Taking To The Streets?

During my travels Sunday, August 1, I came past the home of a well-known right-winger in my area. The latest sign accused President Biden of being a traitor and asking if civil disobedience was necessary. With Biden reluctant to confront Republican's on voting rights, end or reform the Senate filibuster, or deal with a judiciary that becomes more and more partisan, many on the American Left might share the same sentiment. There are differences though.

One is what the two sides see as civil disobedience. The left's idea of civil disobedience is what was seen in response to the police killing of George Floyd or the actions at Standing Rock; demonstrations, blockades, and other non-violent activities. The right's idea of disobedience is what we saw on January 6; armed individuals attacking the government, erecting gallows and threatening officials.

A second difference is what the sides see as the result. The American right wants some form of authoritianism or fascism, under the guise of a white ethnostate. The vision of the left is varied; some may want a social democracy, others want communism, still others see anarchy.

The Next Stage

I have been at my current job supporting the biotech industry for a little more than 60 days. I have already been approached about moving into the security area and am acting as a mentor to a trainee.

As with any new position, there are quirks. One is most of my initial interactions are not over the phone, but by e-mail; I still must contact the submitter by phone and then a game of phone tag begins. I have company-provided equipment, but am not using a VPN.

The main driver of my interactions is not password resets, but phishing e-mails. Employees reporting suspicious e-mails that I need to determine if they are legitimate or not. I also am escalating tickets to higher levels of support, to my chagrin.

My remote co-workers are a good group and my superiors might see potential in me.