3 Stories You Should Read 06/25/2020: Democracy, ‘apocalyptic’ surges, Kevin Piner

June 25, 2020 Confluence

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In the category of: Ugly Truth-telling

Fired Wilmington cop: “We are just going to go out and start slaughtering them f—— ni—–. I can’t wait. God, I can’t wait.”

These are the words of a now-former Wilmington Police Department officer Kevin Piner.

He, along with two other officers, have been fired from the department after dash-cam footage recorded two phone conversations — accidentally — and a supervisor conducting a routine audit of the videos found the disturbing content.

Michael ‘Kevin’ Piner, James ‘Brian’ Gilmore, and Jessie E. Moore II were all terminated from the force. The announcement came from the new Chief of Police Donny Williams — not even 24-hours into his first day as chief.

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In the category of: Doomsday

The 3 most populous states are breaking coronavirus records, leading to fears of ‘apocalyptic’ surges

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo reported the lowest number of hospitalizations, with 996 across the state, “the lowest number since we started.

Cuomo criticized others who “played politics,” opened their economies too early, and “now are causing this nation great havoc.”

Several factors contribute to the rise in cases.

In California, the virus is spreading at private gatherings in homes, more young people are testing positive, and cases among the incarcerated are alarming.

Officials in various states are encouraging social distancing, wearing masks, and washing hands.

“Going out in public without a mask is like driving drunk,” said Dr. Jonathan Reiner, a cardiologist and professor of medicine at George Washington University. “If you don’t get hurt. You might kill somebody else.”

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In the category of: Code red

Coronavirus threatens democracy, prominent figures warn

People who care about democracy must defend it, say Madeleine Albright, Jeb Bush and others.

The future of liberal democracy is under threat because of the Covid-19 pandemic, as even democratically-elected governments have accumulated emergency powers that restrict human rights, numerous prominent figures argue in an open letter published Thursday.

“Parliaments are being sidelined, journalists are being arrested and harassed, minorities are being scapegoated, and the most vulnerable sectors of the population face alarming new dangers as the economic lockdowns ravage the very fabric of societies everywhere,” says the letter, commissioned by IDEA, a Stockholm-based think tank.

The letter also says that repression will not help control the virus.

It was signed by such well-known Americans as former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, former Vice President Walter Mondale, former Trump national security adviser H.R. McMaster, former U.S. Sens. Tom Daschle and Gary Hart, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, former House Majority Leader Richard Gephardt, and Hollywood actor Richard Gere.

Nobel Prize winners José Ramos-Horta and Svetlana Alexievich, former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt and leaders from many different countries also signed.

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