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Journal by fustakrakich
That the Democrats lose House seats, do not win the Senate and barely manage to drag their demented presidential candidate towards a stalemate tells a lot about their lack of sane policies. A donor party completely disinterested in what the people really want - medicare for all, no fracking etc. - will have little chance to survive a future onslaught of conservatives with a more competent figure head than Donald Trump. ...should Trump lose this election, Trumpism will only grow and make the U.S. ungovernable.
"Can't Count Votes? Just Draw Straws."
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The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
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(1)
Trying to be happy is like trying to build a machine for which the only
specification is that it should run noiselessly.
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Thursday November 05 2020, @04:18PM (29 children)
Biden is up by over four million votes already.
When all the couniting is done it will likely be as high as an eight million vote win.
That's not close! That's electoral college ratfuckery!
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 05 2020, @04:36PM (16 children)
You fail to understand your own political system. It is the election of a President of 50 States, not of 320 million people.
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Thursday November 05 2020, @04:44PM (15 children)
We're gonna win by the rules of that system. I'm just saying it's fucked that we need at least four million extra votes to make it happen.
National popular Vote passed in CO, by the way. Sorry khallow!
(Score: 1, Insightful) by fustakrakich on Thursday November 05 2020, @04:58PM (14 children)
No, it's fucked, that despite all his hostility and bullshit, the democrats still can't get 40 million votes to make it happen. You still don't get the message.
As predicted, congress is still ~50-50. Exactly how the Party wants it. The best the dems can accomplish is deadlock (which now we need), story of their lives..., more correctly their intention all along. The Broadway play is a smashing success
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 05 2020, @05:38PM (2 children)
Exactly. Because if the democrats had won the prez, and overwhelming majorities in the House and the Senate, then they would actually have to govern instead of argue and complain about "obstruction". They would have no excuse, if they had all the votes.
Now they can continue to complain about being "obstructed" by the republicans, which of course their base will believe because CNN will tell them it is true, and they can continue as they were.
Their worst nightmare would have been to have now been on the hook for actually doing something, with only themselves to blame for the inevitable blowup.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 05 2020, @06:27PM (1 child)
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Thursday November 05 2020, @07:22PM
Nobody is giving the GOP a pass. The democrats catch their well deserved shit because they don't really oppose the republicans. If they did, the numbers would reflect a real massive popular support for them.
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Thursday November 05 2020, @07:51PM (9 children)
Biden has over 72 million votes right now. That's the most any President has ever gotten.
Are you saying we're supposed to flip 40 million Fox viewers? I don't get what you're trying to say...
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Thursday November 05 2020, @08:13PM (2 children)
So what? The other guy isn't far behind. The candidates that you cling to are not very motivational. You remain totally dependent on the other guy's fuck ups to "flip" any votes. In the meantime there's a whole shitload of non voters that you can try to convince that your party is different and not fully complicit. As usual that campaign never goes anywhere.
And congress? Oh well... Botched that even worse. Steady as she goes...
For Trump? Yeah, we can blame the democrats [washingtonpost.com]...
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 06 2020, @09:13AM
The other guy is a Looser! A Tosser! A Wanker! A Republicant! Sucks to be him! Oh, the humilitation! The shame! The personally secured loans!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 06 2020, @09:03PM
You still can't get a delusional lefty to understand that DJT didn't win, HRC lost. Literally any other Democrat would have beaten Trump. The sole thing that got him elected was half the population voting against "Killary".
Then they tried to repeat that feat with the second most hated senile idiot they could find, and almost succeeded.
(Score: 1) by NPC-131072 on Thursday November 05 2020, @10:07PM
Hello fren,
We must mobilize the forces of truaninonashufodoprezure.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Runaway1956 on Thursday November 05 2020, @10:10PM (4 children)
Allow me to repeat that I'm a conservative minded person who would have happily voted for Tulsi. So I agree with Fusti: it's a shame that Biden wa the best you could offer.
Abortion is the number one killed of children in the United States.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 06 2020, @04:50AM (3 children)
And when it comes to Trump you say "I wish he would shut his mouth" because you're perfextly fine with his type of fascism. Here is what his good friend and founder of your favorite 'newz' site had to say recently.
Quality people you prop up there boy.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Runaway1956 on Friday November 06 2020, @05:32AM (2 children)
Titty for tatty: You're happy to prop up petty dictators who have clearly stated that they have no respect for the Constitution which they are sworn to defend against all enemies, foreign and domestic.
No sworn officer of the United States has sworn to defend the government, or to defend any particular office. They are sworn to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States. That includes the Second Amendment, just as much as any of the rest of the constitution.
Abortion is the number one killed of children in the United States.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 06 2020, @06:20AM
We are going to take you out, Runaway! We will do it by not responding to your posts. Your journals with rot and die on the vine, from lack of comments. Your election commentary will go unnoticed, un-commented upon, unremarked. We will have nothing to say to you. Yes, this is harsh, since we know you have no friends anywhere else, but for the same reasons those friends dumped you, we at SoylentNews must also bid you adieu. Goodbye , Runaway.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 06 2020, @07:39AM
zombies
oh
my
god
i've eaten your brainz runaway, and gnawed on that titty too. little too much gristle but what's a zombie gunna do? as i tried to explain, even texas has gun control. i'm not sure who i'm talking to at this point, since i can't catch a whiff of brains even around your ears. even we zombies have rotting brainz.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 06 2020, @10:06AM
A good number of congresscritters are ripe for covid. Keep it on the exponential like now for 2-3 weeks, overflow [youtube.com] the hospitals with Runaways and then bless mitch mcconnell and his ilk with rona.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 05 2020, @05:31PM (7 children)
You knew the rules going in.
Popular vote: Ignore it: does not count for shit.
Electoral College Vote: this is the only thing that matters.
If you dislike the Electoral College system, then work on convincing your congress critters to work on changing the rules.
But don't bother pointing to a value that is meaningless when you knew what the rules were going in to the election.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by DeathMonkey on Thursday November 05 2020, @07:35PM (6 children)
Yes, and Biden is going to win by those rules.
No, it demonstrates how truly unrepresentative to the will of the people the Presidency is.
Yes and yes. I am a proponent of the National Popular Vote for the Presidency and with my direct help we just passed it in CO.
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Thursday November 05 2020, @07:38PM (2 children)
Also, we launched Senator Corey Gardner out of town on that trebuchet from the Simpsons they launched the real Skinner with.
That doesn't have much to do with the NPV, honestly, I'm just bragging a bit.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 05 2020, @09:42PM (1 child)
Look at you twisting the facts. The totally not real Skinner impersonator was tied to a flat car and run out of town. Rex Banner was launched out of town by a catapult, not a trebuchet. Typical for a Y'all-Qaeda libtard to come up with alternate facts to suit their agenda! /s
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Thursday November 05 2020, @10:15PM
Without beer, prohibition doesn't work!
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Thursday November 05 2020, @09:35PM (2 children)
Could still be premature. (God help us all) Trump might still win.
I'm not celebrating until it is official. Maybe not even until they have to send the military in to the white house, destroying parts of it, to drag the fascist out of there on Jan 20. But I'll wait and see what the future may hold.
If a minstrel has musical instruments attached to his bicycle, can it be called a minstrel cycle?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 05 2020, @09:45PM
Nah, he'll spend a few hours "inspecting" the bunker before running like the manchild he is to pretend like he is taking the high road.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 05 2020, @11:54PM
Indeed. I'm not really going to breathe easy until Biden is sworn in on Inauguration Day.
No. What is most likely is that just after Biden takes the oath of office the Secret Service will lift Trump up by his belt buckle, carry him out of the White House and unceremoniously dump him on the South Lawn. Either that or Trump flees in his private jet to Moscow to become (even more of) Putin's bitch.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 05 2020, @09:40PM (3 children)
We dodged the bullet this time, barely, provided that NV does in fact go D or if GA goes D. It won't be so easy next time. Optimistically we have 8 years to build an alternative to the conservative Democratic party. However, I think we only have 4 years. Biden/Harris is going to be more status quo (hence conservative) neoliberalism. The failures of neoliberalism will drive a more powerful fascist movement in 4 years.
ISA/Socialist Alternative USA: Drive Out Trump and Shut Down the System! [internationalsocialist.net]
(emphasis mine)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 06 2020, @12:00AM
Indeed, I think you are correct. Biden/Harris will need to score some quick victories which appeal to a broad bipartisan swathe of America. If they can manage to do that, they might manage to get four more years and pull the country back from the brink of fascism. God, I really hope they succeed in that!
(Score: 0, Interesting) by Ethanol-fueled on Friday November 06 2020, @06:31AM (1 child)
This just might be a Pyrrhic victory for the Democrats -- even I have accepted the possibility of a Biden/Harris presidential win, however, they should be careful what they wish for. They've inherited the double-whammy of Antifa/BLM and COVID lockdowns, so it will be in peoples' minds to blame Democrats/progressives whether or not those problems magically disappear upon the Biden coronation (thanks a lot for costing small business owners our livelihoods, assholes), or if those have become Golems outside of their control and ChiCom Pelosi and her army of Jewish pedophiles in Californian government want the lockdowns extended for another couple years. Everybody knows that Trump fought the lockdowns (saying that he didn't believe in 'science' or something), so now the Democrats are stuck either further oppressing everybody or tacitly admitting that it was all a sham.
It's now mainstream in my city that businesses are going to disobey any further lockdown orders, I'm seeing more and more people shed the masks even in official capacity. Keep the people locked down and we might just see patriots fighting alongside Antifa and BLM, and it won't be pretty for Jewish neighborhoods -- though it would be the desired outcome for Chinks and Jews who want to see America fall and buy cheap property as results of strife and misery. Big tech already pissed off people (except Jews) on both sides and revealed who they actually are, and that even folks who toe the line can be deplatformed on a whim.
Should Biden and Kamala win, their best option is to do nothing and pretend Republicans are stopping them from doing anything, just like how the last 4 years have been. Americans will still be broke while Israel gets its billions of funding and American soldiers dying for them in the sandbox, but at least domestic unrest will be staved off around the homefront.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 06 2020, @09:17AM
Poor Ethanol_fearaddled! The Jew-bear is gonna get him. Now he has no where to hide, unemployed, friendless, in Greenland?
(Score: 4, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 05 2020, @04:35PM (45 children)
You can't ignore the voter suppression the GOP has done in so many states. Also, we still haven't repealed all the hackable voting machines. The only contentious policies are about gun regulation. They should stop restricting hardware and focus more on licensing.
All that aside, this was the best quote I saw recently.
"Armed groups of people trying to force their way into vote counting stations because they personally disagree with the results is the very definition of fascism."
Until conservatives stop trying to undermine democracy we will be in a perpetual state of conflict.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 05 2020, @05:02PM
Legalize dueling.
(Score: 0, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 05 2020, @05:34PM (25 children)
Except that the "armed groups" are the liberal democratic party's rioting groups: Antifa and BLM.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 05 2020, @05:48PM (3 children)
BLM is unarmed, and antifa does not exist. All the violence is right wing nut job "militias" who like to cosplay being military.
(Score: 2, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 05 2020, @08:23PM (2 children)
The best indication of the lunacy of this place is not your pathetic attempt at gaslighting. It's that as of this writing your lies are rated "2, Informative".
Look, why don't y'all just kick out the known hoarder and wrecker Runaway, rename the site Soviet News, and finally have the worker's information paradise here that everyone so obviously wants?
(Score: 0, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 05 2020, @09:55PM
Wow, talk about butthurt!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 06 2020, @09:18AM
When I read about some of the other 1st world capitalist countries that have a measure of socialism and excellent labour protections, I just about faint from envy. Being able to make it in life without being ground into dust?
Sign me up! Oh, and those countries also usually have higher better standards of living than the US. Informed workers? Standing up for livable wages, healthcare, and mandated vacations? YES PLEASE! Thank you workers information paradise, may the informed electorate pass sane legislation to make the world a better place.
Bonus, sane people listen to science so we might be able to start DOING something about climate change. Besides simply making it worse.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 05 2020, @06:19PM (20 children)
Just stop it with the projection already. Own your shit like we liberals have done around here. Rioting and looting? Condemned saying police should arrest them, though you rightwingers can't separate criminal activity from legal protesters so because of that you imagine we support rioters and looters.
If you want respect and the rest of the country to care about your opinions then you had better develop some goddamned integrity.
(Score: 2, Troll) by Runaway1956 on Thursday November 05 2020, @08:01PM (19 children)
The mayor of Portland does indeed support rioters. Maybe not looters, I'd have to do some research to say that. The mayor of Seattle supported rioters, looters, and only drew the line at murders within CHOP or CHAZ or whatever cute name is fashionable this month. Other mayors around the US have been supportive of rioting and looting, to greater and lesser degrees. I'm happy to say that ALMOST ALL mayors have been supportive of legitimate demonstrations.
You say you own your shit, then go ahead and own it. The moment a person is injured and/or property damage happens, it is no longer a "peaceful demonstration", instead it has turned into a riot. Own it.
I will not go so far as to say that disobeying a police order constitutes a riot. That depends on the circumstances.
When a genuine peaceful demonstration passes through your town, there might be a little litter to pick up, signs and flyers to take down, maybe some trampled shrubbery to tend to. No broken windows, no burnt out cars, no looting, only very minor injuries, no broken fences, none of that crap.
Abortion is the number one killed of children in the United States.
(Score: 0, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 05 2020, @09:01PM (6 children)
Can't help you're a fascist idiot :) try again next time, and as I said own your own shit before calling out others. Currently your track record is horrifyingly partisan. Typical conservative bullshit from the resident man-baby.
(Score: 0, Troll) by Runaway1956 on Thursday November 05 2020, @09:18PM (5 children)
Do you agree then, with my definition of "riot"? Can you fault my definition? Or, are you going to simply redefine the word like the "left" has defined so many other words?
Seems to me that arbitrarily redefining good old English words is "literally Hitler".
Abortion is the number one killed of children in the United States.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 05 2020, @10:35PM (4 children)
There is no need to define the words, we have dictionaries maybe try using one sometime?
Assaulting and arresting innocent people exercising their constitutional rights is not OK, but you seem to only truly care about the 2A. Police can arrest rioters and looters, not gassing and maiming protesters. If you can't agree with that then you are a fascist who is OK with violence used to oppress dissent.
I'm sure the first argument in your head was "bbbbut the baddies melt into the crowd so we have to condemn all of them" which is once again fascist thinking. Vietnam was full of war crimes based on that same thinking.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Friday November 06 2020, @02:22AM (1 child)
That is a consideration. There is also a consideration of "the police were under active attack with explosive and other weapons". If you are fool enough to surround and attack 10, 20, 30 armed men, you don't get to cry "foul" when they open fire on you.
Abortion is the number one killed of children in the United States.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 06 2020, @04:53AM
Hi fascist, nice examples you have there that don't match up with 99% of the police brutality. Get fucked you traitor, may your "common cause" buddies turn on you once they have no more use for an old fool.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 06 2020, @06:26AM (1 child)
You fucking liberal piece of rotting shit. Viet Nam? Who the hell pushed us into and ramped up Viet Nam? Any guesses?
Yeah, keep calling Trump a fascist. It fits your moronic "cancel culture". Redefine fascism and anything else you wish. But let's be clear- it's not for your agenda, but for your moronic herd mentality of having to belong to a group of kool aid drunk morons.
When you get some time off from your mindless bullshit, look up who maybe ended Viet Nam war.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 06 2020, @07:10AM
Yeah!
You tell 'em champ!
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/nixon-prolonged-vietnam-war-for-political-gainand-johnson-knew-about-it-newly-unclassified-tapes-suggest-3595441/ [smithsonianmag.com]
https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/08/06/nixon-vietnam-candidate-conspired-with-foreign-power-win-election-215461 [politico.com]
https://allthatsinteresting.com/nixon-treason [allthatsinteresting.com]
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 06 2020, @01:12AM (10 children)
Go declare yourself a subject of the British Crown, then.
You seem to be opposed to acts like:
1) Taking someone else's tea and dumping it into a harbor
2) Tarring and feathering government officials who don't respect people's freedom
3) Rioting in protest of a government that doesn't respect people's rights
4) Setting fire to buildings used or owned by government officials when the government doesn't respect people's rights
5) Taking up arms and declaring independence from an oppressive government
These are all things that happened in colonial America. Since you spend so much time complaining about rioting and looting, surely you must agree that these actions were wrong in colonial America. Therefore, you should go declare yourself a subject of the British Crown.
In your logic, it's a travesty if the government says you have to wear a mask in public places to avoid spreading COVID-19. But you seem okay with police killing black people, including the flawed execution of a no-knock warrant that resulted in the killing of Breonna Taylor.
You rightly object when protesters block ambulances and fire engines, which places people's lives at risk. But you seem okay with police killing unarmed black people by mistake.
You say that you want weapons to protect yourself from tyranny and maintain your freedoms. But when black people are armed and actually do declare autonomy from a government that doesn't respect their rights, then it's a travesty.
You take very extreme positions demanding that government not take away any of your liberties, even to protect the freedoms of others. But when black people want liberty, too, then you become a statist bootlicker.
(Score: 1, Troll) by Runaway1956 on Friday November 06 2020, @02:07AM (9 children)
Each of those acts you describe happening before and during the American revolution were punishable by summary execution, if/when caught by any British authority, right? The revolutionaries took their chances - your rioters are taking their chances. If your rioters get caught trying to set fire to a restaurant with occupied dwellings above, they are subject to whatever preventive action might be imposed at the scene, up to and including death, or as prescribed by authority if captured.
Now you say his name. Who was all but run over by a police car as two police bailed out of that car, guns blazing, and was filled with bullet holes within two seconds of the car coming to a halt. I have a whole list of names for you to say. But I will choose when and if I will say any names, thank you very much.
For you viewing pleasure - https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AlZv6Vv7IsE [youtube.com]
Abortion is the number one killed of children in the United States.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 06 2020, @03:03AM (8 children)
Saying her name means acknowledging the injustice that occurred. Refusing to say her name or even address the injustice that occurred means you refuse to acknowledge the injustice.
Breonna Taylor wasn't a rioter or a looter. She was innocent. The police executed the no-knock warrant at the wrong address. A mistake does not make it legal or justified. No innocent person should have to fear that a SWAT team is going to bust down the door of their apartment without warning and kill them.
You rightly complain about civil asset forfeiture. You don't like it when the police seize an innocent person's money and possessions on the basis of a suspicion. But you won't acknowledge the injustice of the police killing an innocent black woman.
Your refusal to say Breonna Taylor's name speaks volumes. You've showed your true character once again. We're done here.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Friday November 06 2020, @03:30AM (7 children)
I have not refused to say her name. I have refused to perform on cue for you.
Do you know the name of the person I referenced above? If not, why not? That person is important, because the case demonstrates clearly why VIDEO evidence is important. The person I mention was the first clear, convincing instance of pretty obvious abuse of police power, based on race alone, that I was exposed to. Always in the past, it was the "suspect's" word, against the word of the police. The young person I mentioned was all but run over by a police car, and the cops exited that car with guns blazing. Some people still defend the police, but to me, it is a pretty clear execution.
Say his name. Have you ever heard of him? Have you forgotten him? You started this game - I will have a word in how the game is played, or I'll not play at all.
Abortion is the number one killed of children in the United States.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 06 2020, @04:57AM (5 children)
Nah, you're more of a spoiled child that will take his ball home because no one else wants to let him be the little dictator of the group. Amusing how you think no one else is paying attention to your bullshit, but you don't get to rewrite history or control other people. Be a goddamn human beimg for once i stead of this twisted tribal lunatic that refuses to see his own flaws. Leave that to TMB who seems biologically incapable. You? Just a brainwashed propaganda parrot, but you could grow out of it.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Friday November 06 2020, @05:26AM (4 children)
Wrong. You're probably one of the assholes who marched along the streets, interrupting people's days, demanding that they respond as you demand. If not, you were there in spirit.
You don't know who Tamir Rice was, or you would willingly have played along with me. You don't seem to have any memory and/or respect for innocent children gunned down because "Nigger with a gun!"
There is a rather long list of names, but it appears that you don't remember the list.
Breonna Taylor? You want to hear her name? Yeah, I can say her name - she was an innocent woman whose home was broken into, and murdered as she slept. I can go further into detail, but it is enough to know that she had done nothing wrong on the night in question. Rat bastards kicked her door in, and started shooting into her apartment in the middle of the night. Rest in peace, Breonna.
Humor me. List those INNOCENT black people who have been captured on video gasping out their last breaths. Key word, innocent. People who were clearly guilty of no wrong doing, when they were killed.
Abortion is the number one killed of children in the United States.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 06 2020, @06:38AM (3 children)
Different AC here. Don't know if you saw any of the backstory. I HATE the cops, "civil forfeiture", guilty until proven innocent, etc. But if you saw the pictures they had of Breonna, you might slightly understand how they got themselves way overly supercharged. They love the whole busting doors down thing anyway. A couple of grenade booby-traps might have helped.
The worst of it, I think, is Breonna's boyfriend was the one they were looking for, and he shot one of the cops first. Horrible cowards killed her and boyfriend didn't get a scratch. Those cops need to never be allowed to have a gun ever again. Nor fingers.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 06 2020, @07:41AM
pro-tip: don't argue with a cuck race theorist.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Friday November 06 2020, @08:35AM (1 child)
Civil forfeiture is indeed another gross injustice. That isn't a strictly racial injustice, but I see that it might be a greater burden on black people than on white.
Abortion is the number one killed of children in the United States.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 06 2020, @09:21AM
Goddamnit. Finally feel sure.
Go do some shots for me and a rail off the nearest titty, or are you just another working stiff?
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 06 2020, @07:06AM
I'm the AC you responded to above. I don't read minds, but you were talking about Tamir Rice. What happened to him was extremely wrong. Police go into situations looking for a confrontation. Instead of telling Tamir to put his hands up, they should have tried just talking to him normally. He'd probably be alive if the police had acted responsibly.
I'm from St. Louis but I don't live there any longer. I went to school for four years at UM-St. Louis, which is about a mile from where the Ferguson riots happened. The motto of the St. Louis County police is "To serve and protect." Police shouldn't think they can just order people around, bully them, and use force whenever anyone questions them. They're supposed to serve and protect us.
Just a few months ago, I was out walking at night in a fairly nice neighborhood. I had a friend out with me and we were taking a socially distanced walk. Because the color of our shirts matched two out of three people who had been breaking into cars earlier in the evening. The officer who stopped us had a bad attitude and she was immediately being a smartass for no reason. It wasn't until more officers showed up who had seen us out walking earlier in the evening that we were told we were free to go. She was looking for trouble with flimsy reasoning. There was no physical description of the suspects beyond the color of our shirts. Given that I'm very short and I have a weight problem, had I been responsible, it should have been very easy to describe me to the police. I had a white shirt on and my friend's shirt was red. We're in Lincoln, Nebraska, where red and white are the colors of the Huskers. A red and a white shirt would match a huge part of the population. That officer just wanted trouble and we were fortunate.
By the way, Ferguson isn't the disaster area people think. UMSL's campus was a country club just a few decades ago. The neighborhoods around the campus were once very affluent. There are a lot of very nice old houses right near campus. I never felt unsafe as a white person in a predominately black neighborhood. But there are a number of ticket mills in the area and plenty of cops around looking for trouble.
Police really aren't very good at solving crimes, nor are they very good at curbing traffic violations. Now, we really do need someone to investigate crimes. We need someone to respond when we call 911 because we're in danger. But we don't need patrols that are looking to ticket and harass people to get revenue for cities and target black people. The problem is that last part encompasses a lot of what police officers do. When we talk about abolishing the police, we want to get rid of the patrols and buillshit like civil asset forfeiture. We want to stop the war on drugs and programs like stop and frisk that have been implemented in a very racist manner and aren't helpful. Abolishing the police doesn't mean we want anarchy. It does mean replacing the police with people whose purpose is to serve and protect.
To your credit, you said Breonna Taylor's name and admitted she was the victim of a horrible injustice. And Tamir Rice damn well should be alive today, too. Worse yet, police are rarely held accountable when they abuse their power.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 06 2020, @06:14AM
Do not worry. Women have taken control of the situation [oregonlive.com].
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Thursday November 05 2020, @06:26PM (15 children)
So, you believe that rights should be licensed. Got it. I hope your license to speak is in order, Comrade.
Abortion is the number one killed of children in the United States.
(Score: 1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 05 2020, @06:29PM (12 children)
Well regulated militia you dumb fuck. Even Texas requires a license to carry a handgun.
For a 2A guy you're quite the ignorant hillbilly.
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Thursday November 05 2020, @07:13PM (3 children)
Well regulated militia... shall not be infringed either :-)
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Thursday November 05 2020, @07:47PM (2 children)
If you were in a well regulated militia and you showed up with the wrong weapon you would be punished. But somehow a well regulated militia didn't have gun control...
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Thursday November 05 2020, @08:14PM
Define "punished". Often times, punishment means a senior petty officer bludgeoning you with a verbal "dumbass". Worse, your mates might laugh at you. Showed up with the wrong weapon, you say? You mean - Guns told me to bring my M-14, but I brought a .45? It's going to take some seriously aggravating circumstance for that to turn into either Mast or a Court.
Abortion is the number one killed of children in the United States.
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Friday November 06 2020, @12:34AM
...shall not be infringed.. by the state.
If they wish to flog themselves and each other, by all means!
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Thursday November 05 2020, @08:05PM (7 children)
Well regulated means "good working order". Someone is in charge and responsible, and members generally obey the militia's safety regulations, and obey orders. It does not necessarily mean that you get a vote on how it runs. It doesn't even mean that the governor gets a voice in how it is run. The regulations for the militia back in the day amounted to "Keep your powder dry, keep your gun in working condition, and come to muster quickly when called!"
Abortion is the number one killed of children in the United States.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 05 2020, @09:09PM (6 children)
States decide how they regulate weapons you absolute waste of a brain. Luckily the SC ruled that people are allowed to have weapons for self-defense, so states can regulate but not ban all firearms. It 100% was about responsible ownership and use of firearms, but you anarchist assholes just don't want anyone telling you what to do.
Ah well, that is what I get for suggesting dems go easier on their gun policies. Always a fight with you uneducated cunts.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Thursday November 05 2020, @09:16PM (2 children)
And, that is PRECISELY where we have a problem. The right to bear arms was reserved to the people, not to the states. The states have little, if any, right to regulate weapons.
The rights and authorities of the federal government are pretty clearly stated. "Shall not be infringed"
The rights and authorities of the state governments are pretty clearly stated. "Shall not be infringed"
Those rights and authorities not specifically given to the feds, or to the state, are by default, the rights and authorities of the PEOPLE. The regulation of weapons is at the discretion of the people, not the feds, and not the states.
Abortion is the number one killed of children in the United States.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 05 2020, @11:59PM (1 child)
You lack of education is really showing today.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 06 2020, @06:42AM
Well there's irony right there in print. Nice one Einstein.
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Thursday November 05 2020, @10:21PM (2 children)
I'm pretty damn moderate on gun control for a Dem. I just want background checks and some age limits.
And yet I always get drawn into these arguments because of the absolutely ludicrous, bad faith and illogical arguments that are used. I'm triggered by obvious fallacy I guess.
I would assume I was getting trolled but I'm pretty sure Runaway actually believes all this stuff so here we are...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 06 2020, @12:17AM
Actually, I would like a hell of a lot more than that. I want the owner of any weapon used in the commission of a felony held responsible. So, if little Junior gets a hold of Dad's or Mom's gun, I want Dad and/or Mom to be potentially held responsible for whatever crimes little Junior commits, above and beyond the felony charges Junior may face. Second, I want to see much more stringent background checks for those amassing a weapons arsenal. It should get progressively harder to get a permit beyond the purchase of the first few guns. And I would like the Sheriff to be held accountable for that; too many of the Sheriffs in the country are handing out gun permits like gift certificates. Just my $0.02 worth.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 06 2020, @03:32AM
You've got them, since 1968, yet you haven't stopped pushing for more.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 06 2020, @12:03AM (1 child)
100% guns should be licensed, prove you know how to use a gun safely and understand the laws.
Also, some people should not be allowed to own guns, such as this guy.
https://www.cbs42.com/alabama-news/put-a-bullet-in-their-skull-calls-to-fire-flomaton-police-captain-over-election-social-media-comments/ [cbs42.com]
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Friday November 06 2020, @02:14AM
I'm not searching for information on the sheriff. Looks like he stepped on his dick. Goodbye job!
But no, guns should never be licensed. China licensed, then confiscated guns. Russia licensed then took away guns. Hitler, Pol Pot, Mussolini, and the list goes on.
Abortion is the number one killed of children in the United States.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 06 2020, @12:03AM
I agree. It would be great if Biden/Harris could negotiate a new, updated bipartisan Voting Rights Act with Congress (hopefully one that can survive a SCOTUS challenge).
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Friday November 06 2020, @02:36AM
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Athens_(1946) [wikipedia.org]
Abortion is the number one killed of children in the United States.
(Score: 3, Funny) by DannyB on Thursday November 05 2020, @09:28PM (5 children)
I can draw straws. But it's more difficult to draw a person drinking from the straw. Drawing is not among my talents.
If a minstrel has musical instruments attached to his bicycle, can it be called a minstrel cycle?
(Score: 1) by NPC-131072 on Thursday November 05 2020, @11:14PM
Hello fren,
Where is the line? You don't even need a pen to draw the final straw. [twitter.com]
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Friday November 06 2020, @12:06AM (3 children)
Yeah, straws have been banned. How the hell am I supposed to drink my shake?
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 06 2020, @02:03AM
Use a spoon like a frosty or one of those really good cheesecake blizzards.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Friday November 06 2020, @02:39AM (1 child)
Stop buying your "shake" at Mickey D's. Real milkshakes won't flow through a straw very well.
Abortion is the number one killed of children in the United States.
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Friday November 06 2020, @03:19AM
Please... I have seen inside the machine
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 06 2020, @03:38AM (1 child)
Modern Republicans have gone off the deep end. There's no other way to put it. Republicans weren't always like this, but their actions now are dangerous.
Scientists warned Reagan and Bush of an oncoming crisis. They said that CFCs were depleting the ozone layer and, left unchecked, would cause severe issues in the future. Reagan and Bush didn't like the idea of regulations that might be harmful to the economy and weren't entirely confident in the science. But their economic advisors said that the risk was great and, if the scientists were right, failing to act would lead to much greater harm in the future. Although personally reluctant, Reagan and Bush took action and the US was a leader in implementing the Montreal Protocol. The ozone layer is recovering and history has vindicated them.
Republicans of that era would want to reopen the economy during this pandemic. They wouldn't like restrictions on individual liberty. But scientists are advising that we may need some restrictions to bring the pandemic under control. Republicans from that era would probably support a short lockdown, perhaps a month long, to slow the rate of new infections. They would then insist on a national mask mandate and social distancing rules. Those Republicans would argue that relatively limited restrictions on individual liberty would be necessary in order to bring the pandemic under control. They would note that not acting would result in a greater economic hit overall and that we can't be free if we have to worry about catching a dangerous virus while going about our daily activities. They would accept the science and choose the least restrictive option that would allow us to mostly resume our daily lives and economic activities in a reasonably safe manner.
Current Republicans are nothing like that. They deny science. They take actions that supposedly prioritize freedom but actually jeopardize both safety and the economy. As a result, the pandemic is out of control and we're going to take a big economic hit this winter because of it.
Reagan and Bush had plenty of faults, no doubt. They certainly made plenty of mistakes and did plenty of dumb things. Trump and current Republicans actively discredit Dr. Fauci. In contrast, Bush very much trusted Fauci [cbs58.com] and took his advice. Despite the valid criticism of Reagan's handling of HIV, Fauci made it clear that Reagan took his advice seriously [aaas.org].
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 06 2020, @04:59AM
Yup
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 06 2020, @07:35AM
Signed,
Your one and only, beloved by all
fustakrakich
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Friday November 06 2020, @01:49PM
I can't draw straws (or anything else), you insensitive clod! I'm just not artistic.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.