All purpose news and politics thread part VI: This Is Not The Time For Posing

[XPac]

Well, I say moderation should be observed in ending the lockdown. I'm glad governors (at least those in blue states) are being responsible and doing it in stages instead of just throwing open the doors all at once.



What did you expect? It was Trump after all. What pissed me off was that nonsense he spewed about Mr. Floyd.

If not for the protests I would agree with moderation. But if we have crowds with thousands of people forming on a daily basis, then it sort of seems moot to me. But we can probably gauge how severe a spike we get in a week or so. If we're really lucky and the protests don't generate a spike, then we might be in the clear.

[worstblogever]

The looting is the most IMMEDIATE issue.

My issue is you've spent a couple straight days posting, and your message is that property being put at risk is more important than black lives being taken.

Look at yourself, man.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

If not for the protests I would agree with moderation. But if we have crowds with thousands of people forming on a daily basis, then it sort of seems moot to me. But we can probably gauge how severe a spike we get in a week or so. If we're really lucky and the protests don't generate a spike, then we might be in the clear.

Here in Philly, both the Mayor and our Health Commissioner made public pleas for protestors to get tested, especially those who didn't wear masks. Heaven only knows if those people will follow through or not.

[aja_christopher]

I don't see the point of acting as if Obama 2.0 would be a bad thing for the country regardless given the fact he and Biden presided over one of the best administrations in modern history while simultaneously recovering from one of the worst in modern history -- Bush, Cheney and Rumsfield.

Especially when we keep seeing the racism, sexism, homophobia, civil unrest, record deficits, record recessions and repeated failures of the only real alternative -- at this point there's no excuse for acting as if "Democrats" like Bill, Hillary, Biden and Obama are the "same" as "Republicans" like Cheney, Rumsfield, Bush and Trump.



Don't let personal bias override facts.

[XPac]

My issue is you've spent a couple straight days posting, and your message is that property being put at risk is more important than black lives being taken.

Look at yourself, man.

The fact that people ignore that people are being murdered by looting is half the reason I feel obligated to post on the matter as much as I do. It's not just about propery ... it's about people too. Or do the people hurt or killed by rioters not count?

[Gray Lensman]

Not sure how accurate twitter videos can always claim to be, but...

Here's the Salem, Oregon PD warning armed white supremacist agitators of the impending use of tear gas "discretely" so they don't appear to be playing favorites.

I'm thinking we probably need a nationwide program of denazification in law enforcement.

[aja_christopher]

The fact that people ignore that people are being murdered by looting is half the reason I feel obligated to post on the matter as much as I do. It's not just about propery ... it's about people too. Or do the people hurt or killed by rioters not count?

No one is ignoring the "looters".



You're just choosing to focus on them instead of everything else that is happening.

[XPac]

No one is ignoring the "looters".



You're just choosing to focus on them instead of everything else that is happening.

The looting isn't ignored... but the fact that the looters are committing murder is. People arguing it's about property vs lives ignore the fact that lives are being lost in the looting. And those lives matter too.

[aja_christopher]

The looting isn't ignored... but the fact that the looters are committing murder is.

No it's not -- people have addressed the violence as well, including in the video I provided.

Do you really think people don't think those things are wrong -- do you really think these conversations haven't been around since the days of the Boston Tea Party, the Tulsa Race Riots or the entire Civil Rights movement?

Or are you just focused solely on what you think is the issue while showing little to no concern for what those who have been dealing with authoritarian and white supremacist oppression and violence for centuries see as the problem?

That's not so much a question as an observation since you keep making that clear with your posts.

[A Small Talent For War]

Not sure how accurate twitter videos can always claim to be, but...

Here's the Salem, Oregon PD warning armed white supremacist agitators of the impending use of tear gas "discretely" so they don't appear to be playing favorites.

I'm thinking we probably need a nationwide program of denazification in law enforcement.

I think that headline is inaccurate. If you look up the story, he's apparently telling these armed white nationalists - who are outside to protect a store from looting - to go inside so they would not be arrested during the curfew. Not because they were going to start using tear gas during a protest.

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article...ying-favorites

It's still completely biased, but the reality from the story is much different than the twitter post implies.

[A Small Talent For War]

No it's not -- people have addressed the violence as well, including in the video I provided.

Do you really think people don't think those things are wrong -- do you really think these conversations haven't been around since the days of the Boston Tea Party, the Tulsa Race Riots or the entire Civil Rights movement?

Or are you just focused solely on what you think is the issue while showing little to no concern for what those who have been dealing with authoritarian and white supremacist oppression and violence for centuries see as the problem?

That's not so much a question as an observation since you keep making that clear with your posts.

I would like to know how prevalent violence by looters and protestors actually is in the vast number of protests around the country. Is there any reliable data as I feel the vast majority of protests are peaceful and responsibly held, while most of the violence actually is due to police aggression with the excuse they are trying to stop looters and rioters.

[aja_christopher]

"As the Punisher Skull Re-Emerges on Cops in U.S. Protests, Marvel Comics Reckons With Its Imagery"

"The appropriation of comic book character Frank Castle’s skull emblem by police and the military has been an ongoing issue for Marvel Entertainment as it wrestles with the questionable embrace of the anti-hero’s extrajudicial violence by real state and federal employees. But as the “Punisher skull” has re-emerged on officer’s uniforms in current crackdowns on anti-racism and police brutality protests, the publisher is being forced to confront it once more.

As demonstrations continue this week in the wake of Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin’s killing of George Floyd, in all 50 U.S. states and across the world, pictures of two Detroit PD officers allegedly wearing special operations badges emblazoned with the skull designed by writer Gerry Conway and artist John Romita, Sr. and Ross Andru went viral on social media. As a reminder, the Punisher skull logo itself was inspired by similar imagery of the totenkopf, the skull-and-crossbones used by military forces in the German Empire and, most infamously, the Nazi SS, in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Conway, who has been vocal in the past about the appropriation and evangelization of the Punisher by armed service members and police, also shared the images—showing members of the Detroit Police Special Operations department wearing badges prominently displaying what appears to be the Punisher’s emblem as they violently detain protesters. Although he did not add further comment directly, Conway shared the demands of other Twitter users for Marvel and its parent company Disney to shut down uses of the Punisher skull by police. He also used his feed to reshare links to his prior comments about its use, including one from io9.

“The vigilante anti-hero is fundamentally a critique of the justice system, an example of social failure, so when cops put Punisher skulls on their cars or members of the military wear Punisher skull patches, they’re basically sides with an enemy of the system,” Conway told Syfy in January 2019.

“They are embracing an outlaw mentality. Whether you think the Punisher is justified or not, whether you admire his code of ethics, he is an outlaw. He is a criminal. Police should not be embracing a criminal as their symbol.”

But while this is far from the first time Marvel has had to contend with the Punisher’s imagery being wielded like this, its return to prominence in the current protests against police brutality makes the seeming lack of any public response by the publisher disconcerting.

When asked about its stance on U.S. police officers using its logo—the imagery of a murderous, extrajudicial vigilante—a spokesperson for the comics publisher indicated to io9 that while it is “taking seriously” any unlicensed use of its imagery by officers, in terms of making any new statements, Marvel Comics was standing by the message delivered on social media by the Marvel Entertainment account this past Sunday: “We stand against racism. We stand for inclusion. We stand with our fellow Black employees, storytellers, creators and the entire Black community. We must unite and speak out.” (The same message was shared on other Disney-owned subsidiary accounts, including the official channels for Disney+, Marvel Studios, Star Wars, and more.)

When asked about the publisher’s further commitments beyond this statement, io9 was pointed to yesterday’s news that Marvel Comics’ owners, the Walt Disney Company, would be making a $5 million dollar donation to “support nonprofit organizations that advance social justice,” starting with a $2 million of that fund going to the NAACP.

As for the publisher’s own beliefs about police officers’ deification of Frank Castle? The spokesperson further added that the company believes the stance laid out in July 2019's The Punisher #13—by Matthew Rosenberg, Szymon Kudranski, Antonio Fabela, and Cory Petit—makes it clear where Marvel Comics as a publisher stands. If you’ve read it, of course.

In that issue, Frank Castle is confronted by two NYPD officers while on the hunt in the city for Baron Zemo. As the duo move into detain Castle, they realize they’re standing in front of the Punisher himself, before lowering their weapons and taking out their phones to request pictures. Explaining to a confused Castle that they’re members of an internal NYPD group that are massive fans of the Punisher’s ethos, the officers reveal that they have emblazoned a decal of his skull emblem on their patrol car, which Castle promptly tears off before castigating the duo:

“I’ll say this once. We’re not the same. You took an oath to uphold the law. You help people. I gave all that up a long time ago. You don’t do what I do. Nobody does,” Castle says. “You boys need a role model? His name is Captain America, and he’d be happy to have you.”

https://io9.gizmodo.com/as-the-punis...tes-1843911179

[The Cool Thatguy]

Genuine question on why you think voting for the democrats, Joe Biden, in particular will yield different results? In my lifetime alone, the democrats had 16 years of a leader in office and very little seems to be changed. Republicans and Democrats are two wings on the same bird.
Again, I am not a republican and do not support Trump.

I guess you don't have a pre-existing medical condition?

[XPac]

No it's not -- people have addressed the violence as well, including in the video I provided.

Do you really think people don't think those things are wrong -- do you really think these conversations haven't been around since the days of the Boston Tea Party, the Tulsa Race Riots or the entire Civil Rights movement?

Or are you just focused solely on what you think is the issue while showing little to no concern for what those who have been dealing with authoritarian and white supremacist oppression and violence for centuries see as the problem?

That's not so much a question as an observation since you keep making that clear with your posts.

Read the posts I'm responding to.

You have people arguing its lives vs property when lives are being lost on both sides. You only have to go up a few posts to see an example of it

To argue JUST property is at stake is disingenuous... and that's the issue I have with it.

[aja_christopher]

I would like to know how prevalent violence by looters and protestors actually is in the vast number of protests around the country. Is there any reliable data as I feel the vast majority of protests are peaceful and responsibly held, while most of the violence actually is due to police aggression with the excuse they are trying to stop looters and rioters.

It's a Fox News talking point to avoid discussing the real issue of police brutality and systemic racism.

Fortunately the rest of the world isn't talking about the "looters" -- they are talking about racial injustice in America and George Floyd.

Along with how our American policemen and soldiers attack both peaceful American citizens and members of their press under Trump.

Read the posts I'm responding to.

You have people arguing its lives vs property when lives are being lost on both sides. You only have to go up a few posts to see an example of it.

I've seen people ask what proof there is that the protesters are more violent than the police they are protesting.

Maybe if you showed a bit less overt bias then people might see your perspective differently.

Anyway, I've already said what I wanted to say on the matter.

You do you.