The News Thread

[MadMan]

On one hand, yeah aliens probably exist somewhere. On the other hand I still think that UFOs are man made super craft technology which all started with the Nazis in WW2...

[transmogrifier]

How the fuck are you allowed, in a civilized country, to harass with guns someone out jogging and then kill him in an altercation that you yourself provoked by harassing with guns someone out jogging. Yes, he tried to attack you. Because YOU WERE FUCKING HARASSING HIM WITH A GUN WHILE HE WAS OUT JOGGING.

What the fuck, people?

[MadMan]

It's America. I'm angry, sad and tired all at once over gun violence here.

[Peng]

but bLack People scaRy thO

Seriously, the stomach-churning recorded video is even more damning, with the victim trying to go around their truck to avoid them. That the sequence of events is they see him running, then go grab their guns and chase him in the truck to catch up and do that... just horrible.

[Skitch]

freedumbs. flag worship. make murica white again.

A president that is openly racist at every presser.

What is surprising here?

[Dukefrukem]

There's a great tweet I saw, where this happened over 3 months ago but we are only seeing the case with fresh eyes now because video exists. It shouldn't work that way.

[Wryan]

Utterly disgusting.

Even if the young man was the burglar terrorizing this neighborhood and was out casing the place for new homes to hit in the disguise of an unarmed jogger, it changes nothing in this situation. They did not witness him commit a crime and had no immediate knowledge that he had committed a crime or was in the process of doing so. They were in no way permitted to perform a citizen's arrest. You don't get to jump in your truck with guns and a dog and chase after a black dude like your Georgian ancestors of old in the off chance your assumption is correct. At best, call the police and follow him so that he doesn't get away. Then cross your fingers that the police don't shoot him themselves.

"Within their rights to do what they did" (paraphrased)--holy shit, burn the whole law enforcement apparatus down, here in this little corner of the South and elsewhere if need be.

One of the most infuriating parts of this is that his mother found out that her son was dead because someone called to say he was involved in a burglary and had an altercation with a homeowner over a gun. How can you live with yourself to lie about such a thing when barely any facts are known at that point? That's a gargantuan assumption and a literal lie in at least one way. Fuck this insanity. I hope the renewed attention brings the family some measure of justice.

[megladon8]

I think we're all forgetting that America is the greatest country in the world.

[Skitch]

Countries are dumb.

[Dukefrukem]

Countries are dumb.

huh?

[Skitch]

huh?

Lets put up arbitrary borders and flags and fight for our fake lines! Its just all dumb to me. Especially people that get excited about their particular flag.

[Dukefrukem]

Lets put up arbitrary borders and flags and fight for our fake lines! Its just all dumb to me. Especially people that get excited about their particular flag.

Well most boarders are separated by rivers or other bodies of water, so not really arbitrary... and I'd rather not live near a group of people that base most of their laws on hardcore religious beliefs. So yeh, I kinda love countries.

[megladon8]

Well most boarders are separated by rivers or other bodies of water, so not really arbitrary... and I'd rather not live near a group of people that base most of their laws on hardcore religious beliefs. So yeh, I kinda love countries.

I just...

No one? No one else going to take this one?

[[ETM]]

Well...

[baby doll]

Well most boarders are separated by rivers or other bodies of water, so not really arbitrary... and I'd rather not live near a group of people that base most of their laws on hardcore religious beliefs. So yeh, I kinda love countries.

The notion that national borders are somehow natural is obviously untenable. (Alaska, anyone?) Nations are always the product of intentional human activity, not natural geography.

[Dukefrukem]

The notion that national borders are somehow natural is obviously untenable. (Alaska, anyone?) Nations are always the product of intentional human activity, not natural geography.

Not "somehow". That's just where it naturally makes sense in MOST cases. You build a city on one side of the river. The other side is where those mean people live. Let's separate from them.

US States too.

[baby doll]

Not "somehow". That's just where it naturally makes sense in MOST cases. You build a city on one side of the river. The other side is where those mean people live. Let's separate from them.

US States too.

What you're describing obviously isn't natural, since you have one group of people intentionally deciding to live apart from another group. Moreover, the production of communities not only requires the separation of one community from others adjacent to it but intentional activity connecting its various members, such as the building of roads and other infrastructure. A good example of this would be the State of Israel, which builds infrastructure connecting settlements in the West Bank to the rest of the country but not in "unrecognized" Bedouin communities. This isn't to say the division of space is completely arbitrary, but it's far from a natural phenomenon.

[Dukefrukem]

What you're describing obviously isn't natural, since you have one group of people intentionally deciding to live apart from another group. Moreover, the production of communities not only requires the separation of one community from others adjacent to it but intentional activity connecting its various members, such as the building of roads and other infrastructure. A good example of this would be the State of Israel, which builds infrastructure connecting settlements in the West Bank to the rest of the country but not in "unrecognized" Bedouin communities. This isn't to say the division of space is completely arbitrary, but it's far from a natural phenomenon.

I never subscribed for it to be a natural phenomenon. Only that it isn't arbitrary.

[Skitch]

I don't care if it is rivers and shit. Borders...are dumb.

And its just wasting time of the inevitable.

[MadMan]

I just...

No one? No one else going to take this one?

I'm sober tonight so I'll just let it go...

[Dukefrukem]

I know there are a lot of simpletons out there that see "In God We Trust" on our currency, and look at how our founding fathers spoke back when they wrote the declaration of independence, but believe it or not we have this thing called separation of Church and State. It's built into the constitution.

My comment was referring to nations like Saudi Arabia. So there's nothing for you to "let go".

[MadMan]

One could make a pretty good argument that the US is run by a bunch of far right fundie Jesus freaks hell bent on pushing their own brand of religious authoritarian thought onto the rest of the country.

[Dukefrukem]

One could make a pretty good argument that the US is run by a bunch of far right fundie Jesus freaks hell bent on pushing their own brand of religious authoritarian thought onto the rest of the country.

But we don't have laws saying you can't eat meat on Good Friday. Or that women can't drive a car. I don't care what religion our leaders are I just don't want it pushed on me.

[Pop Trash]

One could make a pretty good argument that the US is run by a bunch of far right fundie Jesus freaks hell bent on pushing their own brand of religious authoritarian thought onto the rest of the country.

No it's not. Jesus Fucking Christ. See the fact that I can type Jesus Fucking Christ and not get charged with something proves my point. Anyone who thinks America is some Saudi Arabia level theocracy is out of their fucking mind.

[[ETM]]

You think Saudis don't blaspheme online?