Does this look like America to you?

reply to post by westcoast


Laugh out loud if I didn't know better I would swear it's officially damage control time!

Wait I do know better.

Good luck selling that story!

This was the worst case of police brutality ever recorded in the United States.

A total disregard for the Constitution and life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Hint if people who think like this weren't so desperate to be protected at any and all costs their probably wouldn't be anything to protest.

In reality we need protected from people who advocate giving up our constitutional rights because any display of free will and liberty offends them!

Originally posted by ProtoplasmicTraveler

This was the worst case of police brutality ever recorded in the United States.

A total disregard for the Constitution and life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Thomas Jefferson would be out for blood....

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/1c122d49faf6.jpg[/atsimg]

*Any cop who dresses as a storm trooper is a petty tyrant, the shedding of who's blood is supported by Thomas Jefferson.

Oh, and The FBI teaches their minions that Jefferson and the Founding Fathers were terrorists.

[edit on 27-9-2009 by Exuberant1]

We all knew that this was coming, didn't we? Now that we are looking at it actually happening, we should study it carefully and be prepared.

I've come to the conclusion that these officers must, and I mean must.... have some sort of a mental illness to agree to take part in this terrorist type intimidation tactic on their own people.

It is chilling indeed, but we need to really study it carefully because now we know it's not just a prediction of things to come, it is real.

I love my country. Many times I have thought maybe I should take my family and get out of it, but no. This is my country and these people can go to hell. I'm the granddaughter of a WWII veteran, the neice of 3 vietnam veterans, and I will be damned if I'm going to just turn tail and give up. We must stand up and fight to get this country back. We cannot allow these people to steal away our freedom.

I do believe that this is going to shake alot of these kids awake from their long sugar/junk diets, xbox, wii, computers and ipods. Being tear gassed in the breezeway of your dorm when you're not even doing anything should show them that they are not free in this country, and that this was clearly and act of terrorism on the American people.

Everyone keeps saying "get ready, so it begins, wake up". well, it's already here, and it's already happening. Now what? And people wonder why the factories can't produce ammunition fast enough. They wonder why it's falling off shelves fast as lightning. Well, there's their reasons.

Originally posted by Asherah

I've come to the conclusion that these officers must, and I mean must.... have some sort of a mental illness to agree to take part in this terrorist type intimidation tactic on their own people...


....I love my country.

Nevertheless, they will still face prosecution for their crimes.

For their actions in Pittsburgh; Whole departments, thousands of men, private contractors and soldiers will be brought up on charges only a few short years from now.

It is hard for you to believe - but it will happen.

Currently, the enemy is being given enough rope to hang themselves, enough time and space to let us all know who they are and the extent of their complicity. Nothing is ever what it seems.


*You love your country - not 'this country' - YOUR country. And you aren't alone and this will be why we are going to win this thing. It is an inevitability.



[edit on 27-9-2009 by Exuberant1]

reply to post by Asherah


The police have been subjected to constant and sophisticated forms of brainwashing. They have been programed. I have noticed their transformation in recent years especially in young and new officers.

The few times I have had dealings with them and they see I can not be intimidated and know the laws and have no fear of them they literally shake with barely controlled rage.

They think they are our Masters, and in reality all they are is Bonded Henchmen beholden to their Masters.

Many of these new younger officers live to abuse their power, and take delight and joy in terrorizing and intimidating people.

I fought and spoke out against it in my muncipality and some of the worst have been relieved.

The Cheifs have fat paychecks and nice fringe benefits, citizens should take the time to go to town hall and council meetings, to document police abuses and excesses when ever they see them and address it with the council.

My neighborhood is a little safer for the effort, but as a small incorporate community I do know when things get ugly the larger city it dwells within will lend officers from their much larger force.

The Police by and large no longer respect the citizens.

That is as much our fault as theirs for we have not made them respect us. We have not made them serve us. We have let them serve the politicians and their corporate Masters at the expense of our needs far too long.

That must change and it will.

Originally posted by JWH44


You generalize us all to be power-hungry monsters, yet you disregard the dangers we face and the sacrifices we make to protect those that we serve.

I have tried for so many years to separate good cops from the bad cops. I have made excuses and tried to rationalize it in my mind why some officers act like crazy thugs, and some are good and sympathetic and there to "protect and serve". But after the past two decades I have given up, for many many reasons. I have suffered abuse at the hands of an officer who grabbed me from a sidewalk as I was walking to work trying to get around a protest, and he dragged me on the concrete which tore my skin open on my legs. I still have scars on my legs where I had to have multiple stitches. The officer laughed at me as I begged to be freed, and swore I was on my way to work.

I've seen my share of police brutality, excessive force, and plain acts of insanity and loss of self control.

My sister in law was on the BART train the day and witnessed a kid, who was handcuffed and on his knees, shot point blank by an officer. She hasn't slept good since, after witnessing such violence. The officer chose to take out his aggression that day on a kid, and cut short his life for no reason.

One day when we went shopping, I had my 4 year old with me at the time. A police car came to a screeching halt next to us and an officer jumped out and had a gun on me. My daughter was screaming and crying, she was so terrified she wet her clothes. They *thought* I was someone who had robbed a bank that morning. They dragged me out of my car and cuffed me and took my terrified daughter and put her in a car with a police woman. once they went through my purse and got my ID, they realized they had messed up. They let us go.

Now, my daughter who is six, when she sees a cop, she is terrified of them. She will cry. When she sees a cop car, she tells me, and says "Drive the other way mommy so the cop won't get me"

That was one reason I got the hell out of the city.

I want to believe that you understand, but I just can't buy it.

reply to post by ProtoplasmicTraveler


It is frightning to me that these officers don't have a problem with hitting women. They just don't care. That's why I think they have a mental problem. We have laws regarding battery against children and adults, but I guess that does not apply to a police officer who's beating the crap out of a woman 1/2 his size.

I feel like I need to butt in here to lend some perspective.

Pittsburgh, PA is a poor example of large city politics. It is only a medium-sized city at that.

And, not to put down any of our members from that area, it is populated by...well...not too many Harvard graduates.

Picksburg, as it is known, got a fistful of money to prepare for G20 security. More money than they knew what to do with.

All of a sudden they were in the news for something other than the Steelers.

They went overboard with all this found money. What happened is the result.

Compare it to how NYC handled the UN conference last week, along with handling terrorist bomb threats. Cool, is how.

See the difference between the two cities?

I think the pertinent question here that no one is asking is why the hell are state of the are weapons being unleashed on the American people. I realize that is a rhetorical question. I also understand that it is suppose to be a "non" lethal weapon. But it does not excuse the fact that they resorted to this.

This country, our constitution, our freedoms is being rotted from the inside out; and I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but is no such thing as a "soft" revolution. Lest we forget, the American Revolution was only successful because their was a war involved.

So I think the next logical questions would be.

Where do we as a people draw a line in the sand? It is like a cycle of abuse, if the abuser knows they can get away with it, they will keep doing it.
And the violence will usually intensify. They will keep poking and prodding us and bending till we hit a breaking point. This isn't going to stop anytime soon either as the Patriot Act gives the government unchecked power. To do whatever they please in the name of "National Security". The Federal Government has become a cancer that is now starting to kill the host, namely us.

And last but certainly not least.

What is worth dying for. Look within yourself. Should a FEMA camp scenario ever develop; and we are all rounded up like cattle, dehumanized, then sent to a concentration camps ultimately to be slaughtered. I will not be going. I believe it is better to die with honor and dignity fighting for what you know in your heart is right. So that future generations of Americans will have a rule of law that is truly once again by the people for the people. Than to be rounded up and exterminated because of my own inaction. Of course that is worse case scenario. But if the situation arose.......


I guess these G-20 videos really confirmed it for me. The whole part in the wearechange.org video where the swat vehicle rolled up, with the Robocop sounding guy on the p.a. barking orders at the people and blasting them with the LRAD, was just a little too Orwellian for me. I see a storm brewing and I think is going to get a whole lot worse before it gets better.

Originally posted by ProtoplasmicTraveler
reply to post by JWH44

 

I believe it is safe to say we all, the world over share in your shame if not the self centered reaction to it as a means for personal denial and to avoid culpability and guilt through association.

First of all, thank you for taking the time to devote so much of your opinion in responding to my post. But also allow me to address it; I don't believe that I mentioned "my shame" anywhere in my post. I have stayed fairly quiet on the original topic of the post because I simply wanted to make a point about demonizing all law enforcement. I think I've made that point. To say that I am self-centered in my response is puzzling to me; where did I mention myself? I am trying to speak for the officers that you so quickly denounce as a whole as evil. You want to hold me in contempt and blame me because I spoke up and I am distasteful to you? So be it; I've been called much worse and I've been attacked much more harshly. Believe me, I can take it.

As far as guilt through association, where do you get that? Guilty of what? Was I there? No. And no, that is not me distancing myself or admitting that I feel the actions were wrong. Regardless, let me say this: I have read through the entire post and watched the majority of the videos (I am unable to watch them at work and my wife keeps me pretty busy around the house) but from what I've seen, I can only conclude this; I can't make a full conclusion without seeing the whole picture. None of us can. These snippits of footage show the final moments of the incident. It doesn't show any of the context clearly. Were you there? Did you see everything that went on? I know I didn't. So who am I to say what transpired. If someone who was there feels they were stripped of their rights than they should speak out. File a complaint; write their representative; call the attorney general; find an attorney. Stand up for your rights!

I know, I know... You are going to say that everyone is corrupt and you cannot turn to anyone. My response; oust your corrupt representatives. It can be done and I fully support removing those from power that do not belong. Easier said than done? Of course, but you can; you just have to organize those who feel the same as you into a coherent, reasonable voice. As you have admitted yourself, many of the "mainstream" outlets tend to discredit voices that they regard as "extreme". You can fight against that, or you can fight with it by playing the game. What I mean by that is, don't allow yourself to be instantly marginalized by using such extreme rhetoric. That instantly labels you as "out there" and makes it hard to convey your message to an accepting audience. Am I discrediting your opinions? Absolutely Not. But you have to play to win.

On this forum, you are pandering to a captive audience. You all feel strongly about these topics and and I applaud that. In spirit, I agree with many of you. But if you want to reach beyond these virtual walls, then put some of that intellect into choosing how you want to fight your battle. Play the game then try to make change. Realize the rules and play by those rules and you might just find that your collective voices will not fall on deaf ears.

One more thing I wanted to address to you, Sir, before I leave; another of your posts further down the line mentions a "confession" by a Federal Law Enforcement officer. I can only assume that you are referring to me. In that light, what exactly did I confess to? I must have missed that.

Well, my post ended up nowhere near where I had planned on going with it. I enjoy these discussions and look forward to many more.

Regards,
JW


[mod edit: fixed quote tags]

[edit on 27-9-2009 by 12m8keall2c]

[edit on 9/27/2009 by JWH44]

reply to post by JWH44


JW is correct with suggesting to oust the representatives.

For most of the videos I have seen in regards to the G20, I am curious to know what laws where broken by the cops. The argument of posse comitatus is out, unless someone can provide proof of military being present, OTHER than National Guard. Also, I see people on here all the time referencing posse comitatus as if its part of the constitution….to my knowledge it is not.



In regards to breaking up the protesters, it’s my understanding that you need a permit to protest, which is BS IMO, but that doesn’t have anything to do with the police. It has to do with a law that was passed, the police just enforce that law. If you people don’t like these laws, there are ways to fight against them, legally.

JW, I was hoping you read my post back on page 6. If you could answer that, it would be great. If you don’t wanna post openly, you could U2U me. Thanks.



[edit on 27-9-2009 by Thumb]

www.ireport.com...

Unbelievable.

Like they had just gone hunting or something and wanted a picture with their trophy.

I let you draw your own conclusions on how they view us.

reply to post by kosmicjack


Kosmicjack, I have to agree with you on that one. If it is what it appears to be on the surface, officers taking a "trophy shot", then it is completely out of bounds and in poor taste. I would reprimand my men for that sort of behavior.

reply to post by kosmicjack


Totally unacceptable.

Disgusting behaivour.

I'd like to try and see someone defend that kind of action.

The Pittsburgh Chief of Police needs to be called on the carpet.

Looking back at the second video posted, the officers where lock-stepping to disperse a peaceful assembly of people chanting "U.S.A.!"

What does that tell you?

[edit on 27/9/2009 by kosmicjack]

What does what tell me/us? sidestepping and chanting USA? That tells me nothing, but please, enlighten me.

Originally posted by Thumb
What does what tell me/us? sidestepping and chanting USA? That tells me nothing, but please, enlighten me.

Your post tells us that you aren't American.

And if you are American... well it sort of shows how things got to this point.

I don't expect you to understand.

reply to post by Thumb


I'll try to answer that in the context of this topic to keep this post focused. Actions like these that are shown in these videos are a result of an underlying frustration with our current state of social disarray. Times are hard. Images of violence, crime, economic hardship and are far too prevalent. We all recognize that something is wrong and we want to fix it. Nobody wants to live in an unstable world.

So why have we gotten here? How can that be answered simply. I'll say greed. Greed has led to so many of our problems. It has led to everyday people living far beyond their means. People no longer have to work hard and save money to buy the things they want. Put it on a credit card; get a zero down ARM on a house you have no business living in. How? By going through another greed-based entity that knows you can't afford what their selling, but will happily charge you insane interest so you can barely make minimum payments and line the credit card company's pocket with free money from that interest.

How are these companies allowed to get away with this? Lobbyists and lawyers. Weak-willed politicians that have made representing the People a business rather than an honorable calling. They support these corporate entities that prey on the irresponsibility of the average American.

We have become so irresponsible because we no longer teach our children responsibility, or general common sense for that matter. It is a crime to discipline your kids. We are so concerned with their rights that we let bad, irresponsible behavior go unchecked. Rather than spend time properly raising our children, we let MTV do it. And look at what they promote; more greed and excess.

How is this a conspiracy? It's hard to nail it down, but it all boils back to money. Overall, the financial system on which we've built our country is based on nothing; money made not by the exchange of goods and services, but imaginary wealth derived from debt. I graduated college with a degree in sociology, not economics, but even I can see that is game built lose. The conspiracy is that TPTB allow it to continue and grow.

I know that is pretty general, but it's a start and at least semi-relevant to this topic.

in reply to Exuberant1




Thank you for the reply. This is the kind of reply I was expecting.

So, please explain to me, with fact, not your opinion, what was illegal in the video of the cops side stepping?

As of right now, I think you have no idea what you are talking about. You present no facts. You present ignorance. I asked a question for someone to explain to me how these videos are a violation to the constitution...you reply in an uneducated manner.

Again, I don’t wish to attack you, I wish to hear your point of view, based upon fact, not your lack of understanding on the constitution.



[edit on 27-9-2009 by Thumb]

reply to post by warrenb


Yes, it looks exactly like America to me.

However it is not the America that I grew up in.

It is not the America the way it should be.

I wonder when the people will say enough is enough and take their country back?

Then we can all live in America the way it should be once again.