One of the scariest pictures I've seen in a long time.
This one disturbs me the most.
= new reply since forum marked as read
He is better armed and better equipped than our soldiers in Afghanistan.
But I stand by my opinion. I don't want war toys on our city streets. It's just flatly inappropriate. I have been around enough kids to know that if you give them an exotic new toy, they're going to want to play with it. And they'll find any excuse to do so. In addition to that, the overkill - he wasn't the only officer so outfitted or equipped. I can only imagine facing a whole wall of them! And yes, it would be intimidating as all-get-out. I wish all I thought they were - was "exceedingly silly."
The sad thing here is - ordinarily, I do not fear the police. Why should I? This is America. I have two things in my favor - well, three these days. 1) I'm white. 2) I'm female. And 3) I'm now - um - older. I doubt anybody would feel threatened by looking at me. But seeing the police arrayed as that officer was - fills me with terror and dread. How easy would it be, with all that added and outlandish and over-the-top, militarized or military-issued - excuse me but I AM repeating it: "Heavy Artillery" - to inflame a situation out of control? One single plastic water bottle flying through the air the other night and a totally peaceful assembly went straight to hell.
I think those extremes are totally unwarranted. PARTICULARLY when you stir them into a cocktail of general and widespread distrust, a climate of "stand your ground" that has produced VERY bad results involving other white-versus-black confrontations in other communities (it adds up. It's cumulative. And it tends to be taken as a very distressing trend), continuing and exacerbated racial tensions, a local majority-white constabulary with a poor track record for dealing with a majority-African American community, local and state government as well as law enforcement that does not look like the community it is honor-bound to serve, and the fatal shooting of an unarmed black teen. I think it's just asking for trouble. I think it's looking for, and even planning on, trouble. In effect, there's mutual distrust. Going to and coming from both directions.
And I won't take offense despite two attempts above to delicately flirt with same.
aware of what was really going on, and join us and help us rid the world of the 1% fascists and their hired killers.
That's what Occupy is all about.
As one people, united, we acknowledge the reality: that the future of the human race requires the cooperation of its members; that our system must protect our rights, and upon corruption of that system, it is up to the individuals to protect their own rights, and those of their neighbors; that a democratic government derives its just power from the people, but corporations do not seek consent to extract wealth from the people and the Earth; and that no true democracy is attainable when the process is determined by economic power. We come to you at a time when corporations, which place profit over people, self-interest over justice, and oppression over equality, run our governments. We have peaceably assembled here, as is our right, to let these facts be known.
They have taken our houses through an illegal foreclosure process, despite not having the original mortgage.
They have taken bailouts from taxpayers with impunity, and continue to give Executives exorbitant bonuses.
They have perpetuated inequality and discrimination in the workplace based on age, the color of one’s skin, sex, gender identity and sexual orientation.
They have poisoned the food supply through negligence, and undermined the farming system through monopolization.
They have profited off of the torture, confinement, and cruel treatment of countless animals, and actively hide these practices.
They have continuously sought to strip employees of the right to negotiate for better pay and safer working conditions.
They have held students hostage with tens of thousands of dollars of debt on education, which is itself a human right.
They have consistently outsourced labor and used that outsourcing as leverage to cut workers’ healthcare and pay.
They have influenced the courts to achieve the same rights as people, with none of the culpability or responsibility.
They have spent millions of dollars on legal teams that look for ways to get them out of contracts in regards to health insurance.
They have sold our privacy as a commodity.
They have used the military and police force to prevent freedom of the press.
They have deliberately declined to recall faulty products endangering lives in pursuit of profit.
They determine economic policy, despite the catastrophic failures their policies have produced and continue to produce.
They have donated large sums of money to politicians, who are responsible for regulating them.
They continue to block alternate forms of energy to keep us dependent on oil.
They continue to block generic forms of medicine that could save people’s lives or provide relief in order to protect investments that have already turned a substantial profit.
They have purposely covered up oil spills, accidents, faulty bookkeeping, and inactive ingredients in pursuit of profit.
They purposefully keep people misinformed and fearful through their control of the media.
They have accepted private contracts to murder prisoners even when presented with serious doubts about their guilt.
They have perpetuated colonialism at home and abroad.
They have participated in the torture and murder of innocent civilians overseas.
They continue to create weapons of mass destruction in order to receive government contracts.*
To the people of the world,
We, the New York City General Assembly occupying Wall Street in Liberty Square, urge you to assert your power.
Exercise your right to peaceably assemble; occupy public space; create a process to address the problems we face, and generate solutions accessible to everyone.
To all communities that take action and form groups in the spirit of direct democracy, we offer support, documentation, and all of the resources at our disposal.
Join us and make your voices heard!
http://www.nycga.net/resources/documents/declaration/
sendup by DUer LTX of that figure here (excerpts below):
He has those mean-ass looking black gloves (because you never know when desert sand-storms, rain-forest downpours, snakes or scorpions are going to interfere with your trigger finger)
. . . .
You have to figure it took this guy the better part of two hours to put on this dumb-ass costume (which, of course, included the half-hour in front of the mirror striking poses and muttering "yippee-kai-yay mother-fucker".
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025397873
I guess one could convince themselves that there were just random laser pointers being flashed into the crowds.
Whatever helps them sleep at night.
Very astute, sadly. 
*I* thought Ronnie Raygun was a raisin, not a grape. But then again back in the days of Kent, maybe he was still a grape.
Thanks for the "Heard it through the grapevine" earworm.
- "I know, let's ask the person that brought it up! Oh, that would be you."
No...it wouldn't be me. But let's look at the pseudonym of the poster who DID bring it up (the author of the "How long you been waiting to say that ?" post that you were responding to):
"NM_Birder"
Oops! That appears to be...NOT ME. Now, let's see who responded to that with a question about why the Ferguson, MO riot police aren't in Chicago:
"A Simple Game"
Oops again! That's YOU (AKA, "not me" .
RIF
This looks like a publicity still from "The Rat Patrol" in the 60s! 
PEACE! 
[URL=
.html][IMG]
[/IMG][/URL]
1. What is those two projections under the barrel for?
2. What is that split thing on the end of the barrel?
3. What is the blue lense/green lense thing clipped on top?
4. I know it's a scope, but anything "special" about it?
This guy should, out of sense of decency , refused to arm himself like that. If he was "following orders" (Nuremberg Defense) , his commander should be fired.
is a friend to you. 
We always assumed that that's why St. Louis County wears brown - don't be confused.
...not the job you have"
