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I have never seen a bigger example of sheer idiocy in my life. This was like watching a comedy. I am now thinking Idiocracy was definitely a documentary.

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Just what makes someone "right wing" these days? "Right-wing" used to refer to folks like, say, actual fascists - Franco. Mussolini. Marcos. Stroessner.

Now it seems like anyone who believes in God, thinks this country is actually an okay place, or is horrified at the notion that we're allowing minors to authorize life-altering and irreversible surgery is "right-wing." Patriotism is "right wing." The U.S. flag is "right-wing." Matt Taibbi is "right wing."

Obviously, anyone who starts firing a gun at a rally is dangerously criminal, but I'm not sure that just because Antifa posts on social media that a "right wing" rally is being organized that it is truly "right wing."

I have my doubts about the veracity of these claims, but am open to being convinced.

As far as Antifa, their self-proclaimed spokespeople have a rather dismal and very public record of anti-Semitic tropes, of trying to intimidate through street violence, of hiding their identity so they can't be held accountable, of advocating for censorship and violence. They dress in all-black military-style garb, they carry weapons to "protests," they even tend to wear jackboots.

They are far more similar to the European f

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Civil war cosplay.

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I posted this on the previous article, too:

A thousand or so years ago, when I was 19, I was involved for about half a year with what probably was the "Antifa" of its day. And we did a number of stupid, violent things in the name of noble causes. I can't speak for anyone else who was also involved in that organization, but for my part I think our causes were just and our tactics and strategy was nonsense on a host of levels. I don't think we punched or threatened any reporters, however.

My online interactions with people claiming to be either "Antifa" or merely "anti-fascist" have been singularly unpleasant. Like a huge percentage of Americans, regardless of where they identify on the political spectrum, they're much better at verbal violence and complete intolerance than offering coherent positions and supporting them. One "wrong" word from me or any other adversary (or even apparent ally) and they launch the verbal equivalent of their full nuclear arsenal.

Sadly, a lot of people who identify as progressive, hard left, or similar things but not necessarily Antifa are also horrifically intolerant and operating with rage on hair-trigger alert (not that folks on the right are calm, reasonable, and respectful of dissent). Most people seem almost psychotically prone to verbal Armageddon. So many people go from zero to nuclear war at the drop of a Shibboleth. Maybe someone should write a book about all the hate out there, how most people are siloed into one viewpoint or its opposite, and how the media seems intent on stirring it all up for ratings.

The book could be called something like, "Ire, Ltd," or "Rageaholism and Company": what do you think, Matt?

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Even before watching this, I should add that it's amazing the responses to the last piece on social media. People are so broken that they just can't comprehend this information outside of their culture war bubble.

Unless someone unequivocally states that Antifa (who doesn't exist, mind you) are the glorious foot soldiers for their nonsensical, incoherent movement, that person is dangerous, a fascist, or worse, like Jordan Peterson, Tulsi Gabbard, Glenn Greenwald, Bari Weiss, Andy Ngo, Matt Taibbi, 75 million Trump voters, people who've held a working class job, etc.

What a boring, dim, dangerous bunch of unthinking twerps the internet has created.

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Matt, While this reporting is miles ahead of anything in the mainstream, do you think it's fair to characterize the groups opposing Antifa as right wing? Couldn't they just be centrist Americans, or perhaps populists who are fed up with the violence and property destruction Antifa brings anywhere they go? Far Right makes it sound like they're somehow aligned with Fascism or dream of Peronist Argentina, when my guess is they're simply the fringe of the ordinary. Mostly working class Americans of all races (unlike Antifa largely made up of spoiled college kids whose parents run Vassar or a hedge fund by day). They are only right in the sense that America's working and middle class tend center right, not leftist destructionist, and hope to live and raise families in communities that love their country and care for each other.

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"Welcome to Portland. Today, we expect a real barnburner. The Proud Boys are here in force, and we understand they have both red AND green paint for their toy guns. Some speculate they may even have water balloons. Todd, how does Antifa plan to counter that?"

"Well, Mel, Antifa is planning to fend off the paintballs with umbrellas and, if the fighting gets too personal, they promise the WD-40 WILL make an appearance. Also, they expect the all-black uniforms they are wearing today will give them extra incentive. Rumors on this side, too, with word trickling out that there may be some girl-shoving. Back to you, Peter."

"In other news today, in Oakland's Chinatown, nothing to see here, move along, move along."

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I want everyone who reads this to reflect on the FACT that the Proud Boys' leader is a goddamned FBI informant.

He's working for them, and orchestrating this shit with other FBI informants for a REASON.

Watch as the "Domestic War on Terror" unfolds and enjoy watching Biden the war criminal gas-light the press who will never bother to ask a serious question or investigate anything.

We're living in a dystopian sci-fi plot where the elite are staging unrest to keep on justifying their genocidal march to the end of the world.

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I don't know if Matt reads these emails. I'm not on any social media site like Facebook or Twitter (I find these sites to be dangerous to our freedoms), so I can't comment there, but I would love for Matt to do an expose on both the Proud Boys and Antifa. I trust his judgement over any media organization. I'm reaching out to everyone that follows Matt to encourage him to go to Oregon and report on these two groups. If enough of us on this site do so, hopefully he'll listen and we'll get the real story. Please everyone, reach out to him.

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If South Park doesn't dedicate an episode to Antiva vs. Proud Boys street fighting, it will be a crime against humanity.

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It's just a dangerous game to all of these people, and they're all on one "side": chaos and destruction. How long until they replace paintball guns, mace and low-level fireworks with real weapons?

The man covered with paint and saying over and over to "stop shooting people; it's not Christian" was the only likable, reasonable person here, and he was berated, ingnored and yelled at.

This is totally demoralizing, but thanks for covering it. I'd actually seen some of this footage on Twitter—the hellhole you kind of have to be on to follow what's actually happening. (My one caveat on these "riot journalists" is that they may be an essential part of this chaos equation too, but I'm glad some footage is documenting this moment.)

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Matt, I'm surprised that you're promoting a video that's so sympathetic to Antifa. The video is hardly in line with your previous post. The only time the Ford Fischer team is critical of Antifa is when one of their own is being assaulted. They consistently call them counter-protesters. Hardly a fitting description of an angry mob who specifically traveled to a site to attack actual demonstrators with chemicals and explosives. They also completely skip over the events that sparked the violence in the first place. The were clearly filming during the peaceful demonstration and then skip to a van being vandalized followed by Antifa being chased away. If they don't have footage, the least they could do is provide an explanation. I live in the Portland Metro area. I've seen Antifa's antics. Surely they didn't just drive all the way out to NE Portland in black bloc to park a van and walk away.

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The more of this I watch, the more I discount the possibility of real violence in this country. They're mental children playing out some hero fantasy with paintball guns and they seem to lack any real courage. Fighting a revolution in a strip mall parking lot with motorists looking on in amusement, and periodically retreating to their near supply lines - Taco Bell! You encourage their fantasy by showing up with a camera.

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What I see is some Right Wing guys, sort of weekend warrior types who’ve looked at the last year and witnessed the Portland government largely abdicate its responsibility to provide security to its citizens. They’ve had enough and are now fighting back, sometimes adopting unsavory tactics. But overall, it’s just night and day between them and these looting destructive anarchists.

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Matt, you need a Rumble channel.

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How representative of our culture is this conflict? It seems as alien to me as Heavens Gate and cults like that.

I have the sense (I really don't know) that people that choose to go to a small gathering that is very likely to turn violent is something that people who want a fight might do and the rest of us take care to stay away from. I don't think it's remotely mainstream.

So when the media (including News2Share and TK News) makes a big deal about these events to frighten us about the way the country is going down the drain, I wonder if they are really doing us a service.

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