Yesterday, I posted on the many bad takes coming out of the nearly two months of nightly anarchist attacks on federal property in Portland, OR (see President Trump’s Operation LEGEND Generates Objections That Are Beyond Bizarre). These are attacks that the local government not only are unwilling to suppress but have seen the mayor and police commissioner Ted Wheeler actively participating in the riots (see Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler Leads Protests in Portland Wed. Night — Feds Didn’t Change Tactics). The worst of the bad takes was the idea that conservatives should oppose Trump using federal law enforcement personnel because if Joe Biden gets elected, he could use federal law enforcement personnel to make you wear your facemask.

As hard as it is to believe, there was actually a worse take and, as hard as this is to believe, it was from the left and not from that part of the left that calls itself NeverTrump. The writer is someone called Eric Feigel-Ding, who spends an inordinate amount of time puffing up his pissant life into something important on Wikipedia.

2) Attacking medical units violates half a dozen conventions and international statutes, not only Geneva Convention but also International Criminal Court statutes. But hey, Chad Wolf, Bill Barr, and Trump say it’s okay! https://t.co/81UXRrcThy

— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) July 23, 2020

Some facts. No, actually, the Geneva Convention does not forbid the destruction of ‘medical supplies,’ particularly those of the Walmart and CVS variety. No, the International Criminal Court does not have the power to create statutes. No, the United States does not recognize the ICC. No, destroying everyday over-the-counter items is not prohibited by a single international convention, much less half a dozen. No, there are no such things as international statutes. No, this is not a case of armed conflict so the Geneva Conventions do not apply. No, the Antifa goons in Portland don’t have ‘medical units’ and if they did, their personnel would still be subject to detention. No, the link Feigl-Ding (gotta love having a name that could belong to either a cartoon villain or possibly a rare type of genital wart) doesn’t support his assertion even if the Geneva Conventions did apply.

4) Another angle of the pepper spray attack on medical equipment in the tents. pic.twitter.com/ZnysqAhHk4

— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) July 23, 2020

Feigl-Ding goes all CSI here with camera angles, who cares? I haven’t heard anyone claim ‘errant spray’ that’s probably because Feigl-Ding made it up with the assumption that someone would care about this. Slashing water bottles is entirely legit, I don’t care who you are.

6) Many are missing the point – even if there is no active war – the fact that what is happening would be considered a war crime under GC if there was one — reveals the utter lack of morals and disrespect of human rights of Trump DHS federal forces. That is the point.

— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) July 23, 2020

By this point, “Feigl-Ding” is becoming a synonym for “dragged on Twitter,” and he starts trying to backtrack but with a stunning lack of intelligence or imagination.

The Geneva Conventions were designed to reduce collateral slaughter in warfare and to protect those rendered hors de combat or captured from unnecessary injury. They have no place in civil law because the laws covering the use of force in civil disturbances are so much more stringent than those few rules in effect during armed conflict. If the Antifa “medical personnel” (I’m laughing as I imagine what that looks like) feel they have been wronged, then they can file a claim under the Federal Tort Claims Act and seek compensation for the rags and potions they claim were destroyed.

More to the point, other than one anarchist who tried to play javelin catcher (thanks to Tommy Christopher at Mediaite for helping boost my Twitter followers number by posting this and thinking that I’d care), the injuries have been minor. To date, deadly force has not been used by the good guys despite numerous incidents where it was clearly justified. (Let me digress for a moment and point out that the Portland rioters are either the clear beneficiaries of white privilege, in that law enforcement is reluctant to stack up bodies of affluent white kids LARPing as revolutionaries, or they hold their physical abilities in such contempt that they don’t think they are a real threat to lives.) So there is actually no need for so-called hospitals or medical personnel by the rioters. If someone is injured, they can call 911.

The significant point here is that Feigl-Ding seems to be endorsing the idea that what we see in Portland has passed beyond the point of insurrection. Now we are in an actual state of armed rebellion in which the rioters have morphed from mere felons-in-training to lawful combatants. That sounds bizarre, but if they want to go that direction, I’m all for it. They can keep their Walgreen-bought crap if I can have lethal Rules of Engagement.