I actually think it was best described by Winston ChurchillQuote:
Originally Posted by Alan
"...it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried"
I actually think it was best described by Winston ChurchillQuote:
Originally Posted by Alan
"...it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried"
Perhaps, but we're talking about two different things. A pure democracy is a system whereby power is exercised directly by the people. A typical democracy maintains a representative form of government. Some may not grasp the distinction, but it's huge.Quote:
Originally Posted by Weston
Last night, I popped into the local burrito/taco joint to grab a quick dinner before drill. Two sheriff's deputies strolled in, and sat down, one on either side of me at the counter. "Hello, Doug, hello Ray" I said nervously, as they were eyeing my green chili burrito with typical police brutality...
Doug bought my dinner for me, since I made him dinner at the fire station the other day, I wish I'd gotten that abuse of power on video so I could have posted it to Youtube.
When I left, and went to the fire station for water supply/tender shuttle drill, Officer Doug followed me the entire way, just waiting for me to make a mistake. Clearly profiling. When I pulled into the station and got ready to don my firefighting gear, the Sheriff got out of his car, opened up the trunk, and pulled out a big red bag. Glaring at me, he unzipped the bag, and pulled out his own firefighting gear, and said "OK, boy, draw!", and we each started suiting up. I beat him with a time of 42 seconds to his 51.
Then we walked over to a shiny red truck, got in, and started our drill.
I felt so uncomfortable the whole time. Those firefighting suits can really be unpleasant after a good burrito.
I surprised a CBP officer recently (she was an unexpected attendee at a seminar I was at) by asking her what type of pistol she carried on duty. Once she got over her surprise, we had a nice chat about shooting.
And Sheriff Ray, don't get me started on him. Why just the other day I walked into my favorite bar here, the Lower Tavern (to distinguish it from the Upper Tavern), only to find Ray atop of one of the bar patrons on the ground, brutally using his fists on the poor fellow's chest. I could hear ribs cracking! One of the other patrons said Ray had been doing this for 5 minutes before I came in. The guy on the ground looked like he was just about dead.
Another 9 minutes of CPR from the rest of us who showed up, and application of the AED from Ray's cruiser's trunk managed to save the guy's life. Good thing Ray initiated CPR as soon as he saw the fellow drop to the ground, when he had wandered into the bar at closing time for his ritual bar-check to make sure nobody needed a friendly ride home.
Brutality!
And profiling!Quote:
Originally Posted by bae
hey it's a 4 year old story but it provides something to get angry about, that's the whole point. A 4 year old story about a portland anarchist coffee shop (whole issues with the fbi and so on with that community) as if it's vastly symbolic of something much larger (the red and the black, there is also of course a famous novel of that name).Quote:
Not sure about the need to post this old story on Easter weekend.
And hey a free slam at vegans because them vegans are all the same .... so no wonder, what can you expect from vegans, they don't even enjoy a nice steak. If a political site is suddenly posting this they are playing you - the past always matters, but seeking out 4 year old little tiny stories to make a point is cherry picking. If it's just some random poster, they are stirring things up, but people will.
Since we're telling police stories: Years ago, I was the Controller of a county in central Wisconsin. I was having a beer with our Sheriff, and asked him if he wanted to order a pizza. He told me he seldom dined out locally because so many kitchen staff had spent time in his jail. That made me realize that these guys often pay a price beyond what you might ordinarily think of for what they do.
So when some morally superior, easily aggrieved twit claims to be "uncomfortable", it makes me think that people who treat cops like that don't deserve to have any.
Rob says "of course my meal was ruined" by a police officer simply and politely sharing a restaurant with him. An officer who every day likely puts his life, health, and sanity on the line to protect people like Rob from terrible terrible things done by terrible terrible people.Quote:
Originally Posted by LDAHL
I almost don't understand why police even bother to show up in neighborhoods full of Robs.
I was referring to the pusillanimous Portland peapod purveyor; but I would certainly agree with you that anyone having trouble enjoying his kale just because there are cops in the vicinity is the one with the problem.Quote:
Originally Posted by bae
I myself have on occasion felt ill-used by nuns, drill sergeants, lawyers and software developers. However, I still respect their roles in society and would never allow the sight of one to affect my appetite.