Woke DA Bail Madness Wisconsin

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Res Ipsa
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Re: Woke DA Bail Madness Wisconsin

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Lastly, I do want to address your generalizations about the left and BLM protesters. You speak of the left as some monolithic entity that speaks with one voice. It’s not. It’s an incredibly broad swath of people who disagree with each other on almost everything. I think the vast majority of the left absolutely agrees with MLK’s statement. The issue is whether we are at that point. If we have systemic bias built into our Justice system and other systems, then we can all pretend to be colorblind, but black folks will still be disadvantaged based purely on the color of their skin. That’s the actual point of disagreement between left and right on this issue.

And, sure, you will here folks on left propose things that advantage black folks. But, for the most part, those are proposals intended to undo the bias in the system — not to establish black folks as an ongoing advantaged group. When I hear that kind of proposal, I always think “what problem is this supposed to address? How bad is the problem? Is what is proposed the best way to eliminate the problem?

And you’ll sometimes hear some outright crazy stuff from some person or other on the left. When you see an example of this on you tube or breitbart or social media, you should always ask yourself: does this really reflect the views of most folks on the left? Breitbart sells outage to folks on the right. That’s the target audience. The New York Post sells sensationalism. I don’t believe that some white supremacist guy or militia member speaks for the “right.” Why would I. Right now, the right is at War with itself over who is a conservative and who is not. I mean, isn’t it pretty simple common sense? You have real live people on the left in this forum. All you have to do is ask whether X is a common view on the left. Or look for a reputable survey by an organization like Pew. You’ll get a much better sense of what the left is than you will from the cartoon picture Fox or Breitbart presents you with.

As for BLM protesters, if you haven’t been to a protest March and paid close attention, you won’t understand what actually happens. In every peaceful protest, you will find folks who use it as cover for carrying out their extremist agendas. In my area, it’s primarily a group of anarchistic who used to live in the Eugene, Oregon area. I don’t know if they still do — they seem more spread out now.

Not all anarchists are the same — there are lots of different flavors. But the group I’m talking about are anti private property, and especially the property of large corporations. So, at any large protest or March, there is a risk that these folks will infiltrate and use the gathering as cover to break and burn stuff. And they are predominantly white. Like the gal that torched three police cars in 2020. I think it’s fair to say that the mainstream left wishes they would stay the hell away.

We’ve got others who actively provoke the police. I have no idea whether these are the same group or other folks. But when the police try to disburse a crowd, they are always there, taunting, heckling, throwing stuff. Again, these are violent extremists that most of wish would stay the hell away.

Then we have the Proud Boys and their lying Propagandist Andy Ngo. If there’s any chance of Antifa being present, they will attend, spoiling for a fight. And if Antifa is around, they will happily oblige. (And it works the other way, too.)

As I understand it, BLM is a decentralized organization. I don’t know whether people join or just declare support. In this area, there was one BLM protest March in 2020, which means the local group sponsored the March. It was huge and there was no violence that I’m aware of. I believe it was permitted, and when the event was over, the crowd dispersed and went home.

The violence that we experienced appeared to me to arise out of more spontaneous, less organized, and maybe not permitted marches. They certainly were intended to shore support for the black community, but I wouldn’t describe them as BLM protests or BLM protesters.

As far as I know, BLM does not advocate violence against people or property. I don’t follow BLM closely, so I could be wrong. But I haven’t seen them do so in my area.

Again, this is another long winded example of a simple fact: protest marches on the left are complicated, and there is always the risk of infiltration by violent extremists who will use the event as cover for wreaking havoc. BLM is also complicated. Just because a black person says or does something at BLM event doesn’t mean they are acting or speaking on behalf of BLM.

My area has specific individuals and groups that commonly cause problems, and the overwhelming majority of those folks are white. I’m sure that other areas have their own problem people and groups that create dynamics unique to their area. So, lumping all those folks together and calling them BLM protestors is a wild over generalization with a pretty heavy dose of racial bias.

Finally, you analogized your resentment and anger to BLM protesters, like it was some kind of an excuse. You clearly hold BLM in contempt, so why would you want to like them? I know what anger feels like. I know what resentment feels like. I can’t imagine wanting to feel like that all the time about everything. To me, it would mean everything I love about being a human being. I really don’t understand. Why do you seek that out? Why do you want to live like that?
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ajax18
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Re: Woke DA Bail Madness Wisconsin

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So, lumping all those folks together and calling them BLM protestors is a wild over generalization with a pretty heavy dose of racial bias.
You know Res Ipsa I see you as a reasonable person and I really don't lump you in with people like K Graham or Schmo.
I can’t imagine wanting to feel like that all the time about everything. To me, it would mean everything I love about being a human being. I really don’t understand. Why do you seek that out? Why do you want to live like that?
I think you have a good point. One of my weaknesses is that I relish a good argument. I've wasted far too much time on this forum doing that. I'm a busy man with a new calling in the ward, my two kids, and my job. I pop in when a patient no shows and end up sucked in to a long and emotional argument. I enjoyed Gab for a while but their software kind of sucks. The content was great. I am getting tired of hearing the same old outrage from Glenn Beck, Ben Shapiro, Breitbart, Sean Hannity etc. It's not that I don't agree with what they're saying nor that what they're saying isn't true. It's just that we've heard it for years and there's never been any way of getting anything done about any of it. Talk is cheap and you're right that all it does is make me angry. But it is entertaining and somehow enticing. Perhaps it just comes down to self discipline and shutting it out. I think turning off the news would be a first step forward for me. In a way I'm not angry with the Democrats. They are who they are. I'm angry at the Republicans who weren't willing to do anything to stop what we all knew was going to happen. Maybe I will watch the primaries, if only to shout down people from the Romney, McCain, and Bush family and remind the voters why they never should have been trusted to act in the best interest of working class conservatives.
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Re: Woke DA Bail Madness Wisconsin

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Res Ipsa
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Re: Woke DA Bail Madness Wisconsin

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ajax18 wrote:
Sat Nov 27, 2021 3:11 am
So, lumping all those folks together and calling them BLM protestors is a wild over generalization with a pretty heavy dose of racial bias.
You know Res Ipsa I see you as a reasonable person and I really don't lump you in with people like K Graham or Schmo.
I can’t imagine wanting to feel like that all the time about everything. To me, it would mean everything I love about being a human being. I really don’t understand. Why do you seek that out? Why do you want to live like that?
I think you have a good point. One of my weaknesses is that I relish a good argument. I've wasted far too much time on this forum doing that. I'm a busy man with a new calling in the ward, my two kids, and my job. I pop in when a patient no shows and end up sucked in to a long and emotional argument. I enjoyed Gab for a while but their software kind of sucks. The content was great. I am getting tired of hearing the same old outrage from Glenn Beck, Ben Shapiro, Breitbart, Sean Hannity etc. It's not that I don't agree with what they're saying nor that what they're saying isn't true. It's just that we've heard it for years and there's never been any way of getting anything done about any of it. Talk is cheap and you're right that all it does is make me angry. But it is entertaining and somehow enticing. Perhaps it just comes down to self discipline and shutting it out. I think turning off the news would be a first step forward for me. In a way I'm not angry with the Democrats. They are who they are. I'm angry at the Republicans who weren't willing to do anything to stop what we all knew was going to happen. Maybe I will watch the primaries, if only to shout down people from the Romney, McCain, and Bush family and remind the voters why they never should have been trusted to act in the best interest of working class conservatives.
Ajax, I think we’ve had some great conversations and you’ve taught me some things.

I love a good argument, too. (Maybe you’ve noticed.)

I take vacations from the news when I find myself getting tense or angry when I watch or read. When I gain perspective, I’ll stick a toe back in and see how it goes.

I agree with you on working class folks, although I wouldn’t limit it to one faction. Lots of people made a ton of money over the last 30 or 40 years. But somehow the working class didn’t get a cut of that. That’s wrong, and neither party has anything to be proud of. There is no reason that the Democrats had to stop being the party of labor and start being the party of social Justice. For heavens sake, have folks forgotten how to walk and chew gum at the same time? And there is no reason that the Republican Party shouldn’t have stepped up and taken care of the working class instead of concentrating on making rich people richer.

And how in the world did the working class get tricked into fighting itself over Party identity while the rich guys laughed all the way to the bank?

It’s ain’t right. What’s happened to Coal miners in West Virginia or folks that built ships just kills me. And somehow someone has convinced half of country to fight the other half over stuff like masks or the teaching of s university level theory that isn’t taught in schools. I don’t give a damn whose fault it is. I care about fixing it.

Whew, I’m ranted out. If you don’t mind me asking, what’s your new calling?

In any case, thanks for the conversation. I like having these conversations with you because they always make me think. It’s more fun for me than just exchanging shots across the bow. I’m hoping we can have some more.
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When I go to sea, don’t fear for me. Fear for the storm.

Jessica Best, Fear for the Storm. From The Strange Case of the Starship Iris.
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