How a Militia Movement Took Root in the Republican Mainstream

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#21

Playing Devil’s advocate here (no pun intended): there was early controversy about the implementation of the Social Security system that revolved around the assignment of numbers to every citizen. There was a not-insignificant portion of the population which considered that anti-Christian - that it was too “mark of the Beast/Revelations”. A completely superstitious reaction.

Fast forward to today: now that the SS number has become the de facto personal ID for all private transactions and interactions with the government (even though the promise was that it would only be used for the Social Security program), the 1930’s-era fundamentalists may have had a somewhat-valid point (albeit in a “stopped clock” sort of way).

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#22

Two? Amateurs.

siximpossiblethings

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#23

It has been revealed this week that our very Trumpy county mayor has been donating to the Oaf Kreepers on a regular basis.

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#24

I bet he’s real good at the cipherin’!

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#25

I love the smell of sedition in the morning…it smells like…garbage.

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#26

It should be noted that the Oath Keepers sprang into action right after President Obama was sworn in, and they immediately began spreading scare stories and rumors about his unconstitutional gun-grabbing plans.

Interestingly, around that same time, the Department of Homeland Security released a much-castigated report — originally commissioned by the Bush administration — that far-right and white suprematist hate groups were recruiting military veterans and law enforcement personnel because of their military and weapons training.

All of their lofty constitution-loving rhetoric aside, they are a dangerous hate group.

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#27

I assume you’re joking about the “harassment” part. Cops aren’t entitled to such deference.

#28

Doesn’t seem like the smartest choice when the guy with the gun can determine how your day goes.

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#29

What a great attitude. If and when fascism finally takes over, you’ll do just great.

You also didn’t answer my question.

#30

Yeah, kinda do think getting in a cop’s face to make a point, even if correct on paper, qualifies as harassment.

They’re the people you depend on in an emergency, not the smartest idea to piss them off.

#31

So then why are they endangering the public that they’re supposed to protect? Reminding a cop to follow the law isn’t harassment. They’re not above the law even if they and you think they are. I didn’t realize cops were this delicate.

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#32

I didn’t say they’re above the law. Discretion being the better part of valor, rather than a face-off confrontation with an individual cop, how about taking badge numbers (or just noting time and location) and submitting a complaint to the Mayor’s office.

I mean, you’re familiar with NYPD. You mention calling them for all sorts of minor things and being a hassle to them. Is that really the best choice when you may actually need them some day to show up for a true emergency?

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#33

I’m not trying to be valorous. I’m trying to not live in a quasi-fascist state. Letting cops get away with relatively minor stuff (and not wearing a mask is not minor) is making it easier for them to get away with far worse stuff, that most of them would have no problem doing under the right circumstances.

And are you actually suggesting that my calling cops for minor crimes will make them less likely to arrive when major crimes occur? Seriously? Your views here have increasingly taken on an authoritarian stance. Stand down, soldier.

#34

Ever read Aesop’s Fables, like the one about the Boy who cried Wolf? Sure, they may show up. And they may also, if they know you personally as the person who keeps calling them over little things, discount your case from the getgo, since they’re used to you complaining over nothing.

And is it then every citizen’s duty to do on-the-spot correction of police officers? C’mon. That’s an invitation for them to check out your broken taillight and haul you in.

Not confronting them directly, but taking the complaint up to their bosses is the appropriate way to handle it if you’re so concerned about it.

#35

So petty theft is no longer a crime, according to you? If I went into your driveway if you have one and stole a cheap garden hose or rusty rake, that’s “nothing”? I should just man up and take it, because cops are such delicate flowers and busy as shit and have better things to do that, you know, enforce the fucking law?

I stand by my view that most cops are lazy and stupid and just want to get to early retirement doing as little as possible. It’s the good ones, and they exist, who keep society actually safe and functioning, and they probably loath the bad ones.

#36

If you literally called the cops over that in NYC, ummmm, yeah.

#37

Like I said, cops are lazy, and you basically agree with me. Way to go.

#38

No, I don’t agree with you. Some $10 rusty old rake is definitely not worth calling the cops over, unless it was locked inside your house at the time.

It’s folks like you that help explode budgets, calling cops over things that aren’t even minor, when there’s real crime out there that they should be focusing on.

#39

That’s simplistic. For millions of people, Facebook is the internet and they don’t know how to look anything up. Facebook serves all they think they need. But they don’t know what they don’t know.

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#40

It’s more simple than simplistic. Dropping Facebook does not require dropping the entire internet.
I don’t miss Facebook one byte.

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