[Sixstrings]

Quite a headline, "Nixon activates the national guard to quell unrest."

But no it's not the 1970s, Missouri has a governor named Nixon.

Nixon Activates Missouri National Guard in Response to Potential ‘Period of Unrest’

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMOX) – Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon signed an executive order activating the Missouri National Guard on Monday afternoon.
According to a news release, the role of the National Guard is to “…support law enforcement during any period of unrest that might occur following the grand jury’s decision concerning the investigation into the death of Michael Brown.”

“As part of our ongoing efforts to plan and be prepared for any contingency, it is necessary to have these resources in place in advance of any announcement of the grand jury’s decision,” Nixon said in the release.
http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2014/11/17/nixon-activates-missouri-national-guard/

Okay we haven't talked about this on this forum.

Here's my take:

1) the whole thing is about a youtube vid of the cop shooting Michael Brown. So everyone just ASSUMED things and it went viral and people took the streets and it hasn't stopped since.

2) BUT -- then more information comes out, like the video showing Brown violently robbing a convenience store. He probably attacked the cop because he assumed the cop had gotten a call about the robbery. But the cop hadn't. The cop probably didn't know wtf was going on -- according to him, Brown wrestled for his gun and got right up on him in his squad car.

So now it looks like the grand jury will aquit the police officer, and they expect a lot of unrest.

Also, the Brown family recently flew to Geneva to go to the United Nations about this.

That's just ridiculous. This is just a little law enforcement problem in one little town; every country has this, and much bigger problems, so the international community latching onto this is just a chance to poke at America.

How can anyone get behind a cause that has, at its base, someone that violently robbed a convenience store.

You cannot assume this cop did something wrong, without knowing all the facts, and the grand jury has all the facts and they're probably going to find no cause for trial.

Meanwhile, CNN has just fanned this thing all this time and that's not good.

If the people in Ferguson were protesting for living wages and jobs then I could understand that, but they aren't, they've got no core ideology behind it other than just basic unrest.

I hate to say it, but do they even want jobs with living wages? Do they want jobs at all? Or just the checks? That's another topic -- there was a story on CNN the other day that says something like 95 million Americans tell pollsters they don't want any job at all.

I could understand a maidan type protest, if you've got some values behind it and maybe if this was about a living wage or something, but all this is about somebody that robbed a convenience store and then apparently he rushed a police officer, and did not listen to the police officer.

[Sixstrings]

FBI Warns Ferguson Decision ‘Will Likely’ Lead to Violence By Extremists Protesters
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/fbi-warns-ferguson-decision-lead-violence-extremist-protesters/story?id=26980624

Okay that's not how our system works, we have grand juries and juries not mob demands.

And if a jury really were racist and got it wrong, and it's obvious to everyone looking at the thing, THEN the justice department can step in with civil rights violation charges.

But that's not the case here. That officer will get rightfully aquited by the grand jury. And if it did go to trial, he will definitely get aquited.

We can't have mob rule in this country. You can't throw law enforcement in prison just to take some anger out.

It cannot be forgotten that Michael Brown robbed that convenience store. Watch THAT video. That's a dangerous man to have on the streets, he just walked right in grabbed the cigars he wanted and shoved the little Lebanese-looking shop owner over the counter and then he walked right back out like he owned the place.

It takes LOT of evidence, clear evidence, to overcome that.

You'd really need a video showing the WHOLE thing, showing that Brown had truly surrendered and unarmed, or if armed then following police instructions, and then if the cop just shot someone all innocent with their hands up then of course that would be criminal.

But I just don't buy it.

My hunch from watching the robbery video is that he treated that cop the same way he treated the shop owner -- and that's what got him shot, you can't walk around town like you're boss of everyone, stealing what you want, just shoving people down.

[vtsnowedin]

Both sides have had a long time to plan for this riot. We will soon see who is the better planner. The Al Sharptons and liberal media have been shameless in their incitement to riot. They should be charged with that crime. How many times have you seen the photo of Brown with the headphones on his head. Sweet innocent baby faced teenager? When was that photo taken? when he was 15 or 16? Surly not when he had grown into a 6' ft. 4" -250 lb thug that was terrorizing the neighborhood. I suspect he has a Juvy rap sheet that shows he was no choir boy even at fifteen (his manner in the store shows a bit of practice) but we won't get the facts on that.
Let's hope they can keep those intent on having a big riot to make them famous are kept under control so no one gets shot.

[Sixstrings]

Both sides have had a long time to plan for this riot. We will soon see who is the better planner. The Al Sharptons and liberal media have been shameless in their incitement to riot.

I agree. I don't watch MSNBC anymore. But even CNN has just been pushing this thing. Just because somebody is out protesting doesn't make them right, you know?

We've got to have law and order in this country.

It's not okay to just walk into a convenience store and push the clerk over the counter and grab what you want and stomp on out and THEN he mixes it up with that cop.

There is NO excuse for any kind of scuffle with a armed police officer in a squad car, for crying out loud.

If someone is depraved enough to rob a convenience store, then they had at least better have the common sense to do what a cop tells them to, after.

Media is trying to make a racial issue where it really never existed.

People are just POOR -- white and black. They're poor, and they're lost, and all D's have to offer are government checks and all R's have to offer is a minimum wage (for part time work) that hasn't gone up in twenty years. With the loss of jobs, and the increase of drug use, has come the breakdown of basic right and wrong and morality.

I'm not thumping a bible here, I'm just talking about pretty basic stuff like you don't make a hero out of someone that just robbed a convenience store.

So that's what bothers me.

The protesters aren't acknowledging what Brown did -- he robbed a store, and he scuffled with a cop in the squad car.

I'm all for living wage jobs and economic and labor issues, what I am not for is people just on checks and drugs, out causing mayhem.

Surly not when he had grown into a 6' ft. 4" -250 lb thug that was terrorizing the neighborhood.

Yup. And this is the classic liberal / conservative divide. I'm with the liberals on the living wage and healthcare, but then you have the classic enablers of crime and chaos and then the tough on crime law and order conservatives. I'm with the latter, on that.

I suspect he has a Juvy rap sheet that shows he was no choir boy even at fifteen (his manner in the store shows a bit of practice) but we won't get the facts on that.

Bottom line on it -- he robbed a store, and he probably treated that cop the same way he did the shop owner. That's not wise. That's no common sense. People with common sense don't rob stores to start with, of course.

A lot of police are shot with their own guns, every year, because a criminal takes their gun in a scuffle. Cops have to watch out for themselves. It's dangerous work.

[Sixstrings]

Muslim groups seek to co-opt Ferguson protests, says watchdog group

Muslim groups have stepped up efforts to co-opt protests over the fatal shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., with a drive to equate the teen’s death to the death of a radical Islamist shot during an FBI raid in 2009, a Washington-based security watchdog group is warning.

Using social media, conference calling and traditional outreach methods, leaders of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) are portraying Brown and Detroit mosque leader Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah as African-American victims of police targeting, according to the Washington-based Center for Security Policy (CSP). In a conference call organized by CAIR-linked "Muslims for Ferguson, a CAIR official called Abdullah a “Shaheed,” or martyr, and said both he and Brown were victims of a national security apparatus that had “completely gone wild” and engaged in “demonizing and criminalizing Muslims.”

“The reality is that this country, in law enforcement, be it local, state or federal law enforcement, people with guns have always seen black men and black people as threats,” Dawud Walid, executive director of CAIR’s Michigan Chapter, told the some 100 protest organizers on the call, made on the five-year anniversary of Abdullah's death and which was monitored by CSP.

...

“They’re interested in building coalitions with other organizations in order to effect a legislative change to weaken anti-terrorism laws and weaken the ability of law enforcement to engage in counterterrorism,” said Shideler. “And they’re trying to bring other people into their efforts so it doesn’t look like it is just a Muslim effort.”
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/11/18/muslim-groups-seek-to-co-opt-ferguson-protests-says-watchdog-group/

Bottom line on it -- this ain't Ukraine -- this ain't Denmark or Britain either -- and this ain't Syria.

We have fair elections. If someone wants change, they need to be peaceful and go to the ballot box. Other than that, USA is a law and order nation and we all want to be safe driving around and walking our towns and cities.

I can't say I have any sympathy for anyone that would be rude and confrontational with a cop -- if they treat a cop that way, how are they going to treat YOU if you have a run in with hoodlums ya know?

You can't enable criminality. That's how you get a NYC like back in the 70s, and how dangerous it was.

And look at the UK, and Europe, and how bad their extremist muslim problem is.

[Sixstrings]

EXCLUSIVE: Militant group offers cash rewards for 'location' of Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson - and says ammunition will 'solve a lot of problems'

Self-described 'militant resistance' offers $5,000 to find where Wilson is
Claims they 'just wana get his photo' but also have incendiary Twitter feed which says ammunition will 'solve problems'
Mounting fear of extremist violence in Ferguson when grand jury decides whether to charge Wilson over Michael Brown's shooting death
State of emergency declared and National Guard mobilized in preparation
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2840003/Militant-group-offers-cash-rewards-location-Ferguson-police-officer-Darren-Wilson-says-ammunition-solve-lot-problems.html

Report: Alleged Officer Warns Ferguson ‘If You Do Not Have a Gun, Get One’
http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2014/11/18/report-alleged-cop-warns-ferguson-if-you-do-not-have-a-gun-get-one/

A more positive article, lot of talks between police and protesters ahead of the coming grand jury decision:

Police, protesters argue over ‘rules of engagement’ ahead of Ferguson decision

ST. LOUIS — Following weeks of intense negotiations, local police officials and Ferguson protesters have agreed to a dozen policies for how any future protests will be policed — but have yet to reach consensus over whether tear gas and riot gear will be used or whether the protesters will get advance notice of when the grand jury will announce its decision regarding Ferguson Officer Darren Wilson.

The negotiations have centered on 19 “Rules of Engagement” proposed by a coalition of 50 community and civil rights groups in an effort to avoid the violent clashes that brought worldwide attention to Ferguson after the shooting of a black teenager in August.

The list is largely a docket of best police practices, such as “the first priority shall be preservation of human life” and “excessive force and other forms of police misconduct will not be tolerated.” In general, protesters have agreed to peaceful demonstrations if police don’t interfere, while police have agreed to respect demonstrators’ right to assemble as long as there is no violence.
[url]http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/police-in-st-louis-agree-to-rules-of-engagement-for-protests-after-grand-jury-decision/2014/11/18/75107438-6f5a-11e4-893f-86bd390a3340_story.html​[/url]

Here's what I wonder.. Ferguson is just a little town.. how many people are even involved in this? How is it such a big deal?

And I'll say it again, I'm for peaceful protesters and if it were about living wage jobs and the real issues then I could understand that.

If people just want a government check and to protest too, then sorry that's not cool. They should make this about something bigger, something else they are angry about -- it can't just be that a guy that robbed a convenience store and was dangerous to have on the streets is some kind of hero.

Why does the media always say "the unarmed black teenager shot by a white officer." Why do they never say "the convenience store robber."

Why does nobody care about the shop owner. And how scary that must have been. Brown just marched right in and grabbed what he wanted and shoved the little guy. How is that right. How is that some kind of hero.

SURVEILLANCE VIDEO: Police say Michael Brown was suspect in Ferguson store robbery
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkOfqIXkBRE

Watch the video. Look how violent that was. The shop owner would have possibly been within rights to use a gun in that moment, with Brown's hands around his neck, no?

I mean what's wrong with people, you can't go into a store acting that way, and robbing it, and grabbing the clerk by the neck. That's a VIOLENT robbery. I think I saw on CNN that the cop figured out this was the robbery suspect at some point. So of course the officer is going to take things very serious. Brown should froze when told to freeze, and if he came at an armed officer the way he came at that shop owner then what can you do? Are police just supposed to let themselves get beat up and terrorized?

[Sixstrings]

Grand jury may have a decision soon.

It's taken them a long time.. that may not be a good sign.. can a grand jury hang? Isn't is just majority vote?

They're either going to indict the police officer, or, they have been stringing out deliberations so nobody says they rushed it.

Bear in mind, grand jury indictment is not conviction, if indicted then it goes to trial and that's a whole other burden of proof.

To do some devil's advocate:

One thing the Ferguson PD has done wrong was telling protesters and media to "turn off your cameras." That's blatantly unconstitutional.

It's actually important that officers around the country are aware and trained about basic constitutional rights, like that. Unless you are placed under arrest, then you have the constitutional right to record any interaction with government that you want to.

[KaiserJeep]

-snip-
Here's my take:

1) the whole thing is about a youtube vid of the cop shooting Michael Brown. So everyone just ASSUMED things and it went viral and people took the streets and it hasn't stopped since.

2) ...

That's the part where you are wrong. People did not just "take to the streets", they were encouraged to do so by Race Baiters like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, who gain and maintain political power by promoting the separation of races, the victimization of the Black race, and White guilt. They are posturing for the cameras and those MSM outlets such as CNN are fanning the flames of racial hatred.

BAU.

We should have the courage to plainly say what is happening:

1) Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson and their supporters are Racists, every bit as offensive as was Governor Wallace when he postured for the cameras in his day.

2) CNN with it's one-sided coverage of the issues is a Racist media outlet.

3) President Obama is useless, he has the ability to say things to minimize the damage, and he needs to do so, because the mid-term elections are past, and the next National elections are not quite two years away. His failure to act demonstrates that he too is willing to incite Racism for political gain. We should have expected nothing different from a Chicago politician. I used to live and work there, I know the place.

4) The right to peaceful assembly and protest is not being infringed. When violence erupts, the Al Sharpton's and Jesse Jackson's and Dawud Walid's share the blame and have committed crimes against an otherwise peaceful society. Spontaneous protests are everybody's right, incitement to riot is a crime.

[kuidaskassikaeb]

Somebody has to disagree with this stuff.

Some facts

At least 5 witnesses say Michael Brown had his hands up, two in real time on a cell phone video.

He was at least 30 feet from the officer probably a 100 feet and had stopped running away when shot at.

There is absolutely no question that he was unarmed.

I saw the video of the alleged robbery. There was no jumping over counters just some finger pointing. If somebody hadn't said it was a robbery you wouldn't have thought it was.

Al Sharpton told everybody to go home and vote.

Only one third of the needed ballots were supplied to Ferguson in the midterm disenfranchising 2/3 ds of the voters. Not my idea of a fair election.

Ferguson gets 1/2 its budget from municipal fines, and failure to appear
even though

He noted numbers from Missouri's attorney general on vehicle stops in Ferguson. Blacks are far more likely than whites to be stopped, far more likely to be searched, and twice as likely to be arrested — even though whites are more likely to be caught with contraband.

It turns out that in Ferguson,"court fees and fines are the second largest source of funds for the city; $2.6 million was collected in 2013 alone."

The scenario often goes like this: a poor person is pulled over for a minor traffic offense like running a stop sign or speeding. They can't pay the fine because they haven't got the money. They get put in jail for not paying their tickets. When someone is put in jail, somehow the rest of the family manages to scrape up the money to pay the fines and get them out. So it turns out that jailing a poor person is a good way to get them to pay traffic tickets, and judges keep doing it.

The list goes on. I hope there's no riot, black people are still paying for the ones 50 years ago, but it ain't CNN.

[KaiserJeep]

People have still got to learn, even if you have your brand new, shiny and black or silver smart phone in your hand, when a police officer yells at you, drop the damned thing and turn around with your empty hands raised.

My brother was a Wisconsin State Trooper. He got booted out because he was not trigger happy enough to meet their standards, he ended up in fistfights three times instead of discharging his weapon. The third time and after two warnings, they fired his ass because he would not shoot someone in compliance with policy.

The truth of the matter is that the Police are largely undermanned, overworked, and underpaid. They are frequently making split second decisions that mean life or death, both for them and the people they encounter when investigating crimes. The cop doing the shooting was investigating a robbery, had not seen the infamous video, and had no way of knowing if the suspected perp was armed or not.

[vtsnowedin]

Somebody has to disagree with this stuff.

Some facts

At least 5 witnesses say Michael Brown had his hands up, two in real time on a cell phone video.

Would you happen to have a link to that video?

[Sixstrings]

I saw the video of the alleged robbery. There was no jumping over counters just some finger pointing. If somebody hadn't said it was a robbery you wouldn't have thought it was.

Did you watch the end of the video?

He shoved the little Lebanese-lookin guy and it looks to me like he had his hands on his throat.

Then Brown starts to stomp out with the cigars, and the shop owner follows after him a bit (in the store), then Brown turns around *very threatening* and starts stomping back to the little Lebanese guy, and the shop owner runs.

I know body language, Brown was dangerous in that store and dangerous to be walking the streets treating people that way.

As for the witnesses -- half say one thing, half say what the cop is saying.

You can't convict somebody based on one snippet of a youtube video (and that goes for Brown's robbery too, but, a jury looks at all of this -- was there evidence of violence, did the dude just rob a darn convenience store, what was his demeanor, etc.)

Why has the shop owner never been heard from?

Doesn't he have a story to tell here? Would YOU like that in your place of business, some big guy just stomping in and his hands on your neck and he's gonna do whatever he wants and just takes what he wants and stomps out?

I'm guessing the shop owner hasn't spoken out because he doesn't want to get targeted and threats, from the "community," he's been through enough already.

What are these protests about?

Is it protesting for the right to rob convenience stores, and then scuffle with a cop, and somehow that's okay and the cop won't pull his gun in that scuffle, as he's been trained to do, if he has encountered someone that just robbed a store and is now stomping toward him, and won't obey lawful commands?

Why don't we be honest here. The cigars were probably for blunts, for weed. Some dudes are chill on weed, and some aren't, and the ones that aren't should maybe give up the weed before they do the wrong thing with an armed cop -- after they just robbed a store.

[Sixstrings]

People have still got to learn, even if you have your brand new, shiny and black or silver smart phone in your hand, when a police officer yells at you, drop the damned thing and turn around with your empty hands raised.

My brother was a Wisconsin State Trooper. He got booted out because he was not trigger happy enough to meet their standards, he ended up in fistfights three times instead of discharging his weapon. The third time and after two warnings, they fired his ass because he would not shoot someone in compliance with policy.

The truth of the matter is that the Police are largely undermanned, overworked, and underpaid. They are frequently making split second decisions that mean life or death, both for them and the people they encounter when investigating crimes. The cop doing the shooting was investigating a robbery, had not seen the infamous video, and had no way of knowing if the suspected perp was armed or not.

You're right.

People need to have some common sense.

Folk with common sense don't rob stores and shove the shopkeeper to start with, of course.

Folk need some common sense -- be NICE to the police, and be respectful, and obey lawful commands. Our police forces are not darned al queda they ain't gonna hurt you if you are not a threat and you don't fight them or resist lawful arrest.

But if someone has lost all respect for all authority -- in the home, in school, shop owners, and then even police, then that's the kind of people that have problems with the police.

You just cannot do this, you cannot treat cops like they are another hoodlum on the street you can just mix it up with.

It's insane, what is wrong with people, they have no sense anymore.

P.S. I know I'm preaching to the choir here. But anyhow your brother is a pretty good guy, and I believe most cops are like that -- they actually risk their own lives, because many cops get shot every year with their own gun. Your brother was risking his life rather than draw his weapon.

Cops aren't looking to just shoot someone, it brings on a whole lot of "red tape" and them on trial maybe and all this crap, and yeah they get adreniline going but they're not monsters or something just out shooting people let's get real.

It's very important that people should be respectful to cops and obey lawful commands and if someone wants to be a political rebel or something, then just watch it, if you come at a cop like you're a dangerous hoodlum then how is that cop supposed to react for goodness sake?

2nd P.S. a place like Russia and Europe have an easier time with this because people don't have guns, and the cops there do the fist fights and scuffles.

But this is the USA and for better or worse there are more guns than people. I don't think any cop just shoots people for the heck of it. They have to protect themselves, this isn't Denmark, our hoodlums have guns.

[vtsnowedin]

We are not as far removed from this as we would like to be. http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/sh ... oid=908163

Nine people had died on Friday night. They were all black men, ranging in age from 16 to 34. Four were married. Eight were employed. Seven had been shot to death. Another died in a fire and the ninth bled to death from a cut on his leg.

The two reporters divided the riot deaths between them. Heineman would handle the west-side victims and Havemann the north and south sides. They got names and addresses from the Sun-Times police reporter and tracked down the police reports.

The next morning Heineman drove his old Volkswagen Bug out to the west side. Friends and relatives of one of the victims told him that other men had also been killed at about the same time and place. That evening he stayed late at the office, checking back with the police and area hospitals and on a hand-drawn map plotting the locations of four bodies found between 8 and 11 Friday night along the 4100 and 4200 blocks of West Madison. He spent the rest of the week looking into those four deaths.

One of the victims, Robert Dorsey, described by his employer as reliable and well liked, had been walking home with his wife about 9 PM. They detoured into an alley to avoid Keeler Avenue, where police were firing their rifles into the air. Dorsey's wife told Heineman, "We never made it to the house. Robert pushed me to the ground because he heard the guns go off and it sounded like a whole lot of shots--like a machine gun. He fell onto me, asked if I was all right, and said they had shot him in the back. He was bleeding on me and had a hole in his front."

She said, "I don't know who did it but I didn't see anyone shooting but the police." Her husband lay on the street from about 9:15 until 9:45, when a squad car arrived. "I think he died about 9:30," she said. "That was when I saw him give a little jerk."

Several witnesses, including a small-business owner who'd sat in his store all night and watched the looting and burning along Madison, talked about a blue Chevy. They called it a "killer squad." Four white officers in the unmarked blue car, each with a shotgun, had appeared at intervals during the night, firing into stores without warning. Two of the victims had been found in the backs of stores and two in the alley just south of the stores. A store owner on that block, the 4100 block of West Madison, said there were hundreds of spent bullets on the floor of his shop the next morning.

Heineman checked with the coroner's office. He was told all four men had died of wounds from shotguns whose shells had been packed with extra shot to be especially lethal.

There'd been a lot of racial tension that year. Black students had been bused into the Austin district for the first time the previous fall. There were reports of the Ku Klux Klan gaining in membership among Chicago policemen. Now there was at least circumstantial evidence that a tactical unit had gone berserk. Heineman told the city editor that he'd stumbled on a much bigger story than a profile of riot deaths. But instead of pursuing the story, he was directed to find out more about the law governing police use of firearms and department regulations on the use of deadly force. He determined that the regulations clearly barred the kind of police fire that had apparently killed the four men.

[Sixstrings]

I'm sorry I'm a bit worked up about this, it just gets me, is all.

The media calls Brown "the unarmed black teenager shot by a white officer."

Wtf.

Why do they not say "the accused convenience store robber."

Look folks -- I'm all for democracy and the People, UNLESS the People are wanting a right to rob convenience stores and act a fool out in public, ok?

I've seen my own town go downhill, over the years.

People just aren't acting right anymore, in public. Maybe I should move to Vermont or something, but it's too darn cold up there and the liberals have raised the power bill 37%.

We've got more poverty in this country -- white and black -- and breakdown of families and no jobs and as if that weren't bad enough, now weed is legal or decrminalized.

Now I know a lot of folks on this forum like their weed, and that's okay you're not out robbing convenience stores or graduating to oxy and pills and heroin and "tina" and crack. But some are.

I think the legal weed is a problem.

And the other drugs, too.

Here's what I'd like to see: I know everyone wants their legal weed, so how about a 3 strikes law -- if anyone commits 3 violent crimes and they test positive for weed, or any other drug, then toss them into the slammer and throw away the key.

I like 3 strikes laws.

Because the reality is that if somebody gets violent, after 3 times, then you can be pretty darn sure that's a violent person and they are best kept off the streets.

[Sixstrings]

I am being very serious here.

I could have never imagined I'd wind up complaining about breakdown of families and "drugs."

But I have just seen such a radical change these last years, in my county, and neighboring counties.

I've got one county south of me that's just *known* for being infested with drugs. It's sort of rural, with some suburbs. It's white and latino. It's not the latinos' fault either, it's the white folks on the drugs.

It's so bad -- you actually don't want to be driving the highway through there too late at night, in a nice car, or else cops will think you are a drug dealer and pull you over.

The drugs are just out of control.

Marijuana is EVERYWHERE now, where it isn't legal it's basically decriminalized.

How are we so sure this is a good thing? That weed is so easy to get now, and okay? Isn't that just going to make everyone smoke more weed and be stoned all the time? Is that really a good thing?

Bigger problems -- "oxy" is everywhere. That's big pharma's fault, these meds for peoples' "back pain."

And now the oxy is cracked down on so HEROIN is way up. People can't get their pill fix anymore, so it's heroin and crack.

Then all the party drugs. The ecstsasy, the tina (ecstasy + meth), then meth too.

It's a big fracking mess, guys. Poor people, no jobs, everybody stoned and turning into degenerate drug people, acting a fool in public.

[Plantagenet]

The rioters in Ferguson chant "hands up! Don't shoot!"

The people supporting the police chant back "pants up! Don't loot!"

[vtsnowedin]

I'm sorry I'm a bit worked up about this, it just gets me, is all.

Maybe I should move to Vermont or something, but it's too darn cold up there and the liberals have raised the power bill 37%.

You do know that we spend most of the winter hours inside not far from the stove? That 37% bill increase was for TAXachusetts not Vermont but our rates are high enough and bound to go higher. Still a bargain compared to doing it yourself off grid.
BTDT.
The drug use in Vermont is comparable with the national averages but being a rural state we don't have the locations you don't want to go to at night and the druggies mind their own business and tend to leave you alone. Also because the average Vt. house has a gun in it and a resident that knows how to use it (and will) the druggies tend to be very careful about where they try to steal stuff to pay for their next fix.
Come on up. You will find a group you can fit right into as we have everything you have ever heard of and then some.

[Sixstrings]

Why can't media start saying "the alleged convenience store robber," wouldn't that be objective, when they say "unarmed black teenager" it makes it sound like it was a racist attack on somebody innocent.

I think it's the darn media that has convinced everyone this was some racist attack.

Why hasn't anyone watched the robbery video. Watch that video I linked, he had his hands on the shop owner's neck, he pushed him, he stomped back after him.

What are other people seeing that I'm not, I'm seeing someone dangerous in that video and it's no surprise to me he mixed it up with a cop after.

Police arrest protesters as Ferguson awaits grand jury decision

(Reuters) - Police in Ferguson, Missouri, kept alert on Thursday for signs of tension after arresting five people for blocking a street the night before in a protest demanding the criminal indictment of a white police officer who shot dead an unarmed black teenager in August.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/11/20/us-usa-missouri-shooting-idUSKCN0J315K20141120

Race defines Americans' views on Ferguson shooting

Overall, 37.3% of white respondents thought that it was very or extremely likely that Brown attacked Wilson. Only 11.8% of blacks agreed. In contrast, 35.8% of the white respondents in our study thought that race played a large role or an enormous role in the shooting; 73.4% of blacks felt the same way.

White Americans are far more likely than blacks to think that Brown attacked Wilson. Black Americans are far more likely to think that the initial shooting was racially motivated. At the same time, whites are more likely than blacks to believe race played a role in the protests.

Blacks were also much more likely than whites to think that Wilson should be charged with murder — 91% of blacks thought that Wilson should be charged. whites were split, with 42.1% saying that Wilson probably or definitely should be charged and 57.9% saying that Wilson should not be charged.
http://www.freep.com/story/opinion/contributors/2014/11/17/ferguson-shooting-grand-jury-police-cop-michael-brown/19179241/

I'm honestly surprised 42% of whites think Wilson should be charged.

I think the media brainwashed everyone. Folks are busy, they don't have time to dig into it, they just see "unarmed black teenager shot by white officer" and they hear about the "hands up, don't shoot me" protests.

I hope the jury process works and they stick to the law and look at the real facts.

A violent convenience store robber that assaulted somebody is not a civil rights hero, I'm sorry. Or if folks want to make it out to be that, then fine, but don't do a witch hunt and send this officer to prison for *murder* for goodness sake.

Don't we want to be protected, in our towns? Do we want cops to be afraid to respond or do anything?

Do we want cops like darn Holland has? I got mugged in Amsterdam once, let me tell ya something, the cops didn't give a sh*t.

I'm a law an order voter. I won't vote for liberal law enforcement that lets criminals run amok on the streets, robbing places, and it's some kind of civil right to be a hoodlum and be dangerous to law-abiding citizens.

[Subjectivist]

Michael Brown Sr. calls for peace.

http://youtu.be/x4LkX7PZCoo