US Politics

That has blown my mind.

I watched the full length clip of that video when it was frst published. First thought was "he backed down pretty easy".

Then "of course he did: outmanned and outgunned"

Now "holy shit, smart thinking and totallly heroic"

https://mobile.twitter.com/kristin__wilson/status/1348297840779546627

USCP Officer Eugene Goodman is one of the best examples of life on this planet.

Depressing the number of comments from people opposed to the protestors but wishing the police had used lethal force.

It seems like there are people on both sides who are happy to see the police just killing the people they don't like.

Clearly the Capitol terrorists are not innocent, but the short-sightedness of shooting all the bad guys as a policy is pathetic.

Do you mean on this forum or in general? Not seeing that many calls for blood hereabouts. Would’ve been nice to see an equivalence in policing to other protests though.

I meant with regards to the Eugene Goodman threads on Twitter rather than on here - should have been clearer.

Ah. Yep. Agreed. It’s weird how quickly people polarise and in the same breath as they decry a lynch mob they erect their own nooses.

Speculative but plausible account by Prof Healy

It doesn't look all that different to previous protests in 2020. Usually the police returns fire on some armed nutcase. Most deaths came from confrontations between civilians.
In the Capitol they shot the woman trying to go through that door .

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/oct/31/americans-killed-protests-political-unrest-acled

That is intense and that man deserves a medal

The pre-emptive police presence, uniform and civil plus federal turn out was massively different to BLM though.

Yes, that's true. Who does the actual security planning for the Capitol?

Where the militias on the left not from some unrelated agency that Trump placed there and not
the regular type of security?

AIUI it's the Capitol Police, though they obviously liaise with other agencies for big events. It does just sound like they dropped a massive bollock here in underestimating Y'All Quaida...

The lot in front of the Lincoln memorial were military police; not sure if they were DC National Guard (who can be called out by the President) or something else. Point is it's perfectly possible to plaster DC with police and military if you want to.

That's what I think, the police response on the ground was not much different but somebody higher
up decided they didn't need extra police that day.

The full Washington Post account from 40 interviews with people in the Capitol building. Open in Incognito to bypass paywall, its a hell of a read.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/inside-capitol-siege/2021/01/09/e3ad3274-5283-11eb-bda4-615aaefd0555_story.html

You’re right, quite the read.

It looks like every department from national guard to FBI was ready to help and it all got deflected by Steven Sund / Capitol police. Wonder if that was planned or arrogance.

Or optics. Because republicans didn’t want Branch Covidians being lumped in with those pesky blacks people who object to being murdered in the street.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5XXhdBnjJk&feature=youtu.be

Just had a mind-bending exchange with someone on facebook. Over the last 10 months he's gone from a lockdown critic to full blown conspiracy theorist, which has also led him to believe that Trump has had the election stolen from him and that Amazon, Apple, Google etc pulling support for Parler is an attack on free speech.

I pointed out that Hitler was also banned from public speaking in 1925, and asked whether he would have supported his right to free speech at that time. His response in full:

Tbh, in 1925, without a crystal ball, I would have been very much against silencing Hitler.
In 1925 you had no idea what Hitler would entail, he was perfectly entitled to his voice.
When this all comes out in the wash, you will look back at Biden and DT and the history books will record DT as the hero and Biden as the villain. I know that seems incomprehensible to you now.
You only see history when you look back in hindsight.

When this all comes out in the wash, you will look back at Biden and DT and the history books will record DT as the hero and Biden as the villain.

Before you completely end the relationship, can I have some of what they're on?

@tb - I'll have some as well, that is some weapon grade drugs

Do you actually know this person? If so, I'm sorry for your loss.

https://youtu.be/KGAAhzreGWw

You only see history when you look back in hindsight.

That bit I agree with. The rest, not so much.