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Post by Moose on Jul 9, 2020 23:02:45 GMT
The problem is, it's self perpetuating. The worse the reputation of cops gets, the more that decent, honest people are going to avoid the profession like the plague .. and the more that Nazi types who want to get away with violence and intimidation are going to apply.
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Post by whollygoats on Jul 9, 2020 23:32:39 GMT
Yeah...Police forces have become the holy orders for violent thugs interested in volently physically oppressing those different than themselves. And, the application of 'qualified immunity' to police officers in the US just encourages abuses. Then, pile on top of that, a host of high-end technology passed down to the police forces from military applications, and you get mercenaries intent on a race war.
Fucking terrorists built in to our culture and supported by the taxation of the very people they abuse and oppress. It is sickening and viserally disgusting.
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Post by Moose on Jul 10, 2020 15:17:15 GMT
Only a complete overhaul will change things but that is very easy to say and very difficult to do. It would involve firing a large percentage of the current police force and starting over again.
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Post by tangent on Jul 10, 2020 16:00:58 GMT
A large percentage? I rather think training the existing force would be a lot easier than converting new recruits.
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Post by Moose on Jul 10, 2020 16:14:54 GMT
Naw, there are too many who are unreconstructed racists. It's not about not being trained .. it's about the calibre of recruits.
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Post by whollygoats on Jul 14, 2020 18:01:42 GMT
It's rather like the Catholic Church having become something of a refuge for pederasts. They felt safe and accepted. When they erred publicly, the church hushed it up for fear of adverse community reactions. Not knowing quite what to do, they shipped the errant cleric elsewhere, where, of course, they repeated their crimes and the process started all over again, spreading the crime and disgust ever wider.
I find the parallels to be very strong with US police forces. They have become refuges for actual and crypto- racists and fascists. They are welcomed and made to feel comfortable and they then take advantage of the protective comraderie of their brethren in arms. They recruit amongst the marginal already in the force and coordinate with their fellow racists and fascists outside the force to expand their numbers in the ranks of those who are 'licensed to kill'. As the level of protection is revealed over time, they expand their attitudes and selective enforcement and selective brutality. They are part and parcel of what makes racism 'systemic' in our society.
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Post by whollygoats on Jul 19, 2020 23:17:36 GMT
Mind you, these are Republicans who are making these ads.
Finally.
I've been saying this since the shithead took office.
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Post by whollygoats on Jul 20, 2020 21:57:21 GMT
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Post by maurusian on Jul 24, 2020 14:13:22 GMT
Not sure where I should post this, but I have a complaint about the way the term "terrorism" is applied these days. It seems that every mass killing is called "terrorism", regardless of its target or apparent motive.
For instance, the bombing of the USS Cole is always called terrorism—I can't recall ever seeing an exception—even though its target was obviously military. I'm not saying it was a good thing to do, you understand (I shouldn't have to say that, but maybe it's better to avoid misunderstandings). But it wasn't terrorism.
And these guys who get frustrated with the world and go out to shoot up a mall or a party: I'm not sure I can call that "terrorism", either. Isn't terrorism by definition an act aiming at some political outcome?
Terrorism isn't just any despicable act; we already have plenty of words for that.
Ok, you may fire when ready.
I agree. But I think this is kind of a natural phenomenon in the evolution of language and terminology. You have words slipping slowly from their original context to mean either something more general or more specific, or something else entirely. Take the terms "Africa" and "Libya" for instance. At one point, during antiquity, Libya meant the whole continent that we call today "Africa", and "Africa" was a word applied to the region we call "Tunisia" now. Then slowly, their meanings shifted in opposite directions, until Libya became the modern-day country that we know, and Africa the whole continent.
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Post by whollygoats on Jul 24, 2020 15:46:39 GMT
Well, maurusian, I disagreed. I also noted linguistic drift over time and the topic was discussed in a general way in the scope of the thread.
I lobbed several questions and critiques which I think were never adequately addressed. Subsequent changes in the political climate in the US seems to have silenced some desire to even discuss the topic in more depth.
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Post by whollygoats on Dec 28, 2020 20:37:23 GMT
So....I'm curious whether the arbiters of 'terrorism' here consider whether the Christmas suicide bomber of Nashville, Tennessee, qualifies as a 'terrorist'.
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Post by tangent on Dec 29, 2020 1:58:24 GMT
The US has a very broad definition of terrorism whilst UK law limits terrorism to "the purpose of advancing a political, religious or ideological cause." So, take your pick.
We don't yet know the motive of the person who committed the act but he was an IT worker and he bombed an IT building. That suggests to me that the bombing was revenge and not terrorism.
Furthermore, although there is no universally accepted definition of terrorism, many experts say that, to be considered terrorism, the direct targets of violence would not be the main targets. That would appear to rule out an IT worker bombing an IT building.
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Post by JoeP on Dec 29, 2020 10:09:38 GMT
but he was an IT worker and he bombed an IT building. That suggests to me that the bombing was revenge and not terrorism. ... says the former IT worker.
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Post by tangent on Dec 29, 2020 11:24:25 GMT
Ssh!
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Post by whollygoats on Jan 1, 2021 15:30:31 GMT
Well, if it were the first strike of a secret army of former IT workers, rising up against their oppressors...Then, it would be terrorism, right?
It was just a bomb that destroyed four city blocks and the bomber....not an act of terrorism. Just misguided resentment.
***rolls eyes***
Okay.
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Post by tangent on Jan 1, 2021 20:32:47 GMT
I can assure you, I do not have any inside information on the secret army of former IT workers *nods assuringly*
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Post by whollygoats on Jan 7, 2021 4:55:38 GMT
Improvised explosive devices (IED, aka 'pipe bomb') found in two separate locations in Washington in the wake of the insurrectionist breach of the national capitol.
Terrorism, or just good ol' boys havin' a little fun?
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Post by JoeP on Jan 7, 2021 8:54:00 GMT
I think we can safely say this one wasn't disgruntled former IT workers.
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Post by tangent on Jan 7, 2021 11:40:48 GMT
Yes, I had nothing to do with it!
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Post by whollygoats on Jan 8, 2021 15:54:29 GMT
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Post by whollygoats on Jan 9, 2021 5:44:26 GMT
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