Friday, April 29, 2005

MARK BRADY: Iraq Still Isn't an Election Issue. Brendan O’Neill explains why here. Sad but true. [Liberty & Power: Group Blog] The article addresses the hypocrisy of "anti-war" types who are opposed to the conquest of Iraq, but were perfectly happy to support previous wars of aggression such as Kosovo. The article is directed at Tony Blair and British politicians, but it applies equally to "anti-war unless it's our war" Americans. 1:58:54 PM    comment () AEON J. SKOBLE: Know what this is? Guess I didn't.. This NYT story is interesting in lots of ways, but what struck me the most was the revelation that that famous photo of the helicopter evacuating people from the embassy roof in Saigon is actually something else. Have a look! In other news, my promotion to Associate is now official. Woo-hoo! [Liberty & Power: Group Blog] A very interesting story by the photograher who took the picture. 1:46:15 PM    comment () # Old Horseman - Police State in Progress: Less Lethal Weapons... - cops have taken a liking to the supposed non-lethal weapons, e.g. pepper spray and tasers. Problem is, they're not really non-lethal, only less-probably lethal than their pistols. And pepper spray in the eyes or a taser zap could reasonably be called torture. So why is it OK for cops to use them on people whose only "crime" is disobeying orders? It's not OK, of course. And we should remind the cops in question that they're engaging in torture and risking murder when they do it. Police forces in America should be stripped of tasers, pepper spray, and other instruments of torture until they get it through their heads that you don't hurt people who are doing no harm. Citizens are not cattle to be prodded and punished because the guy behind the badge doesn't like their attitude or is such a chicken-shit coward that he can't stand eye to eye with a citizen and talk to him like a human being. If cops keep acting like Nazis, treating the citizens like the Enemy, sooner or later, the citizens will respond in kind. I personally consider pepper spray and tasers to be lethal weapons, and would respond to anyone attacking me with them in exactly the same manner as I would if they were armed with a gun or knife. (Which is to say, with opposing lethal force.) The husband of the old woman who was double-zapped was arrested for "interfering with an officer" when he confronted the jackboots over their attack on his wife. In all honesty, if he'd shot the cop through the head with a rifle from his window, he would never have been convicted with me on the jury. [End the War on Freedom] It's not just tasers and pepper spray, either. the military has been working on new ways to torture large groups of people from a distance, and you can be sure that the cops will be using them too. 12:45:12 PM    comment ()

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