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Ragitsu

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    Ragitsu reacted to TrickstaPriest in [Police brutality] American injustice, yet again.   
    I have no doubt, and that those people should be dealt with.  But the general implication is that everyone should be punished, entire cities punished, hell entire states punished (ie- "pay the NG wages.  unless you are a place I need votes for"), for the situation.  That's the way media influences talk about, when calling out these incidents.  Normally that's a problem, but it's a huge problem when the President directly acts on their opinions.
     
    I can talk about the inevitable problem it creates when we have leadership that constantly calls people, cities, and states who don't agree with them as "the enemy" and treats them as figurative terrorists for just existing, but that's a conversation for the political thread.  I bring all this up because of the commentary on the article just linked.  But there's a larger conversation on the literal use of federal power and resources to punish people who don't agree with the President, and there are two things I can bet on for the nature of these riots.
     
    If Trump's twitter account never existed, I'd bet you a couple c notes that these protests would be 33% to 50% smaller.
     
    If coronavirus had been tackled without creating the biggest unemployment in the history of our country, these protests would be 75% to 90% smaller.
     
    If the response to these protests had been more careful and measured from the beginning instead of doing what 'kept up the authority', they would be 50-66% smaller.
     
    So if we want to know how to actually resolve these issues, to stop the violence and protests, consulting the list here is a great start.  If we want to resolve the underlying issues... that will take longer.
     
     
     
    And how can I forget my friend who was busted at a party (as a young kid) and coerced to roll specifically on the only black kids on the party.  Made to claim that those kids 'brought the drugs' (hint, all of them did).  Literal decades later he can't forget that he destroyed some kids' lives because, as a dumb terrified teen, he was made to 'roll on them'.
     
    None of the people I've named as friends are online associates.  They are people who I have known for years, and almost all of which I've bought beer at a bar for.  Over a quarter of the people I've known for years in my current location have been abused by officers or major government-oriented authority figures who never have nor will ever face any kind of effect for it.
     
    A less direct contact, a friend of my mother's had been tormented by her bf for literal years, with him calling, terrorizing, and threatening to take away her kid.  He is related to the local Sherriff as I recall correctly (or certainly a close friend), because he used their resources to torment, threaten, and stalk her with impunity, even having the police drop by on his behalf.  It took him literally calling her in the middle of an FBI training session, degrading, threatening, and humiliating her before a room of dozens of FBI agents undergoing training she was providing, for literally any action to happen at all.  But I still don't think she's out from under his behavior, with her kid, even now.
  2. Like
    Ragitsu got a reaction from Old Man in [Police brutality] American injustice, yet again.   
    I do not and cannot support an implied false equivalency. Nationally, there are many guns available overall, but police officers have state-enforced powers to get away with murder. Police officers operate in a gang that has their back; we know that "good cops" will cover for bad cops. Police officers enjoy grossly overpowered unions that are Republican backed. Police officers have a history of instigating protestors until riots erupt.
     
    Police officers can legally rob you and there's very little you can do to legally reclaim that property (assuming you can even afford the process in the first place). Police officers can stop you and engage in harassment because "they don't like the look of you". Police departments have a history of racist policies (not to mention recruiting members of racist ideologies). Police departments can reject applicants of sufficiently high I.Q. (for the flimsiest of reasons). Meaningful reform is nearly impossible, because an admission of guilt from a P.D. is less likely than drawing blood from a stone.
     
    So, no...the olive branch has to be extended from one side.
  3. Like
    Ragitsu got a reaction from Pattern Ghost in [Police brutality] American injustice, yet again.   
    I do not and cannot support an implied false equivalency. Nationally, there are many guns available overall, but police officers have state-enforced powers to get away with murder. Police officers operate in a gang that has their back; we know that "good cops" will cover for bad cops. Police officers enjoy grossly overpowered unions that are Republican backed. Police officers have a history of instigating protestors until riots erupt.
     
    Police officers can legally rob you and there's very little you can do to legally reclaim that property (assuming you can even afford the process in the first place). Police officers can stop you and engage in harassment because "they don't like the look of you". Police departments have a history of racist policies (not to mention recruiting members of racist ideologies). Police departments can reject applicants of sufficiently high I.Q. (for the flimsiest of reasons). Meaningful reform is nearly impossible, because an admission of guilt from a P.D. is less likely than drawing blood from a stone.
     
    So, no...the olive branch has to be extended from one side.
  4. Thanks
    Ragitsu got a reaction from TrickstaPriest in [Police brutality] American injustice, yet again.   
    I do not and cannot support an implied false equivalency. Nationally, there are many guns available overall, but police officers have state-enforced powers to get away with murder. Police officers operate in a gang that has their back; we know that "good cops" will cover for bad cops. Police officers enjoy grossly overpowered unions that are Republican backed. Police officers have a history of instigating protestors until riots erupt.
     
    Police officers can legally rob you and there's very little you can do to legally reclaim that property (assuming you can even afford the process in the first place). Police officers can stop you and engage in harassment because "they don't like the look of you". Police departments have a history of racist policies (not to mention recruiting members of racist ideologies). Police departments can reject applicants of sufficiently high I.Q. (for the flimsiest of reasons). Meaningful reform is nearly impossible, because an admission of guilt from a P.D. is less likely than drawing blood from a stone.
     
    So, no...the olive branch has to be extended from one side.
  5. Like
    Ragitsu reacted to Certified in Ctrl+V   
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    Ragitsu got a reaction from pinecone in [Police brutality] American injustice, yet again.   
    One works for the other. One has the power to ruin or end a life. The overall burden is clearly lopsided (as it ought to be).
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    Ragitsu got a reaction from tkdguy in Ctrl+V   
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    Ragitsu got a reaction from death tribble in A Thread for Random Videos   
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    Ragitsu got a reaction from death tribble in A Thread for Random Videos   
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    Ragitsu got a reaction from death tribble in A Thread for Random Videos   
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    Ragitsu got a reaction from death tribble in A Thread for Random Videos   
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    Ragitsu got a reaction from death tribble in A Thread for Random Videos   
    Riker...the true pride of Canada.
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    Ragitsu got a reaction from death tribble in A Thread for Random Videos   
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    Ragitsu got a reaction from death tribble in A Thread for Random Videos   
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    Ragitsu got a reaction from death tribble in A Thread for Random Videos   
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    Ragitsu got a reaction from death tribble in A Thread for Random Videos   
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    Ragitsu got a reaction from death tribble in A Thread for Random Videos   
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    Ragitsu reacted to tkdguy in A Thread for Random Videos   
    Also, this:
     
     
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    Ragitsu got a reaction from tkdguy in A Thread for Random Videos   
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    Ragitsu got a reaction from tkdguy in A Thread for Random Videos   
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    Ragitsu got a reaction from wcw43921 in Star Trek (The Next Generation): Your favorite episodes?   
    The best interpretation is that, within The Federation, essentials - shelter, nutrition, communication, healthcare, education, transportation, et cetera - are all free. If you desire a luxury or a specific occupation, you have to seek it or work for it. When it comes to interacting with non-Federation species, the Federation allots its citizens (or Starfleet members) a stipend of intergalactic credits that can be used for trade. With this system in place, the overwhelming majority of economic conflict is external.
     
    Needless to say, I DEFINITELY prefer what they're doing over our bog standard capitalism.
  22. Thanks
    Ragitsu reacted to Michael Hopcroft in Star Trek (The Next Generation): Your favorite episodes?   
    "Sarek" was a great episode. The tragic fall of a mighty mind, and Picard's herculean effort to contain the powerful, roiling emotions of another man's tragic history because he was the only one with enough discipline to do it -- and nearly cracking under the strain.
     
    Then there is "Yesterday's Enterprise", which gave the fanbase the story said fanbase thought they wanted (evil Klingons and a war in space) and showed it to be a horrifying nightmare. This wasn't the last time they would play with expectations. I wish we had seen more of Seela, but I suspect her failure to manipulate Spock intop doing her bidding was too much for her Romulan masters.
     
    Speaking of Romulans, the episode with Hans Conried as a Romulan defector had a special power, to see a many greatest hopes turned against him. I don't remember the title of the episode.
  23. Haha
    Ragitsu reacted to DusterBoy in Quote of the Week from my gaming group...   
    Adjusts glasses and knocks on Ragitsu’s door “Excuse me, have you time he hear about the Nephilim?”
  24. Like
    Ragitsu got a reaction from tkdguy in Ctrl+V   
    As he hurried to the opposite end of the camp, Kivan flitted between stacks of supplies while his bow continually loosed arrows at the human bandits - still half-drunk with sleep - emerging from their tents. Each _twang_ meant death for another would-be conqueror: an arrow through the neck, an arrow through an eye or an arrow through a lower organ that _might_ have been healed by a priest...were any around. Some of the more vigilant members sprinted towards the elf, grasping their knives and swords, a naked desire for vengeance displayed on each and every face. The seasoned ranger was much too quick for their amateur strikes however; his feet barely impacted the soil and his torso twisted away from those few steel edges that came close enough.
  25. Like
    Ragitsu got a reaction from Certified in Star Trek (The Next Generation): Your favorite episodes?   
    Unpopular opinion: I liked the early (space-pirate) Ferengi. We should have eventually seen more of them.
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