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UpperWestside

Certifiably Surly
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Posts posted by UpperWestside

  1. 2 hours ago, TwiceHorn said:

    I am not, in general, a fan of athletes as spokespeople for a movement.  A large part of that is that I am very uneasy with celebrity worship and that includes sports figures.  The absurd amount of money that pro sports make from people who can ill afford it bothers me.  Talk about opiate of the people.  I don't think it's healthy for a society.

    That said, if they are the ones with the platform, that can get government and the people to listen, more power to them.

    I generally do not listen when celebrities want to talk about most anything, but the NBA has been fairly progressive, especially in recent years and the players have built up some goodwill for having been out there protesting since shortly after George Floyd was killed. This isn’t a PR appearance to them and if they are the guys who can get some stuff started towards a nationwide overhaul of who and what police will be going forward I am all for it.
     

    John Lewis said in his autobiography that he never cared about whether someone was a man or woman, their color, sexual orientation or political affiliation. If they supported the movement he took part in then they were all on the same team. Bring on the NBA and the considerable weight those players, Board of Governors and the league office can throw around. If MLB the NFL, WNBA, NHL and anyone else around the world want to join in to put an end to this shit then bring them aboard and join the fight against these racist assholes.

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  2. 18 minutes ago, Mrs Whiggins said:

    I was wrong, Lara Trump is on tap for tonight.

    Madison Cawthorn is speaking. Funny that he says "If you don't think young people can change the world, then you don't know history." Rather ironic considering the GOP tried to cancel Greta.

    The best thing about Mr. I KNOW HISTORY is that had he lived during the time his hero was the dictator of the nazi state, he would’ve been among the earliest people to get a T4 label and been permanently cancelled. Not that he even realizes that.

  3. 10 minutes ago, bad_teammate said:

    "Where we preach and tell them to vote and walk away."

     

    Another guy I never rooted for, but I like Webber as a person and always have. The part about his autistic nephew was hard to hear and really hits home. Our actions have got to back up our words. Again it isn’t enough to say you support equality if you aren’t doing anything. 

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  4. 10 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

    Well, which was it....was he "going for a knife!" (which no officer said a word about at the time at the scene), or did they shoot him because he was about to get into a "car, which is a deadly weapon!"

    Note, there is a knife in my car.  Just because I'm getting into my car doesn't mean I was "going for a knife."   If it did, then literally every time I am pulled over, the cops can and should shoot me (actually, it would be irresponsible for them NOT to shoot me -- I could stab someone before they know it!  Or I might drive my car into a lake with my kids inside!)

    The mere possibility of risk doesn't justify a shooting.  They have to establish reasonable fear for their lives.   And "reasonable" needs to be more than a fucking scintilla of possibility.  Again, by the standard the cops would follow, any of us would be justified in shooting a cop because they have a proven track record of using unreasonable force, and for crying out loud, he had a gun!

    That ain't the standard.  For us or them.

     

    I hope this does turn into a more general strike.  It's the only sort of thing that even has a shot at making a difference.

    I think what is going to have to happen with this strike is that the players are going to have to now get out there front and center and demand legislation and change and that it has to happen now. If they do that that would give the overall movement a large jolt of support. I am all for whatever they decide to do. If they want to go back and play I am for that as well. Whatever the athletes want to do to address this ongoing issue of police brutality and overall racist behavior I support it. I never thought I'd be supporting anyone that plays for the Celtics, but I have the utmost respect for Jaylen Brown and his teammates for saying enough is enough with all of this. I am no Doc Rivers fan, but to see him break down and say what he did hurt to see. How in the hell can any human being that isn't a virulent racist see that and not say that they aren't all in on ending the systemic racism that continues to happen in this country?

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  5. 4 minutes ago, Gourmand said:

    The quickest resolution would be to arrest the cop who killed Breonna Taylor. Then arrest this cop. 

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    I'll gladly be wearing this shirt I bought last week on Friday at the March on Washington.

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  6. Just now, Aqua Buddha said:

    So, they tase him, he gets up, and they let walk around to the other side of the car?

    If they believed he had a knife, let him get it and then draw your weapon and back up.

    Well, you see, he's black. Blake's very existence and presence is a threat because, again, he's black. 

    The first rule of a police encounter with a black man is shoot first and never ask questions.

    The second rule is to make sure if you shoot a black man at point blank range seven times in the back that he dies. What officer wants to face the shame of not fulfilling their sacred oath to protect, serve and kill every black man or woman every chance you get?

  7. Look at just page 40 alone at the type of human beings we are sharing this country with. If you want to see why this election will not be the cure all, but only the opening salvo if Biden wins, that should be somewhat sobering. These cretins are out there just itching to shoot black people and they really don't need much provoking to do it. 

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  8. 4 minutes ago, Aqua Buddha said:

    When asked about the video Wednesday, Sheriff Beth said that in those situations police have “incredible tunnel vision” because of the loud noises — “there’s screaming, hollering, and chanting” — and could not explain why they did not detain him.

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  9. 4 minutes ago, Dahobbs said:

    If you read the DT thread right now, that is exactly right. Seriously, the problem isn't that a white supremacist just killed people, it is that the "riots" caused the situation to exist. Fucking crazy shit. 

    We live in a country where the insane racists that populate that part of this board are running amok blaming everyone else for what is wrong when anyone with an IQ north of 12 can see that supporting Dotard and his racist agenda IS THE PROBLEM. Supporting white supremacy in any form IS THE PROBLEM. We are living in crazy town right now and the worst elements of our society just cheer it on and blame everyone but themselves. 

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  10. 55 minutes ago, Bama Chick said:

    Where’s the concern trolling for this?

     

    We should remember the rhetoric of the person who has emboldened white supremacists to commit these acts of murder. The President of the United States has gleefully looked on and condoned this. Thank you cult members once again for supporting your cult leader through thick and thin. The rest of us can only “thank you” because we sure enjoy seeing our fellow Americans get shot dead in the street by some of your team members. This is sad, tragic, embarrassing and if you think for one damn moment that any of you will magically get to just disappear and not own your part in all of this you’re wrong. Even the one concern trolling here will have to pay a price for all of this. This is all sickening to witness.

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  11. 49 minutes ago, Hugo Stiglitz said:

     

    I just saw this. I think he articulated perfectly so much of what is wrong with this country. Those words he spoke are going to get more coaches and athletes to be even more forceful in what they say and what they do. That was some raw emotion that we as a country need to hear. Every damned one of us who do not know and will never know that kind of fear of the police we need to hear his words and have it drilled into our heads over and over. If you are still sitting on the sidelines shame on you for not giving a damn about your fellow Americans. If you aren’t helping you are absolutely part of the problem.

  12. 2 hours ago, Pasken said:

    I'm genuinely shocked Trump's response to a racist comment was, "Let's be nice."

     

     

    Was his next comment “You’re gonna get me in trouble here saying the quiet stuff out loud!”

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  13. I do absolutely believe the youngest current generation is the smartest and most informed we have ever had though. The thing with them is seeing if they will follow through this n the years and years of work ahead that will be required from them and the rest of us to sow this country back together into some form of a functioning democracy.

  14. 14 minutes ago, ChiTownDoc said:

    You act like the olds aren't gonna die off.  The younger generation isn't into this same bullshit and the olds are dying, trust me. 

    This was literally all kinds of 1/100 chances that all hit at the same time.  I don't buy this being the new norm.  People have a terrible recency bias. 

    I am trying not to just look through the lens of what happened four years ago. We are not suddenly going to have 55-60 million voting adults, not to even mention the people who do not vote who support this clown, all dying off and slithering away. Civil Rights Laws and reform in the 60’s did not end racist behavior. If anything it emboldened millions of people to continue to be that way, but in more hushed tones.
     

    This isn’t just about Biden winning or losing. I will vote for him and I believe he will win. I do not believe that the people who vote for Dotard will suddenly have a come to Jesus moment and renounce who they are. They’ll get quiet again and find a new messiah to follow. History is littered with idiots following an idiot with a message they want to hear. 

  15. 1 hour ago, ChiTownDoc said:

    The R party is dead with a loss in November.  The only question is does it come back with the same name or another.  All the more reason to get the fucking vote out.  Also do your best to get those you love to get to actual polling stations.  Unless they're voting R...in which case why do you love assholes? 

    Sadly, the mail in options should only be used as a last resort right now.  

    I would like to believe this, but I will not underestimate just how easily millions of Americans can be led down the path of fascism. All it takes is someone charismatic who can re-brand the evil with a shiny new bow. Then we start with this all over again. Our country has a lot of decidedly not sharp tools in the populace. 2016 out front shoulda told you.

  16. 21 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

    Or....and follow me here.....the GOP could just destroy any and all institutions and mechanisms that could force them from power, rigging the game for the next 50 years.

    Which path do you think they'll take?

    They're attempting to do it now. The only thing standing between them pulling this off is the election results. It is not an exaggeration to say that if Dotard is re-elected that we are  going to see riots on a scale that has never been seen in this country. Just like the Cult puts their racism in the storefront window, those of us who are sick of it have our opposition for everyone to see. I personally would not riot, but I will not condemn it either. We are witnessing a cult attempting to turn us into a fascist country and that absolutely has to be prevented. We're on that path right now, but it can be halted. Getting this idiot out of office would be a beginning to righting the ship, but it will take years to repair things just to get back to some semblance of a functioning democracy.

  17. 3 hours ago, Hugo Stiglitz said:

    Watched the series “Waco” yesterday and couldn’t help but think about how Bill Barr was the AG during the increased militarization of the ATF/FBI just before Janet Reno came in and got much of the blame. This includes Ruby Ridge. 

    The police in this country think and are equipped like they are a branch of the armed forces. What is required is a full rebuild of every police department from coast-to-coast. That would require everyone who is currently employed as an officer having to re-apply for their job. This would involve having to undergo training in non-violent actions in policing. That should be, at a minimum, a six month endeavor. It should be at least 10 hours a week of training that would be non-paid. If you really want the job you would have to do this. I would also have every officer across the country to have to pay to get a psych evaluation from a panel of at least seven psychologists and psychiatrists to determine the mental health of the person applying to become an officer. I also believe an in-depth screening of social media posts should be conducted to see what you have written and if you have things in your history that would be either racist or something that shows a tendency towards violence that should disqualify you from service. If you cannot sufficiently prove you are mentally capable of handling a weapon that can terminate someone's life you are denied the opportunity to be in law enforcement anywhere in this country. If you have a history of violent confrontation on your record already with the public you should be terminated and barred from ever joining another police department. You can look at the records that NYPD had to open up to the public and see what has been hidden just by that police department. A history of violence in law enforcement should also negate your ability to be employed in private security of any kind. PERIOD. END OF STORY. We also need, at a minimum, 40 percent of a police force to be staffed with psychologists, social workers and psychiatrists who can respond to non-violent calls. We do not need officers responding to calls who have an itchy trigger finger and are ready to just shoot from the hip. 

    I am so tired of seeing OUR MONEY spent on officers who do what happened in Kenosha. They are on OUR DIME, not vice versa. If we are going to pay these people to protect and serve the public then it will be on our terms and that will not include them acting like they are a member of the armed forces. We are going to need some national leadership on this that we are not getting even if Biden wins. I think if you keep pushing and protesting for reforms though that eventually we can break through and get the bills written on actual national police reform. This is not going to be an easy fix nor a quick one. I think the young generation of folks protesting right now get this and will play the long game just like the African-Americans from the Civil Rights Movement did in the 1950's and 60's. They just kept pushing until they got what they asked for written into law. There is a lesson to be learned from their persistence. While it did not completely change everyone's opinion they at least had laws on the books that they could point to that they never had before.

     

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  18. 2 hours ago, wildcat09 said:

    And the cop who assaulted him sued him!

    They are exactly who we thought they were. Cops are gonna cop until their jobs are taken away. Every department in this country needs to start over completely. 

  19. 22 minutes ago, Ghost of LL said:

    See--the problem with the last section is twofold:

    1) If Trump loses, he won't have the good grace to go away like Nixon or McGovern.  He'll stick around.  It always has to be about him.  And he's got enough supporters that they will make it about him.  The GOP can't move past Trump.  Not while he's alive.  It will always be the Party of Trump.

    2) If the Democrats gain control of the House and Senate, the first thing they're going to pass is a new Voting Rights Act.  And that is going to make it impossible for an all-white party to win going forward.  And what're the chances of the Trumpublican Party changing its colors to become something other than an all-white party?

    The thought process of “We’ll just rebuild it post-Trump and everything will be okay is a fantasy. It absolutely does not bother to see how the last 50 years of the Republican Party is why they are now a cult. When you spend five plus decades fighting against change you get what they are now.
     

    Sasse is a joke. He is emblematic of why that party needs to be stricken from American society and never be heard from again. The idea that they will just re-form around some new ideals is ridiculous and should get pushback from the parts of society that recognize the Republican Party for what it is. It is a party of racists who would love to go back to the good old days when Jim Crow ruled the roost and white people did not have to recognize black folks as being their equal. You can throw a gallon of lipstick on the pig, but it’s still a pig.

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