Deranged Rhino

The truth needs no defender. It just needs to be unleashed, like a lion. (cue meltdown)

In case you missed it earlier, he already posted (without irony): "wasn't Marx proven entirely correct in the end". He's not hiding what he is.

More clips of the interview in the thread. Waiting for the full interview to be available, but he covers a lot here, including Flynn.

Don't apologize! It's a great one, and a badge of honor around here. It made me guffaw out loud (not at you, but because it's a fun image).

Okay, the topic aside and the conversation aside, that's a FANTASTIC addition to the TBDism list

Probably because he knows better.

History has a longer view than we do. It will matter, just not in the moment. I agree the buttons have already been pushed. But, if we learn that it was pushed under false pretenses (by people who don't really give a flip about the cause), then shouldn't that cause you to stop and reconsider what you think you know about the event itself? Or, at the very least, cause you to pause and consider the next time they try to "push the buttons"? The optimist in me is hopeful like you are. But the reality, sadly, is the discussions aren't meant to be beneficial in the long run. They're meant to further the divide, further the push to tear down our society from the inside out. That's why there's a divide within the movement itself over the meaning of words (defund doesn't really mean defund to one group, but it means exactly that to another group -- both of whom claim to be on the same side). You can't solve racism with more racism. You can't get a positive from a negative, it just does not work. The language of this moment by its leadership is steeped in identity politics and old school Marxism (but I repeat myself) -- which gives the true game away. Ask yourself this. How much of a protest against the system can these past few weeks actually be when they've been fully supported by almost everyone in government, every major power center in our society including: media, corporate, and technology? Is it really brave or revolutionary when it's fully supported by the established powers in the society the protesters are railing against?

People tend to believe what they hear first, whether it's true or not. An issue like this, all the more so. Because it's emotional. Which is why it's a favorite trigger point to use by the cynical and politically motivated. People who are reacting emotionally are not, by definition, thinking clearly. That is a dangerous state of mind to be in, and often leads people to do things they later look back on with regret. Truth matters in the end.

It should matter to the people protesting. You should always know why you're protesting and what the cause is. One motivation fits their cause, one does not. Acknowledging that fact does not lessen their cause. Holding up something as an example of their cause for weeks, only to discover that it had nothing to do with that cause in the end, does more harm to their cause in the long run in fact.

No one is justifying what was done to Mr. Floyd. I'm certainly not. The issue of motivation does not change what happened or make it any less of a tragedy. What it does, however, is provide important context to the larger discussion being had around the country. If the reason for the confrontation, and the escalation of that confrontation that ended up with the knee on his neck, was borne out of a history between these two men that has nothing to do with racism or "cops gone wild" because of racism, then that matters. My interest lies in truth, not the cultivation or distortion of our perception. Whether George died because of a racist cop or because of a personal beef with a long time acquaintance/coworker doesn't somehow make the manner in which he died any less horrific. It just changes the discussion of what to do about it. Because one "motive" is very different from the other(s), both in terms of how we should view the event and how we can react/fix the problems it exposed.

It makes a large difference in terms of possible motives and the investigation into what happened. No one said it justified anything -- but if the motivation for the murder was not racism, but instead something related to their relationship -- that's pretty relevant.

This is a monumentally stupid point to try to run on, Joe. You can't win that fight. But he's dumb enough to try it.

Valid points

Playing games with language, changing the meaning of words, is right out of their playbook. "Believe all women!" -- uh, until we say so. "Defund the police!" -- uh, that word doesn't mean what you think it means even though half the people shouting it think it does. I know you have a bigger point (and it's valid about Chauvin's record) but Chauvin worked with Floyd for 17 years at a bar nearby the station. He knew the man for a long, long time before this tragedy.

I tried a civil debate with you. You proved to be incapable of it and instead were eager to throw CCP quotes out as if they were your own original thoughts. Because you're a deeply stupid person, Bill. Seriously. I worry you'll drown when you look up during a rainstorm.

But Alf, we know who the cabinet will be -- they'll be filled with lieutenants from the Clinton and Obama machines. They won't be a "good committee", they'll be filled with the same people who abused the law for their own benefit for decades. The very same people who built the system people now are protesting over being "systemically unjust". And unlike the last few times they've been in power, being No Chance Joe's shadow cabinet means they can be even more extreme because they'll have zero accountability to the voters. Not only is what you're suggesting fundamentally against everything in the constitution and American ethos, it's blisteringly stupid to plug in the same people who already failed/robbed/conned us all and expect them to do something different this time.

Found @GregPersons

Shots fired.

Because it was referencing a specific event that just took place hours ago and involved only democrats.