Political Cartoons

[alanschu]

It's hard to take anything you say with any credibility when you've already demonstrated your desire to spread propaganda of your own.

 

The whole Congo-Coltan tomfoolery, while calling Michael Jackson a rich white guy, was pretty priceless. You didn't even bother to look up the facts of your information and made baseless accusations, while attempting to rationalize away your own cognitive dissonance by creating far fetched explanations for why you were able to do the things that you condemn other people for, without looking like a hypocrite.

 

To be honest, you're no better than the people you demonize, since you do the exact same things that they do. Though I guess it's easy for you to look at these political cartoons and point out the tragedy of them, given it's a practice you yourself employ.

 

 

 

 

If he gave Gates his badge and ID number, why would Gates keep yelling at him?

 

Why not? Logic doesn't apply here. What you think should happen doesn't mean anything.

 

Annoying a cop: a crime worthy of being arrested. Only in America. And Nazi Germany.

 

Yay Godwin's Rule!

 

A woman gets into a small fender bender in the parking lot of a convenience store. Unfortunately for her, the other party is a cop's son. The cop comes in, slams a gun into the back of her neck, and when she tries to get out of his grasp, he charges her with assaulting a police office. Fortunately for her, however, there was video of the whole incident. But three times, police officers came to the store owner and asked him to erase the tape.

 

Nice anecdote.

 

 

 

I had the pleasure of enjoying a police ride along one time. People do act belligerent to police officers for virtually no reason. This type of stuff is not some isolated scenario, civilians do this kind of thing all the time.

Edited July 30, 2009 by alanschu

[GreasyDogMeat]

If he gave Gates his badge and ID number, why would Gates keep yelling at him?

Maybe because he's an arrogant Harvard Professor? I've also heard he said something along the lines of "you don't know who you are messing with" to the police.

 

Annoying a cop: a crime worthy of being arrested. Only in America. And Nazi Germany.

Cursing at someone goes beyond 'annoying'. All it takes is a small amount of respect. Hell, you don't have to respect them. Just don't insult them/completely ignore the law.

 

You are more inclined to believe the police in America?

 

Let me tell you a story. It's a pretty simple story, so you can keep your attention on it.

 

A woman gets into a small fender bender in the parking lot of a convenience store. Unfortunately for her, the other party is a cop's son. The cop comes in, slams a gun into the back of her neck, and when she tries to get out of his grasp, he charges her with assaulting a police office. Fortunately for her, however, there was video of the whole incident. But three times, police officers came to the store owner and asked him to erase the tape.

 

Do you really trust this institution? This is not some isolated scenario, police do this kind of thing all the time.

 

Again, you show your bias. Some scum cop goes fascist and ALL of them are pigs who flaunt the law. I could tell the exact same story, except replace the word cop with black man and draw a similar conclusion. I'd be a racist prick, and you are just a biased prick.

[lord of flies]

It's hard to take anything you say with any credibility when you've already demonstrated your desire to spread propaganda of your own.

 

The whole Congo-Coltan tomfoolery, while calling Michael Jackson a rich white guy, was pretty priceless. You didn't even bother to look up the facts of your information and made baseless accusations, while attempting to rationalize away your own cognitive dissonance by creating far fetched explanations for why you were able to do the things that you condemn other people for, without looking like a hypocrite.

 

To be honest, you're no better than the people you demonize, since you do the exact same things that they do. Though I guess it's easy for you to look at these political cartoons and point out the tragedy of them, given it's a practice you yourself employ.

Blah blah, ad hominem, tu quoque, this is a bad post.

Why not? Logic doesn't apply here. What you think should happen doesn't mean anything.

Oh ****, I almost forgot, Gates actually couldn't yell at the cop because he had Bronchitis

Yay Godwin's Rule!

Uh, no, just blandly citing "Godwin's law" is not actually an argument. Try again.

Nice anecdote.

This happened in August, last year. The officer was removed from street duty last September, but he was restored to full duty in December. What a wonderful world.

Cursing at someone goes beyond 'annoying'. All it takes is a small amount of respect. Hell, you don't have to respect them. Just don't insult them/completely ignore the law.

No, sorry, insulting an authority figure is not wrong, and it should never be a crime.

Again, you show your bias. Some scum cop goes fascist and ALL of them are pigs who flaunt the law. I could tell the exact same story, except replace the word cop with black man and draw a similar conclusion. I'd be a racist prick, and you are just a biased prick.

Look up "the thin blue line."

[GreasyDogMeat]

Sigh, same planet, different worlds.

 

Logic and common sense have no place here and I might as well be arguing with a brick wall. I should have learned my lesson the last time when arguing with Borat.

[lord of flies]

Sigh, same planet, different worlds.

 

Logic and common sense have no place here and I might as well be arguing with a brick wall. I should have learned my lesson the last time when arguing with Borat.

"Ugh, I don't enjoy getting trounced with facts and realities about endemic police corruption in the United States. Whatever shall I do? I know, I'll post that I'm leaving the argument, but first, I'll make a couple of ad hominem attacks on my enemy in my parting shots, while failing to counter any of his points. Woop woop woop."

 

What do you think of my impression of you?

Edited July 30, 2009 by lord of flies

[GreasyDogMeat]

Right, I point out that labelling all police officers as corrupt nazis is biased idiocy, then you come up with some other incident. Fantastic argument. If you believe every cop in this nation is corrupt, you are beyond hope and arguing with you IS pointless. You completely fell into my argument about a racist fool using incidents of blacks commiting crimes making as much sense as your cases of police corruption being some example that EVERY incident involving police is obviously corrupt. The Thin Blue Line, this case of a woman being attacked by police. OBVIOUSLY THIS INCIDENT AND EVERY OTHER IS THE SAME... DUH!

 

As for your impression of me... do you actually believe I care? I frankly hope you hate my guts. It would be scary to think someone as delusional as you had anything but animosity towards me.

[Calax]

I did find it interesting that the OP's post was ONLY for cartoons based around one point of view. (and of course it's funny nobody gives the government any credit for the military's medical system).

[GreasyDogMeat]

What I truly find sickening, is that the woman who saw Gates breaking into his house and reported it has apparently received hate mail. Apparently her 911 call was released to the public, only to find that she didn't even know what skin color Gates was. She saw something suspicious and called it in. I'd be happy to have a neighbor like her. Cops show up I'd THANK them for checking it out, show the ID and that would be that.

 

I hope that if nothing else, people agree these attacks on this woman are ridiculous and disgusting.

[lord of flies]

Cops show up I'd THANK them for checking it out, show the ID and that would be that.

Whiteness confirmed.

 

Also, ability to blandly ignore facts confirmed. Gates showed the officer his ID, I already said that.

Right, I point out that labelling all police officers as corrupt nazis is biased idiocy, then you come up with some other incident. Fantastic argument. If you believe every cop in this nation is corrupt, you are beyond hope and arguing with you IS pointless. You completely fell into my argument about a racist fool using incidents of blacks commiting crimes making as much sense as your cases of police corruption being some example that EVERY incident involving police is obviously corrupt. The Thin Blue Line, this case of a woman being attacked by police. OBVIOUSLY THIS INCIDENT AND EVERY OTHER IS THE SAME... DUH!

Whoa, look at that straw man. Did I ever say that every cop is corrupt? No. Did I say that there is institutionalized corruption in the US police force that make their actions automatically suspect? Yes.

[GreasyDogMeat]

Whiteness confirmed.

 

Also, ability to blandly ignore facts confirmed. Gates showed the officer his ID, I already said that.

 

Racism confirmed. You say I ignore facts, yet you completely ignored my previous post. I already pointed out he showed the ID. In fact I corrected you that one of the first things he did was show his ID. I also pointed out that after doing so he was belligerent to the officer(s). Confirming that you haven't commited a crime doesn't suddenly give you the right to go ape on the offier, insult them and curse them.

 

You may not have said every officer is corrupt. That certainly seems to be what you are getting at though by constantly posting about previous cases of police corruption. I made the simple point that we don't know exactly what was said between the two parties, just that the evidence seems to point to Disorderly Conduct. You seem to be trying to make the argument that cases in the past of police corruption = this situation being so.

[lord of flies]

Racism confirmed.

If you are not white, I would be very, very surprised.

 

You say I ignore facts, yet you completely ignored my previous post. I already pointed out he showed the ID. In fact I corrected you that one of the first things he did was show his ID. I also pointed out that after doing so he was belligerent to the officer(s). Confirming that you haven't commited a crime doesn't suddenly give you the right to go ape on the offier, insult them and curse them.

You're right. The fact that he lives in the United States, where he is guaranteed the right to free speech gives him the right to insult and curse any authority figure.

[GreasyDogMeat]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disorderly_conduct

 

See specifically

"(2) makes unreasonable noise and continues to do so after being asked to stop."

 

About the arresting officer:

"Sgt. James Crowley's history has been noted for his having been chosen by a black police commissioner to serve as an instructor for a Lowell Police Academy course entitled "Racial Profiling," which Crowley has taught since 2004. He tried to resuscitate Reggie Lewis while working as a campus police officer at Brandeis University in 1993. Crowley has received public support from many police officers, including African Americans, who have spoken on his behalf and who have portrayed him as a good and fair officer. Sgt. Leon Lashley, a black officer who was present at Gates's arrest, said he supported Sgt. Crowley's actions "100 percent", while another officer in the department was quoted as saying "racism is not part of it, and that is what is frustrating."

 

Is it possible this arrest was racially motivated? Yeah. Likely cause? I doubt it.

[lord of flies]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disorderly_conduct

 

See specifically

"(2) makes unreasonable noise and continues to do so after being asked to stop."

Pretty sure a guy with bronchitis can't yell.

 

Also, check out this little factoid I found:

"Um

Edited July 30, 2009 by lord of flies

[Humodour]

By the way, you would not happen to be Pop under an alt would you?

 

Um, why would you insult Pop, a rational, sane and fairly moderate poster, by equating him with this self-confessed socialist clown?

 

Oh, I know, it's because Pop writes posts outlining the absurdity of dogmatic Libertarianism and Objectivism.

[lord of flies]

Um, why would you insult Pop, a rational, sane and fairly moderate poster, by equating him with this self-confessed socialist clown?

N-no... not... SOCIALISM!!!

 

A bloo bloo bloo. Why don't you take your capitalist reactionary political viewpoint back where it belongs: a body bag?

Edited July 30, 2009 by lord of flies

[Hell Kitty]

What I truly find sickening, is that the woman who saw Gates breaking into his house and reported it has apparently received hate mail. Apparently her 911 call was released to the public, only to find that she didn't even know what skin color Gates was. She saw something suspicious and called it in. I'd be happy to have a neighbor like her. Cops show up I'd THANK them for checking it out, show the ID and that would be that.

 

I hope that if nothing else, people agree these attacks on this woman are ridiculous and disgusting.

 

It was actually the cop who claimed in his report that he spoke to the woman and she mentioned he was black, but her attorney claims she never even spoke to the officer.

 

Anyway, from here:*

 

The lesson most cops understand (apart from the importance of using the word "tumultuous," which features prominently in Crowley's report) is that a person cannot violate 272/53 by yelling in his own home.

 

Read Crowley's report and stop on page two when he admits seeing Gates's Harvard photo ID. I don't care what Gates had said to him up until then, Crowley was obligated to leave. He had identified Gates. Any further investigation of Gates' right to be present in the house could have been done elsewhere. His decision to call HUPD seems disproportionate, but we could give him points for thoroughness if he had made that call from his car while keeping an eye on the house. Had a citizen refused to leave Gates' home after being told to, the cops could have made an arrest for trespass.

 

But for the sake of education, let's watch while Crowley makes it worse. Read on. He's staying put in Gates' home, having been asked to leave, and Gates is demanding his identification. What does Crowley do? He suggests that if Gates wants his name and badge number, he'll have to come outside to get it. What? Crowley may be forgiven for the initial approach and questioning, but surely he should understand that a citizen will be miffed at being questioned about his right to be in his own home. Perhaps Crowley could commit the following sentences to memory: "I'm sorry for disturbing you," and "I'm glad you're all right."

 

Spoiling for a fight, Crowley refuses to repeat his name and badge number. Most of us would hand over a business card or write the information on a scrap of paper. No, Crowley is upset and he's mad at Gates. He's been accused of racism. Nobody likes that, but if a cop can't take an insult without retaliating, he's in the wrong job. When a person is given a gun and a badge, we better make sure he's got a firm grasp on his temper. If Crowley had called Gates a name, I'd be disappointed in him, but Crowley did something much worse. He set Gates up for a criminal charge to punish Gates for his own embarrassment.

 

By telling Gates to come outside, Crowley establishes that he has lost all semblance of professionalism. It has now become personal and he wants to create a violation of 272/53. He gets Gates out onto the porch because a crowd has gathered providing onlookers who could experience alarm. Note his careful recitation (tumultuous behavior outside the residence in view of the public). And please do not overlook Crowley's final act of provocation. He tells an angry citizen to calm down while producing handcuffs. The only plausible question for the chief to ask about that little detail is: "Are you stupid, or do you think I'm stupid?" Crowley produced those handcuffs to provoke Gates and then arrested him. The decision to arrest is telling. If Crowley believed the charge was valid, he could have issued a summons. An arrest under these circumstances shows his true intent: to humiliate Gates.

 

No one who is familiar with law enforcement can miss the significance of Crowley's report. As so often happens with documentary evidence, a person seeking to create a false impression spends lots of time nailing down the elements he thinks will establish his goal, but forgets about the larger picture. Under color of law, Crowley entered a residence to investigate a possible break-in, and after his probable cause had evaporated, he continued to act under color of law, but without any justifiable purpose. And he covered it up with false charges. Figuring that his best defense was a criminal charge, Crowley did what bad cops do. He decided he would look better if Gates looked worse. Perhaps one day cops will figure out that trumped-up charges worsen a case of investigating something that turns out not to have been a crime. It is horribly wrong when police officers falsely accuse an injured arrestee of A&B PO ("assault and battery on a police officer," a felony) but at least there is some logic to the lie. If a disorderly conduct charge follows an investigation of a non-crime, chances are pretty good that the cop handled himself badly. Pursuit of charges should be strongly disfavored.

 

Short version: being angry isn't a crime, the arrest was bull****.

 

*Actually, I just stole it from another forum.

[Humodour]

Why don't you take your capitalist reactionary political viewpoint back where it belongs: a body bag?

 

I guess my unbridled love of capitalism is why I'm such a fan of the unfettered free market fundamentalism of Libertarians huh?

[Meshugger]

LoD does some excellent trolling. 'Whiteness'?

 

Any sane person knows that you can not mess around with cops, not even by trying to be witty or funny. Even people who are conducting civil disobiediance nicely cooperate with the cops while they are being arrested, unless you live in a totalitarian state of course.

 

Oh and btw, LoD should make a thread about socialism: "Albania under Hoxha, how it was better than Palme's Sweden and why".

[Walsingham]

Any sane person knows that you can not mess around with cops, not even by trying to be witty or funny.

 

Surprised to hear you say that. Cops should be treated as humans. it makes them easier to get along with, and that includes occasionally taking the p***. I do worry that cops in the States are trained to behave like urban commandos, not public defenders.

[Meshugger]

Any sane person knows that you can not mess around with cops, not even by trying to be witty or funny.

 

Surprised to hear you say that. Cops should be treated as humans. it makes them easier to get along with, and that includes occasionally taking the p***. I do worry that cops in the States are trained to behave like urban commandos, not public defenders.

 

I meant in the context of throwing a sarcastic slur in order to make yourself feel smart and them feeling like dumb oafs. Or use using some annoying, ironic anecdote like certain characters from a certain movie Juno.

 

A happy and gentle face is always welcomed.

[Humodour]

Any sane person knows that you can not mess around with cops, not even by trying to be witty or funny.

 

Surprised to hear you say that. Cops should be treated as humans. it makes them easier to get along with, and that includes occasionally taking the p***. I do worry that cops in the States are trained to behave like urban commandos, not public defenders.

 

I meant in the context of throwing a sarcastic slur in order to make yourself feel smart and them feeling like dumb oafs. Or use using some annoying, ironic anecdote like certain characters from a certain movie Juno.

 

A happy and gentle face is always welcomed.

 

Screw you. Juno was awesome.

[lord of flies]

I guess my unbridled love of capitalism is why I'm such a fan of the unfettered free market fundamentalism of Libertarians huh?

Capitalism in the modern West is inextricably linked to neo-colonialism, ergo, it is evil. HTH.

[Meshugger]

Any sane person knows that you can not mess around with cops, not even by trying to be witty or funny.

 

Surprised to hear you say that. Cops should be treated as humans. it makes them easier to get along with, and that includes occasionally taking the p***. I do worry that cops in the States are trained to behave like urban commandos, not public defenders.

 

I meant in the context of throwing a sarcastic slur in order to make yourself feel smart and them feeling like dumb oafs. Or use using some annoying, ironic anecdote like certain characters from a certain movie Juno.

 

A happy and gentle face is always welcomed.

 

Screw you. Juno was awesome.

 

The chracters in Juno were so incredibly full of themselves that it was not even funny. (Almost)Everyone acted like a clueless hipster, where life itself was a big irony that you could throw within one fancy oneliner. Completely void of soul and depth, this movie is the cancer of this generation; It takes everything good in music and art and blends it into a superficial monster that perverts everything it touches.

 

This movie is the epicenter of everything wrong with the youth today. Not videogames, gangsta-rap, anti-social behaviour, death metal, horror movies, political extremism, No, it is Juno.

 

You're still cool though.

[Meshugger]

I guess my unbridled love of capitalism is why I'm such a fan of the unfettered free market fundamentalism of Libertarians huh?

Capitalism in the modern West is inextricably linked to neo-colonialism, ergo, it is evil. HTH.

 

Im dying to hear your economic manifesto.

 

Whet my appatite, my dear Trotsky. Why shouldn't people like to own/buy things?

[Deadly_Nightshade]

Let's get some more in here...