Denver. The photographer got hit four time and the camera lens was destroyed. Photographer Hyoung Chang was hit with two pepper balls in Denver. Juliette Martinelli in Atlanta, said, cops came from 3 directions and closed around people in an intersection throwing tear gas and pepper spray.

On Saturday May 30, 2020, Photojournalist Ed Ou was attacked by police. He had documented civil unrest in the Middle East, Ukraine and Iraq, where he learned a few things: never get in the police’s way, find cover and always have an escape route. He was shocked by the direct attack, saying, “They literally started throwing concussive grenades in our direction, in the middle of the journalists.” The police approached Ou directly and maced him in the face, spraying his camera, too. What ensued was a prolonged attack that involved being hit at with batons, being teargassed, dodging concussive grenades and begging for help. Los Angeles Times’ Carolyn Cole, who incurred an eye injury, and Molly Hennesy-Fiske, who was shot with rubber bullets several times in the leg  described the journalists as having been “completely against the wall, in an alcove, at least 15ft off the road to allow the police line to pass.” Linda Tirado, a photojournalist, was hit in the face with a tracer round, resulting in loss of sight in one eye. MSNBC reporters were almost hit with concussive grenade by law enforcement officers in Minneapolis. In Atlanta, Linda Tirado was hit in the eye with a tracer bullet blinding her.

May 31, 2020 Michael Anthony Adams, a Vice News Corespondent who was seeking shelter in a gas station, was thrown to the ground and sprayed with pepper spray. He identified himself as press and the officer shouted “I don’t care!” Radio Canada journalists and many others in Minneapolis had their car tires slashed. Star Tribune reporter, Ryan Faircloth was cut by flying glass when police shot out his car window as he was  driving through Lake and Chicago.

Monday June 1, 2020 close to the White House. Police were dispersing protesters and an officer used his shield to attack an Australian cameraman who was part of a team reporting live in front of the White House. The dramatic footage was criticized by the Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne who said in a Tuesday interview with ABC that the Australian government has officially requested an investigation into the incident. WCCO photojournalist Tom Aviles was struck by rubber bullet fired by the police. He was later arrested, as well.   NBC News reporter Garrett Haake was hit as police clash with protesters near White House.

June 2, 2020 A tear gas canister just bounced off of MSNBC’s  Joling Kent while she was live on the air from Seattle.

June 9, 2020 A staff photographer/reporter for the USA Today Network was jailed by Delaware State Police while covering a protest near the state’s capital. This arrest was caught live on Facebook live.

These incidents of violence against the press are just the tip of the iceberg. The point is, these incidents are not isolated these are a concerted attack on freedom of the press. Trump wants to fan the flames of discord and then run a re-election campaign claiming he will “dominate” the streets. He wants a police state and so do the police. Few stand against this treat to democracy. GOP senators do all they can to distance themselves but fear crossing the POTUS for his insane conspiracy tweet. This willingness to lie down is what gives any wanna be dictator his strength. Perhaps the only way to stay in power is if there is no election.

The inhabitants of a police state may experience restrictions on their mobility, or on their freedom to express or communicate political or other views, which are subject to police monitoring or enforcement. Political control may be exerted by means of a secret police force (or just tape over badges) that operates outside the boundaries normally imposed by a constitutional state.

General James Mattis put it well saying Trump is a threat to the American Constitution. “I have watched this week’s unfolding events, angry and appalled,” Mattis wrote. “The words ‘Equal Justice Under Law’ are carved in the pediment of the United States Supreme Court. This is precisely what protesters are rightly demanding. It is a wholesome and unifying demand—one that all of us should be able to get behind. We must not be distracted by a small number of lawbreakers. The protests are defined by tens of thousands of people of conscience who are insisting that we live up to our values—our values as people and our values as a nation.” He continued, “We must reject and hold accountable those in office who would make a mockery of our Constitution.”