iNow

That’s a shame. Humans are social creatures. We exist together in a society. The expectations and behavioral norms in that society allow it to function and prosper. Feedback when we break those norms allows us to better ourselves and become more productive members by teaching us how to avoid behaviors considered unacceptable. The up and down votes on sites like this one are one such mechanism for receiving this feedback when we’re unable to interact IRL and F2F. While there’s always a role to play in pushing back on norms and challenging social expectations, and while rebelliousness can often be a powerful tool to get groups out of ruts and overcome normalized discrimination or small mindedness, that role of pushing back doesn’t incolve treating others like an asshole or relying on mistakes and flawed thinking in defense of one’s position, both of which driving the vast majority of negative votes here at SFN (that and expressing obstinacy, willful,ignorance, and bigotry toward protected classes). If you take pride in this negative outcome instead of seeing it as a path toward becoming better, then I might suggest you need to find better hobbies,. You’re not Galileo, after all.

Kinda like dealing with thread hijacks

“Rittenhouse" by Portuguese illustrator Andre Carrilho

This isn’t his position, though. You’re asking Zap to defend a stance he’s not here advocating. He’s correctly saying that change won’t come from a Aussie putting forth an argument rooted in personal incredulity… “I can’t see a reason” is a valid opinion, but does nothing to make things better. It’s equivalent to Zaps neighbor saying, “well, I do… so there” and leaves us at an impasse… so maybe best to focus on other aspects of the discussion instead. Zap also said reason is needed more than emotive opinions, with is true to an extent, but Peterkin rightly pushed back on this. Human minds tend more often to be changed at a visceral emotional level, then rationalized after the fact with reason, IMO. Anyway, it’s clear that you don’t think any valid reasons exist for assault-style weapons to be owned and out on the streets and outside the military. So what… What happens next? Fair??

Thank you. I did present that inaccurately and appreciate your correction. My point with that post, however, was that the father has been receiving death threats for over a year. That’s not a problem created by either our 2nd amendment or our gun laws.

It’s not a thread about the 2nd amendment, folks. Not hard to remember this, is it? This is about more than guns. It’s about culture and extremism. For example, the father of the boy that Rittenhouse maimed… the boy who survived but is now paralyzed from the waist down… the father of this kid has been getting countless death threats since this all happened. Death threats. To the father of a boy shot and paralyzed. The 2nd amendment and our gun laws didn’t lead to that.

I’m fine with cameras in the courtroom for reference and training purposes, but I see a lot of potential risks airing it live to the public. It will make it more like a reality TV show where lawyers and judges are pandering to an audience to drive their own popularity and @ mentions and likes, etc. The justice system should be fair and justice blind. Arguments can be made on both sides, but I tend to see more harm than good in most cases (SCOTUS being the exception in my mind due to the broad sweeping impact of their decisions). On another note, CourtTV has been on for 30 years now already. Can’t say it’s had any meaningful impact, negative or positive.

You may as well be hoping unicorns carry your invisible dragon to the leprechaun factory. 2nd amendment isn’t going anywhere, but maybe we could tighten up laws about what’s allowed at protests and large public gatherings. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/11/21/americans-do-not-want-guns-protests-this-research-shows/ Responding to this:

Worse than this. AFTER he’d shot dead others in the street in a state where he didn’t live… and while being out after the curfew they’d imposed to limit violence… several police officers actually pulled him aside and counseled him to hurry up and head home, to leave the scene so he’d be safe and avoid consequence. This whole situation neatly encapsulates why so many people were there protesting for BLM in the first place. Anyway, now that he’s been exonerated, several GOP members of Congress are offering him internships in their offices in DC right now. Fascinating, right? I mean, how do they even know this kid is Republican? Has he written essays on tax policy and the role of government, or is it maybe something else? We may never know! Again, apparently reading comprehension is hard for you. The reference to the AR was a direct quote from Rittenhouse describing his state of mind. I was not discussing either gun policy in the US or the feelings about this modular rifle in particular. If you’re gonna take a shot at me, don’t miss.

I know reading is hard for some, but you seem to be confusing me with someone else Doesn’t quite matter, though. The focus here isn’t guns. It’s asymmetric Justice in US courts

Our OP has clearly asked that this thread not become (yet another) debate on guns in the US. I know the ability to show respect online is in short supply these days, but perhaps folks could at least attempt to respect this reasonable request.

Agreed, as do a sizable portion of my fellow citizens. Sadly, another sizable portion is right now celebrating this kid as some sort of hero. A fair point, which is why it’s so important to consider other evidence like that which the judge threw out. Weeks before he fatally shot and maimed these people in Wisconsin, Rittenhouse was recorded saying he wished he 'had my f---ing AR' to shoot at people leaving CVS. Full quote below. It shows his state of mind and reminds us that it’s not appropriate to claim self defense over an escalation of violence that your own actions provoked. https://www.yahoo.com/huffpost/kyle-rittenhouse-recorded-weeks-kenosha-192829155.html

I’m confused. How in your mind does the jury today saying it wasn’t murder make what those now dead people were doing in the street that night in any way relevant? They were not posing a threat, yet got shot dead by an out of state white kid. Maybe they deserved to die at the hands of a teenager because a window got broken. Is that what you mean? Or do you just mean a broken window is reason enough to take a life outside of the justice system? Because if neither of those represent your view, then WHAT THEY WERE DOING THERE OR HOW THEY WERE PROTESTING IS IRRELEVANT.

If I murdered your child, would you find it relevant when I mentioned they were misbehaving on my street?

No, but perhaps you missed how I began the post you quoted.

I do have those, but very rarely use.

There are those who paint and there are those who paint by number. ✌️

I feel attacked by Stumpy Nubs! I try to avoid using screws and nails on anything that’s not a simple jig or shop piece. 😂

Maybe not partisan, but certainly irrelevant. If his victims were there rioting, raising hell, breaking the law, then they deserved what Rittinghouse got. A trial in a court of law, not a vigilante death sentence from an out of state white kid who was out looking for trouble and angling for a fight.

About 20 years ago I'm "insisting" nothing. I'm pointing out where he's very clearly wrong and full of manure.

Only the white ones

That was the one month (last month) number. Will likely be higher this month, maybe next month, too. Then it should flatten early 2022, and start dropping again somewhere around summer. Before this time next year, normal inflation numbers are expected globally once more (con men and authoritarian tyrants willing). Your raise will persist even after we transition past this temporary inflationary spike that COVID and supply chain issues have caused. Not relevant with fixed mortgage, which is most. Only relevant on variable rates, or if you’re buying into the bubble with a new mortgage (in which case you’re part of the inflation problem). I’m sure JP would tell me I’m wrong because sea scallops taste good with butter or some dumb shit like that, but there you have it

Hmm. I dunno. I’ve made far more errors in bars than in other places. In related news: https://fullstackeconomics.com/no-the-real-inflation-rate-isnt-14-percent/ I’m inclined to give JP a hard time for being so consistently wrong and misinformed on so very many issues, but (much like with Trump) I feel the bigger issue is with just how very many people are willing to listen and accept his nonsensical falsehoods as true.

I often feel this same way about OPs. The struggle is real.

So are air, food, water, and sleep. And having eyelids. Oh, and kneecaps, too.