The Goat Pen

hedge wrote: ↑Tue Jun 23, 2020 6:16 pm Are you saying that if a fight broke out at the stupid Occupy Wall Street gathering that I just happened to be in New York while it was happening, so I decided to stand on a wall and hang a flag over my should that someone handed me and watch the going's-on, that I'd be just as guilty of assault and battery as the person who started the fight?? And further, that everybody else there who was dancing around or playing drums or saxophone or whatever else they might be doing (except fighting or anything else illegal) would also be equally guilty? Again, that's just too absurd to even respond to (even though I just did)...

hedge wrote: ↑Tue Jun 23, 2020 6:45 pm Well, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Mow 'em down. That's teach 'em...

eCat wrote: ↑Tue Jun 23, 2020 2:14 pm Lets also keep in mind that Obama was a single term Senator from corrupt Chicago who was running as a dove against Hillary the Hawk in a time when Americans wanted out of Afghanistan and Iraq. The country was in financial ruin due to the housing bubble and people were in serious financial difficulty. He was the first and maybe only voice to talk about getting out of wars - and it played well with America seeing Americans die from IEDs and we kill one Al-Qaeda and a more vicious guy pops up to replace him. Water boarding, Gitmo, the Patriot Act - Obama was touching the nerve of Americans who were concerned we were becoming as bad as the people we were fighting

There was no way the country was going to elect the party of the incumbent. So a guy with a Muslim sounding name got elected over a white wasp war hero where under normal circumstances Obama wouldn't have made it out of the primaries.

But he was well spoken, calm and offered a message of hope when America couldn't stomach more of the same from McCain or Hillary. Then he trashed middle America's health care and talked about elections having consequences. Trayvon Martin, Ferguson and the emergence of BLM were the most easily visible division points, but you guys have heard me ranting about Obama ruining my health care since it started. I was not alone by a long shot. The division with Obama didn't start or end with race but clearly race played a role.

hedge wrote: ↑Tue Jun 23, 2020 9:00 pm So basically the first amendment is null and void b/c people who choose to exercise their first amendment rights to peaceably assemble and address their grievances (I think I got that right) might attract some criminals who will commit crimes and therefor it's the people exercising their first amendment rights' fault?? Heh, if I tried to use that kind of torturous logic regarding gun crimes to invalidate the 2nd amendment you'd howl like a scalded dog...