The Confederate battle flag.

[HN-Matt]

This is some hilarious liberal group that no one can remember the name of that was trying to do something to 'get heard'. Their group and main cause is to 'disarm' the NYPD. Seriously. It's a group that thinks police officers in America's largest city should not have guns or weapons on them. Comically, after people started getting upset that Freddie Gray died in Baltimore police have stopped entering these horrible slum, ghetto crime ridden areas. The murder rate in the city has increased by 48%. 150 people have been murdered in that city alone this year. NYC would turn into Honduras as far as murder rates go in the course of a month if the NYPD was 'disarmed' like that group wants. That group is a joke.

The group that wants to disarm NYC cops is less of a joke than the group that wants to fire corrupt NYC cops.  Crime rates with 49,000 disarmed cops policing the streets would still be much lower than they would be if the NYC police force was reduced to less than 1,000 honest armed cops if the "fire the corrupt cops" group and their buddies at internal affairs got their way and got rid of all the corruption in the police department.   .

By the numbers: US police kill more in days than other countries do in years

 

[HN-Matt]

re: sublimating nostalgia for the Confederate Army, to the extent that the flag is being claimed or marketed as a symbol of Southern pride, we can perceive reactions as being cathected. Not being from the USA, I don't really have strong feelings on the matter and wouldn't care to get argumentative about it. What I don't understand, though, is how those who are so inextricably or patriotically effected by the object can't perceive how there might be completely different kinds of cathexes at play in Others for whom the flag's history of representation is a glaring insult. The insular refusal to acknowledge that...

Otherwise, I don't know what all the hysteria is about as the flag will surely continue to survive in capitalist economy to the extent that the market demands its ongoing reappearance. If certain big names are relinquishing it, wouldn't that just mean more sales for the wagon circlers?

 

[AuroraZero]

re: sublimating nostalgia for the vanquished Confederate Army, to the extent that the flag is being claimed as a symbol of Southern pride, I think we can perceive such reactions as being cathected in a particular way. Not being from the USA, I don't really have strong feelings on the matter and wouldn't care to get argumentative about it. What I don't understand, though, is how those who are so inextricably or patriotically effected by the object can't perceive how there might be completely different kinds of cathexes at play in Others for whom the flag's history of representation is a glaring enemy. The defensive, insular refusal to acknowledge that seems strange to me.

I am conceeding that point easily, but none the less it does not give them the right to say it can not be flown. I do not care if it meant the destruction of this earth that flag can be flown. That is the thing I am saying and no one not even the President has the right to say it can not. There should be no pressures to take it down either. Not by anyone, not any where. That is all I am saying. It is not right and not what I was defending.

 

[MannDude]

By the numbers: US police kill more in days than other countries do in years

Yes, however not every case is unjustified and I never take much merit when comparing statistics from vastly different countries or areas of the world regardless if the data supports or doesn't support my beliefs. Every place is culturally different to a degree.

While I do whole heartedly agree there needs to be some sort of police reform, it should be understood that if you attack an officer, reach for an officers gun, reach for your own gun and/or try to kill a police officer to escape arrest that you may very well get killed yourself.

I didn't read every single one, but a good place to look is here: http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2015/jun/01/the-counted-police-killings-us-database#where you can expand each case to see race and cause of death. The random ones I clicked seemed more or less justified.

There are certainly some horrific cases where police have grossly misused their power. The New Mexico homeless man who was killed, luckily I do believe the officers involved in it are going to prison. There was also the cop in NC or SC, I forget which, the one who planted evidence after shooting the man in the back and it was all caught on tape. That cop should be hung in the city square. There are also some cases where the police did nothing wrong in my opinion and got caught up in a liberal media shit-storm of "HE WAS A GOOD BOY HE DID NOTHING WRONG!" when the one who died was a thug who questionably brought upon his own sudden death by his own actions.

 

[HN-Matt]

Yes, however not every case is unjustified and I never take much merit when comparing statistics from vastly different countries or areas of the world regardless if the data supports or doesn't support my beliefs. Every place is culturally different to a degree.

While I do whole heartedly agree there needs to be some sort of police reform, it should be understood that if you attack an officer, reach for an officers gun, reach for your own gun and/or try to kill a police officer to escape arrest that you may very well get killed yourself.

I didn't read every single one, but a good place to look is here: http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2015/jun/01/the-counted-police-killings-us-database#where you can expand each case to see race and cause of death. The random ones I clicked seemed more or less justified.

 I didn't read any of them. I linked to the article because I don't think British cops carry guns at all, which is what the Guardian was probably trying to emphasize. Somehow it seems to result in less police related killings... and presumably it works both ways. With the foreknowledge that police are unarmed, there may be a diminishing return on the thought of pulling guns on them to begin with. Murdering someone who was defenseless and unarmed doesn't usually go over very well regardless of who did it, cop or not.

 

[Aldryic C'boas]

I agree totally with you @Aldryic C'boas and as such I exercise my right to bust their arms and legs. I am not saying the system is perfect but if they do not like it then do something to change it. Burning the symbol people use for freedom is not the right thing to do in my book. Especially when you happen to live in said country, and enjoy the same freedom the symbol is suppose to stand for in the first place.

At least that is how I look at it. I am sure others see things differently, but then again that is one of things that makes America what it is today. The freedom to have your own insights and opinions, and they do not have to be like mine and no, we do not have to fight over them.

Ah, but see, that's just it.  You *don't* have a right to assualt others in this country.  In fact, you're actually pissing on their "free speech" (using the phrase very loosely here to move things along). And while technically burning the US flag is a crime, it's a very minor one unless there are other charges to stack with it.  End of the day - beat down a flag burner, and you're looking at a good deal more jailtime than they are.  Ethically, they were expressing their opinion and you brought violence into the equation.

I don't condone flag burning at all.  As a veteran myself, I find it rather ridiculous that people would waste the time when there are far more productive and efficient ways of making your voice heard.  I don't feel that they're betraying my country, or disrespecting my service.  I served so that they could voice their dissent and opinion, whatever it may be.  My personal view on the subject lines up pretty close to The Carlin:  "Flags are a symbol, and I leave symbols to the symbol-minded."

 

[k0nsl]

http://www.occidentaldissent.com/2015/07/26/confederate-graves-desecrated-in-van-buren-confederate-monument-vandalized-reidsville/
Desecrating graves...makes the blood boil, and I'm not even American.

I think the Americans need to resurrect Stonewall Jackson to get this mess mopped up once and for all:

 

[HN-Matt]

http://www.rawstory.com/2015/07/hackers-turn-pro-confederate-facebook-group-into-celebration-of-obama-islam-and-lgbt-rights/