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

[Godzilla2099]

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.

Looting is definitely the biggest issue. Its resulting in businesses (and the lives those people put into it) ruined and most importantly the safety of citizens. Yes, these riots resulted in people getting killed. I have to move my wife to Philly at the end of the month and I'm nervous as hell for her safety. You think I'm parking my car outside?

Black Lives Matter and Al Sharpton are only fanning the flames of this fire. They don't give a crap about black on black crimes or that even a police officer was killed from these riots (that officer was also black). They don't genuinely care. They only act out if a white cop kills a black person.

[Maine Starfish]

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?

this is the same logic that Trump and his supporters use to justify demonizing all the protesters as “terrorists” and how they justify using force against them even when they are peaceful, again the vast majority of the protesters have been peaceful, especially in the last few days, people protesting peacefully has not prevented police from attacking them.

it’s not about ignoring the few people who commit crimes during the protests it’s just about choosing to keep focus on the issues that the protests are actually about, constantly changing the topic and deflecting from the real issues is not helpful

[Maine Starfish]

Black Lives Matter and Al Sharpton are only fanning the flames of this fire. They don't give a crap about black on black crimes or that even a police officer was killed from these riots (that officer was also black). They don't genuinely care. They only act out if a white cop kills a black person.

this is completely BS

[aja_christopher]

this is completely BS

Straight alt-right playbook whether knowingly or otherwise.



Three of cops in the Freddie Gray case were black and Sharpton was one of the main people calling for charges against them.

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"Rev. Al Sharpton is headed to Baltimore this week to meet with community leaders and plan a march from that city to Washington, D.C. to ramp up pressure on federal officials to take action on racial bias in policing.

Sharpton announced his plans Monday as Baltimore erupted into chaos on the same day as the funeral for Freddie Gray, the young black man from Baltimore who died in police custody. As businesses were looted and police cars destroyed and set on fire, community leaders were quick to condemn the rioting as unproductive to their cause.

Sharpton, a civil rights activist who sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004, hopes to organize a two-day march from Baltimore to Washington in May.

"The march will bring the case of Freddie Gray, Eric Garner, Walter Scott, Eric Harris to the new Attorney General, Loretta Lynch. Ms. Lynch, in her new role that we all supported, must look and intervene in these cases," Sharpton said in a press release. "Justice delayed is justice denied."

[Godzilla2099]

this is completely BS

Oh really? If that victim the officer killed was Asian, White, or Latino. Think we'd still be experiencing these riots?

Also, have Black Lives Matter spoke out against anything other than White Cop harming a Black Person?

[Maine Starfish]

Straight alt-right playbook whether knowingly or otherwise.

indeed, probably not even worth responding to

[XPac]

this is the same logic that Trump and his supporters use to justify demonizing all the protesters as “terrorists” and how they justify using force against them even when they are peaceful, again the vast majority of the protesters have been peaceful, especially in the last few days, people protesting peacefully has not prevented police from attacking them.

it’s not about ignoring the few people who commit crimes during the protests it’s just about choosing to keep focus on the issues that the protests are actually about, constantly changing the topic and deflecting from the real issues is not helpful

I'm not demonizing all protesters ... as I've said a dozen times, it's some criminals using the protests as cover to commit crimes.

I agree the vast majority of protesters are peaceful. Is just a bunch of idiots trying to get free stuff. But the fact that they are looting, burning down buildings and murdering people makes it worth mentioning. If you feel otherwise fine ... talk about whatever else you want. But don't feel that shocked if this isn't something that matters enough to discuss for some.

[Mister Mets]

It seems to have worked well for Joe Biden to be the Democratic nominee right now. The other major contenders for the nomination had issues, that would not intersect well with the current moment.

Bernie Sanders would be blamed for riots, even if it happened exactly the same way under his candidacy. You could also bet that some of his supporters would be trying to make this a class issue.

Elizabeth Warren's background as an academic would make her seem like the candidate of college radicals.

Kamala Harris' background as a San Francisco DA wouldn't make anyone happy. The left would be pissed off at her because her record ten years ago didn't match the policies of a new wave of progressive prosecutors elected more recently. The center is still going to have a tough time believing that someone who held elected office in San Fransisco is anything close to a moderate.

Pete Buttigieg would face greater scrutiny over the police of South Bend, Indiana, as well as questions about a relatively low approval rating among African-Americans.

Beto O'Rourke would try way too hard to show that he's on the side of the protesters.

Amy Klobuchar was elected as a prosecutor in George Floyd's district, and declined to press charges against the police officer. It's a decision that may be defensible, but the arguments would not be helpful.

Joe Biden is an old white guy from Scranton who served loyally in the administration of the first African-American President. He doesn't appear to be a radical, so he's not going to be associated with looting or anyone calling for abolishing the police department. But he's also not going to be accused by the Democratic party base of being a white supremacist. And as a former Vice President, he's been able to avoid having to take a vote on anything for over a decade.

[XPac]

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.



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.

I'm not necessarily saying the protestors are more violent than the police. Or less violent for that matter. I don't have an exact body count and honestly I'm not sure I care to know.

The point being there are both rioters and police acting in the wrong. That's about as overtly unbiased as I can get.

[worstblogever]

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?

You keep using the word "looting".

You don't loot lives, last I checked.

Over a 1,000 people were killed by police a year. You're claiming that looters are murdering all these people.

Fine, dude. Start naming them. When you get to a thousand, you might not be a hypocrite.

[aja_christopher]

The point being there are both rioters and police acting in the wrong.

Then start addressing the unlawfulness and violent behavior of the police at least as much as you complain about others.

Especially since that's the only reason people are out there "rioting" right now.

[worstblogever]

In 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and as well as 2019, "Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day" published profiles of Iowa State Senator Brad Zaun, a man with a record of stalking an ex-girlfriend, by banging on her windows to call her a slut, and a reputation for being so obnoxious that in spite of him winning the primary for Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District in the 2014 elections, the GOP used a rare technicality that he did not exceed the 35% threshold of votes, so they just gave the win to current Congressman David Young, who finished in fifth. Zaun believes life starts at conception, that climate change doesn’t exist, that gay couples shouldn’t marry, and somehow presents terrible math to claim the Affordable Care Act costs double what it actually does. Brad Zaun also turned heads when he defended his carrying a firearm into the Iowa state capitol, saying that he “didn’t want to end up like Gabby Giffords”, which is a really distasteful comparison (especially because Giffords wasn’t shot in a capitol building).

In 2018, Brad Zaun voted for two separate fetal heartbeat bills, which would effectively ban abortion at six weeks, a time when most women don’t even yet realize they’re pregnant. That’s right, not once, but twice.

Zaun is up for re-election this year, and is currently trying to win over his district by handling important business, like attacking public educators at Iowa universities by trying to do away with tenure, and as the Coronavirus pandemic was breaking out across the United States, he was doing, what else, sponsoring legislation that courts had already found unconstitutional, to try and establish a medically unnecessary mandatory ultrasound bill for women seeking abortions.

Take note, Urbandale, Iowa… and stop electing this moron.

[worstblogever]

And for anyone who thinks protests aren't working...

Minneapolis PD just announced they have banned the use of chokeholds by the police entirely.

They need to keep protesting, and keep getting change.

[Mister Mets]

You keep using the word "looting".

You don't loot lives, last I checked.

Over a 1,000 people were killed by police a year. You're claiming that looters are murdering all these people.

Fine, dude. Start naming them. When you get to a thousand, you might not be a hypocrite.

The vast majority of shootings are not all that controversial. It's a stretch to equate looters killing someone with cops shooting a man who is in the process of stabbing a woman.

this is the same logic that Trump and his supporters use to justify demonizing all the protesters as “terrorists” and how they justify using force against them even when they are peaceful, again the vast majority of the protesters have been peaceful, especially in the last few days, people protesting peacefully has not prevented police from attacking them.

it’s not about ignoring the few people who commit crimes during the protests it’s just about choosing to keep focus on the issues that the protests are actually about, constantly changing the topic and deflecting from the real issues is not helpful

Who gets to determine what the real issues are?

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.

This would be helpful, but it seems unlikely that there's reliable data.

Who would be in a position to make the judgement calls about whether something is a response to police aggression, or idiots taking advantage of a protest? Right now, all we have is anecdotal evidence, which sucks because it's missing statistical context.

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.

Did he say that explicitly?

I

That’s an interesting video.

It strikes me as a really big call to raise charge against Derek Chauvin to second degree murder...I can imagine being on jury and being forced to reluctantly agree that legally the correct verdict on that particular charge would be “not guilty”.

I assume that jury can still find him guilty of third degree murder anyway??

Again taking video at face value it would seem charge of aiding and abetting against the other three officers may well fail on legal grounds...though it would be unjust not to bring them to account in some way...and all other charges seem even more likely to fail.

A jury can find a defendant guilty of lesser charges.

But there is a concern that when the jury thinks the prosecutors made a wrong call on one question, they're not going to take the prosecutor's arguments as seriously elsewhere. This is what some believe happened in the Amadou Diallo shooting, that prosecutors lost credibility by going for a similar penalty as in a drive by shooting.

We also should not want prosecutors overcharging in general.

[aja_christopher]

"Three men connected to 'boogaloo' movement tried to provoke violence at protests, feds say"

NBC News reported last weekend that members of the "Boogaloo" movement were seen at protests in states including Minnesota and Texas, as well as in Philadelphia.

"They wanted to use the momentum of the George Floyd death in police custody in the City of Minneapolis to hopefully stir enough confusion and excitement, that others see the two explosions and police presence and begin to riot in the streets out of anger," the documents say.

But because the FBI was monitoring all of the planning through the confidential source, the documents said, it was able to stop the plan from coming to fruition when an FBI SWAT team deployed and arrested Lynam, Loomis and Parshall. Lynam and Loomis appear to have left sparse social media footprints, but pages that NBC News was able to trace to Parshall offered some clues to his leanings.

In March, in a post about the federal response to COVID-19 on a public Facebook page, "The New Sons & Daughters of Liberty," Parshall commented: "Start. Fomenting. Insurrection."

A Facebook profile — which was traced to Parshall through his username, "cptkiwidparshall," photos cross-posted to Facebook and Instagram, and the online relationships with the other suspects — contains images connected to the far right: a Confederate flag, an image of a rainbow swastika and the "Kekistan" flag, among them. Kekistan is a fictional nation created by white nationalists and far-right trolls, and its flag mimics a Nazi war flag.

A GoFundMe page was created for Parshall on Tuesday by a member of the Southwest Igloo A-Team. "Igloo" is a nickname Boogaloo groups use to evade moderation. Facebook appeared to have been an important factor for organization. According to the federal complaint, all three indicted men were part of a Nevada Boogaloo Facebook group and met at ReOpen rallies, which were organized on Facebook.

A Facebook spokesperson said the company had removed the accounts of the three men "for attempting to commit mass violence."

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/all/thr...-feds-n1224231

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"The boogaloo movement, members of which are often referred to as boogaloo boys or boogaloo bois, is a loosely organized American far-right extremist movement.[3][4][5] Members of the boogaloo movement say they are preparing for a coming second American Civil War, which they call the "boogaloo".[3][6] Members use the term to refer to violent uprisings against the federal government or left-wing political opponents, often anticipated to follow government confiscation of firearms.[1][7]

The movement consists of anti-government and anti-law enforcement groups, as well as white supremacist groups who specifically believe the unrest will be a race war.[3][1][7] Groups in the boogaloo movement primarily organize online (particularly on Facebook), but have appeared at in-person events including the 2020 United States anti-lockdown protests and the May 2020 George Floyd protests, often identified by their attire of Hawaiian shirts and military fatigues."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boogaloo_movement

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"White nationalist group posing as antifa called for violence on Twitter"

Other misinformation and misleading claims spread across Twitter on Sunday night and into Monday related to the protests.

"A Twitter account claiming to belong to a national “antifa” organization and pushing violent rhetoric related to ongoing protests has been linked to the white nationalist group Identity Evropa, according to a Twitter spokesperson. The spokesperson said the account violated the company's platform manipulation and spam policy, specifically the creation of fake accounts. Twitter suspended the account after a tweet that incited violence.

As protests were taking place in multiple states across the U.S. Sunday night, the newly created account, @ANTIFA_US, tweeted, “Tonight’s the night, Comrades,” with a brown raised fist emoji and “Tonight we say 'F--- The City' and we move into the residential areas... the white hoods.... and we take what's ours …”

This isn’t the first time Twitter has taken action against fake accounts engaged in hateful conduct linked to Identity Evropa, according to the spokesperson.

The antifa movement — a network of loosely organized radical groups who use direct action to fight the far-right and fascism — has been targeted by President Donald Trump as the force behind some of the violence and property destruction seen at some protests, though little evidence has been provided for such claims."

https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/securit...avior-n1221456