Deception

It’s been nearly a year since I wrote anything in here. One glorious year in which Trump has worked hard at Making America Great Again, and almost eight months since I got married. These two events together make for poor blog fodder.

Until today.

“Viral Video Shows Boys in ‘Make America Great Again’ Hats Surround Native Elder” (New York Times)

“White students in MAGA gear crashed the Indigenous Peoples March and harassed participants” (Vox)

“Catholic school to investigate taunting of Native Americans” (NBC)

“Mob of MAGA Hat-Wearing Teen Boys Caught on Video Harassing Native Elder”  (The Cut/New York)

Predictably, the internet blew up with righteous indignation. The boys in question were threatened by their school with expulsion. Too bad no one bothered to find out what really happened.

Perhaps the most damning piece of evidence comes from a group that calls themselves the Black Hebrew Israelites. (see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Hebrew_Israelites) who were near the Lincoln Memorial at the time of the incident. A video seemingly taken by one of the members of the group devotes an hour to five or six adult males “preaching” to a group of Native Americans, shouting condemnations regarding their religion and exhortations of converting back to worship of the “One true God”.

It wasn’t pretty.

At one point, these men approached the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, where a large group of teenage males were standing around. The students, wearing shirts representing their Catholic High School and MAGA hats, were in DC for the annual March for Life. An argument ensued, with the adult Black Hebrew Israelites targeting a black student, telling him that his friends would eventually sacrifice him for his organs and shouting repeatedly, “Get out N***er!” The boys started repeating their school songs and chants in an attempt to drown the men out.

As this was going on, the Native American man in question, Nathan Phillips, walked through the crowd and approached the boys. “Approached” is quite possibly the wrong word. He got right up in their faces, playing his drum and singing. The boys start dancing, but when it’s apparent that he’s not moving, they stop to watch. In the video, he is only inches from one boy, who looks confused and awkward, with the drumstick swinging right in front of his nose.

The only racial slurs I heard came from the members of the Black Hebrew Israelites and another Native American man who told the boys “go back to Europe”. The only swearing I heard came from the adults.

The American media ought to be ashamed of itself.

Nathan Phillips ought to be ashamed of himself.

Watch the video. Don’t let yourself be taken in by the lies.

#FakeNews indeed.