Republicans: continued

[Cunt]

I think 'by consent' can be imperfectly expressed by an armed population not killing government officials too often.

[Brian Peacock]

The solution is no government that isn't 'by consent'.

It isn't a neat answer, but the question is pretty broad. I doubt you could answer any cleaner, when considering whether Brussels or Sanikiluaq should govern a given issue.

I don't think that's necessarily a bad answer, but it does rather depend on what one means by 'consensus' here: in this context of talking about personal firearms. As a term 'consensus' usually implies something like an opinion or a position which is agreed up by all parties. And yet, can we talk meaningfully about 'consensus' if, despite overwhelming agreement on something, there's still somebody who disagrees?

Perhaps we should denude this conversation of the usual hyperbole, emotion, and ideology that often accompanies arguments on both sides of gun debate. Let's talk about something else which doesn't trigger (excuse the pun) the usual habitual responses.

What if there was an ongoing debate in society about the personal ownership and use of mercury. Let's assume that mercury is legal and that there's people on one side saying that private citizens should be free to purchase and use mercury however they saw fit, and another side saying that personal possession of mercury is a threat to the health and safety of others. While the Mercuralists and the anti-Mercuralists might have strongly held views and regularly bang heads on the matter let's say that the rest of us have no strong feelings one way or the other. Perhaps we'd say something like, "Well, if my neighbour on one side wants to use mercury then that's their business, and if the neighbour on the other side objects then that's OK too because they have every right to. That's what living in a free society is all about."

Nonetheless, one can see that in situations like this consensus is impossible without i) our agreement with one-or-other of our neighbours, and ii) without one or other of our neighbours compromising their beliefs.

So while consensus might be a worthy and noble ideal - something we can aspire to in a 'best possible world' scenario - arguments that say action one way or the other can only be taken when a consensus is reached appear, to all intents and purposes, to be an admission that nothing is ever going to change. Moreover, arguing that consensus is a necessarily condition of action actually unduly favours one side over the other - the Mercuralists. In this sense calls for consensus are basically calls for inaction.

What do you think about this?

[JimC]

I think 'by consent' can be imperfectly expressed by an armed population not killing government officials too often.

Very, very imperfectly...

[Seabass]

I still think it's weird that it doesn't matter if the cop is black or white either, they're both just as likely to shoot a black person.

What's weird about it? It's more or less what I'd expect. Our police forces are a reflection of our broader society which is fundamentally racist to the core. Black people tend to be a lot poorer than whites, and where poverty goes, crime follows.

[Tero]

And we all thought Gaetz was gay with his "adopted" boy
https://twitter.com/FrankAmari2/status/ ... 7891460097

[L'Emmerdeur]

A Republican member of Congress is attempting to claim credit for funding his district is receiving, after voting against it. That should actually work for him. After all, only Fake News is pointing out his dishonesty, and good Republican voters don't believe what they hear from Fake News, if they bother to listen to it at all.

'Madison Cawthorn Suddenly Loves the Stimulus Bill He Voted Against'

A “happy” Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) announced to his constituents on Twitter on Tuesday the arrival of millions of dollars worth of federal grants to health institutions in his western North Carolina district. Unannounced, however, was the fact that Cawthorn voted against the legislation that sent the grants out in the first place.

In February, the 25-year old freshman lawmaker joined all House Republicans in voting against the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 bill, dubbed the American Rescue Plan Act. In a tweet after the vote, he slammed it, arguing that only 9 percent of the funds went to combating COVID-19. “Just a Pelosi Payoff,” he tweeted. On Tuesday, Cawthorn said he was “proud” to see taxpayer dollars “return” to his district through the grant funding. North Carolina’s Health Resources & Services Administration includes the projects he listed, including their exact dollar amounts, as “American Rescue Plan Awards.”

[Tero]

[Tero]

DeSsntis to fight feds:
He said he will issue emergency rules this week that will prevent businesses from requiring proof of vaccination, and will work with the Legislature on a permanent ban. The ban would be specific to COVID-19 vaccines used under the Food and Drug Administration's emergency use authorization, he said, as all the vaccines currently administered in the United States are.

[Brian Peacock]

So businesses will not be able to make up their own minds then?

Sounds a bit commie to me.

[Tero]

Party boy, Trump wannabe Gaetz

D34D0C17-B6BC-4E9C-9045-87DD52A6A385.jpeg (143.9 KiB) Viewed 1149 times

[Sean Hayden]

I still think it's weird that it doesn't matter if the cop is black or white either, they're both just as likely to shoot a black person.

What's weird about it? It's more or less what I'd expect. Our police forces are a reflection of our broader society which is fundamentally racist to the core. Black people tend to be a lot poorer than whites, and where poverty goes, crime follows.

The explanation offered when I was looking into it was just that our police forces tend to mirror the communities they're policing i.e. blacks police blacks. That matches my personal experience as well. Of course there was also mention of less obvious racism that could be at play.

To me the most interesting evidence of racism in the criminal justice system is the disparity between prisoners along racial lines which isn't fully accounted for by differences in criminal activity. Unfortunately the study I read was from the 70s and I haven't returned to the subject since reading it --too much on my plate. I do know that the ACLU cites a newer study which claims that the amount of disparity not explained by rates of offense has only grown since then.

[JimC]

So businesses will not be able to make up their own minds then?

Sounds a bit commie to me.

DeSsntis to fight feds:
He said he will issue emergency rules this week that will prevent businesses from requiring proof of vaccination, and will work with the Legislature on a permanent ban. The ban would be specific to COVID-19 vaccines used under the Food and Drug Administration's emergency use authorization, he said, as all the vaccines currently administered in the United States are.

Yep. Right-wing politicians shout loudly about free enterprise, and how evil governments have too much control over them, but when their ideology demands it, they'll put on the leash with the best of 'em...

[pErvinalia]

So businesses will not be able to make up their own minds then?

Sounds a bit commie to me.

Yep, freedum! unless we don't like it.

[JimC]

I still think it's weird that it doesn't matter if the cop is black or white either, they're both just as likely to shoot a black person.

What's weird about it? It's more or less what I'd expect. Our police forces are a reflection of our broader society which is fundamentally racist to the core. Black people tend to be a lot poorer than whites, and where poverty goes, crime follows.

The explanation offered when I was looking into it was just that our police forces tend to mirror the communities they're policing i.e. blacks police blacks. That matches my personal experience as well. Of course there was also mention of less obvious racism that could be at play.

To me the most interesting evidence of racism in the criminal justice system is the disparity between prisoners along racial lines which isn't fully accounted for by differences in criminal activity. Unfortunately the study I read was from the 70s and I haven't returned to the subject since reading it --too much on my plate. I do know that the ACLU cites a newer study which claims that the amount of disparity not explained by rates of offense has only grown since then.

One clear possibility is simply economic, echoing what Seabass said in another context. The wealthier you are, the easier it is to hire good lawyers and generally know your way around the system. On average, in the US black people are poorer than white people. QED...

[Animavore]

GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz reportedly under DOJ investigation for possible sex trafficking of 17-year-old; he says he's being extorted

https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2021/03/30/mat ... cking.html