ChrisWeigant.com

Friday Talking Points -- Trump Doubles Down On Racism

[ Posted Friday, June 12th, 2020 – 18:07 UTC ]

President Donald Trump seems to have settled on a theme for his campaign, as he doubles down on blatant racism. Think that's too strongly put? We don't. Consider the following, from just the past week:

Trump announces his first rally since the start of the pandemic, in Tulsa, Oklahoma on June 19. Here's why that's a monumentally insensitive place and date: "In 1921, that city was the site of one of the worst race massacres in U.S. history. A white mob descended on an affluent black neighborhood. As many as 300 people died. The June 19 rally also happens to coincide with Juneteenth, a holiday widely celebrated in the black community to mark the day that the last American slaves were freed." As one late-night comic joked, it's like Trump told Stephen Miller to pick the most offensive place and date possible (since Trump wouldn't know beans about either historical reference).

Team Trump also announced that the Republican National Convention (well, parts of it, at any rate) will be moved from North Carolina to Jacksonville, Florida, since they're willing to allow a full-on convention with no coronavirus restrictions whatsoever. Trump will reportedly accept his party's nomination on August 27, the second day of the convention. And here's why that's also a monumentally insensitive date and place:

On Aug. 27, 1960, a mob of 200 white people in Jacksonville, Fla. -- organized by the Ku Klux Klan and joined by some of the city's police officers -- chased and beat peaceful civil rights protesters who were trying to integrate downtown lunch counters. The bloody carnage that followed -- in which ax handles and baseball bats were used to club African Americans, who sought sanctuary in a church -- is remembered as "Ax Handle Saturday."

So Trump is starting his rallies up again to commemorate the 99th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre, on Juneteenth, after which he will be formally nominated on the 60th anniversary of Ax Handle Saturday. These aren't just "dog whistles," folks, these are flat-out statements that Team Trump -- and by extension, the entire Republican Party -- simply do not care what black people think. Not one tiny little bit.

If anyone's still in doubt, Trump is the lone holdout in a new movement to rename 10 Army bases which have honored traitors to this country who waged a treasonous insurrection against the federal government (which we wrote about last week, by the way). The bases named for Confederate generals (and one colonel) are, at this particular point, so indefensible that the Army itself had just signaled that they were indeed open to the concept of renaming them -- which was a stunning turnaround from their decades of refusing to even consider the idea. Defense Secretary Mark Esper also signaled he would be open to such a move. The Marine Corps and the Navy just banned the Confederate battle flag. And even the Republican-controlled Senate had taken steps to force renaming the bases in the next three years.

Everyone was on board, it seemed, except Trump. Here's how he reacted: "These Monumental and very Powerful Bases have become part of a Great American Heritage, and a history of Winning, Victory, and Freedom.... Therefore, my Administration will not even consider the renaming of these Magnificent and Fabled Military Installations." Note that Trump was utterly unaware of the irony of proclaiming "a history of Winning, Victory, and Freedom," when the men the bases were named after lost and surrendered in their war to continue the enslavement of African-Americans. Also, "Fabled"? These are not imaginary bases, they are actually quite real. But Trump threatened to veto any bill which tried to rename them.

Just moments after his tweet, NASCAR also announced a ban on the Confederate flag. That's right -- even NASCAR is showing more moral leadership than the president of the United States. Think about that for a moment.

Need more proof? Mercedes Schlapp, a senior Trump campaign advisor, retweeted a video this week "that lauded a man in Texas in a viral video as he yelled the n-word and wielded a chainsaw to chase away anti-racism demonstrators.... 'Go home!' yells the man, who was arrested Friday. 'Don't let those f------ n------ out there fool you!'" When asked about it by Politico, Schlapp finally apologized and took down the tweet. Because she got caught, we have to assume.

Throughout it all, some White House advisors have tried to talk Trump into giving a national address on the problem of racial inequality. But, as Dana Milbank from the Washington Post points out, that speech has already been given, multiple times. Trump's own words absolutely condemn him on the subject, meaning there is little he could say now (or, more accurately: "read off a TelePrompTer in a disinterested and monotone voice") that is going to convince anyone differently.

Trump quite obviously thinks a nakedly racist strategy will be a winning one for him. He's wrong about that, because the country has changed over the past few decades -- and over the past few weeks. Polls continue to show an overwhelming majority of Americans agree with the protesters in the streets, while precious few are buying Trump's continuing conspiracy theory that it's all the work of "Antifa" and other scary-sounding leftwing groups. In fact, the polls have not been kind to Trump at all of late.

Poll after poll shows Trump sinking like a stone, while Joe Biden opens up a wider and wider lead. The polling for Biden right now is (by the way) much better than Hillary Clinton's numbers were, four years ago. Several polls just showed Biden with a whopping 14-point lead over Trump. Trump, snowflake that he is, tried to get some reassurance from his phone buddies, but according to Vanity Fair, even they weren't buying it. From a review of the article:

Gabriel Sherman at Vanity Fair reports that Trump is, in the words of one former adviser, "malignantly crazy about the bad poll numbers" and is threatening to "broom" his son-in-law Jared Kushner and campaign manager Brad Parscale. Trump's reportedly so distraught about the poll numbers he's calling up his friends in New York and "asking people to agree with him that the polls are biased," according to a source of Sherman's. "But no one is telling him what he wants to hear."

I think we can all agree that Trump is "malignantly crazy," although we personally would have stopped the sentence right there. Heh.

Kidding aside, Trump lashed out in multiple directions. He hired a notoriously bad Republican polling firm (one so bad few Republicans hire them these days) to write a letter explaining why all the polls were wrong and there was actually a huge swell of support among the American people for their Dear Leader Trump. He also sicced his campaign's legal team on CNN, for their poll showing him badly losing to Biden:

Donald Trump's reelection campaign is demanding that CNN apologize for a poll that shows Joe Biden with a 14-point lead over the president.

The campaign also wants the news network to retract the poll, supposedly because it's biased (but really because it points out the serious challenges Trump faces in his quest for a second term).

The campaign whined about the negative poll stated its position in a cease-and-desist letter to CNN President Jeff Zucker. It argued that the CNN poll is "designed to mislead American voters through a biased questionnaire and skewed sampling."

The letter -- signed by the Trump campaign's senior legal adviser, Jenna Ellis, and chief operating officer Michael Glassner -- called CNN's poll "phony" and "a stunt" meant to "cause voter suppression, stifle momentum and enthusiasm for the President, and present a false view generally of the actual support across America for the President."

Trump's campaign minions also requested that CNN publish a "full, fair, and conspicuous retraction, apology, and clarification to correct its misleading conclusions."

CNN's response?

"We stand by our poll," Matt Dornic, a network spokesman, said.

In a similar display of ineptitude, the Republicans have just voted to adopt their 2016 party platform document, unchanged. This is pretty hilarious, since it contains lots of snide references to "the president" and "the current administration." Here's the best example: "The current Administration has abandoned America's friends and rewarded its enemies." Hard to argue with that, really, at this point.

Speaking of ineptitude, the Trump administration may have just made a serious (perhaps even fatal) error. It was just reported that Trump's Department of the Interior is going to push -- after the election, notably -- to resume offshore drilling in Florida. The report notes that this is "a politically explosive topic for Floridians, who worry that oil spills would devastate their tourism-based economy in reprise of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster." If we were in charge of Joe Biden's advertising budget, we'd currently be preparing an entire ad campaign for Florida warning them all of what Trump has in mind for their state. Because this is a real political loser for Trump, in a very key swing state.

OK, this is already long enough, so we'll just whip through a few more items before moving along. The coronavirus pandemic seems to be entering a second wave, even if all the governors (from blue states and red) are ignoring the warning signs in their rush to reopen. Oh, and the C.D.C. reports that more and more people are following Trump's sage advice by gargling bleach.

Republicans in Iowa are terrified of their citizens being able to easily vote, so they're moving to make it harder and more dangerous. Because of course they are.

There are several disconcerting signs of possible election problems in November, which stretch beyond what was called "a hot, flaming mess" in Georgia (which they had been warned about in advance, multiple times, it is worth mentioning). Long story short, when states that are unused to massive mail-in balloting try to count the ballots, it can take a long time.

Speaking of voting by mail, we wonder what President Trump would say about a person trying to vote by using a business address as their residence -- which is against state law. Perhaps he'd call it "voter fraud"? Or what about someone illegally using their parents' address to vote even though they were clearly a resident of another state at the time? More "voter fraud"? This describes how both Donald Trump and his official mouthpiece Kayleigh McEnany have been casting their ballots -- by mail -- in Florida. Which, incidentally, is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.

And finally, Senator Tom Cotton tried to use an absurd example by predicting that them dang libruls wanted to rename the Washington Monument the "Obelisk Of Wokeness." The Twitterverse was highly amused by this label, with several pointing out that it would be a great name for a heavy metal album.

 

Most Impressive Democrat Of The Week

We're going to kind of punt on this week's Most Impressive Democrat Of The Week award, because the people who impressed us the most this week are studiously apolitical. That's the whole point, in fact. But before we get to that, here are a few noteworthy Democrats who would have been considered if this hadn't been a week of monumental pushback on Donald Trump.

First and foremost was Philonise Floyd, brother of George, who gave some wrenching testimony to the House Judiciary Committee this week. His remarks (from two sources, so they may be in the wrong order, we should admit) were nothing short of powerful:

I couldn't take care of George the day he was killed, but maybe by speaking with you today, I can help make sure that his death isn't in vain. He didn't deserve to die over 20 dollars. I am asking you, is that what a black man is worth? Twenty dollars? This is 2020. Enough is enough.

I can't tell you the kind of pain you feel when you watch something like that. When you watch your big brother, who you've looked up to your whole life, die. Die begging for your mom. I'm tired. I'm tired of the pain I'm feeling now and I'm tired of the pain I feel every time another black person is killed for no reason. I'm here today to ask you to make it stop. Stop the pain. Stop us from being tired.

Protesters in multiple cities tore down statues that had outlived their purpose this week. In Boston, a Christopher Columbus statue was beheaded, another in St. Paul, Minnesota, was toppled, and in Richmond, Virginia, Chris was unceremoniously dumped into a lake. Also in Richmond, a Jefferson Davis statue was toppled, and a few others along Monument Avenue seem to be next on the list.

Nancy Pelosi is now leading an effort to remove Confederate statues from the Capitol, but Mitch McConnell is (of course) fighting the plan.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo reacted to Trump's delusional tweet pushing a conspiracy theory about a 75-year-old protester shoved to the ground in Buffalo for no reason whatsoever (and who was still in the hospital in very serious condition after his fall). Cuomo didn't mince words in responding to Trump:

How reckless. How irresponsible. How mean. How crude. I mean, if there was ever a reprehensible, dumb comment -- and from the president of the United States. At this moment of anguish and anger, what does he do? Pours gasoline on the fire. If he ever feels a moment of decency, he should apologize for that tweet. Because it is wholly unacceptable.

Also getting under Trump's skin this week were both the governor of Washington state and the mayor of Seattle. Here's the story:

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan, both Democrats, mocked President Donald Trump over his threat to invade the state's most populous city after protesters set up a "cop-free" zone around Capitol Hill.

Peaceful protesters created a six-block "Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone" after the city's police department abandoned their precinct in an effort to de-escalate tensions prompted by officers' use of tear gas on demonstrators, which was temporarily banned by Durkan. Protesters in the "cop-free zone" have brought art and books to the area, and demonstrators have also held concerts and movie nights.

But as Seattle moved to ease tensions after weeks of protests, Trump threatened to send in federal forces to "take back" the city amid numerous threats to sic the military on peaceful protesters.

"Radical Left Governor @JayInslee and the Mayor of Seattle are being taunted and played at a level that our great Country has never seen before," Trump tweeted. "Take back your city NOW. If you don't do it, I will. This is not a game. These ugly Anarchists must be stooped [sic] IMMEDIATELY. MOVE FAST!"

But Inslee and Durkan, both Democrats, did not seem overly concerned about the protesters or Trump's threat.

"A man who is totally incapable of governing should stay out of Washington state's business. 'Stoop' tweeting," wrote Inslee, mocking the president's typo.

"Make us all safe. Go back to your bunker," Durkan tweeted, adding a #BlackLivesMatter hashtag.

And finally the Meidas Touch PAC, founded by Ben Meiselas (the lawyer representing Colin Kaepernick), put out a great new ad chastising Trump for calling the crackdown on protesters "beautiful." The ad ends with "None of this is beautiful," and "End this ugly presidency." This immediately caused #UglyPresident to trend on Twitter.

But while all of that was notable, what was much more important this week was the growing reaction from military officials in condemnation of Trump's use of military force in Washington, D.C. -- especially the effort to clear Lafayette Square so Trump could hold a blatantly political photo opportunity, holding a Bible up in front of a church.

Last week, plenty of generals spoke up, and Defense Secretary Mark Esper essentially admitted that it was wrong for him to appear with Trump in some of the photos. This week, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley apologized much more directly. This was after Milley felt the need to issue "a memo reminding America's military personnel that their loyalty is to the Constitution, not to any one individual who happens to hold political power." This week he went further by admitting his own culpability in a graduation speech to the National Defense University (again, our apologies for using multiple sources and being unsure of the actual order of these statements):

I should not have been there. My presence in that moment and in that environment created a perception of the military involved in domestic politics.

As a commissioned uniformed officer, it was a mistake that I have learned from, and I sincerely hope we all can learn from it.

That sparked a national debate about the role of the military in civil society. My presence in that moment and in that environment created a perception of the military involved in domestic politics.

We who wear the cloth of our nation come from the people of our nation, and we must hold dear the principle of an apolitical military that is so deeply rooted in the very essence of our republic.

Colin Powell, who is retired, was even blunter:

"I think [Donald Trump] has not been an effective president," Powell told CNN's Jake Tapper in an interview Sunday morning. "He lies all the time. He began lying the day of inauguration, when we got into an argument about the size of the crowd that was there. People are writing books about this favorite thing of lying. And I don't think that's in our interest."

. . .

"I'm very happy with what General [John] Allen said and all the other generals, admirals are saying and diplomats are saying. We have a Constitution and we have to follow that Constitution, and the president has drifted away from it."

. . .

"The one word I have to use -- with respect to what he's been doing for the last several years -- is a word I would never have used before and I never would have used with any of the four presidents I have worked for: He lies. He lies about things. And he gets away with it, because people will not hold him accountable."

Retired General Wesley Clark, former supreme commander of NATO, was just as scathing:

Trump is a very good example of what not to do and be as a leader. He doesn't take responsibility. He doesn't build trust. He doesn't bring people together. He doesn't do his homework and understand the details of the decisions he's making. He doesn't think through the strategic consequences.

Donald Trump is a transactional leader. He thinks that being president of the United States is the same as buying real estate. Donald Trump also believes that he can use reckless rhetoric and that there will not be any consequences. In both international and domestic politics, language has consequences. Trump's abusive language is very problematic.

Reliability and consistency are very important. Trump does not have those qualities.

As the president of the United States, he represents the whole country. The United States has spent 75 years since the end of World War II assuring the world that we had strong values and that was true across administrations. America also made sure the world understood that we were reliable. President Trump has discarded those values.

They weren't the only ones speaking out, either. An astonishing 89 former high-ranking defense officials -- including four former secretaries of Defense -- signed a letter which ran in the Washington Post condemning Trump from betraying his oath to defend the Constitution.

Remember when Trump promised to "listen to his generals?" Well, Mister President, they're talking to you right now. The Battle Of Lafayette Square was an abomination. It was a direct assault on the very Constitution you swore to uphold. That's precisely what all the generals are saying. And they're right.

Joe Biden even went as far as predicting that it'll take the military to pry Trump out of the White House, when the time comes:

I was so damn proud. You have four [chairman of the Joint] Chiefs of Staff coming out and ripping the skin off of Trump, and you have so many rank-and-file military personnel saying, "Whoa, we're not a military state. This is not who we are." I promise you, I'm absolutely convinced they will escort him from the White House with great dispatch.

The apolitical nature of the United States military is an absolute bedrock of American democracy. Donald Trump has soiled that tradition. This is more important than anything else that was going on this week, at least in the larger constitutional sense. Which is why although we cannot give apolitical figures a very political award, we're using this space instead to offer them all our heartfelt applause. Evil triumphs when good men stay silent, which is why now is not the time to do so. For bravely speaking out, all of these military officers deserve the thanks of our nation.

 

Most Disappointing Democrat Of The Week

Once again, no Democrat rose to the level of disappointment this week, at least in our eyes, so we'll have to put the Most Disappointing Democrat Of The Week award back on the shelf until next week -- unless anyone's got a nomination to make down in the comments (as always).

 

Friday Talking Points

Volume 578 (6/12/20)

We're dispensing with our own talking points this week in order to counter one that has grown in importance already. And we have to admit, up front, that what we have to say most likely isn't going to win us any friends on the far left, but we still feel the need to address it here.

"Defund the police" is a really bad slogan. There, we said it.

We cannot argue that proponents of the idea aren't fighting for the right cause, because we too believe in that general cause. We agree that policing in American needs massive realignment. We are even sympathetic to the concept of moving police funding from doing things like buying military-grade equipment and weapons to social services instead. But we still say it's a very bad political slogan to champion.

Admittedly, as a slogan, it is short and sweet. Only three words. Memorable. Those are all big points in its favor. But the key problem lies in the fact that it is not exactly easily-defined -- except by those who oppose it.

What does "defund the police" mean? Well, you get different answers if you ask different people. It is nebulous, even to the people who are using it. But to its detractors it means one thing and one thing only: "completely remove all police and replace them with nothing more than social workers." Some people using the phrase even actually agree with this interpretation:

For some activists, such as those behind the movement "8toabolition," defunding the police is part of a larger effort to redefine society.

"The end goal of these reforms is not to create better, friendlier, or more community-oriented police or prisons," the group's website reads. "Instead, we hope to build toward a society without police or prisons, where communities are equipped to provide for their safety and wellbeing."

What this means is that other people and groups using the slogan who aren't this radical have to continually define exactly what they mean by it, while opponents don't have to bother with explanations. "Defunding" means "getting rid of" to a whole lot of people, plain and simple. And when you have to define a political slogan because the first impression it leaves is the wrong one, it is a bad slogan almost by definition.

So far, while a heartening majority of Americans support the protests and what the protesters are saying, this particular slogan polls pretty badly. An ABC/Ipsos poll just out shows 64 percent of the public against defunding the police, and even when nuanced by asking about "reducing the budget of the police department in your community, even if that means fewer police officers, if the money is shifted to programs related to health, housing, and education," it didn't help much -- 60 percent were against that, too.

These numbers get worse the closer you look. Here's a better breakdown of polling on all of the goals of the movement:

But the idea of defunding is also by far the least popular, with just 27% of Americans in favor. By contrast, solid majorities of the public favor banning police chokeholds (73% support this), creating a federal registry for complaints against officers (72%), developing a national standard for police use of force (69%), making it easier for the federal government to charge officers for using excessive force (68%), assigning independent prosecutors to handle cases where officers use fatal force (67%) and eliminating officers' "qualified immunity" against misconduct lawsuits (59%).

There's more modest support for barring the use of "no-knock" warrants in drug cases (49%) and for limiting the transfer of military equipment to police departments (46%). The public is almost evenly divided on a proposal to cut the budget of their local police department, and instead increase spending on services like social workers and mental health professionals.

Few groups even within the Democratic base support the idea:

Self-described liberals support defunding the police by a 13-point margin. But nearly every other ideological and demographic group opposes it. Democrats and Democratic leaners oppose it by a 4-percentage point margin, and Black Americans oppose it by a 20-point margin.

Even African-Americans aren't on board this particular train yet, in other words. Which is why Joe Biden very smartly also refused to get on board:

"No. I don't support defunding the police," Biden told CBS's Norah O'Donnell on Monday night. "I support conditioning federal aid to police based on whether they meet certain basic standards of decency and honorableness and, in fact, are able to demonstrate they can protect the community, and everybody in the community."

In other words, this is a bad political slogan, at least right now. It even risks overshadowing the rest of the movement's goals -- which, as that polling shows, is largely supported by the public -- as opponents of "defund the police" try to make it the sole demand of the protesters. Which Trump and his minions are already attempting.

So speaking from a wordsmithing point of view, this is a bad slogan. More people view it negatively than positively -- even among the Democratic base. It is probably already too late to attempt to change it to something more definitional -- something which doesn't require another paragraph or two to explain, in other words. National Democrats are moving past it already, by making a solid proposal in Congress to reform policing nationwide, which is all to the good. Joe Biden has already said he doesn't support the idea, which could lessen the impact of Trump and all the GOP detractors. So please, let's not make this the centerpiece of what, so far, has been a widely-supported nationwide movement. We respect those who disagree with this conclusion, but we still feel that anything this unpopular deserves some serious second thoughts.

-- Chris Weigant

 

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Cross-posted at: Democratic Underground

 

250 Comments on “Friday Talking Points -- Trump Doubles Down On Racism”

  1. [1] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Also getting under Trump's skin this week were both the governor of Washington state and the mayor of Seattle. Here's the story ...

    I just knew Michale was wrong about this. Heh.

  2. [2] 
    ListenWhenYouHear wrote:

    Quick note @ Seattle Police abandoning their building in Capital Hill.,..I am not one to gossip, and you did not hear this from me...but the City would love for the protesters to take out all of their rage on that building! Burn it to the ground! (they’ll bring the marshmallows if we bring the chocolate and graham crackers)

    The police have been trying to get out of that place for years because it was in such bad condition...but not bad enough to convince the city council that they should shut it down and buy them a new building somewhere else.

    Capital Hill is the gay community’s neighborhood. There are some blacks that live there, but they are almost all members of the LGBTQ community. I am pretty sure that the Anarchists took over this area because that’s where the parks that they normally sleep in are located. Or maybe they, too, are being forced to work from home because of the pandemic?

  3. [3] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    "I was so damn proud. You have four [chairman of the Joint] Chiefs of Staff coming out and ripping the skin off of Trump, and you have so many rank-and-file military personnel saying, "Whoa, we're not a military state. This is not who we are." I promise you, I'm absolutely convinced they will escort him from the White House with great dispatch."

    I just wanted to put that lovely quote in the comments section. :)

  4. [4] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    [2],

    Very nice. :)

    Who says we don't have fun around here!?

  5. [5] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    As one late-night comic joked, it's like Trump told Stephen Miller to pick the most offensive place and date possible (since Trump wouldn't know beans about either historical reference).

    Scary thought of the night - what if Trump is all too familiar with both historical references?

  6. [6] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Why does Trump never get the credit he deserves for his racist tendencies? Answer me THAT!?

  7. [7] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    It's always, "oh, he doesn't understand what he's saying or doing … " ??

  8. [8] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    That's right -- even NASCAR is showing more moral leadership than the president of the United States. Think about that for a moment.

    That was a big pleasant surprise! I guess that's just my own prejudice talking ...

  9. [9] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    When asked about it by Politico, Schlapp finally apologized and took down the tweet. Because she got caught, we have to assume.

    She was probably just waiting for Trump to retweet the retweet. Is that even possible? Heh.

  10. [10] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    I think we can all agree that Trump is "malignantly crazy," although we personally would have stopped the sentence right there. Heh.

    Oh, in-freakin-deed!

  11. [11] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    This is pretty hilarious, since it contains lots of snide references to "the president" and "the current administration." Here's the best example: "The current Administration has abandoned America's friends and rewarded its enemies." Hard to argue with that, really, at this point.

    Oh, my God, well beyond hilarious. Maybe it's the jazz I'm into tonight but this is one of the, if not the, best FTP ever. Well, if you want to be LOL after every sentence, I mean. Oh, man ...

  12. [12] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    If we were in charge of Joe Biden's advertising budget, we'd currently be preparing an entire ad campaign for Florida warning them all of what Trump has in mind for their state. Because this is a real political loser for Trump, in a very key swing state.

    You must send him a note about this. Seriously!

  13. [13] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Gargling bleach?

    If you think I'm gonna click on THAT link, yer crazy!

  14. [14] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    I don't know about you or anyone else here but, I'd love to see Kayleigh McEnany in prison. Just because.

  15. [15] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Senator Tom Cotton tried to use an absurd example by predicting that them dang libruls wanted to rename the Washington Monument the "Obelisk Of Wokeness." The Twitterverse was highly amused by this label, with several pointing out that it would be a great name for a heavy metal album.

    So, Twitter is good for something. :)

    No seriously, that WOULD be a great name for a heavy metal album!

  16. [16] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    In Boston, a Christopher Columbus statue was beheaded, another in St. Paul, Minnesota, was toppled, and in Richmond, Virginia, Chris was unceremoniously dumped into a lake.

    Any semblance of justice for the original inhabitants of Turtle island always comes late.

    It was so heartening to see some of the BLM protesters join with Native Americans in common cause and struggle for justice.

  17. [17] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Yeah, it was great to see all the current and former military officials who came out this week to condemn Trump, to one degree or another.

    And, what would they be still saying or not saying about this president if George Floyd hadn't been killed or if his killing wasn't recorded?

    I have long since held most of them in low esteem and their comments this week rang hollow.

  18. [18] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    "Defund the police" is a really bad slogan. There, we said it.

    Well, I am on record here as saying that I don't agree with the concept of "Defund the Police".

    But, having listened, since writing that, to many people describe what it is that they mean by that, I hereby have changed my mind.

    The biggest reason that the slogan is really bad is that Trump is going to really take full advantage of all that it doesn't mean.

    So, for that reason alone, a better slogan needs to be found. Or, no slogan, at all - just some good conversations leading to a lot of positive change.

    Who needs a slogan, anyway?

  19. [19] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Where the Hell is everybody!?

  20. [20] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    I'm done, in other words. :)

    Back to Miles Davis and friends ...

  21. [21] 
    MtnCaddy wrote:

    FPC

    [19]

    When are ya'all going to learn?? You can't beat President Trump.. You CAN'T run him out of office..

    President Trump has BESTED all of ya, yer entire Dumbocrat Party...

    AT EVERY TURN....

    Ya'all simply can't win...

    Are you going to disappear on November 4th when they've called the race for Biden before the polls even close out here on the Left Coast?

    I mean, why aren't you still braying about 12,000 swine flu deaths during "incompetant" Obama's time in office?

    US deaths have now topped 113K, do we have to wait until deaths surpass 120K before you will admit that Trump is ten times as incompetent" as Obama?

    And calling me a "sick f*ck" won't bother me because you're the sick f*ck who brought this subject up in the first place, genius.

  22. [22] 
    dsws wrote:

    I don't say defund. I say abolish. The set of stuff we expect police to do is like designing one tool to be both a desktop computer and a hammer -- despite knowing that it will mostly be used as a life-jacket. Of course it doesn't work. Of course we get impunity and omerta. There should be no department that fits the full description of police. There should be first-responders who are trained in de-escalation, and NOT tasked with gathering evidence for prosecution. There should be investigators, who don't go kick *** as a real-time response to a crime in progress. There should be some means of using force, as a last resort, not in the same department with the first-responders.

  23. [23] 
    dsws wrote:

    As for the previous column, I agree with the assessment that the first wave never really ended.

  24. [24] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    And, you would be correct, Dan.

  25. [25] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    At a recent WHO press conference, Dr. Ryan talked about waves of infection and said that, globally, we are still in the first wave of COVID-19. He went on to further explain:

    Sero-prevalence studies are showing that the number of people infected in each country is surprisingly low and we need to be aware that the disease can jump at any time.

    We may get a second peak in this wave like there was with the Spanish Flu.

    The concept of waves is usually used in terms of the seasonality of a disease coming in waves with the seasonal changes that, in turn, induce human behavioral changes. That is to say that the waves aren't necessarily based on temperature changes or other weather changes but more on how humans behave at different times of the year.

    It is this change in human behavior that leads to a natural phenomenon referred to as "waves" of transmission and natural suppression of transmission with seasonal changes, terms usually used in the context of Influenza.

    We do not know yet fully understand how or if seasonal changes affect transmission of this virus or how it behaves over time but it is a dangerous assumption that it will be naturally suppressed by seasonal changes and we don't need to get serious about making sure that we have in place a comprehensive public health infrastructure and strategy that will suppress transmission.

    Because, in the case of COVID-19, it has not been suppressed naturally. It has been suppressed by very serious and extreme public health measures and so it can bounce back when comprehensive strategies are not in place around the world.

    Hopefully, the right lessons are being learned about what needs to be done to prevent second or third or more peaks in this first wave of COVID-19.

  26. [26] 
    MyVoice wrote:

    From Previous Column

    [62] TheStig

    An isobar map! I still think it's a great idea, even with the two-tailed error bars. Working with the center of the 50% probability range (and loud disclaimers) would at least give an interesting starting place.

    [65] Kick

    Thank you for the rt.live link. That would feed an isobar map beautifully.

    [75] Kick
    Hey!

    I just thought of a Confederate statue that definitely needs removing:

    Mitch McConnell

    Sometimes a fossil is just a fossil.

  27. [27] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    "Hey, fellas! Either one of you know where the Smithsonian is? I'm here to pick up a fossil."

    Ha!

    What movie is that from?

  28. [28] 
    John From Censornati wrote:

    I'm all in and doubling down on this renaming movement. Biden really has to promise that, on Day One, he'll rename the bunker as Trump Bunker.

  29. [29] 
    John From Censornati wrote:

    Senator Tom Cotton tried to use an absurd example by predicting that them dang libruls wanted to rename the Washington Monument the "Obelisk Of Wokeness." The Twitterverse was highly amused by this label, with several pointing out that it would be a great name for a heavy metal album.
    Why is that absurd? I do want that. Thanks Tom. I'll never call it anything else ever again. It sounds very Monty Python to me.

  30. [30] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Cue Michale, who doesn't have to use the Google to know the answer to what movie is that from ...

  31. [31] 
    John From Censornati wrote:

    this is a bad slogan

    A lot of people are saying the same thing about BLM. I think that provoking people to talk about it is the point. I'm just sayin'.

  32. [32] 
    John From Censornati wrote:

    Defund Tucker Carlson!

  33. [33] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    JFC.

    I think you're right.

  34. [34] 
    Speak2 wrote:

    First, thank you for the Obelisk of Wokeness link. I hadn't seen that one and it is hilarious.

    On the other hand, I don't agree that the GOP adopting the 2016 platform is ineptitude.

    They are saying:
    1. The platform doesn't matter; the Cult of Trump is what matters. Weirdly sick, but not ineptitude.
    2. They're saying that they'd rather have crowds in Jacksonville. There aren't enough hotel rooms in Jacksonville b/c many of those rooms are for the people who would be in Charlotte debating the platform. Those GOP stalwarts are wanted in FL. If we accept item #1, then this is a reasoned outcome. I don't know if the strategy is good or bad, but it isn't incompetence.

  35. [35] 
    Michale wrote:

    Once again, no Democrat rose to the level of disappointment this week, at least in our eyes, so we'll have to put the Most Disappointing Democrat Of The Week award back on the shelf until next week -- unless anyone's got a nomination to make down in the comments (as always).

    Really?? From ARMED Democrat Antifa setting up armed checkpoints and extorting small businesses to Radical Democrat leaders advocating defund/disband police...

    NO Democrat has risen to the level of being disappointing???

    Might I respectfully suggest that your bar for Democrats who disappoint is way way WAY too high... Like stratosphere too high...

    I'm just sayin'....

  36. [36] 
    Michale wrote:

    OOooo JM...

    NY Times op-ed clears up 'Defund the police' confusion: 'Yes, we mean literally abolish the police'

    A New York Times op-ed published Friday attempted to make clear what "Defund the police" actually means.

    Since the May 25 death of George Floyd, police reform has been debated by lawmakers and elected officials across the country. Some of the most vocal protests have been pushing a "Defund the police" movement, a mantra that was notably painted on a street just steps from the White House.

    However, that has sparked a debate within itself as to whether that slogan is a broad description of police reform or if it truly means the end of police in America.

    BILL MAHER BLASTS 'DEFUND THE POLICE' BRANDING: HOW ARE DEMS 'THIS F---ING STUPID?'

    Anti-criminalization activist Mariame Kaba attempted to settle the debate with the op-ed, "Yes, we mean literally abolish the police."

    "Congressional Democrats want to make it easier to identify and prosecute police misconduct; Joe Biden wants to give police departments $300 million. But efforts to solve police violence through liberal reforms like these have failed for nearly a century," Kaba began. "Enough. We can’t reform the police. The only way to diminish police violence is to reduce contact between the public and the police."
    https://www.foxnews.com/media/ny-times-op-ed-clears-up-defund-the-police-confusion-yes-we-mean-literally-abolish-the-police

    JM, you never responded back when I showed all the FACTS that prove Democrats really DO mean Defund/Disband/Abolish the police...

    NOW what do you say???

  37. [37] 
    Michale wrote:

    Friday Talking Points -- Trump Doubles Down On Racism

    Actually none of the actions President Trump has done rises to the level of actual racism...

    When all you have is a hammer of racism in your hand, then everything and everyone looks like a racist to be pounded by your hammer...

    My only confusion comes from why ya don't use the hammer on the DEMOCRAT racism in your midst... eh??

  38. [38] 
    Michale wrote:

    Grrrrrr Repost for clarity...

    Friday Talking Points -- Trump Doubles Down On Racism

    Actually none of the actions President Trump has done rises to the level of actual racism...

    When all you have is a hammer of racism in your hand, then everything and everyone looks like a racist to be pounded by your hammer...

    My only confusion comes from why ya don't use the hammer on the DEMOCRAT racism in your midst... eh??

  39. [39] 
    Michale wrote:

    So Trump is starting his rallies up again to commemorate the 99th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre, on Juneteenth, after which he will be formally nominated on the 60th anniversary of Ax Handle Saturday. These aren't just "dog whistles," folks, these are flat-out statements that Team Trump --

    Could you provide those statements?? I would like to read them and make my own determination..

  40. [40] 
    Michale wrote:

    Russ,

    Quick note @ Seattle Police abandoning their building in Capital Hill.,..I am not one to gossip, and you did not hear this from me...but the City would love for the protesters to take out all of their rage on that building! Burn it to the ground! (they’ll bring the marshmallows if we bring the chocolate and graham crackers)

    The police have been trying to get out of that place for years because it was in such bad condition...but not bad enough to convince the city council that they should shut it down and buy them a new building somewhere else.

    Capital Hill is the gay community’s neighborhood. There are some blacks that live there, but they are almost all members of the LGBTQ community. I am pretty sure that the Anarchists took over this area because that’s where the parks that they normally sleep in are located. Or maybe they, too, are being forced to work from home because of the pandemic?

    Would you be saying the EXACT same thing if it had been white supremacists racists who took over the streets and the building instead of the Terrorist Wing of the Democrat Party, Antifa??

    I am betting you wouldn't...

    Oh the hypocrisy is alive and well here in Weigantia..

  41. [41] 
    Michale wrote:

    Liz,

    "Hey, fellas! Either one of you know where the Smithsonian is? I'm here to pick up a fossil."

    Ha!

    What movie is that from?

    Heh.... :D I won't spoil it for others.. :D

  42. [42] 
    Michale wrote:

    Well, well, well... What have we here?? :D

    Truck Drivers Say They Won’t Deliver To Cities with Defunded Police Departments
    https://cdllife.com/2020/truck-drivers-say-they-wont-deliver-to-cities-with-defunded-police-departments/?amp&fbclid=IwAR06wWoEFlZT3UDcdLz3ut2p4FDOfbbpvWPbbcIIdog3UUU-OCCU43p55z4

    Makes sense to do so.. Why put their lives in danger because some Left Wing morons hate cops...

  43. [43] 
    Michale wrote:

    We cannot argue that proponents of the idea aren't fighting for the right cause, because we too believe in that general cause. We agree that policing in American needs massive realignment. We are even sympathetic to the concept of moving police funding from doing things like buying military-grade equipment and weapons to social services instead. But we still say it's a very bad political slogan to champion.

    Agreed... For different reasons, I am sure.. :D But agreed nonetheless...

    Forget the slogan.. It IS a bad idea no matter how ya slice it.. But the people who are spewing that all over the country are SERIOUS about it.. When these...er...uh.... misguided souls.. are saying "Defund The Police" what they are really saying is ABOLISH THE POLICE..

    This fact was made clear by a NY gr...er.. TIMES op ed that I pointed to in comment #40...

    Those whosay "DEFUND THE POLICE" are really saying "ABOLISH THE POLICE"...

    How do ya'all feel about that??

  44. [44] 
    Michale wrote:

    I just knew Michale was wrong about this. Heh.

    How, exactly, am I wrong about the armed insurrection in Seattle by the Terrorist Wing (AntiFa) of the Democrat Party..

    I have listed ALL the facts that support my claim..

    No one else has refuted the claim whatsoever..

    So, it seems ta me, from the point of logical and rational thought, it's all of ya'all who are wrong..

    But I still love ya'all.. :D

  45. [45] 
    Michale wrote:

    But I still love ya'all.. :D

    And yes.. The pain pills are taking effect.. :D

  46. [46] 
    Michale wrote:

    FPC.....

    Now, I'm sure I don't have to tell you that it is not at all uncommon in America for poor white trailer trash living in white ghettos to disparage the "others" like Martin's family living in a house in the Retreat at Twin Lakes, a gated community in Sanford, Florida.

    Not factually accurate...

    Martin's dad was shacking with Brandy Green and it was her place in the Sanford FL gated community.. Trayvon and his dad had only been there a short amount of time at the time that Martin brought his fists to a gun fight...

    Trayvon Martin's mom (Sabrina Fulton) had shipped Trayvon to his dad's because Sabrina Fulton couldn't handle all the fights and crimes that Trayvon was getting involved in.. At the time, I think Fulton lived in some slum in Miami/Dade...

    Fulton is living the swanky life now and is also running for political office.. Thanx to the ghetto lottery she won...

    You really don't want to go up against me on this issue.. George Zimmerman is a personal friend of mine.. I have been to the crime scene and talked to the cops and medics involved... There is nothing I do NOT know about this incident...

    "Never cross brains with Spock. He'll rip you to shreds every time.."
    -Ensign Sulu, STAR TREK

  47. [47] 
    C. R. Stucki wrote:

    Add me to the list of "those who wouldn't know beans about either historical reference", but the only black guy I personally know (Not that many black folks in my part of the world) tells me he's "never heard of Juneteenth" as something celebrated by blacks"

  48. [48] 
    Michale wrote:

    So.. Minneapolis city council votes UNANIMOUSLY to abolish their Police Dept...

    So much for the claim that Democrats aren't serious about defunding/disbanding PDs and SOs....

    Congrats Minneapolis.. You just left your entire city at the mercy of theives, scumbags, murderers and looters...

    Just when you thought the Democrat Party could NOT sink any lower... They surprise ya and plumb to new depths of moronic-ness...

  49. [49] 
    Michale wrote:

    Add me to the list of "those who wouldn't know beans about either historical reference", but the only black guy I personally know (Not that many black folks in my part of the world) tells me he's "never heard of Juneteenth" as something celebrated by blacks"

    Seconded

  50. [50] 
    Michale wrote:

    Also getting under Trump's skin this week were both the governor of Washington state and the mayor of Seattle. Here's the story ...

    Rather ironic, eh??

    Democrats who hate AR-15s and condemn ID laws as "racist" are now armed with AR-15s and are demanding IDs from everyone in a six block radius in Seattle..

    Democrat Party hypocrisy at it's finest... :eyeroll:

    I know if I wasn't convalescing, I would be on the first plane to Seattle and walk around the entire city, including the bullshit "autonomous" area....

    And woe to the scumbag(s) who tried to stop me while armed....

    On the plus side, I am signing up as a volunteer at President Trump's convention in Jacksonville... Being former LEO with a legal carry permit and 25+ years experience in Public Safety...

    I believe that Duval County GOP would have use for my particular skill set.. :D

  51. [51] 
    MtnCaddy wrote:

    Dunno if anyone in the above comments has thought of this (I haven't plowed through them yet -- I'm saving that tasty delight for later) but, right off the top of my head, what about:

    Realign the Police

    Refine the Police

    Reform the Police

  52. [52] 
    MtnCaddy wrote:

    Or even:

    Realign the Police

  53. [53] 
    MtnCaddy wrote:

    Totally eliminating the po-po is just as cray-cray as abolishing ICE. The above slogans can be applied to ICE as well, amirite?

  54. [54] 
    Michale wrote:

    MC...

    Let's see if we can have a civil conversation without personal attacks. Anyone else is free reign.. Democrats, Republicans, Trump, Pelosi, McConnell, Schumer..

    But you and I remain civil to each other..

    "We're going to try to get these people together and try to put together a winning team. If nothing else, they should be fun to watch.
    -Gene Hackman, THE REPLACEMENTS

    :D

    How exactly would you go about realigning, refining or reforming PDs and SOs??

    I am sincerely curious as to how you would go about it..

  55. [55] 
    MtnCaddy wrote:

    [14]

    Elizabeth Miller wrote:
    I don't know about you or anyone else here but, I'd love to see Kayleigh McEnany in prison. Just because.

    Now, now Elizabeth, play nice! Let the little fishies go -- we're after bigger game: Trump. He probably has nightmares about SDNY awaitin' on his ass come 21 January 2021.

  56. [56] 
    Michale wrote:

    Now, now Elizabeth, play nice! Let the little fishies go -- we're after bigger game: Trump. He probably has nightmares about SDNY awaitin' on his ass come 21 January 2021.

    The day after President Trump is sworn in for his 2nd term??

    Why should that bother President Trump???

  57. [57] 
    Michale wrote:

    Again, I just have ta marvel at what the dynamic is going to be like here on 4 Nov 2020... :D

    MC, if you want an idea of what it's going to be like, just read this commentary thread.. :D

    http://www.chrisweigant.com/2016/11/08/get-out-and-vote/

    It will be very enlightening for you.. :D

    I can imagine 4 Nov 2020 is going to be MUCH more fun.. Gonna have ta nap so I can stay up with everyone.. :D

  58. [58] 
    Michale wrote:

    MC, if you want an idea of what it's going to be like, just read this commentary thread.. :D

    Lots of names there that are no longer with us... Guess they couldn't go the distance.. :D

  59. [59] 
    MtnCaddy wrote:

    [39]

    Michale wrote:
    So Trump is starting his rallies up again to commemorate the 99th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre, on Juneteenth, after which he will be formally nominated on the 60th anniversary of Ax Handle Saturday. These aren't just "dog whistles," folks, these are flat-out statements that Team Trump --

    Could you provide those statements?? I would like to read them and make my own determination.

    Michale, I understand why you hate legitimate news organizations like the New York Times and CNN, for they don't tell you what you want to hear.

    But Dude, don't you realize you embarrassed yourself a few months back when you called Google a "Lefty site?"

    It's what we in the real world call a "search engine." It can take you anywhere, even Faux News and OAN! You'd have a (little) more credibility if you cut down on the stupid stuff. So why not try what we call "Googling" so you can see if I'm right or not?

    Just sayin'

  60. [60] 
    Michale wrote:

    “Our calls for service have more than tripled. These are responses to emergency calls — rapes, robberies, and all sorts of violent acts that have been occurring in the area that we’re not able to get to.”
    -Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best

    RAPES
    VIOLENT ACTS
    ROBBERIES

    All are occurring within this bullshit Autonomous Zone....

    These are AMERICAN CITIZENS being victimized by the terrorist wing of the Democrat Party...

    And the condemnation from Weigantia???

    {{{cccchhhhiiiirrrrpppppp}}} {{{{ccchhhiiiirrrrppppppp}}}}

    Not in my WILDEST dreams would I have ever thought that Weigantians would bear witness to rapes... robberies... violent acts.... All committed by Democrats....

    And no one here says a word about it...

    I might need another hiatus...

    This makes ya'all's support of child rapist Julie Swetnick seems like a family picnic by comparison...

  61. [61] 
    Michale wrote:

    But Dude, don't you realize you embarrassed yourself a few months back when you called Google a "Lefty sit

    Google's Left Wingery leanings is well documented..

    It's what we in the real world call a "search engine." It can take you anywhere, even Faux News and OAN! You'd have a (little) more credibility if you cut down on the stupid stuff. So why not try what we call "Googling" so you can see if I'm right or not?

    Just sayin'

    Compare Search results from GOOGLE and actual unbiased sources like DogPile or DuckDuckGo....

    The facts support exactly what I am saying..

    But hay... How can I expect a group that remains silent when Democrats are committing armed robberies, extortions, rapes and setting up armed checkpoints in an America city and terrorising citizens and small businesses...

    Can't really expect them to actually SEE their own biases eh when it comes to search engines, eh???

    This is a dark day for Weigantia... A very dark day indeed...

  62. [62] 
    MtnCaddy wrote:

    Let's start with Wikipedia and "Antifa," boys (ay attention, Michale!) and girls:

    Antifa (/æn?ti?f?, ?ænti?f??/)[1] is an anti-fascist political movement in the United States[2][3][4][5] comprising a diverse[6] array of autonomous groups that aim to achieve their objectives through the use of both non-violent and violent action rather than through policy reform.[7][8][9][10] Antifa political activists engage in protest tactics such as digital activism and militancy, sometimes involving property damage, physical violence and harassment, against fascists, racists and those on the far-right.[16]

    Antifa actions have received criticism and praise.[28][29] Conspiracy theories about antifa which tend to inaccurately portray antifa as a single organization with leaders and secret sources of funding have been spread by right-wing activists, media organisations and politicians including Trump administration officials.[30] There have been multiple efforts to discredit antifa groups via hoaxes on social media, many of them false flag attacks originating from alt-right and 4chan protagonists posing as antifa backers on Twitter.[31][32][33] Some hoaxes have been picked up and reported as fact by right-leaning media.[33][34][35]

    D'ya see those numbers in brackets? They're called "footnotes" and they allow ANY READER (that's you and I) to check the accuracy of said article. Yes, Republicans, Democrats, Proud Boys and Antifa folks all get to participate!

    Antifa is in no way, shape or form aligned with the Democrats, and I doubt any but the most extreme people in America think otherwise.

    Except (of course) OAN/Daily Stormer and whatever your so-called "news sources" are telling you. Your news sources exist solely to convince the electorate to continue to vote for:

    1- tax cuts for the people who least need them,

    2- Christofacists who, contrary to the First Amendment, want to jam their religious beliefs down everybody's throats,

    and 3- the "Hail Trump" racists crowd.

    Simply denouncing things that you don't want to hear is like sticking your head in the sand, and is not becoming of you.

  63. [63] 
    MtnCaddy wrote:

    So... what are your news sources, Michale?

    I'd like to take a peek into your alternative reality.

  64. [64] 
    MtnCaddy wrote:

    [43]

    I'm proud of you, Michale. Way to suck it up for the (Weigantian) team, Dawg!

  65. [65] 
    MtnCaddy wrote:

    [45]

    And yes.. The pain pills are taking effect.. :D

    Mine are kicking in, too. I love you, too, Big Guy!

  66. [66] 
    MtnCaddy wrote:

    [18]

    I'm an Army Vet but I'm not reflexively defending the generals when I say:

    Our military is in a real bind. Our Constitution puts civilians in charge of the military. But apparently Trump doesn't have even a passing awareness of what's in that document. Remember, Trump loves the douche-bag dictators of Russia, Saudi Arabia, China, the Philippines and North Korea. So it's not that surprising that he ordered the military to "clear" Lafayette by force to show that he's some tough guy.

    I highly doubt that our military is going to pick Trump over our Constitution. Allegiance to the Constitution is so drilled into service members that it gets passed along in their DNA. As far back as the 80s at least (when I defended Michale's right to embarrass himself) we were also taught to disobey "ANY unlawful order," so sleep well, Elizabeth, secure in the knowledge that you won't wake up to a Facist America next door.

  67. [67] 
    Michale wrote:

    Antifa is in no way, shape or form aligned with the Democrats, and I doubt any but the most extreme people in America think otherwise.

    Yea??

    Then explain to me why ya'all and Democrats in general are not condemning AntiFa??

    Because they are a wing of the Democrat Party... Pure and simple...

  68. [68] 
    Michale wrote:

    Antifa = Demorat Party and Democrat Party = AntiFa..

    If that wasn't fact, then Democrats should be condemning AntiFa...

    But you notice that there is no condemnation coming from anyone here or Democrats in general..

    If they were Trump supporters, then ya'all would be screaming from the rooftops..

    Ya'all aren't, so the ONLY logical conclusion is ya'all view AntiFa as kindred...

  69. [69] 
    Michale wrote:

    Even CW concedes that Antifa is a QUOTE LEFT WING End Quote group..

    Trump quite obviously thinks a nakedly racist strategy will be a winning one for him. He's wrong about that, because the country has changed over the past few decades -- and over the past few weeks. Polls continue to show an overwhelming majority of Americans agree with the protesters in the streets, while precious few are buying Trump's continuing conspiracy theory that it's all the work of "Antifa" and other scary-sounding leftwing groups. In fact, the polls have not been kind to Trump at all of late.

    And everyone else IGNORES what AntiFa is doing..

    If AntiFa WASN'T Left Wing Democrat, then why aren't ya'all condemning them???

    Simple question...

  70. [70] 
    Michale wrote:

    Each and EVERY "scary sounding" Right Wing group ya'all attribute to President Trump..

    But the reverse doesn't apply to Democrats, eh?? Is THAT what you are trying to say???

    I believe the term you are looking for is

    "HOISTED ON YER OWN PICARD" :D

    https://d3gqasl9vmjfd8.cloudfront.net/7d44495a-fcbe-4d82-8700-ba8de55a4f70.png

    If AntiFa is NOT Democrat/Left Wing, then you should have NO PROBLEM condemning them as voraciously and as loudly and as often as you condemn White Supremacist groups...

    Right??

    Go ahead... Condemn away.. :D

    Condemn already... :D

  71. [71] 
    MtnCaddy wrote:

    [54]


    How exactly would you go about realigning, refining or reforming PDs and SOs??

    I am sincerely curious as to how you would go about it..

    First off, thank you for your kind words and your spirit of civility.

    Secondly, I'd truly appreciate it if you'd list your news sources, so I can broaden my understanding.

    And thirdly, (is that even a word?) I need to think this difficult question through rather than just shoot from the hip. I promise I'll do my homework assignment, and I'll get back to you when what I have to say is worthy of our conversation.

    Meanwhile, go [bleep] yourself! haha, gotta stay in practice, Amigo!

    It sure would be fun to join you, your hottie wife and a roomful of Republicans to watch the election. I could be the "Token Liberal" and stuff.

  72. [72] 
    Michale wrote:

    First off, thank you for your kind words and your spirit of civility.

    Got off track for a sec there.. :D I would love to promise it won't happen again.. But you know me too well :D

    Secondly, I'd truly appreciate it if you'd list your news sources, so I can broaden my understanding.

    When it comes to Law Enforcement, my "sources" are two and a half decades of training and experience..

    And thirdly, (is that even a word?)

    "FurtherTheLess is NOT a word!! Stop using it!!"
    -Charlie Sheen, SPIN CITY

    :D

    Meanwhile, go [bleep] yourself! haha, gotta stay in practice, Amigo!

    "Touche salesman.. Do come in"
    -Homer Simpson

    :D

    It sure would be fun to join you, your hottie wife and a roomful of Republicans to watch the election. I could be the "Token Liberal" and stuff.

    My lovely wife is ZERO about politics.. It bores her to tears.. I plan on telling her tonight that I am going to volunteer for a security position at the GOP Convention in Jacksonville if I can get clearance from
    my doctor..

    "We have clearance, Clarence.. Roger, Roger... What's our vector, Victor"
    -AIRPLANE

    I don't envy myself for that coming coversation.. :D

    But yea... Election night (3 Nov 2020) is gonna be fun...

    Whenever I get bummed or down, I watch Cenk Yunger's (of YOUNG TURKS) meltdown and it cheers me right up.. :D

    https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x690oyj

    Him and his snooty Holier Than Thou guests??? I LOVE seeing them go from the heights of Political to splatter themselves all over the studio floor.. :D

    Warms the cockles of me heart.. :D

    "hehe uh huh.. he said 'cockles'..uh huh huh"
    -Beavis & Butthead

    :D

  73. [73] 
    Michale wrote:

    Gonna call it a day..

    Talk to ya in the AM MC...

  74. [74] 
    ListenWhenYouHear wrote:

    All are occurring within this bullshit Autonomous Zone....

    These are AMERICAN CITIZENS being victimized by the terrorist wing of the Democrat Party...

    And the condemnation from Weigantia???

    {{{cccchhhhiiiirrrrpppppp}}} {{{{ccchhhiiiirrrrppppppp}}}}

    Well, since it is not AntiFa and it has nothing to do with the Democratic Party, that’s the main reason why no one is condemning the Democrats for what is taking place. Kinda like how no one is directly blaming the GOP for the black man found hanging from a tree in CA... it’s moronic to even suggest the connection.

    On the plus side, I am signing up as a volunteer at President Trump's convention in Jacksonville... Being former LEO with a legal carry permit and 25+ years experience in Public Safety...

    I believe that Duval County GOP would have use for my particular skill set.. :D

    We talked about this before...

    A judge, out of concern for the public’s safety, ordering you to register as a sex offender does not give you the right to claim that you were in “Public Safety”. And they will be running a criminal background on you if you apply. Do you really think the GOP would want someone with your record...

    On second thought, you are probably just the type person they are looking for! Good luck with that!

  75. [75] 
    ListenWhenYouHear wrote:

    CW,

    We agree that policing in American needs massive realignment. We are even sympathetic to the concept of moving police funding from doing things like buying military-grade equipment and weapons to social services instead.

    Just wanted to point out that you really did not see any military-grade vehicles being used by the police until the rioters chose to burn the police vehicles that they were using. The military-grade vehicles do not burn as easily as the normal cruisers do. Again, this is simply the police having to stay ahead of the public’s ability to cause destruction as best they can.

    People do not like the police looking like they are military personnel with the way they dress. They prefer the old dark wool pants with the light blue button-up dress shirt to the black jumpsuits and Kevlar vests worn on the outside. The reason the officer’s love the second choice is that it makes their patrol belts go from weighing just under 50lbs to weighing around 25-35lbs because they have lots more pockets in which to redistribute their gear. Officers are basically walking offices... we expect them to have everything under the sun on them so they are able to have everything they need to handle whatever the public calls on them to take care of!

  76. [76] 
    MtnCaddy wrote:

    Program note: We're reading these intriguing comments
    one by one, in order.
    Management is not responsible for any coincidental joyous agreement nor bitter disagreement with any subsequent post.

    Ahem.

    [56]

    The day after President Trump is sworn in for his 2nd term??

    Why should that bother President Trump???

    Michale.
    Michale.
    Michale.
    (cue The Odd Couple music)

    Help me out here. Where is Trump gonna get the votes?

    To review: let's agree that Comey's October surprise and the Rooskies had absolutely no damn effect whatsoever on 2016 and therefore Trump squeaked an Electoral College win** all on his own. One would think his 2020 chances to be anywhere from decent to great, right?
    **The EC is NOT the only vote that counts, civics students. For IF the popular vote is lopsided enough no EC would pick the candidate who lost by a solid margin/landslide, eh? It ALWAYS works that way. Remember that when you when you're thinking about not voting, foole.

    When Trump started we were enjoying our longest peacetime expansion and even with the inequality (economically and racially, for starters) blah blah blah things weren't that bad.

    Flash forward to today: America is just starting it's Second Great Depression, we lead the developed world in coronavirus victims, we're sour with our European allies (of 75 bleeping years!) and Russia, China and North Korea are in vastly better shape than before. No, silly, it's not Antifa or armed Democratic Socialists of America, it's a lot of voting citizens out on the streets because Trump's status quo sucks. Did I mention that these marchers are also voters?

    Manufacturing and farming were hurting even before the pandemic, we don't have cheaper and better health coverage, and where's my big beautiful wall? (sniff)

    (...get ready...here it comes...)

    So.
    Much.
    Winning.
    (woot!)

    Suburbanites fled Trump and the GOP in 2018 and there's no way The Great Divider is gonna get em back. Support among older -- er, more seasoned Americans is softening, my dog ran away and my truck died...

    Trump's signature is all over this mess.
    Sincerely, please Michalesplain it to me. Where does he get the votes?

    (...get ready..here it comes...)

    But emails!
    And Benghazi!

  77. [77] 
    MtnCaddy wrote:

    []

    Meanwhile, go [bleep] yourself! haha, gotta stay in practice, Amigo!

    "Touche salesman.. Do come in"
    -Homer Simpson

    :D

    Your killing me, Dude
    Rollin' on the floor and all.

  78. [78] 
    Michale wrote:

    Russ,

    Well, since it is not AntiFa and it has nothing to do with the Democratic Party, that’s the main reason why no one is condemning the Democrats for what is taking place.

    Actually AntiFa IS a wing of the Democrat Party... But that's not the point..

    If AntiFa was a RIGHT WING group, you and everyone else would be condemning them to the highest heavens.. You would be tying AntiFa to President Trump six ways from Sunday..

    But, since AntiFa is a LEFT WING group, ya'all are silent??

    My question is WHY are ya'all silent.. Aren't AntiFa's actions condemnable in your eyes???

    A judge, out of concern for the public’s safety, ordering you to register as a sex offender does not give you the right to claim that you were in “Public Safety”. And they will be running a criminal background on you if you apply. Do you really think the GOP would want someone with your record...

    Have you been taking meth, dood?? I have no idea what you are talking about. Of course they will do a criminal background check. Just like they did when I got my Concealed Weapon's Permit. And they will find I have a spotless record..

    I don't have any idea what YOU are talking about..

    Keep of the meth, dood.. It only ruins your life..

  79. [79] 
    Michale wrote:

    MC

    Help me out here. Where is Trump gonna get the votes?

    The same place he got them before.. Plus the stats show that, thanx to the growth of the #walkaway movement black Americans are leavin' the Democrat Party by the tens of millions and moving to President Trump's corner.. President Trump's support amongst black Americans has risen to over 30%..

    To review: let's agree that Comey's October surprise and the Rooskies had absolutely no damn effect whatsoever on 2016 and therefore Trump squeaked an Electoral College win** all on his own.

    Actually, the EC vote, the ONLY vote that matters, wasn't a squeeker.. Trump DECIMATED Hillary..

    **The EC is NOT the only vote that counts, civics students.

    What is this?? First Russ, now you.. Ya'all hittin' the same meth pipe??

    The EC *IS* the only vote that counts..

    It's like a football game.. One team gets the higher score, the other team gets the most yards...

    But ONLY the score matters...

    The most yards is a vanity stat that the lusers use to console themselves from a decimating loss...

    So it is with politics. The EC "score" is the ONLY thing that counts.. The lusers console themselves with the vanity vote..

    YOu really should watch that Cenk Yunger YouTube... It's hilarious. And his trash-talking guests?? They all get so hilariously get taken to the ground. :D

    When Trump started we were enjoying our longest peacetime expansion and even with the inequality (economically and racially, for starters) blah blah blah things weren't that bad.

    Yea?? Under Odumbo, this country was in a ditch.. Things WERE bad.. VERY Bad...

    If it was as you say, if things weren't bad, then Hillary would have won..

    But things were in the pits.. Americans were ashamed of their country and ashamed of their President..

    Which is why President Trump coasted to an EASY victory..

    Watch the video.. See how it all went down.. Read the Weigantian comments.. Read how the air simply whoooooshess out of everyone's sales here..

    It will be an eye-opener for ya. Those who refuse to acknowledge the lessons of the past are doomed to relive them.. :D

    Manufacturing and farming were hurting even before the pandemic, we don't have cheaper and better health coverage, and where's my big beautiful wall? (sniff

    Factually not accurate... Manufacturing and farming were thru the roof well off...

    As for the wall?? It's getting there.. Where is your closed Gitmo, as odumbo promised?? Where are the health plans where I an keep my doctor, as odumbo promised??

    Suburbanites fled Trump and the GOP in 2018 and there's no way The Great Divider is gonna get em back. Support among older -- er, more seasoned Americans is softening, my dog ran away and my truck died...

    Again, not factually accurate.. It's well documented that Democrats won in Trump areas ONLY because they ran as GOP lite... You can count on the FACT that those areas will revert back to the GOP in Nov..

    I am so sure of my facts, I am willing to make ANY reasonable (and a few not so reasonable) wagers..

    Are YOU that sure of YOUR side??? :D hmmmmmmm?????

    Trump's signature is all over this mess.
    Sincerely, please Michalesplain it to me. Where does he get the votes?

    Already explained it.. You'll probably have to wait til you come down to understand it all.. :D

    Just remember.. Everything you are saying is already what everyone else said in 2016.. The same snark, the same attitude, the same certainty..

    Read the comments from back then.. They words aren't the same but it's the same snark.. The same arrogance..The same conviction....

    And then.....

    WWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHH

    The air just rushes out of their sails.. Their balloon just massively deflates....

    "It has happened before.. It WILL happen again.."
    -Charleton Heston, ARMAGEDDON

    Promise me you'll be around here come 3 Nov 2020... :D

  80. [80] 
    Michale wrote:

    Just wanted to point out that you really did not see any military-grade vehicles being used by the police until the rioters chose to burn the police vehicles that they were using. The military-grade vehicles do not burn as easily as the normal cruisers do. Again, this is simply the police having to stay ahead of the public’s ability to cause destruction as best they can.

    Exactly.. The militarization of police is necessary because the threats against police have grown exponentially...

    Get the crooks to get rid of military type weapons and you can have your Mayberry RFD type police forces..

    See 44 MINUTES IN HOLLYWOOD then come tell me that police do not need military style equipment and armament...

    People do not like the police looking like they are military personnel with the way they dress. They prefer the old dark wool pants with the light blue button-up dress shirt to the black jumpsuits and Kevlar vests worn on the outside. The reason the officer’s love the second choice is that it makes their patrol belts go from weighing just under 50lbs to weighing around 25-35lbs because they have lots more pockets in which to redistribute their gear. Officers are basically walking offices... we expect them to have everything under the sun on them so they are able to have everything they need to handle whatever the public calls on them to take care of!

    Again, exactly... The threats facing cops has grown a thousand fold..

    If Democrats/Antifa and other assorted Left Wingers don't want to military-ize the police, then they need to get rid of their own military style weapons and gear..

    Balls in yer court Democrats...

    As usual...

  81. [81] 
    Michale wrote:

    Since ya'all LOVE polls, I knew ya'all would appreciate this??

    bama is the Worst President Since World War II, Poll Says

    More Americans consider Barack Obama to be the worst President since World War II than they do any other president, according to a new poll.

    The Quinnipiac poll out Wednesday found that 33% of Americans see Obama as the worst post-war president, while just 8% consider him the best. Another 28% see former President George W. Bush as the worst. Richard Nixon, the only American President ever to resign in disgrace, was picked the worst by 13%, according to the poll.

    And 45% of Americans think the U.S. would be better off if Mitt Romney had been elected President in 2012, according to the poll, while 38% think the country would be worse off.

    Ronald Reagan was the most common answer among those surveyed for the best President since World War II, with 35% choosing the Republican icon. Another 18% chose Bill Clinton, and 15% chose John F. Kennedy.
    https://time.com/2949984/barack-obama-poll/?fbclid=IwAR3z8Jpyw_0EwKP_TaVA0bcAeCRT7drfMiydKkbKqmBOIFIcWp_wrzCevZc

    Saint Ronald Reagan is on top... Not surprised...

    It's a poll.. So ya'all HAVE to swear by it!! :D

    Or, ya'all can concede that ya'all cherry pick your polls you like.. :D

    My opinion of polls has been constant throughout the 16 years I have been part of Weigantia..

  82. [82] 
    Michale wrote:

    OK.. Gonna try something new today...

    Unless something really exciting or really news worthy pops up, I am gonna allow ya'all to get a word in.. MMMmmmKay???

    What could be more fair... Or fun! :D

    Don't squander this gift.. Do me proud.. :D

  83. [83] 
    Michale wrote:

    Looks like the George Floyd issue is being re-visited in the guise of Rayshard Brooks..

    Another cop thrown to the wolves to appease the mob..

    Another good shoot that wins some lucky family the ghetto lottery..

    And another cop whose life is ruined solely and completely because he DID HIS JOB...

    It's amazing in a sad and pathetic sort of way..

    Ya'all are always going on and on about the George Floyds.. The Rayshard Brookses...

    And yet we don't hear a peep about Tony Timpa.. Or what about Daniel Shaver??? Has anyone ever heard about Sarah Grossman???

    Once again, proof positive that the cops, including Garrett Rolfe did absolutely NOTHING wrong.. If Brooks had been white, this would have been a textbook case of a GOOD SHOOT..

    But once again, Democrats are judging black people by the color of their skin.. Not their character.. Or in these scumbag criminal's cases, lack thereof...

    Dr Martin Luther King would be VERY disappointed in the Democrat Party.. But, of course, Dr King probably was not fond of the Democrat Party in the first place... Dr King's assassin was a Democrat. And the Democrat Party DID give this country the KKK..

    Looks like Democrat Party is still the Party of slave owners.. The Party simply has changed what the plantation looks like..

    Nov simply cannot come fast enough...

  84. [84] 
    Michale wrote:

    If Black Lives Matter wants to stop cops killing black people, maybe BLM should tell their members to quit committing crimes and, if they MUST commit crimes, then don't resist arrest or become combative..

    Then black Americans wouldn't be killed by cops..

    I can't dumb it down any more than that...

  85. [85] 
    TheStig wrote:

    MyVoice-26

    Well, Isobars might work - but I'm not equipped to implement it....that's a job for a twenty something Python programmer.

    I think Isobars could potentially work on COVID metrics adjusted for pop size - otherwise the isobars are just going to cluster around urban centers. You see that in the Johns Hopkins COVID maps - which plot number of infections with different sized dots. The bigger dots are strongly correlated with urban centers.

    USA COVID data seem to be mostly collected at the county level. That's probably the lower limit of USA resolution...approx. 3000 pixels scattered unevenly on the USA outline.

    I'm somewhat skeptical that emerging "hot spots" are really indications of a second COVID wave...I suspect the emerging hot spots are just the first wave reaching alarm levels in the South and West - where social isolation has been relatively weak...and trending weaker.

  86. [86] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    I'm not into isobars but the world is still in the throes of the first wave of this virus.

    And, there is still so much that is unknown about the transmission of this virus, whether it is susceptible to seasonal changes in terms of waves of transmission and how it behaves over time.

    What we do know is that suppression of transmission of this virus has not been a natural phenomenon but rather due to serious and extreme social and public health measures or what have been called 'lockdowns'. So, it is reasonable to assume that when these lockdowns are eased or eliminated and when physical distancing measures are no longer in place, then transmission of the virus will increase and new peaks of positive cases and deaths will ensue.

    The important point of this is that when lockdowns have been eased and ended, there must be something that replaces the lockdowns in order to continue suppressing transmission of the virus.

    Countries and sub-national regions that are succeeding in this fight are putting in place measures to continue suppression of transmission as lockdowns end such as improving public health systems and architecture and increasing the capacity for identifying cases, treating cases, tracing contacts and quarantining contacts; public education around hand and respiratory hygiene, physical distancing, appropriate use of masks when physical distancing is difficult so that people and communities know well what they need to do to keep themselves and others safe.

    We can't expect that transmission of this virus will go away on its own or come back in waves as seasons change. We need to do all we can to prevent a second wave.

    The most important part of our fight against this virus is national unity and global solidarity. Because no one is safe from infection by this virus until everybody is safe, wherever in the world they may be. Clearly, this virus is quite capable of taking full advantage wherever it finds cracks of disunity and division between us.

  87. [87] 
    Michale wrote:

    Hay MC...

    Google glitch hides Winston Churchill image from search results
    https://www.foxnews.com/tech/google-glitch-hides-winston-churchill-image-from-search-results

    Remind me again how GOOGLE doesn't have a Left Wing bias???

    I seem to have forgotten, what with all the FACTS that prove otherwise...

  88. [88] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Hey, Michale … I hope if you get the opportunity to work at the Republican convention that you will be wearing a mask!

    Keep in mind that there is no evidence that wearing a mask will protect YOU but, wearing a mask can reduce transmission of the virus from you to others when it is not possible to physical distance.

  89. [89] 
    Michale wrote:

    And, anticipating your response..

    "Com'on Michale!! Everyone makes a an innocent mistake!!"

    Yes, everyone makes an "innocent" mistake..

    But when these "innocent" mistakes **ALL** go one way...???

    That's no longer an "Innocent Mistake"...

    It's an agenda....

  90. [90] 
    Michale wrote:

    I challenge you to find ANY "innocent" mistake from the Left Wing media that FAVORS President Trump... :D

    Go ahead.. I'll wait.. :D

  91. [91] 
    ListenWhenYouHear wrote:

    If AntiFa was a RIGHT WING group, you and everyone else would be condemning them to the highest heavens..

    IF? AntiFa really started getting press when they protested minor right wing pundits who pander to the conspiracy/extremist crowds when they were hawking their books at universities. These D level “conservatives” started being protested harder than the biggest conservative darlings ever are...Violent protests meant to silence the message of people no one wanted to hear from...at least that was the case prior to the violent protests became FoxNews’ lead story for days.

    Do I believe right wing pundits would hire extremists to put on masks and riot on college campuses, claiming to be oppose the First Amendment rights of someone the majority of America had to Google to figure out why anyone would care what they were saying in the first place? In a heartbeat! Republicans creating fictional stories that they try to pass as the truth has become a norm for the GOP.

    And since then, the Right has continued to use AntiFa to scare the elderly sheep that follow them blindly. AntiFa are 2016’s illegal immigrant gang members, 2012’s ObamaCare will destroy us all, etc., etc.,....

  92. [92] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    That isn't very interesting.

  93. [93] 
    Michale wrote:

    Hey, Michale … I hope if you get the opportunity to work at the Republican convention that you will be wearing a mask!

    Course not..

    Studies show that my blood type (O-Neg, universal donor) has certain immunities to coronavirus.. :D

  94. [94] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    And, of course, [92] was meant in response to [87 through 90]. Ahem.

  95. [95] 
    ListenWhenYouHear wrote:

    Dear Lord! My kingdom for an edit feature!

  96. [96] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Michale, you're not reading carefully, again.

    Wearing the mask isn't meant to protect YOU. It is meant to reduce transmission from you to others.

    In any event, I would suspect that the company you would be working for would make your mask wearing mandatory.

  97. [97] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Dear Lord! My kingdom for an edit feature!

    Yeah, well, I'd give almost anything for it. :)

  98. [98] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Which I will actually do by sending in my late - my very late - CW pledge. I will get around to it in the near future as I have finally found an appropriate card. Heh.

  99. [99] 
    Michale wrote:

    Russ,

    Do you notice that you were so careful not to say ANYTHING against or bad about AntiFa???

    I did.. :D

    Even CW concedes that AntiFa is a Left Wing group. It's activities are textbook examples of terrorism...

    If AntiFa is not part of the Democrat Party, why hasn't ANY in the Democrat leadership condemned AntiFa for what's going on in Seattle??

    EXTORTIONS...

    RAPES....

    STRONG ARMED ROBBERY....

    All committed by AntiFa in this bullshit autonomous zone...

    And not a peep against AntiFa here or from Democrat leaders..

    Proof positive that AntiFa = Democrat Party and Democrat Party = Antifa

  100. [100] 
    Michale wrote:

    Don't you remember the Weigantian Charlottesville Rule??

    Silence Gives Assent

    Pain in the butt when ya'all's past words come back ta bite ya on the shiny hiney, eh?? :D

  101. [101] 
    Michale wrote:

    Russ, so your position is that AntiFa is secretly a RIGHT Wing group...

    Do you have **ANY** facts to support that claim???

    Nope.. Because it's a total fabrication..

    I would say "nice try", but it really even wasn't that.. :D

    It's a sad and pathetic attempt at spin'ing the facts...

    "I can see right through you, O'Neill"
    -Teal'c, STARGATE SG-1, 200

  102. [102] 
    Michale wrote:

    But have no fear Russ...

    You can redeem yerself by joining me on the same page over the Rayshard Brooks shooting..

    Another textbook example of a Good Shoot....

    As I said above, if BLM doesn't want cops to kill other black Americans then BLM needs to convince black Americans to stop committing crimes.

    Or, if black Americans MUST commit crimes, stop resisting or becoming combative when they are arrested..

    See how EASY the solution is???

    BOOOM.. Police Reform...

    Damn, I shoulda gone into politics... :D

  103. [103] 
    ListenWhenYouHear wrote:

    What’s up with Trump not being strong enough to get a glass of water to his mouth using only one arm during his West Point gibberish-fest? He tries to take a sip of water, but cannot lift the glass high enough using his right arm, so he has to quickly use his left hand to push the glass to his lips so he can get rid of his cottonmouth.

    I’ve always heard that taking too much Adderall gives you wicked dry mouth.

  104. [104] 
    Michale wrote:

    What’s up with Trump not being strong enough to get a glass of water to his mouth using only one arm during his West Point gibberish-fest? He tries to take a sip of water, but cannot lift the glass high enough using his right arm, so he has to quickly use his left hand to push the glass to his lips so he can get rid of his cottonmouth.

    I’ve always heard that taking too much Adderall gives you wicked dry mouth.

    And again with the spewage... And again with the no facts.. :D

    It really looks like, with all the bad press the Democrat Party and Antifa are getting (shameless pandering stunt, Armed checkpoints in Seattle, Rapes, Extortions etc etc etc) you are getting worried about November, Russ.. :D

    Wanna make a wager on the results like JM and I have done??? :D

  105. [105] 
    Michale wrote:

    It really looks like, with all the bad press the Democrat Party and Antifa are getting (shameless pandering stunt, Armed checkpoints in Seattle, Rapes, Extortions etc etc etc) you are getting worried about November, Russ.. :D

    I mean, seriously..

    How bad is it for the Democrat Party/Antifa that they practically OWN the MainStreamMedia and they STILL get bad press!!!??? :D

    "I mean, how STOOPID do you have to be!!???"
    -Brendan Fraser, BEDAZZLED

    :D

    You can cut the irony with a knife... :D

  106. [106] 
    Michale wrote:

    Michale, you're not reading carefully, again.

    Wearing the mask isn't meant to protect YOU. It is meant to reduce transmission from you to others.

    In any event, I would suspect that the company you would be working for would make your mask wearing mandatory.

    If I am immune (as it certainly looks like I am) then there is nothing to pass on to others...

  107. [107] 
    Michale wrote:

    Yeah, well, I'd give almost anything for it. :)

    "Me too!!!!"
    -Cab Driver, ARMAGEDDON

    :D

  108. [108] 
    Michale wrote:

    The Democrat Party's terrorist wing, AntiFa sure have the politics down pat..

    Confusion reigns as Seattle's seized six blocks known as CHAZ purportedly changes name to CHOP: 'We're not trying to secede'
    https://www.foxnews.com/us/seattle-chaz-chop-change-name-seced

    If it walks like a Democrat Party and quacks like a Democrat Party and engages in rapes and extortions and armed checkpoints like a Democrat Party..

    IT'S THE DEMOCRAT PARTY....

  109. [109] 
    Michale wrote:

    If I am immune (as it certainly looks like I am) then there is nothing to pass on to others...

    Believe me, as flaunting as I have been if I could have caught it, I would have..

    Hell, I even took a jaunt thru the COVID WING of my local hospital after being treated for kidney failure...

    If I wasn't immune I would have caught six ways from Sunday....

    "I... am a god.... "
    -Bill Murray, GROUNDHOG DAY

    "Ray!!! If someone asks you if you are a god, YOU SAY YES!!!!"
    -Winston Zedemore, GHOSTBUSTERS

    :D

  110. [110] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Michale,

    If I am immune (as it certainly looks like I am) then there is nothing to pass on to others..

    No one is immune from being infected. It's idiotic to think otherwise.

    If you are hired for the job, I would like you to send us a picture of you wearing your mask in the great service of and respect for others.

  111. [111] 
    MyVoice wrote:

    [85] TheStig

    Ah, but I thought we were talking about R0 and it is dimensionless, it is not?

    I haven't been anywhere near 26 in decades, but I may look into this myself in my imaginary copious spare time. Sure the data is county-aggregated AND we have no idea how different counties are arriving at a number AND the variance from 1 is not great, but if there's any there there, we'd see it in a map.

    No promises, but I'll let you know if it comes to pass.

  112. [112] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Michale,

    You must know that there is no immunity against the virus from getting into your respiratory system.

    And, it the virus load only gets as far as your upper respiratory system, then you would be quite capable of transmitting the virus in close proximity with others for a period of time in a closed convention facility, even if your are completely asymptomatic, never to go on to be symptomatic.

    This is about your responsibility, especially working as security at the convention, for protecting others.

  113. [113] 
    Michale wrote:

    This has been sorely missed the last months...

    END OF WATCH
    Florida Wildlife Officer John Hetland
    Labelle, Florida
    End of Watch: Sunday, 14 June 2020

    And remind the few.....
    When ill of us they speak....
    That we are all that stands between....
    The monsters and the weak...

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/13839e8d10b9303c8d9aee50576e15b15f4844be91d15073a21097a85b780c50.jpg

  114. [114] 
    ListenWhenYouHear wrote:

    Funny, the Federal government is telling law enforcement that there is no evidence of AntiFa or any other organized group leading the protests in Seattle. Anarchists aren’t organized!?!? Who would have ever thought that could be the case (other than anyone who knows the definition of “anarchist”)?

    And I have twice as much evidence that AntiFa is a GOP hoax as you do that it is run by the Dems. Why would a group that supposedly opposes the message of Milo YouCanPayMetoSayAnything that no one was listening to riot and give him front page coverage that gives his message wings? It makes no sense...it is nonsense...and it is a common GOP promotional tactic.

    I don’t speak out against figments of your imagination or the monsters that you think live in your closet and under your bed because I just do not care about your distractions from Trump’s failures as President. Covid cases are spiking all over the country, but Trump wants to focus on whether NFL players dishonor the flag by taking a knee during the Star Spangled Banner, yet doesn’t care if they dishonor it by looking around the room and waving to people like he does when it is played.

  115. [115] 
    Michale wrote:

    Liz,

    I appreciate your concern..

    But to be honest, I am not really worried about passing on a cold that has less than a 1% fatality rate..

    If anything I am a walking CURE factory.. :D

    I am more of a threat tripping over someone than I am of passing on a cold..

    "Be careful with that thing!! DON'T drop it!!"
    "But I thought you said it was harmless!!"
    "If you drop it on your foot, you'll break your toe!!!"

    -Barney Miller

    :D

  116. [116] 
    Michale wrote:

    -Barney Miller|

    Had to reach way WAY back for THAT little gem.. :D

  117. [117] 
    Michale wrote:

    Russ,

    Again.. Do you have ANY facts to support your claims??

    And LEGITIMATE facts at all???

    No??? Then yer wasting my time.. :D

    I mean that in the nicest way possible, since we're on the same page over Rayshard Brooks.. :D

  118. [118] 
    Michale wrote:

    And I have twice as much evidence that AntiFa is a GOP hoax as you do that it is run by the Dems.

    And yet.... It's not here...

    Funny how that is, eh???

    Polls continue to show an overwhelming majority of Americans agree with the protesters in the streets, while precious few are buying Trump's continuing conspiracy theory that it's all the work of "Antifa" and other scary-sounding leftwing groups.
    http://www.chrisweigant.com/2020/06/12/ftp578/#comment-160817

    Your facts????

    I'll be here for about another hour.. :D

  119. [119] 
    Michale wrote:

    Our gracious (pardon me while I rub this brown stuff off my nose) says AntiFa is Left Wing..

    Russ, you claim AntiFa is Right Wing without ANY supporting facts..

    Hmmmmmmmmm That's a toughie...

    Not it's not.. Not really.. :D

    But, as I said, I still like ya Russ.. :D

  120. [120] 
    Michale wrote:

    The idea that AntiFa is Right Wing is laughable and has absolutely NO BASIS in fact..

    It's a Left Wing delusion to avoid putting blame where it belongs..

    With the Party that gave us racism...

    Seriously, Dood.. The Democrat Party gave the United States the KKK..

    Is it such a stretch that they would give us a NEW terrorist group???

  121. [121] 
    Michale wrote:

    Our gracious (pardon me while I rub this brown stuff off my nose) says AntiFa is Left Wing..

    Grrr...

    Our gracious (pardon me while I rub this brown stuff off my nose)HOST says AntiFa is Left Wing..

  122. [122] 
    Michale wrote:

    Er....

    Team Trump also announced that the Republican National Convention (well, parts of it, at any rate) will be moved from North Carolina to Jacksonville, Florida, since they're willing to allow a full-on convention with no coronavirus restrictions whatsoever. Trump will reportedly accept his party's nomination on August 27, the second day of the convention. And here's why that's also a monumentally insensitive date and place:

    On Aug. 27, 1960, a mob of 200 white people in Jacksonville, Fla. -- organized by the Ku Klux Klan and joined by some of the city's police officers -- chased and beat peaceful civil rights protesters who were trying to integrate downtown lunch counters. The bloody carnage that followed -- in which ax handles and baseball bats were used to club African Americans, who sought sanctuary in a church -- is remembered as "Ax Handle Saturday."

    You DO realize that the men were ALL Democrats, right???

    Is that REALLY something you want to try and slap President Trump down for???

    A massacre that was committed by Democrats and the Democrat Party???

    So, the symbolism you are referring to hurts Democrats and the Democrat Party more than it does President Trump..

    I'm just sayin'.....

  123. [123] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Michale,

    But to be honest, I am not really worried about passing on a cold that has less than a 1% fatality rate..

    Do you really, honestly, not get it? Or does the idea just not conform to your misguided reality?

    If you continue to fail to understand why you should wear a mask in situations where physical distancing is difficult AND while in a closed environment like a convention facility where there are crowds of people, then you will have failed in your responsibility to protect your fellow citizens, especially those for whom the fatality rate is considerably higher than one percent.

    It is a cruel, uncaring mindset that leads to that kind of reckless behavior.

  124. [124] 
    Michale wrote:

    Seems to me that it's a stroke of BRILLIANCE by President Trump...

    Remind black Americans what Democrats and the Democrat Party stood for..

    And who it was that battled the evil Democrats and freed black Americans..

    A true stroke of genius.. But then again, President Trump IS a marketing savant....

  125. [125] 
    Michale wrote:

    If you continue to fail to understand why you should wear a mask in situations where physical distancing is difficult AND while in a closed environment like a convention facility where there are crowds of people, then you will have failed in your responsibility to protect your fellow citizens, especially those for whom the fatality rate is considerably higher than one percent.

    There are no legitimate facts to support that claim..

    As I said, I appreciate your concern.. But it's not a concern I share.. If what you are saying is factually accurate then REAL doctors would be sounding the alarm..

    Not Political organizations like WHO and the CDC and the Democrat Party...

    I practically have every kind of doctor known to man.. A cardiac thoracic surgeon, a cardiologist.. A pulmonary specialist.. A nefrologist... A uroligist... A pain doctor and a regular primary care physican, a muslim woman doctor...

    I have seen all of them and more.. 3 different overnight stays in the hospital... Open heart surgery.

    Believe me when I say if there was ANY way I would catch covid-19 and pass it on, I would have done so..

    It's all a big hype by the Democrat Party... It's ALL political, nothing more...

    You watch...

    The convention will go off without a hitch and President Trump will coast to re-election..

    I'll post pics.. :D

  126. [126] 
    ListenWhenYouHear wrote:

    MtnCaddy,

    **The EC is NOT the only vote that counts, civics students. For IF the popular vote is lopsided enough no EC would pick the candidate who lost by a solid margin/landslide, eh? It ALWAYS works that way.

    Did I miss something in your previous posts that explains this? The EC is the only vote that selects who our President will be. Your example still ends with the EC choosing the President. The EC, in theory, was supposed to protect us from compromised foreign assets stealing the election, but we now know that the EC offers us no added protection against foreign interference into our presidential elections.

  127. [127] 
    Michale wrote:

    Put another way... I am more concerned about the Democrat Party's AntiFa than I am about Covid-19...

    And I don't give a rat's arse about AntiFa...

    "Look, I only have to know one thing.. Where they are"
    -Ramirez, ALIENS

    :D

  128. [128] 
    nypoet22 wrote:

    I challenge you to find ANY "innocent" mistake from the Left Wing media that FAVORS President Trump... :D

    that's easy, in 2016 they gave him over 2 billion dollars of free coverage, more than double any other candidate. then again, maybe that mistake wasn't so "innocent."

    JL

  129. [129] 
    Michale wrote:

    Remember Liz..

    The Democrat Party is the SAME Party that had a ***THREE YEAR*** Russia Collusion delusion...

    It's the SAME Party who made up crimes and tried to impeach President Trump over them with their Faux Impeachment Coup...

    Do you HONESTLY believe that Democrats crying wolf over a cold-like disease that has an over 99% recovery rate has ANY credibility with the American people???

    Oh, and let's not forget how Democrats pandered to black Americans with that Kente Scarf debacle...

    I know, I know... I wouldn't have thought it possible either.. But the Democrat Party has LESS credibility with me than it did before....

    How crazy is that???

    When President Trump tells me to wear a mask, I'll consider it...

    But right now, my biggest medical concern is that my new cat Raven will jump on my ribs in the middle of the night....

    What the Democrat Party is spewing means LESS than nothing...

    But, as always, I thank you for your concern... I realize it's genuine and that makes you a good person..

    Which is something I already knew... :D

  130. [130] 
    Michale wrote:

    Further...

    Any nonchalance on my part can be laid DIRECTLY at the feet of the Democrat Party...

    They have hysterically cried "WOLF!!!!!" so many times for so much bullshit, that it's simply impossible for a thinking rational person to take ANYTHING they say seriously...

    The Democrat Party has made their bed..

    And President Trump is going to insure they LIE in it..

    And LIE they will....

  131. [131] 
    Michale wrote:

    that's easy, in 2016 they gave him over 2 billion dollars of free coverage, more than double any other candidate. then again, maybe that mistake wasn't so "innocent."

    And they did so by attacking him incessantly.. That's not making a mistake in his favor as stipulated..

    It's the Media being bit on the ass by their own machinations and hoisted by their own Picard... :D

    I am talking where the NY Times Or WaPoop or any other Left Wing rag actually saying something GOOD about President Trump and it turns out to be wrong..

    They never did.. Not a SINGLE Left Wing so-called "news" outlet has EVER said anything good about President Trump and it turned out to be wrong..

    All of their "innocent mistakes" and bullshit claims have all been going one way.. Against President Trump....

    Once is a mistake...

    Twice is a coincidence...

    Three+ times is an agenda...

    It's really THAT simple...

  132. [132] 
    Michale wrote:

    Once is a mistake...

    Twice is a coincidence...

    Three+ times is an agenda...

    It's really THAT simple...

    "Actually, I think that's rather good..."
    -Baal, STARGATE CONTINUUM

    :D

  133. [133] 
    Michale wrote:

    that's easy, in 2016 they gave him over 2 billion dollars of free coverage, more than double any other candidate. then again, maybe that mistake wasn't so "innocent."

    That's not a mistake..

    That's the Trump/America haters being more stoopid than usual...

    By a factor of 10....

  134. [134] 
    Michale wrote:

    Lawyers who targeted NYPD with Molotov cocktails hit with new federal charges, face life in prison

    'Such criminal acts should never be confused with legitimate protest'
    https://www.theblaze.com/news/lawyers-who-threw-molotov-cocktails-at-nypd-officers-hit-with-new-federal-charges-face-life-in-prison

    YES!!!!!!

    Find the deepest darkest hole in GITMO, throw them in and throw away the key...

    Democrats/AntiFa need to realize this ain't tiddlywinks... Anyone who commits an act of terrorism is going to pay the ultimate price...

    Their freedom...

  135. [135] 
    C. R. Stucki wrote:

    It's turning out George Floyd and the cop who killed him are well known to each other and that they had personal interactions in the past.

  136. [136] 
    Michale wrote:

    CRS,

    Actually, that's not factually accurate.. The security guard at the club recanted his claim..

    Man Who Claimed George Floyd And Derek Chauvin ‘Bumped Heads’ Recants Story
    David Pinney first claimed to have witnessed friction between George Floyd and Derek Chauvin while all three worked at the same night club, but later admitted he'd mistaken Floyd for another man.

    https://www.oxygen.com/crime-news/man-who-said-george-floyd-derek-chauvin-bumped-heads-recants-story

  137. [137] 
    Michale wrote:

    CRS, You should know by now.. Democrats make all sorts of wild and grandiose claims..

    The facts eventually come out, though... :D

  138. [138] 
    Michale wrote:

    But I would like to put a question to the floor for discussion..

    Does PAW PATROL *really* deserve to be cancelled???

    Why can't Democrats and the Democrat Party let kids be kids???

    Discuss amongst yerselves... :D

  139. [139] 
    Michale wrote:

    Another question for the floor...

    Is it possible.... Is it even CONCEIVABLE that a white cop can shoot and/or kill a black person and it be justified??

    Is that even possible in the eyes of Democrats and the Democrat Party????

    What would such a situation look like???

    I mean, Rayshard Brooks fought the cops, stole one of their tasers and attempted to flee and was shot to bring him down...

    How is that NOT justified???

    Bonus points if ya'all have any FACTS to support the claims..

    With all that's going against the Democrat Party, AntiFa rapes and armed checkpoints, all the riots and arson and looting... Do ya'all REALLY think that Democrats stand a chance in November???

    Calling it a night..

    Check with ya'all in the morning...

  140. [140] 
    MyVoice wrote:

    [85] TheStig

    Alas, mapping from the rt.live site was over before it started. I downloaded their most current data and, crude as a map at the county/borough/parish level would have been, it turns out the site has only a daily update at the state level. Yeah, no. Still, the site is a great start.

  141. [141] 
    ListenWhenYouHear wrote:

    If someone were to set up a “Covid-19 Prevention Station” at Trump’s next rally that consists of a gallon jug of Clorox and a shot glass...how many jugs of Clorox would be the minimum number that should be purchased so that everyone who wants one gets one? Just asking for a friend...

  142. [142] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    I mean, Rayshard Brooks fought the cops, stole one of their tasers and attempted to flee and was shot to bring him down...How is that NOT justified???

    Well, what you say is true. He fought with the cops and took one of their tazers and even tried using it on them while he was fleeing.

    But, the cops knew he wasn't armed. And, Brooks was running away from them. I think it will be hard for those officers to say that they feared for their lives in this situation.

    So, no, the shoot wasn't justified.

    I believe there were other things the officers could have done in that situation that would have avoided killing somebody by shooting them in the back while they were running away.

    So, Michale, I could pose a similar question to you but, I won't. Because I already know the kind of drivel I'd get. You're so consistent that way, regardless of the circumstances.

    What kind of people are being hired as police officers, anyway. At the drop of a dime, their first thought is to pull out their guns or put their knees on a guys neck who is already quite restrained? I mean, seriously?

  143. [143] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    [142] was intended for Michale, only. Ahem. :)

  144. [144] 
    MyVoice wrote:

    [85] TheStig
    One last post on this and I'll let it go. I checked out the GitHub site for rt.live, which can be linked to from that site for anyone who wants to look at the Python behind it all. There I found the link to their data source

    https://covidtracking.com/api/v1/states/daily.csv

    There's lots more data in there than rt.live is presenting and I found it interesting that each state (or territory) gets a grade on the quality of its daily data. The only state consistently in the F zone is North Dakota, but there are way too many D and C ratings as well.
    The COVID Tracking Project (https://covidtracking.com/) is worth a look. A data digger's delight. There's a lot going on there, including their newly released COVID Racial Data Tracker for those states and territories that report COVID deaths by race (44 of 56 states and territories do).

  145. [145] 
    ListenWhenYouHear wrote:

    FoxNews is using digitally added gunman to photos in its coverage of the Seattle protests! WOW! No wonder poor Michale sounds so upset... he is overreacting to FoxNews overreacting in their reporting! Your boogeymen are digitally created Michale.

    https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/fox-news-runs-digitally-altered-images-in-coverage-of-seattles-protests-capitol-hill-autonomous-zone/

  146. [146] 
    Kick wrote:

    FUN FACT:

    Donald Trump's niece Mary is releasing a book in August wherein she details her assistance to The New York Times for which the authors won a Pulitzer for their reporting exposing her uncle -- the self-proclaimed President "Law and Order" -- and his decades of tax fraud committed against the United States of America as well as other family salacious details.

    If I was a member of the Trump Crime Family, I'd be all about exposing them too. Good for her. :)

  147. [147] 
    ListenWhenYouHear wrote:

    Liz,

    I read that the officer’s had fired when Brooks had pointed the stun gun at them. If that is true, or if Brooks had earlier pointed or fired the stun gun at the officers — either way, he has demonstrated a willingness to incapacitate a police officer; which is legally viewed as an “use of deadly force” by Brooks. And once Brooks has used deadly force against officers, they are justified to use deadly force against him because he is a threat to public safety.

    And after writing this I just saw that you were only wanting to discuss this with Michale. So feel free to not read the above. ; )

  148. [148] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Give me yet another freakin' break, Russ.

    That was supposed to be a little joke - on you, no less! Or have you lost your sense of humour?

    Yeah, if Brooks had tried to use the stun gun on the officers as they were fighting at close range. But, he didn't. He was far away enough so that when he turned and fired the stun gun the officers were out of range. But, the officers still shot him as was running away.

    It doesn't take much to get shot, these days, I guess …

    Anyone, feel free to join in the fun - no private membership required. We're all one happy family here, after all.

  149. [149] 
    Kick wrote:
  150. [150] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Frankly, some officers have shown that they don't have a clue as to what life-threatening (their life) and deadly force looks like and, on top of that, have a hard time seeing any other options.

    It all reminds me of that video a while back showing an officer in stand off with an armed black man - the officer never did shoot because he knew how to talk the guy down while the guy was pointing a real gun at him!!! The officer kept saying put the gun down, I don't want to shoot you! Neither one of them fired their gun that night.

    Now, I understand that that is an extreme example and that not all cops would have acted in the same manner and with good reason. But, that officer should be in charge of the police training program.

  151. [151] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Nice tour of the White House!

  152. [152] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Or, would that be Tour de White House … :)

  153. [153] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    It all reminds me of that video a while back showing an officer in stand off with an armed black man - the officer never did shoot because he knew how to talk the guy down while the guy was pointing a real gun at him!!! The officer kept saying put the gun down, I don't want to shoot you! Neither one of them fired their gun that night.

    You know what, that could have been a white guy; I know it was a white police officer. But, the point remains the same, in any case.

  154. [154] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    So, I suppose this is like talking to yourself … well, I've done more than my fair share of that ...

  155. [155] 
    dsws wrote:

    Wow. I didn't expect Michale to admit that he's completely ok with killing 3,000,000 Americans. Subjecting everyone to a disease with a 1% fatality rate is not ok. That should not have to be said.

  156. [156] 
    ListenWhenYouHear wrote:

    It doesn't take much to get shot, these days, I guess …

    Does not take much to get shot? Let’s see...

    Get so intoxicated that you pass out while in the drive thru at a Wendy’s; causing 911 to be called.

    Fail the sobriety test when the police officers administer it to you and then choose to physically resist when you are informed that you are under arrest and instructed to put your hands behind your back.

    Forcefully take one officer’s taser from them. Officers were attempting to use non-lethal measures to get you to comply with their commands, but you have literally taken that ability away from the officers. You now have the ability to render the officers incapacitated and take their firearms from them...which makes you a deadly threat to the officers and the general public.

    You have shown a disregard for human life when you got behind the wheel of your car so drunk that you passed out in a drive thru waiting for your order. You have shown a disregard for the laws of this country when you chose to physically assault officers simply doing their jobs.

    So now an intoxicated person who has demonstrated a willingness to do whatever they think they must do to avoid being held accountable for their crimes has access to the police’s taser...a normally “non-lethal” weapon in the hands of those trained in its use; but in your hands considered a “lethal” weapon!

    You now pose a serious threat to the public’s safety. As you attempt to flee the police, you turn back and attempt to use the taser against them, but are unable to work it properly. You are then shot as you attempt to flee... the victim of mean officers who should have given you more opportunities to kill someone when all you had to do was just stop and give yourself up!

    It does not take much to get shot...just a complete and total disregard for human life.

  157. [157] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Yeah, I see what your saying, Russ.

    And, it really hurts. Officers take their own lives into their hands when they respond to calls like this. And, I can imagine what I would feel if I were an officer's wife. Well, I can't really imagine that since I'm not an officer's wife. But, you know what I mean.

    Russ, thanks for responding.

    But, something has to change. What do you think of that officer who stood his ground against an armed individual and talked him down with no shots fired?

    Can you understand how situations like this escalate so needlessly?

    I mean, I an sure that officers would rather they not shoot someone to death. Right???

  158. [158] 
    ListenWhenYouHear wrote:

    Liz,

    If the video that you describe is the one that I am thinking of, the Officer was responding to a unstable man waving a gun around...a man seeking to commit “suicide by cop”. If it is the same Officer, he later told reporters that he just could tell that the man had no intention to hurt anyone else, he was hurting so badly that he wanted to die. The officer knew he was betting his life by going with his gut feeling, and he chose to take that chance.

    Now, can you understand why a person who has only threatened to harm others might be treated differently than someone who has shown a willingness to hurt others?

  159. [159] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Yes, I can understand that. This is very hard. I know that. And, I don't know what the right answer is.

    It just seems like some of these officers didn't even take the time to know what their gut feeling was.

    I will always be on the side of officers who are there to protect the lives of the communities they serve.

    It just seems that some of them react in ways that escalate a situation when it doesn't need to be escalated.

  160. [160] 
    Kick wrote:

    EM
    27

    "Hey, fellas! Either one of you know where the Smithsonian is? I'm here to pick up a fossil."

    It's Captain America, EM... Winter Soldier.

  161. [161] 
    Kick wrote:

    Michale
    46

    You really don't want to go up against me on this issue..

    Said the inveterate board moron responding to a post that wasn't written to him. "Michale" is that special kind of stupid that genuinely believes everything is about him.

    There is nothing I do NOT know about this incident...

    Weigantia: Anybody that tells you there is "nothing I do NOT know" about any subject has instantly identified himself as two things:

    (1) a moron who believes his own bullshit, and
    (2) a bullshitter who presumes you're a moron.

    I have spoken. :)

  162. [162] 
    Kick wrote:

    Russ
    74

    Heh! Russ "says" what I was thinking... and not for the first time either. :)

  163. [163] 
    Kick wrote:

    Russ
    145

    But but but, Russ... they apologized for their fake news! They were sorry they got caught faking it.

  164. [164] 
    Michale wrote:

    Liz,

    But, the cops knew he wasn't armed. And, Brooks was running away from them. I think it will be hard for those officers to say that they feared for their lives in this situation.

    Being armed or not being armed is not relevant to the discussion, even if it were factually accurate.

    In this case Brooks WAS armed, so it's a moot point..

    You are confusing rules that govern a CIVILIAN's use of Deadly Force with the rules that govern an LEO's used of Deadly Force...

    LEO's are required by law and by SOP to bring down a fleeing felon if they can safely do so without collateral damage..

    So, no, the shoot wasn't justified.

    Factually not accurate...

    I believe there were other things the officers could have done in that situation that would have avoided killing somebody by shooting them in the back while they were running away.

    Yea, cop could have thrown his baton Bumper Morgan style and tripped up the perpetrator...

    But since you weren't there you don't get to judge in hindsight..

    What kind of people are being hired as police officers, anyway. At the drop of a dime, their first thought is to pull out their guns or put their knees on a guys neck who is already quite restrained? I mean, seriously?

    It honestly and seriously pains me for you to display such ignorance, Liz.. Com'on Liz I ***KNOW*** you are smarter than this.. You are simply letting your emotions cloud your reason..

    All across America in every corner of this country, cops make MILLIONS... TENS OF MILLIONS of contact with the public every day..

    Out of those TENS OF MILLIONS, HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of those contacts are for punitive reasons.. Arrests and the like..

    Out of those hundreds of thousands of contacts for punitive purposes, less then 500 result in police shooting and/or killing a subject.. And 99.9% of all of those incidents are justified..

    NO one can say "What kind of people are being hired as police officers, anyway. At the drop of a dime, their first thought is to pull out their guns or put their knees on a guys neck who is already quite restrained? I mean, seriously? with a straight face..

    For the record, the exact numbers above are hyperbolic, but their proportions are accurate.. I don't want to waste my time looking for the actual numbers, knowing full well you'll just ignore them and believe what you want to believe regardless of facts...

  165. [165] 
    Michale wrote:

    Liz,

    [142] was intended for Michale, only. Ahem. :)

    Ain't I the speeshal one.. :D

  166. [166] 
    Michale wrote:

    FoxNews is using digitally added gunman to photos in its coverage of the Seattle protests! WOW! No wonder poor Michale sounds so upset... he is overreacting to FoxNews overreacting in their reporting! Your boogeymen are digitally created Michale.

    Seattle Times???

    Of course they are going to cheat and lie to cover up the utter anarchy of their own city...

    Why aren't you ever upset with CNN's actions, Russ???

    Your hypocrisy and bigotry are showing. :D

  167. [167] 
    Michale wrote:

    Liz,

    Yeah, if Brooks had tried to use the stun gun on the officers as they were fighting at close range. But, he didn't. He was far away enough so that when he turned and fired the stun gun the officers were out of range. But, the officers still shot him as was running away.

    It doesn't take much to get shot, these days, I guess …

    I guess if you consider attack a cop and taking one of his non-lethal weapons and trying to use it on him "not much", then yer right.

    It doesn't take muche to get shot these days.

    Now I have honestly and faithfully answered all of your questions.. I would respectfully request that you answer one of mine...

    What would a situation look like when a white cop shoots and kills a black subject and it's a perfectly legit shooting..

    What would that look like to you???

    Or, do you believe it's not even possible for a white cop to shoot a black person and it not be justified...

    I'll be here all day...

  168. [168] 
    Michale wrote:

    Dan,

    Wow. I didn't expect Michale to admit that he's completely ok with killing 3,000,000 Americans.

    As I said, apparently I am immune to covid-19..

    But glad ya could join the party.. :D

  169. [169] 
    Michale wrote:

    Liz

    Frankly, some officers have shown that they don't have a clue as to what life-threatening (their life) and deadly force looks like and, on top of that, have a hard time seeing any other options.

    Facts to support?? Any facts at all??

    You are, once again, confusing the rules that govern the use of deadly force for civilians who legally carry and the rules for deadly force that govern Law Enforcement..

  170. [170] 
    Michale wrote:

    So now an intoxicated person who has demonstrated a willingness to do whatever they think they must do to avoid being held accountable for their crimes has access to the police’s taser...a normally “non-lethal” weapon in the hands of those trained in its use; but in your hands considered a “lethal” weapon!

    You now pose a serious threat to the public’s safety. As you attempt to flee the police, you turn back and attempt to use the taser against them, but are unable to work it properly. You are then shot as you attempt to flee... the victim of mean officers who should have given you more opportunities to kill someone when all you had to do was just stop and give yourself up!

    It does not take much to get shot...just a complete and total disregard for human life.

    Yep.. Exactly...

    I am very interested in what Weigantians would say is a justified scenario where a white cop can shoot a black subject and, in their eyes, it would be justified..

    Because, where I sit what with 25+ years of experience of all facets of Public Safety under belt, the Brooks shooting is a TEXTBOOK example of the lawful used of deadly force by a Law Enforcement officer..

    It's a bummer that we don't have anyone in Police leadership positions who will stand up to the angry mob...

  171. [171] 
    Michale wrote:

    But, something has to change.

    Why??

    Cops shooting and/or killing subject is like .00001% of ALL civilian/LEO contacts..

    Why does it have to change???

    What do you think of that officer who stood his ground against an armed individual and talked him down with no shots fired?

    A very lucky officer...

    But FORCING all officers to do that per a changed SOP... Make it the law that officers must try that first..

    You know what the result will be?? A lot of dead cops..

    The system of Law Enforcement is NOT broken.. There is NOTHING to fix..

    It's the system of leadership at the top of law enforcement that is broken..

    It's the community and how they respond to police shootings that is broken..

    Turn your attention to THOSE areas because it is THOSE areas that are broken and need fixed...

    Law Enforcement is perfectly fine the way it is...

  172. [172] 
    Michale wrote:

    Russ,

    OK, OK.. I brushed you off, but I should be fair..

    You address any 3 comments I made about how the media has messed up, including this one..

    http://sjfm.us/pics/whiteblack.jpg

    Address those and I will seriously address your comment...

  173. [173] 
    Kick wrote:

    Watch Fox News report a 'Monty Python' joke as Seattle's reality

    And no, this poster for "Monty Python And The Holy Grail" does not depict antifa.

    If Fox News' latest report is to be believed, Seattle's peaceful Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone is roiling with infighting among the activists who have made it a police-free zone.

    Of course, as with so many things Fox News, it is not to be believed. In what appears to be a clip from Friday night's broadcast, a reporter with the channel shows a screenshot of a now-deleted Reddit post that purportedly demonstrates the absurdist level of disagreement in the ranks of those protesting police violence in Seattle. There's just one problem: It's actually a joke, lifted almost verbatim from Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

    "There's infighting among some of the occupiers, and some signs of rebellion against Raz Simone — who we introduced you to here on the story last night," intoned the Fox News anchor. "One posting on social media that has now been deleted, read this: 'I didn't vote for Raz. I thought we were an autonomous collective? An anarcho-syndicalist commune at the least.'"

    https://mashable.com/article/fox-news-falls-for-monty-python-joke/
    _______________________

    The liberal plot to make Republicans look stupid, also known as "Operation Just Let Them Speak," is working splendidly. Morons.

  174. [174] 
    Michale wrote:

    Liz,

    I will always be on the side of officers who are there to protect the lives of the communities they serve.

    With respect, I don't see that.. I have NEVER seen you defend an officer, even after the facts have been explained to you..

    Please correct me if I am wrong, but I honestly have never seen you defend a cop that was involved in the shooting and/or death of a black subject..

    The ONLY one who have consistently defended Law Enforcement are Russ and I...

    No one else has... I would LOVE to be proven wrong on this...

  175. [175] 
    Michale wrote:

    It just seems that some of them react in ways that escalate a situation when it doesn't need to be escalated.

    And therein lies the rub..

    It's the cop on the scene who makes the decision on when and when not to escalate things... It's his (or her) ass on the line, so he or she gets to make the call..

    Even with 25+ years of public safety under my belt, I am always hesitate to play Monday morning quarterback on a cop's decisions.. I may say what I would have done differently, but I'll be the first to admit that my time is long past...

    Cops in my day would not put up with the bullshit and the betrayals from back office weenies who haven't seen the streets in decades...

    But in this "WOKE" generation?? Law Enforcement is 20 times harder.. In my day, we just had to handle scumbags and drunks and rapists and murderers and hostage takers and active shooters and the lot...

    These days cops have to navigate the politics of it all.. More power to 'em....

  176. [176] 
    Michale wrote:

    Dan,

    Wow. I didn't expect Michale to admit that he's completely ok with killing 3,000,000 Americans. Subjecting everyone to a disease with a 1% fatality rate is not ok. That should not have to be said.

    Didn't see you mention how all the protesters and looters and scumbags should be wearing masks, eh??

    Why don't you condemn THEM for being "completely OK" with killing 3,000,000 Americans..

    Careful.. Your Party Bigotry is showing... :D

  177. [177] 
    Kick wrote:

    Really good political ad from VoteVets about naming military bases after traitors.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJZZ2MiFBl4

  178. [178] 
    Michale wrote:

    That's what's so hilarious and ya'all and yer Democrat Party..

    On the one hand, they (and ya'all) demand social distancing and everything closed and no one goes anywhere..

    On the other hand, your Democrat Party want people out in the streets and tearing down things and looting and burning and destroying and killing cops.....

    While it APPEARS ya'all Democrats are talking out both sides of their asses..

    BOTH actions have a common goal..

    Destroying the country's economy so as to blame it all on President Trump..

    But the American people are smarter than the Democrat Party/Antifa...

    The American people KNOW where the blame goes..

    Which is why Democrats will be lucky to be elected county dog catcher in Nov...

    I have so much faith in my facts, I am willing to wager most anything.. :D

  179. [179] 
    Michale wrote:

    Really good political ad from VoteVets about naming military bases after traitors.

    Actually, the bases are named after Democrats...

    President Trump should be applauded for his spirit of bipartisanship and reaching across the aisle and give famous Democrats they recognition they deserve...

    Way ta go, Mr President!! :D

  180. [180] 
    TheStig wrote:

    MyVoice-140

    The Rt metric is a longitudinal (time dependent) extension of the older Ro metric. They have different missions. I find Rt more interesting with respect to the current outbreak.

    Fitting Rt or Ro to the data is subject to error, which in turn is subject to sample size. If you look at the Rt.live site you see that states with large populations tend to have much smaller error bars than small population states. It all boils down to sample size, and big or wealthy states can afford to more. The political will to do more is also a critical factor.

    Counties are much smaller than states, so sample sizes are going very small. I fear that is the fatal flaw in the isobar plot scheme. The data are too fuzzy.

    Monkeying around with the buttons at the rt.live site is very illuminating. You can see some worrisome trends. The USA picked a Hell of A Time in History to have a pandemic. A shorter version of the above: The USA picked a Hell of A Time to Elect Trump.

  181. [181] 
    Michale wrote:

    Monkeying around with the buttons at the rt.live site is very illuminating. You can see some worrisome trends. The USA picked a Hell of A Time in History to have a pandemic. A shorter version of the above: The USA picked a Hell of A Time to Elect Trump.

    Another TRUMP IS TOAST/AMERICA IS TOAST prediction...

    Haven't ya'all learned **ANYTHING** by always being wrong and factually inaccurate in everything you say???

  182. [182] 
    Michale wrote:
  183. [183] 
    Kick wrote:

    SCOTUS denies hearing Trump's appeal in United States v. California that challenged California's sanctuary laws.

    Winning! *shakes head*

  184. [184] 
    Kick wrote:

    SCOTUS rules in 6-3 decision that federal law bars workplace discrimination against LGB&T... Gorsuch writing for Dems and CJ Roberts agreeing.

    Alito, Thomas, and Kavanaugh dissent.

    Winning! *shakes head*

  185. [185] 
    John M wrote:

    [179] Michale wrote:

    "Actually, the bases are named after Democrats..."

    Oh please!!! Give up that old tired wildly inaccurate false comparison already!!!

    The Democrats of 2020 are very different from the Democrats of the 1800's or even the 1950's. Just like today's rank and file Republicans are very different from the Republicans of Abraham Lincoln's time.

  186. [186] 
    John M wrote:

    [178] Michale wrote:

    "I have so much faith in my facts, I am willing to wager most anything.. :D"

    You already did. You promised to post a photo of you holding up a sign saying I am always right and you are always wrong. :-D

  187. [187] 
    Michale wrote:

    Oh please!!! Give up that old tired wildly inaccurate false comparison already!!!

    The Democrats of 2020 are very different from the Democrats of the 1800's or even the 1950's. Just like today's rank and file Republicans are very different from the Republicans of Abraham Lincoln's time.

    None of which changes the facts..

    A- The bases were named after Democrats..

    B- Democrats brought Americans racism...

    C- The Democrat Party gave us the KKK...

    D- The Democrat Party fought against the Civil Rights laws

    E- The Democrat Party fought against the Voting Rights laws

    These are all FACTS that you can't spin away..

    And given the fact that Democrats today are always judging black Americans by the color of their skin??

    It appears that the Democrat Party's racist attitudes is not as far in the past as you would like Americans to believe...

    Again... FACTS... You never have any.. :D But I like ya anyways.. :D

  188. [188] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Kick,

    What was the basis for the dissent of the three amigos?

  189. [189] 
    Michale wrote:

    You already did. You promised to post a photo of you holding up a sign saying I am always right and you are always wrong. :-D

    Only with you everyone else seems to be afraid are do not have any faith in facts as I have in mine.. :D

    President Trump will win against Joe Why-Can't-Police-Shoot-Subjects-In-The-Legs Biden...

    Republicans will keep the Senate and take the House..

    These are facts that are soon-to-be conclusive.. :D

  190. [190] 
    Kick wrote:

    Mike
    179

    Actually, the bases are named after Democrats...

    Actually, you are a lying blowhard.

    President Trump should be applauded for his spirit of bipartisanship and reaching across the aisle and give famous Democrats they recognition they deserve...

    Reach across and suck faster.

    Way ta go, Mr President!! :D

    Swallow.

  191. [191] 
    Michale wrote:

    Of course, the Media is making Rayshard Brooks out to be some perfect little angel...

    Media Portrays Rayshard Brooks As Loving Father Despite Criminal Charges Of Cruelty To Children, Battery On Family Member, FalseImprisonment
    tbdailynews.com/media-portrays-rayshard-brooks-as-loving-father-despite-criminal-charges-of-cruelty-to-children-battery-on-family-member-false-imprisonment/

    Of course the FACTS say different...

    Cruelty To Children
    Battery
    False Imprisonment (Kidnapping)

    Yea... Brooks was a sweethart with a rapsheet a mile long..

    https://i1.wp.com/turtleboysports.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Screen-Shot-2020-06-14-at-1.37.09-PM-1024x800.png?resize=1000%2C781&ssl=1

  192. [192] 
    Michale wrote:

    Atlanta PD did the world a favor by removing Rayshard Brooks from the gene pool...

  193. [193] 
    John M wrote:

    [156] ListenWhenYouHear wrote:

    "It does not take much to get shot...just a complete and total disregard for human life."

    To argue the other side of the coin:

    1) Why not call for back up? How far is a drunk man on foot really going to get? What about having a police chopper overhead?

    2) You were already patted down and found to have no other weapons. You only have a non lethal taser which you do not know how to drunkenly work properly.

    3) You were running away from the police, not towards them. You were shot in the back and killed. Is taking a life really worth it for someone who is running away from a confrontation?

    4) The police have your car. They know exactly where to find you and pick you up later at their leisure. It's not like you are actually going to get away with anything.

  194. [194] 
    Michale wrote:

    Funny.. No one ever brings facts to the discussion.. Except me.. :D And maybe Liz and JL on occasion.. :D

  195. [195] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Well, I didn't really want to waste time on finding out why three Supremes dissented in this case.

    But, it isn't that complicated.

    The dissenters - Alito and Thomas, anyway - say that 'sex' doesn't mean 'sexual orientation' or 'transgender' in the context of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.

    Which begs the question - what to they think 'sex' means in that context?

    Don't even answer that!

  196. [196] 
    John M wrote:

    [187] Michale wrote:

    A) Actually the bases were named after Confederate and traitors, those who took up arms against the government of the United States and fought against the U.S. army and lost.

    B) Starting with Nixon's southern strategy in the 1970's, racists moved from the Democrats to the Republicans, and Republicans brought us white identity politics.

    c) Republicans gave us the racist ALT-Right.

    D) The Republicans fought against renewal of the Voting Rights Act, the Equal Rights Amendment, and Extending The Civil Rights Act to LGBTQ Americans.

    E) The republicans are working to make voting harder, not easier, for most Americans.

    These are not facts you can easily spin away.

    Bu hey Michale, I like that you are wrong all of the time anyway. :-)

  197. [197] 
    Michale wrote:

    JM,

    What do you base all of that on?? Wishful thinking??

    Why don't cops just let EVERYONE run away??

    And then Rayshard Brooks goes and rapes or kills some child..

    I really don't have time to argue with your Hollywood concept of what cops should do..

    You are so far outside the realm of reality, there is no hope for common ground...

  198. [198] 
    Michale wrote:

    Oh.. I see you directed that at Russ..

    Good.. Waste HIS time.. :D

  199. [199] 
    Michale wrote:

    JM #200

    None of that BS you spewed has no supporting facts whatsoever...

    And even if you DID have facts to support it, it would change my facts not a single whit.. :D

  200. [200] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    None of that BS you spewed has no supporting facts whatsoever...

    I know that you think what you wrote there was what you meant to say but I'm not sure that you know what you said is most definitely not what you meant.

    Or something like that … double negatives and apostrophes and such. Heh.

  201. [201] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    What?

  202. [202] 
    Michale wrote:

    And I am betting once we get back Brooks' tox screen, it will show high levels of illegal narcotics...

    Meth and Fentynal seems to be the choice drugs in these instances...

    Ya'all watch...

  203. [203] 
    Kick wrote:

    EM
    188

    What was the basis for the dissent of the three amigos?

    I guess they were okay with discrimination against American citizens... probably their same usual shit about "not legislating from the bench" unless the legislating pleases the frothy right-wingnuts, of course.

    Huge win for Americans today... the SCOTUS has spoken. :)

  204. [204] 
    Michale wrote:

    LGBTABCXLUSERYZYWEQ is so 2019....

    No one gives a rat's ass about that any more.. :D

  205. [205] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    I guess they were okay with discrimination against American citizens... probably their same usual shit about "not legislating from the bench" unless the legislating pleases the frothy right-wingnuts, of course.

    Apparently, so. And, it took many more pages to say it than the actual opinion. And, they talk about deception!

    Deception
    I'm not being fooled by deception
    Deception
    You thought you could put something over me

  206. [206] 
    Michale wrote:

    JM,

    Oh.. I see you directed that at Russ..

    Good.. Waste HIS time.. :D

    I WILL tell you that hind/sight is ALWAYS 20/20...

    It's easy for a Monday Morning Quarterback who is completely ignorant of the game to say, "He shoulda done this!!!" or "She shoulda done that!!!"

    If you really want to speak intelligently about the issue, take a ride along with JSO in the back streets of Jacksonville, FL..

    Granted it won't give your COMPLETE experience like I have and, to a lesser extent, Russ..

    But it would give you an actual clue what cops go thru on a NIGHTLY basis..

    You might even become more human and not be so quick to criticize that which you are ignorant about...

    The only thing you have to lose is your ignorance...

    And THAT is a good thing..

    I'm just sayin'...

  207. [207] 
    Michale wrote:

    Sgt. Rob Pride on Rayshard Brooks shooting: Atlanta officer appears justified in using force

    After looking at the video of the attempted arrest of Rayshard Brooks in Georgia, Colorado Police Sgt. Rob Pride told “Fox & Friends” on Monday the use of force appears to have been justified.

    “I don't see how this would not meet a deadly force encounter by most agency standards," said Pride, who serves in the Loveland, Colo., Police Department.

    Pride, who is also the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) National Trustees chair, weighed in on the police-involved shooting death of Brooks outside a Wendy’s fast-food restaurant in Atlanta, which led to protests and destruction over the weekend. The incident was captured on video.

    Pride said he watched the video “several times” and has spoken with officers from around the country, including experts on "use of force" by officers.

    “With the current training that we have, and I can say for across the country, most agencies, this would be a deadly force encounter because of the incapacitating capabilities of the Taser," he said.
    https://www.foxnews.com/media/rob-pride-rayshard-brooks-atlanta-officer-justified-deadly-force

    Just the facts...

    As usual..

  208. [208] 
    Michale wrote:

    The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), which is investigating the shooting of Brooks, said the deadly confrontation started on Friday with officers responding to a complaint that a man was sleeping in a car blocking the restaurant's drive-thru lane. The GBI said Brooks failed a field sobriety test and then resisted officers' attempts to arrest him.

    ATLANTA POLICE CHIEF RESIGNS AMID BACKLASH OVER FATAL SHOOTING OF BLACK MAN

    The GBI released security camera video of the shooting Saturday. The footage shows a man running from two white police officers as he raises a hand, which is holding some type of object, toward an officer a few steps behind him. The officer draws his gun and fires as the man keeps running, then falls to the ground in the parking lot.

    GBI Director Vic Reynolds said Brooks had grabbed a stun gun from one of the officers and appeared to point it at the officer as he fled, prompting the officer to reach for his gun and fire an estimated three shots.

    “We can look through history and see how many officers in policing history have been killed when they were disarmed of their own firearm and when a Taser is used against officers, it has that capability,” Pride noted.

    “It has that capability of incapacitating an officer and having them disarmed and killed with their firearm and so I don't know of many agencies that this wouldn't be a deadly force encounter and it will be interesting to see what comes out of the investigation in regards to whether policies were met or not.”

    JM...

    NONE of your suggestions would have addressed the issue that COULD have arisen from a scumbag with a police issue taser...

    Deadly force was called for..

    It's really THAT simple...

  209. [209] 
    Michale wrote:

    Again, I would like to ask the question I did last night and see if anyone can answer it..

    Is it possible.... Is it even CONCEIVABLE that a white cop can shoot and/or kill a black person and it be justified??

    Is that even possible in the eyes of Democrats and the Democrat Party and everyone here????

    What would such a situation look like???

    I mean, Rayshard Brooks fought the cops, stole one of their tasers and attempted to flee and was shot to bring him down...

    How is that NOT justified???

    So, I gotta ask...

    Is it possible that a white cop can shoot/kill a black subject and it be justified??

  210. [210] 
    Michale wrote:

    In addition, the Atlanta Police Department has released officer bodycam and dashcam video of the events leading up to the fatal shooting of Rayshard Brooks. The Atlanta Police Department confirmed it has taken action against two police officers in connection with Brooks' death. Officer Garrett Rolfe, a veteran of more than six years with the force, was fired, and Officer Devin Bronsan, with the department since 2018, was placed on administrative duty, WSB-TV of Atlanta reported.

    Fmr NYPD commissioner explains the key to the Rayshard Brooks caseVideo
    Host Ainsley Earhardt asked Pride why the officer was fired if Pride feels that the incident met “a deadly force encounter by most agency standards.”

    “I think that's a great question for the police chief and the mayor,” he said, acknowledging that he “certainly was not a part of those conversations.”

    “But it would appear that perhaps a due process was not followed for those officers, and I think there might have been a quick reaction here,” he continued.

    As contrary as it may seem to the Democrat Party, even cops are entitled to DUE PROCESS...

  211. [211] 
    Michale wrote:

    Pride acknowledged that the situation is “a tragedy" and pointed out “one of the things that really stuck out” to him about the incident.

    “The officers did not start firing when Mr. Brooks initially just started running away,” Pride said. “He ran for a short distance. You can't hear what orders they were giving him, but they did not shoot when he started to run.”

    He noted that “the shooting occurred” when Brooks “turned around with, who knows what they [the officers] thought it was, but we all know now that it was a Taser, and deployed it, and that's when they delivered the deadly force.”

    Pride said it was “a lose-lose situation really for these guys.”

    “If they let this gentleman go and he gets in his car and he kills somebody, then they’re on the hook for that and if they make an arrest and there is resisting and then this tragedy occurs,” he added.

    “Had there been no arrest, he had not tried to escape, this would never happen and we wouldn't have this tragedy," Pride explained. "And when folks resist arrest like this and try to escape, the outcomes are unpredictable."

    That's what most of you people don't get..

    "Just let him run away" you say...

    If the cops did that, then THEY would be responsible for EACH and every crime Brooks committed AFTER he ran away...

    Cops DO NOT let fleeing felons run away.. ESPECIALLY when they are armed with police issue weapons...

    As I said above.. If ya'all really want to speak from experience, take a ride along in a high crime area with local law enforcement..

    It, of course, won't give you the full effect of what cops have to go thru.. You won't have to make instant life/death decisions.. But you'll bear witness to those who DO make those decisions and why they make the decisions they do..

    At least it would give ya'all a chance to speak from less ignorance and to know somewhat, what yer talking about...

    And less ignorance is ALWAYS a good thing....

  212. [212] 
    Michale wrote:

    News4Jax crime and safety expert analyzes fatal police shooting in Atlanta

    The Fulton County (Georgia) District Attorney says a decision on whether to bring charges against the police officers involved in the fatal shooting of Rayshard Brooks could come Wednesday. The key to those charges may be police body camera video.

    Brooks, 27, was shot and killed by Atlanta police officer Garrett Rolfe on Friday night after police moved to handcuff him for suspected driving under the influence. Multiple videos show Brooks took an officer’s stun gun during the attempted arrest and tried to fire it as he ran away.

    News4Jax crime and safety expert Ken Jefferson, a former police officer, watched the encounter and offered this analysis.

    “You’re taught in training that if someone disarms you and takes your Taser and they use that Taser on you, that’s almost like a death sentence for that officer because that person who is using the Taser against the officer can take his weapon from him and kill him," Jefferson said.

    Rolfe, who has since been fired, could face homicide charges. Jefferson said it is difficult to say whether the charge is justified and depends on Georgia law. But he can see where the Atlanta cop felt his life was being threatened.

    “This one is hard to call because you got a suspect who physically fought you -- so that was resisting arrest with violence because he battered the officer -- you see that in the video,” Jefferson said. “Then he flees, he’s got a felony charge on him, he’s fleeing and as he’s fleeing he’s got a weapon in his hand, a less-lethal weapon in his hand, that could disable that officer if it makes contact.

    “This is going to have to be carefully examined by the District Attorney of Georgia based on Georgia laws. Right when we see (Brooks) deploy the Taser is when we see the officer pull his weapon out and uses it with deadly force against Mr. Brooks."
    https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2020/06/15/news4jax-crime-and-safety-expert-analyzes-fatal-police-shooting-in-atlanta/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=snd&utm_content=wjxt4&fbclid=IwAR1uwlvEhlw3Jyp-GAvg0R8XNilEYSzk9xaRzajlb0aYOmqbYqRRFA1naIU

    This is a TEXTBOOK case of a good shoot..

  213. [213] 
    Michale wrote:

    "He wasn’t causing anyone any harm. The police went up to the car and even though the car was parked they pulled him out of the car and started tussling with him."

    Yea, the car was parked..

    IN THE MIDDLE OF A FRAKING WENDY'S DRIVE-THRU!!!

    And Brooks was drunk off his ass...

    The legal limit in FL .08%... Brooks blew a .108%

    Once again.. A Good Shoot...

  214. [214] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Yeah, because being drunk in public should result in arrest and death.

  215. [215] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    … IN THE MIDDLE OF A PANDEMIC AND SUSTAINED PROTESTS AGAINST OVERREACTION BY THE POLICE.

    Can you hear me?

  216. [216] 
    Michale wrote:

    Yeah, because being drunk in public should result in arrest and death.

    I have always enjoyed sensational headlines like that.

    "POLICE KILL BLACK MAN FOR BROKEN TAILLIGHT!!!!"
    "FILM AT 11!!!!!"

    Of course, after we learn the story, the facts come out that the cops pulled over the car for a broken taillight and the "black man" came out of the car shooting.. :D

    But sensational headlines are so much more fun, eh.. :D

    Brooks wasn't shot because he was driving drunk.. He was shot and killed because he fought the cops and took an officer's weapon...

    And YES... *THAT* is grounds for deadly force in ANY PD or SO in the country...

    … IN THE MIDDLE OF A PANDEMIC AND SUSTAINED PROTESTS AGAINST OVERREACTION BY THE POLICE

    There is no overreaction by the police..

    There is overreaction by the community and the racists in the Democrat Party who never let a good crisis go to waste..

    We don't need Police Reform because the police are doing everything right and by the book..

    We need community reform and Democrat Party reform...

  217. [217] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Brooks wasn't shot because he was driving drunk.. He was shot and killed because he fought the cops and took an officer's weapon...

    The point, Michale, is that the trigger happy cops should never have let the situation get to that point. Let me say that again. They had no business handcuffing and arresting Brooks. This is what the officers will have to explain.

  218. [218] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    I'm done with you on this issue - for obvious reasons, and then some. :)

  219. [219] 
    nypoet22 wrote:

    @liz,

    the rayshard brooks case didn't happen because the cop was trigger-happy, it happened because the cop had to defend himself. it is tragic that it happened, but i don't think it's fair to blame that particular officer for the outcome of that encounter.

    i've said it before and i'll say it again, each of these cases is unique. shades of grey and all.

    JL

  220. [220] 
    Michale wrote:

    The point, Michale, is that the trigger happy cops should never have let the situation get to that point.

    No.. The point is it's the perpatrators who have complete control how far it goes..

    As I said, hindsight is 20/20.. It's easy to say what should and should not have been done with the benefit of hindsight...

    Per the law, per police SOP, the cops in both incidents did absolutely nothing wrong..

    And that is easy to prove...

    If Floyd and Brooks had been white, no one would have said BOO about it.. Chuavin and Rolf would have filed their respective reports, maybe gone out for a beer and then called it a day (or night)...

    If Chauvin and Rolf did nothing wrong when Brooks and Floyd were right, then Chauvin & Rolf did nothing wrong when Brooks and Floyd were black...

    "Simple logic"
    -Admiral James T Kirk

    It's beyond all doubt that the cops did nothing wrong..

    This is fact....

    They had no business handcuffing and arresting Brooks.

    Really??? Drunk driving not a big enough crime for you??? Don't tell MADD....

    This is what the officers will have to explain.

    Well, it's a good thing for Rolf et al that I am here to do it for them.. :D

  221. [221] 
    Michale wrote:

    And just for fun because I decided to watch the PROPHECY movies again.. :D

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCDIYvFmgW8

  222. [222] 
    Michale wrote:

    They had no business handcuffing and arresting Brooks.

    Since we seem to have a WILDLY different view of the events in question, the ONLY logical recourse is to agree to disagree....

  223. [223] 
    MtnCaddy wrote:

    [87]

    Hay MC...

    Google glitch hides Winston Churchill image from search results
    https://www.foxnews.com/tech/google-glitch-hides-winston-churchill-image-from-search-results

    Remind me again how GOOGLE doesn't have a Left Wing bias???

    I seem to have forgotten, what with all the FACTS that prove otherwise...

    I read that Fox News article. For one day Winston Churchill's pictire didn't load up along with all the text, which did load up. Google fixed this "glitch," as they called it.

    So how do you get Left Wing Bias out of this article, Michale? I don't see the connection here at all.

  224. [224] 
    ListenWhenYouHear wrote:

    Michale,

    You address any 3 comments I made about how the media has messed up, including this one..

    So you want me to comment on the pic you sent the link to?

    It’s funny. I could have sent you a link to any number of sites reporting on the SeattleTimes story of FoxNews digitally altering photos to include masked gunmen to its coverage, but I sent you directly to the story where the evidence is presented and in which FoxNews’ admission and apology were mentioned. See, if you are accusing someone of doing something wrong, it’s best to get the story directly from the source.

    You send me a link to what I can only guess is from a bot-sent email accusing CNN of doing something that does not include a link to where I can actually see the CNN sites’ use of the altered photo.

    My comment is that you are a fool for believing everything you read on sites that mainly advertise herbal Viagra supplements. CNN needs to hire FoxNews’ guy if the picture is real...but I am fairly sure that we both know that it is not!

    When your accusations and comments have some basis in reality that you can provide evidence for, I might take your comments more seriously and feel the need to respond.

    Also, you have no idea how much I enjoy seeing you now making sure to claim that you had 25 years in Public Safety instead of your old claim that you had 25 years in Law Enforcement. It screams,

    “Russ whooped my butt and proved to the world that I was lying all of these years...inflating my work experience so people would “respect” the fake me’s opinion!”

    Just wanted to thank you for that!

  225. [225] 
    ListenWhenYouHear wrote:

    nypoet22 [219]

    i've said it before and i'll say it again, each of these cases is unique. shades of grey and all.

    Well said.

  226. [226] 
    Michale wrote:

    MC,

    I read that Fox News article. For one day Winston Churchill's pictire didn't load up along with all the text, which did load up. Google fixed this "glitch," as they called it.

    And, as I said, there is always a "rational" explanation for every "glitch"..

    And yet, it keeps happening and ALL in the same direction...

    AGAINST President Trump..

    Once is a "mistake"..

    Two is a "coincidence"..

    Three is an agenda...

  227. [227] 
    Michale wrote:

    Also, you have no idea how much I enjoy seeing you now making sure to claim that you had 25 years in Public Safety instead of your old claim that you had 25 years in Law Enforcement. It screams,

    You can spin it however you want, Russ..

    But I have always said "Public Safety" when generalities are called for and listed specifically my LEO and Military careers when specificity is called for..

    The fact that you continue to spin yer ignorance is a constant source of amusement for me.. :D

    So, you want to make a wager on NOV???

    No???

    Scared??? :D I can understand it.. You have ALWAYS been wrong.. Why add even MORE humiliation on top of what's already there.. :D

    Peave Out.. :D

  228. [228] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Joshua,

    the rayshard brooks case didn't happen because the cop was trigger-happy, it happened because the cop had to defend himself. it is tragic that it happened, but i don't think it's fair to blame that particular officer for the outcome of that encounter.

    Okay, 'trigger-happy' was over the top and I knew it when I posted it.

    But, I couldn't disagree more vehemently with your assertion that the cop had to defend himself with deadly force in this case.

    At no time, according to all video evidence, were the cops in any life-threatening danger, whatsoever. And, they knew early on that Brooks was not armed.

    As the evidence clearly shows, there was no time wasted in pulling out a gun and using deadly force - no time at to all to think about what other actions they could take. The first thought, once Brooks ran away with one of their stun guns, was to shoot - twice in the back, as it turns out.

    Any police officer worth his or her own salt would have come up with another plan.

    Another officer might not have put handcuffs on the guy instead of talking to him for a while longer to get an idea of what was going on. Right up until the time the cops tried to handcuff him (for sleeping in his car while drunk in a Wendy's drive-thru, let us try to remember) things were going well and Brooks was calmly talking with the officers after parking his car in a not haphazard manner, I might mention.

    I'll be surprised if this cop doesn't end up in prison and in the new training seminar showing how not to deal with a member of the community you are sworn to protect.

  229. [229] 
    Michale wrote:

    JL,

    the rayshard brooks case didn't happen because the cop was trigger-happy, it happened because the cop had to defend himself. it is tragic that it happened, but i don't think it's fair to blame that particular officer for the outcome of that encounter.

    Exactly.. What most people who are ignorant of LEO activities realize that it's the subjects who are in completely control of events..

    Right up to the point that they become froggy or combative and resist arrest...

    At that point, they give up all control of their destiny..

    Each and every contact between LEOs and the community follows the same pattern...

    How it ends is TOTALLY up to the subject....

    You can set your watch by it..

  230. [230] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    And, one more thing I heard a former officer say today on CNN.

    She said that once Brooks got his hands on the officer's stun gun AND started running away, police culture took over instead of police training.

    Suddenly, the situation was personal and the officer had to 'get him', at all costs. The cop wasn't in fear of his life. He was ANGRY and, it showed.

    It will be interesting to hear what this officer has to say for the actions he took. Or, do we already know ...

  231. [231] 
    Michale wrote:

    No matter how you want to slice it, Russ...

    My bona fides were established LONG before you decided to grace Weigantia with your glorious presence.. :D

  232. [232] 
    Michale wrote:

    She said that once Brooks got his hands on the officer's stun gun AND started running away, police culture took over instead of police training.

    They are one and the same..

    Suddenly, the situation was personal and the officer had to 'get him', at all costs. The cop wasn't in fear of his life. He was ANGRY and, it showed.

    The fact that the officer was not in fear of his life is not relevant.. There was a legitimate fear for Public Safety...

    It will be interesting to hear what this officer has to say for the actions he took. Or, do we already know ...

    It's funny... No one would care if Brooks had been white... There wouldn't have been ANY question of what the officer had to say for his actions..

    The same applies to when the subject was black..

    Unless ya'all are advocating that police treat black people different??

    Yer not?? Are you??

    Yer not advocating that Police treat black people different...

    Are you???

  233. [233] 
    Michale wrote:
  234. [234] 
    ListenWhenYouHear wrote:

    John M

    To argue the other side of the coin:

    1) Why not call for back up? How far is a drunk man on foot really going to get? What about having a police chopper overhead?

    If they were not already dispatched and on their way from the start, I can guarantee you that multiple units added themselves to the call the moment they heard the suspect was combative and had disarmed an officer. This all happened in a matter of a few minutes at most.

    2) You were already patted down and found to have no other weapons. You only have a non lethal taser which you do not know how to drunkenly work properly.

    He was not handcuffed, so it is not likely that he was patted down fully...which means we have no idea if he has other weapons. We do know that Brooks has the means to take an officer’s weapon by incapacitating them if he gets the chance. That Brooks did not know how to properly use a taser is what turned it from a “non-lethal” into a “lethal” weapon.

    3) You were running away from the police, not towards them. You were shot in the back and killed. Is taking a life really worth it for someone who is running away from a confrontation?

    Brooks demonstrated a willingness to do whatever he had to do to avoid being held accountable for drunk driving...how much harder do you think he will be willing to fight to avoid being held accountable for the much more serious charges his resistance will bring?

    4) The police have your car. They know exactly where to find you and pick you up later at their leisure. It's not like you are actually going to get away with anything.

    Are you serious with this argument? Have you never heard of criminals going on the run to avoid being arrested? Yes, the police have his car...and Brooks has a taser giving him the ability to take a car from a random stranger. When you have someone willing to put others lives in danger if it helps them get away, then shooting one person to prevent them from possibly killing a dozen people is in the public’s best interest!

    Police work is almost always “reactive” — their response will be determined by your actions. The reason that most officers never face charges in officer involved shootings is NOT because the prosecution lets them get away with it or that the police protect their own by screwing up the investigations...it is because the officers are extremely well trained on when they may use deadly force legally. We give them guns because we expect them to use them when the law deems it necessary.

  235. [235] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    It's funny... No one would care if Brooks had been white...

    Actually, it's very un-funny. And, I would have cared and reacted just the same if Brooks had been white or Native American or Asian or Latin American or whatever.

  236. [236] 
    Michale wrote:

    Suddenly, the situation was personal and the officer had to 'get him', at all costs. The cop wasn't in fear of his life. He was ANGRY and, it showed.

    Trying to pretend you know what's going thru an officer's head as he or she shoots someone is a folly and I *KNOW* you are better than that.... NO ONE here, sans yours truly, can say what that is like..

    You can spin it all you want.. But there is simply NO WAY to make 2+2=5....

    This was a good shoot.. Period.. The punitive action taken against the officers was SOLELY to appease the political mob..

    This incident, like Officer Chauvin is going to go down like the Darren Wilson or the Ray Tensing cases...

    And big splash of publicity to appease the cop-killer mob and then a quiet dismissal of all charges...

    Which is good because charges should have NEVER been brought anyways....

  237. [237] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    That description was NOT what was going through MY head but, through the head of a former officer of 20+ years.

  238. [238] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    In your mind, they are all good shoots, regardless of the unique circumstances of each case.

    That is why you have no credibility with me on this issue.

  239. [239] 
    Michale wrote:

    We'll never know how many innocent lives Officer Chauvin or Officer Rolf saved by removing their respective scumbags from society...

    Chauvin and Rolf deserve our thanks, not to have their integrity question by a bunch of.... er.... people....

  240. [240] 
    Michale wrote:

    In your mind, they are all good shoots, regardless of the unique circumstances of each case.

    Actually, that is not factually accurate.. I have condemned 2 incidents because those are the only 2 that required condemnation..

    That is why you have no credibility with me on this issue.

    I am the ONLY one here who has ANY credibility on this issue.. Sure, to a lesser extent, Russ has some credibility..

    But the rest of ya'all?? You think they way you think because you were told to think that way... All ya'all's experience comes from Left Wing rags..

    I know what I know because I have been there and done that...

    That makes me unique amongst all Weigantians..

    That description was NOT what was going through MY head but, through the head of a former officer of 20+ years.

    Well, she's wrong.. If you want to give me a link, I'll show you why she is wrong...

  241. [241] 
    Michale wrote:

    Florida protester Oluwatoyin Salau, 19, found dead in Tallahassee after going missing
    https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/06/15/oluwatoyin-salau-found-dead-tallahassee-black-lives-matter-protest-missing/3190606001/

    Remind me again how BLACK LIVES MATTER???

    Apparently they did not matter to this black guy...

    Black people kill 96% of all black deaths in this country in any given year..

    And ya'all are trying to tell me that Black Lives Matter???

    The FACTS don't jibe with the claim...

  242. [242] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Actually, that is not factually accurate.. I have condemned 2 incidents because those are the only 2 that required condemnation..

    Which two would those be?

  243. [243] 
    Michale wrote:

    Well, once again... It's been fun...

    See ya'all in the AM... Gonna finish up Season 3 of BURDEN OF TRUTH...

  244. [244] 
    Michale wrote:

    Actually, that is not factually accurate.. I have condemned 2 incidents because those are the only 2 that required condemnation

    One was the incident in SC where a cop planted a gun or taser...

    I don't recall the other one.. Gimme a break, it's been 16 years.. :D

  245. [245] 
    Michale wrote:

    One was the incident in SC where a cop planted a gun or taser..

    And WHY did the scumbag cop plant a taser???

    Because he knew that a subject armed with a taser is grounds for deadly force...

    "Cue Applause..."
    -Dr Rodney McKay, STARGATE ATLANTIS

  246. [246] 
    MtnCaddy wrote:

    [226]

    And, as I said, there is always a "rational" explanation for every "glitch"..

    And yet, it keeps happening and ALL in the same direction...

    AGAINST President Trump..

    Once is a "mistake"..

    Two is a "coincidence"..

    Three is an agenda...

    You cited a Fox News "headline" about Winston Churchill's face not loading up along with his bio on Google as an example of Left Wing bias. The article doesn't even use the words "Left Wing bias" so Michale how do you make that leap? And what are your other news sources?

  247. [247] 
    Kick wrote:

    Russ
    224

    Also, you have no idea how much I enjoy seeing you now making sure to claim that you had 25 years in Public Safety instead of your old claim that you had 25 years in Law Enforcement.

    It screams,

    “Russ whooped my butt and proved to the world that I was lying all of these years...inflating my work experience so people would “respect” the fake me’s opinion!”

    But but but, Russ. Mike swears that he never claimed he was a cop. *laughs*

  248. [248] 
    Kick wrote:

    EM
    205

    Apparently, so. And, it took many more pages to say it than the actual opinion. And, they talk about deception!

    I'm guessing Prism!?

    That should have been a slam dunk 9-0 decision based on law. The three amigos are obviously pretzels here... which takes a lot more explaining than just following the letter of the already enacted law.

  249. [249] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    I'm guessing Prism!?

    Call me impressed.

  250. [250] 
    Kick wrote:

    Mike
    227

    You can spin it however you want, Russ..

    But I have always said "Public Safety" when generalities are called for and listed specifically my LEO and Military careers when specificity is called for..

    Bullshit, bullshit, more of your bullshit!

    You spent years and years on this forum lying to everyone and claiming that you were a cop.

    The fact that you continue to spin yer ignorance is a constant source of amusement for me.. :D

    Russ is correct on this one; there are years and years of your archived bullshit wherein you claim you were a cop. Russ has already posted one of them and asked you if you wanted some more. Russ then mercifully abstained from posting more of your lies.

    As for me, I'm not going to be so merciful:

    Being a former cop myself, I honestly don't believe that some of your "pitfalls" are actually pitfalls at all. A trip thru the justice system CAN have the effect of scaring a kid straight..

    ~ Mike, the fake cop

    http://www.chrisweigant.com/2013/01/15/guest-author-cops-in-schools/#comment-32108

    Mike's bullshit is archived on this forum for all posterity. Does somebody want to explain "archived" to the guy who pretended to be a cop on this forum for years and years and now claims he never did? It appears he doesn't quite understand the concept.

    Would you like another, fake cop? Asking for a friend.

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