America III: Going Deutsche

[Mayhem]

Trump does not possess such a power, the 20th amendment is quite clear and would likely lead to Pelosi becoming president due to the line of succession.

She wouldn't, she finishes her term in December and Trump is out January if there is no election. So it would be someone else.

[Cepp]

I'm a bit concerned by how I'm seeing so many of the protestors online say that their short-term goal is to defund the police force, long term goal is to dismantle and get rid of the police force entirely - and, critically, to not replace it with a new, reformed law enforcement system. Like just to have no police whatsoever.

I don't want to argue with people because tensions are running really high right now, but I can't believe that would ever work. I've met libertarians who believe similar things and while I appreciate that they have that much faith in the goodness of people, I don't have that faith, and I believe that law enforcement will always be necessary at least in our lifetimes.

I don't disagree with massively gutting and reforming the existing US police; people are talking about how some of their forces only require ~6 months of training. It's crazy. But I can't imagine how the world would function entirely without a police force.

It sounds like they do get too much funding if they can afford all of that military equipment. NYPD have a budget in the billions I believe. Using some of that money on social programs will do a much better job of reducing crime.

Completely abolishing the police is a step too far imo, but then I don't have to worry about being murdered by cops just for existing.

[Soundwave]

It sounds like they do get too much funding if they can afford all of that military equipment. NYPD have a budget in the billions I believe. Using some of that money on social programs will do a much better job of reducing crime.

Completely abolishing the police is a step too far imo, but then I don't have to worry about being murdered by cops just for existing.

Isn't there something in place in the states where the police buy up surplus Army gear & use that?

It's just a crazy situation.
I mean I freaking love America, have practically wanted to move there since I was a kid but just lately even I'm starting to have 2nd thoughts about it all

Neil

[MartyG]

She wouldn't, she finishes her term in December and Trump is out January if there is no election. So it would be someone else.

Okay, I didn't see her term ended same time as Trump. It'll be whoever is speaker of the house of representatives and follow the succession after that, which if the speaker role isn't filled looks like to me like it would be Chuck Grassley (senators have a 6 year term and he was elected again in 2016)

[Cepp]

Isn't there something in place in the states where the police buy up surplus Army gear & use that?

It's just a crazy situation.
I mean I freaking love America, have practically wanted to move there since I was a kid but just lately even I'm starting to have 2nd thoughts about it all

Neil

The highest highs and the lowest lows. I think I'd be content to just visit at this point, the healthcare issues alone are terrifying.

And yeah, the police can buy their gear straight from the army. It's mesed up.

[Soundwave]

The highest highs and the lowest lows. I think I'd be content to just visit at this point, the healthcare issues alone are terrifying.

And yeah, the police can buy their gear straight from the army. It's mesed up.

Yeah as I've gotten older the healthcare thing out there has bothered me more & more
I can't imagine the monthly cost of health insurance

You have to wonder if some of their COVID deaths are because people couldn't afford the care & were just left at the back of the queue
Complete amazes me that they operate such a system

I'd still like to live there but visiting will be the only way forward really
Hopefully still have my trip to Las Vegas at end of November to go

That whole buying up military surplus is utterly bonkers

Neil

[Asura]

Complete amazes me that they operate such a system

But but but... Something about freedom?

Seriously that's what I've gotten from Americans I've worked with in the past. One of them literally said to me:

"I don't approve of an American NHS because it's redistribution of wealth. It's communist."

I didn't speak to him much after that.

[kryss]

But but but... Something about freedom?

Socialism....you're a socialismist!!

^that was the argument you were looking for.

[fishbowlhead]

But but but... Something about freedom?

Seriously that's what I've gotten from Americans I've worked with in the past. One of them literally said to me:

"I don't approve of an American NHS because it's redistribution of wealth. It's communist."

I didn't speak to him much after that.

Was it because you threw him out a 10 story window?

[prinnysquad]

I guess it’s easy to sneer at morons reeling off ignorant soundbites from the guardians of the status quo.

But we aren’t much betterin the UK. Everything Corbyn said was ‘far left Marxist extremism’ (no it wasn’t). Brexit was all about ‘taking back control’ (no it isn’t). And you just see how easily people from any country through history can be duped by the powerbrokers, using the arm of the mass media as a weapon. So many are suckered into believing ahistorical and anti-factual nonsense, if enough nobs in power say it regularly enough.

[Asura]

https://twitter.com/The_Real_Fly/status/1268054038744125440

This is a great example of where one of the fundamental problems lies.

The protestor is in the street, and the police want to move through with an armored vehicle.

You can clearly hear the cop yell, over the PA, "If you do not move, you will be dead".

That cop needs to be strung up and made an example of. Let's pretend for a moment that he's in the right - for the sake of argument. It not his responsibility to punish the public for misdeeds. He's the arm of the criminal justice system; it's his responsibility to arrest said person if he feels a crime is being committed.

Now of course, I'm not going to pretend that in the line of duty, law enforcement officials will injure people. They may, at times, even kill people. There are doubtless situations where said things are unavoidable, and the officer needs to exercise their own judgement in the use of force. However, this should be an absolute last resort.

What's evident is that these cops have that calibrated all wrong, and it's a culture of negligence and "back-covering" with the police that has allowed them to become this way.

No police officer should ever be saying to a member of the public that they intend to deliberately run them over if they don't move.

[Neon Ignition]

Depends, is that member of the public Trump?

[Cassius_Smoke]

Law and war. The two things the US are built on. To a point that the law givers are operating to a 'Stanford prison experiment' standard.

[teddymeow]

I think what a lot of people don’t understand, is that lots of areas in the US are no go places, they are hard brutal areas built on crime and violence. They don’t like being policed, we have started to import that mentality here.

And what areas would those be?

Don't start being all Fox News / Trump with their whole "the police are cared to go to places in London" rhetoric.

[vanpeebles]

And what areas would those be?

Don't start being all Fox News / Trump with their whole "the police are cared to go to places in London" rhetoric.

Like those white British tourists killed in Florida for example, or when I lived in the US, and was told while being shown around. If your car breaks down while passing through or near that part of town, just leave it and worry about it later. If you as a white person are in that part of town you will be severely beaten if lucky, or shot if not.

Your supreme PC morality won't save you or win you favours in places like that.