Combating Racism in America

[Emilie Jolie]

Just thought I'd clarify - I didn't give this JFK quote to make a partisan political point.I'm not American, and would be neither a Dem nor a Rep under the current system.

I was just trying to make the point that a good political leader can capture the mood on the street and turn it into something that would appeal to all Americans. 

Edited June 18, 2020 by Emilie Jolie

[sothereiwas]

11 minutes ago, Emilie Jolie said:

neither a Dem nor a Rep under the current system.

As am I. I do like the honest truth however. 

JFK would never make it in the DNC of today. 

[Piddy]

23 minutes ago, sothereiwas said:

JFK would never make it in the DNC of today. 

Yes he would and so would his brother RFK.  I was alive for both of them.  They were both extremely smart, charismatic politicians.  They would adapt to the times.  IMO had just either lived, we'd be in a much better place today.

 And right wing extremism was around back then.  Barry Goldwater in 1964.  Although Barry mellowed greatly in his old age.  And Barry was one of the Republicans in 1974 that went to Nixon and said it was over and to resign.

Where's the profile and courage in the Republican party to go and confront Trump on his corruption? 🙄

Edited June 18, 2020 by Piddy

[sothereiwas]

2 minutes ago, Piddy said:

They would adapt to the times.

You're probably right, it's possible they stood for nothing except the pursuit of power. I was trying to be generous and imagine they actually did what they did because of their beliefs and values. Good reminder though, thanks.  

[Piddy]

11 minutes ago, sothereiwas said:

You're probably right, it's possible they stood for nothing except the pursuit of power. I was trying to be generous and imagine they actually did what they did because of their beliefs and values. Good reminder though, thanks.  

  Joe Kennedy told his sons that he had made enough money for the family for generations and to go out and do some good.  They could've become Republicans and just been for the rich, but they didn't.   You weren't alive in that time.  I was.  I liked their politics.  Again, this country would've been much better off had they lived.

Imagine the Vietnam war ending in 1969 and no Nixon and Watergate.  I was there for all that also.

 

Edited June 18, 2020 by Piddy

[Redhead14]

7 minutes ago, Piddy said:

  Joe Kennedy told his sons that he had made enough money for the family for generations and to go out and do some good.  They could've become Republicans and just been for the rich, but they didn't.  

 

I think Kennedy was the last, maybe the first and only President, who actually closed the up the divide between republicans and democrats in terms of respect.  Both reps and dems revered him and cried when he was assassinated.  I want someone more like him to come along whether democrat or republican.  Yeah, he had his faults and a coupla things in his closet, but overall he presented himself with poise and restraint, intelligence and did bring the country together during a very difficult period.  He stood up to the task of being a leader and did it well. 

Edited June 18, 2020 by Redhead14

[Piddy]

9 minutes ago, Redhead14 said:

I think Kennedy was the last, maybe the first and only President, who actually closed the up the divide between republicans and democrats in terms of respect.  Both reps and dems revered him and cried when he was assassinated.  I want someone more like him to come along whether democrat or republican.  Yeah, he had his faults and a coupla things in his closet, but overall he presented himself with poise and restraint, intelligence and did bring the country together during a very difficult period.  He stood up to the task of being a leader and did it well. 

And IMO Bobby would've been a great President as well.   They were the right men for their time and cut down much too soon.  Again, we can only imagine where we'd be if history had been different. 

Edited June 18, 2020 by Piddy

[sothereiwas]

1 hour ago, Redhead14 said:

he presented himself with poise and restraint

Well, other than the injectable uppers and pimping out the interns, and a few other things. 

[Ellener]

@Piddy the last of the Kennedy siblings died this week. She was a great diplomat too, I think their father could have been proud of his children.

“To whom much has been given, much is expected.”
- Jean Kennedy Smith, The Nine of Us: Growing Up Kennedy

[sothereiwas]

"A taser is a deadly weapon" according to Georgia law, says this DA ...

 

Fascinating.

[preraph]

There's two different kinds of tasers. but the danger the officers face when someone steals their taser is that if they get tased then that person may also take their gun and kill them. so generally you are allowed to go after someone who steals your taser or other weapon. 

This situation is out on the fringe, however, with the guy running away from him. Of course he's already committed cruelty to his children and their mother so you got to wonder what he would have done with a taser. 

[preraph]

Good news.  False alarm. Not hate after all. 

https://abcnews.go.com/amp/Politics/wireStory/nooses-oakland-park-exercise-aids-man-71314468?__twitter_impression=true

[preraph]

The latest is that under the law in Atlanta, police are allowed to use deadly force if the person poses a threat to them or to any other people which certainly a guy who has violence in his past who bothered to wrestle police, bruised them up pretty good, decided he wanted to steal a taser and did, and tried to shoot him with the taser, there certainly could be a danger to the public at large and to any other police who might have arrived on the scene..

 

So I think they're going to have a little bit of a controversy and need a trial. 

[sothereiwas]

5 hours ago, preraph said:

There's two different kinds of tasers.

Last time I checked they sold several different models, maybe they've trimmed it down to two.

The one most police use has a two shot cartridge and is a pretty big bit of kit, with multiple modes and digitally signed logs, and so on. 

[sothereiwas]

2 hours ago, preraph said:

So I think they're going to have a little bit of a controversy and need a trial. 

Think it will get past a grand jury?

[schlumpy]

5 hours ago, preraph said:

Good news.  False alarm. Not hate after all. 

I would have some other place to live then Oakland, California.

I understand they (the City) are embarrassed but to turn that around and say that people should always be aware of racist symbols, when the only way it was a racist symbol what through the mayor's imagination, is the real danger.

I suspect there was some political motivation to view it as such.

 

[preraph]

9 hours ago, sothereiwas said:

Think it will get past a grand jury?

Yes, I think a grand jury will indict on some count. And it's in Atlanta so I think he will be convicted because I think it would be hard to get a nonbiased jury.  I just heard on the news that there is a big legal support fund going for him so hopefully he'll at least have a good attorney team. 

 

I think just like we look at the background of Brooks, we should have a look at the background of this officer. In the end it's going to come down to what he was trained to do and it was only yesterday that I heard the actual municipal laws there on the subject and they seem to support not letting the man get away with a weapon that could harm someone. But of course all that's out the window at a jury trial and you are at the will of the jury. Lots of pressure to convict him. 

If Brooks had not tried to taze the cop, it would be a lot clearer cut but he stole that taser and was willing to use it to disable an officer of the law. 

[schlumpy]

The big racist lie of the decade was: If we elect an African American to the White House it will go a long way to solving racism in America. 

So what happened?

Did white America blow it again?

[Ellener]

1 hour ago, enigma32 said:

 In my town, restaurants can't even find dishwashers since literally everyone qualifies for unemployment with a pay range of $644 to $1030 a week. 

Good. Then they won't become the disaffected or traumatised population of tomorrow. 

Market forces in action. Redistribute the wealth. Not via force or taxation- let people help each other because they want to and trust that they will. They generally do left to their own devices.

[sothereiwas]

1 hour ago, Ellener said:

Then they won't become the disaffected or traumatised population of tomorrow. 

From washing dishes? 

[schlumpy]

5 hours ago, Ellener said:

Good. Then they won't become the disaffected or traumatised population of tomorrow. 

Market forces in action. Redistribute the wealth. Not via force or taxation- let people help each other because they want to and trust that they will. They generally do left to their own devices.

Why do we socialize children Ellener, if they are already born with the innate goodness to help and care for one another?

We do it because life would resemble "Lord of Flies" if we didn't.

[Emilie Jolie]

7 hours ago, schlumpy said:

We do it because life would resemble "Lord of Flies" if we didn't.

There's actually been a real life 'lord of the flies' situation when 6 school boys from Tonga Island went missing for 15 months; they wete marooned on a desert island and got found by accident by an Australian ship in the 60s. It's a really heartwarming story of friendship, solidarity and team spirit, the boys and the captain have kept in touch for over 50 years. (google Mano Totau and Captain Peter Warner if you are interested).

[Weezy1973]

On 6/20/2020 at 2:37 AM, schlumpy said:

The big racist lie of the decade was: If we elect an African American to the White House it will go a long way to solving racism in America. 

So what happened?

Did white America blow it again?

The big lie, racist or not, is thinking a president has that much power. Like people who keep saying Trump is better for the economy. It’s a lie. He doesn’t have that kind of power. The economy is cyclical and the president that happens to be in power in the up part of the cycle gets credit, and the one in power during the downturn gets blame. Both are in accurate.

If Obama ends up having a lasting impact it will happen in time. If black kids, born into a bad life get inspired by seeing a black president. Then again Trump could undo that if it actually was a thing. And there’s American politics. Go one way, then reverse and go the other way. A lot of treading water.

[sothereiwas]

Apparently Uber Eats is waiving delivery fees for black owned businesses until the end of 2020. Or until they get buried in lawsuits, whichever comes first. 

[lana-banana]

We already know what happened after the stimulus checks went out: poverty fell! Despite people not working, not going out, etc, poverty actually fell in April and May because of federal assistance. (NYT, June 21st, 2020, "Vast Federal Aid Has Capped Rise in Poverty, Studies Find"). 

People were not wasting the money on drugs and bad decisions. The vast majority of people who needed it the most used it as intended: they paid critical bills and tried to take care of themselves. If we continued this in the long-term we could actually make a meaningful stab at addressing poverty in this country.