Do I? I of course wasn't referring to ET when I spoke of millions, but none the less, millions have had their itchy fingers on the ignore buttons. Perhaps it is you who underestimates the value of this site.
Well, your fears are justified IMO. China publicly broadcasted the Foley beheading on large screens ll over in an attempt to show their people just how broken America is, and to win their "love" for whatever:eek: China may want to pull in the future. Russia is spraying silly string all over Moscow over the death of America, and yes, winning their people's support for whatever their intentions may be.:eek: Islam? They're so happy, they're dancing around with chili dogs, and listening to rap music at this point!! Help?:eek:
Twenty years ago, I thought the whole lol/lmao/etc thing was cute. I also thought email was great. But all that is now a generation ago. Jeez. Be that as it may, I enjoyed your post. But for someone who remembers when we had nothing more than CBS, NBC, ABC, and PBS, the opportunities today for confirmation bias are beyond counting. We all thought that the internet would be so freeing. Instead it has become extraordinarily limiting. It seems that the opportunities for ignoring information were so much less then since to ignore information meant that one had nothing on which to focus at all, other than the printed stuff (yes, one could limit himself to stuff like The National Review, but how many of the Duck Dynasty group actually read?). So, yes, there are millions with their fingers on the "Ignore" button (virtual). They just may not happen to be online.
Just keep those little wheels turning away in there, and they will eventually take you to where you need to be.
The Pros And Cons Of Militarizing The Police The ongoing clashes between residents of Ferguson, MO and heavily armed police forces—which are equipped with M16 rifles and armored vehicles—have drawn attention to the increasing militarization of police in the United States. Here are the cases for and against outfitting local law enforcement with military-grade weapons: PROS Same tactics used successfully in Afghanistan, Iraq Modern law enforcement simply cannot do their job properly by relying on handguns, tasers, and tear gas alone A real shot in arm for nation’s ailing weapons industry Look on driver’s face when tank pulls up beside Mini Cooper always fun Local photojournalists now able to capture fog of war at home Nice surprise treat for veterans to see weapons they used in war pop up on their hometown streets Never a bad idea to put a more powerful gun in someone’s hand Actually going to seem pretty quaint when compared with police armaments 20 years from now CONS Most police officers have proven fully capable of violently subduing protesters without any military-grade weapons It actually very hard to recite Miranda rights while holding 40-pound grenade launcher There no longer any middle ground between community watch and military Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles only get 5 miles per gallon Jesus, just look at this shit Military-style helmets limit peripheral vision while firing indiscriminately into crowd Could potentially be abused if put in lesser hands than America’s historically honest and virtuous police departments Takes away that personal touch of beating a suspect to death with bare hands (the Onion)
DoucheBag sure posts some outer space shit^^ as above. I'm certainly no fan of police militarization, and have raised hell over since it began post Sept 11. And believe me, that's precisely when it began. Departments (power hungry storm trooper wanna be types), saw 9/11 as an opportunity to them getting all the military toys they could, and it sadly worked. I'll certainly agree certain shitholes need a police department with a specialized unit for hostage situations; a situation like the L.A bank robbery, etc., called SWAT, but that was ONLY intended to be a very small, elite unit that was used when needed, then "put back in the shelf," meaning back to the shooting range, lol. That, I agree completely with. What I despise is militarizing the ENTIRE fucking department!!! That's akin to lining up every sailor in the USN, pinning them with a Neptune, calling them S.E.A.L. and handing them countless explosives, thermal imaging, night vision gen 3 optics, sub machine guns, M240 machine guns (yes folks, I've seen these mounted on fucking river boats by a Sheriff's department in another state!:eek: Yes that's no shit! I could go on, but you (except for db and of course, fc), get the point. "Military-style helmets limit peripheral vision while firing indiscriminately into crowd" Really? Who said that? Did the police department get these helmets from French surplus? Lol! I saw just fine with mine. I guess looking straight up, I could see part of the helmet, but who the fuck stands still, head still, and rolls eyes straight up trying to see something 70-90% straight up? Looking straight up a building? lol It was the mil spec goggles that limited peripheral, which is why I wore ESS...dumbass! I wouldn't waste my time with db, but for those curious re ESS: http://www.esseyepro.com/ I can attest they produce top notch stuff. Great for combat. Also great for street patrol cops (i would guess. never wore them when as a Trooper), on day shift blocking some uv rays, and more importantly, great for outdoor range use, and just simple, very tough eye protection.
For Leapup: Palestinians Starting To Have Mixed Feelings About Being Used As Human Shields NEWS IN BRIEF • Terrorism • Politics • Middle East • Israel • ISSUE 50•28 • Jul 18, 2014 BEIT LAHIA, GAZA STRIP—Saying they’ve begun to reevaluate their stance as the latest outbreak of Israeli-Palestinian violence has escalated, hundreds of residents of the Gaza Strip told reporters Friday they are starting to have mixed feelings about Hamas using them and their loved ones as human shields. “At this point, I have to say I’m pretty much on the fence about having militants strategically store their missile batteries in and around my home, which Israel will almost certainly want to bomb,” said Azzam al-Salhi, explaining that, while he’s always understood Hamas’ reliance on guerilla tactics to perpetuate the decades-long fight against Israel, he has recently soured on the idea of going to bed every night facing the real prospect of being incinerated by an Israeli airstrike intended for a Hamas arms cache. “When I think about it, I guess I’d go so far as to say that I don’t completely enjoy how this is being done entirely without my consent. And I’m not crazy about the fact that Hamas is actually okay with me dying as long as it fuels both resentment toward Israel and support for the party. If I’m being honest, I don’t like that part at all. But then, sometimes I put myself in Hamas’ shoes, and I guess I sort of appreciate where they’re coming from, so it’s tough. Of course, my kids hate it—they’ve actually told me that a couple of times. Oh, well, I guess I’ll give it a couple more weeks and see how I feel about it then.” At press time, sources confirmed an inbound missile was about to solidify thousands of Palestinians’ opinions on the tactic.