The Political Thread

[The Legendary Shark]

The groundsman at the place where I'm staying just got punched in the face three times by a painter. Three police officers turned up, with pistols on their hips (!), and nobody got arrested. All that happened was that the attacker was asked to apologise to his victim (who has blood all over his mouth) and then the police just went away.
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I was arrested and incarcerated overnight, assaulted and 'fitted up' for nothing more than refusing to open my front door - nobody got hurt except me. I mean, wtf???
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It's no wonder the police are increasingly distrusted. What a bloody farce.

[Professor Bear]

If it bothers you, you could see if you can get anyone to inquire on your behalf as to the disparity in police response, but not every police officer is some principled superhero willing to buck the system and solve things amicably with a handshake or a stern talking-to, most are just doing a job and sometimes that job involves being bailiffs for local councils.  Some might have qualms, but certain occupations like policing or the army tend to attract a very right-wing type of person and the more liberal or conshie types tend to either wash out or they find a way integrate with the prevailing mindset.

[The Legendary Shark]

I'm not really angry, just disappointed at the apparent disparity. It just seems like law and order is inconsistent, simply a matter of pot luck depending upon what mood the police officers happen to be in at the time. Surely we deserve better.
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I also found three armed officers turning up to be extremely troubling.

[TordelBack]

I also found three armed officers turning up to be extremely troubling.

No kidding.

[Professor Bear]

Sometimes I forget how soft and gunshy you mainlanders are - over here cops carry guns all the time and it's worked out just fine.  On a completely unrelated note, there's a small cross not 100 yards from my home that commemorates the spot where a police officer shot an 8 year old to death.

[Frank]

This is a cop. In the USA. At a peaceful demonstration by unarmed citizens.

[Steve Green]

They might put their hands up higher.

[Proudhuff]

This is a cop. In the USA. At a peaceful demonstration by unarmed citizens.

Its not a real gun, you can see those wee rubber cups on the end of the darts, they can smart you know.

[von Boom]

He was aiming at villains like this:

[Montynero]

One interesting things here is the Pentagon have been giving a lot of ex military equipment to the police.

http://essentialopinion.wordpress.com/2014/08/15/beyond-black-and-white-ferguson-police-brutality-and-warrior-cops/

You start off with a cop with a pistol, like in Inverness, and this is where you end up decades later. Escalation.

The other interesting thing with Ferguson is when they withdrew the military style police last night and sent in the Highway Patrol to work with the crowds and even give out hugs the tension diffused. People have a right to protest peacefully  Long may that continue.

[Hawkmumbler]

The Americans would be lost without their guns. What would they use to intimidate old ladies at Wall-Mart or shoot deffenceless young adults with then?

[Professor Bear]

Lynchings.

[ZenArcade]

The amendment is totally outside any relevance in terms of time or effectiveness.
I assume it was drafted and endorsed for the original (noble) reason that it was a reasonable preposition that an armed citizenry (presumably with muskets, pistols, swords and possibly cannon of some sorts) would have a reasonable chance of deposing a government which oppressed or was inimical to what was set out in the bill of rights or constitution.
This is clearly impossible now, given the massive discrepancy between the arsenal held by the government and the citizen with pistol or rifle.
We are left with the scenario where far too many unvetted, unsuitable persons have a weapon or in many instances weapons to no end (as envisaged by the founding fathers). Hence the scenario we now see wherein ordinary dispute is lethal to the populace in general and whereby the government and it's affiliate state branches is unassailable even if they are or will be the tyrant. Z

[Theblazeuk]

Gun advocates are clueless to the reality though.

Be interesting to see how they experienced their inalienable rights if they woke up one morning with a different skin colour.

[Jim_Campbell]

The amendment is totally outside any relevance in terms of time or effectiveness.
I assume it was drafted and endorsed for the original (noble) reason that it was a reasonable preposition that an armed citizenry (presumably with muskets, pistols, swords and possibly cannon of some sorts) would have a reasonable chance of deposing a government which oppressed or was inimical to what was set out in the bill of rights or constitution.

It's also worth noting that America at the time had no standing army, and no guarantee that the British wouldn't come back and have another go at reclaiming the territory — the American revolution was greatly aided by France, who pretty much bankrupted themselves in the process. The second amendment was drafted while France was in the grip of a bloody revolution with no real guarantee what the political landscape would look like when the dust settled, so "A well regulated Militia" was most certainly "necessary to the security of a free State", and thus eminently sensible that "the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed".

Whilst not empowered to speak on behalf of the UK government, I feel broadly confident that a British invasion of the US is fairly unlikely.

Ironically, the situation in Ferguson looks like exactly the kind of government tyranny the NRA gun nuts claim they need their second amendment rights to defend against, and yet...

Cheers

Jim