That’s a deep question. But I’m in a mood tonight so fuck it. I got there because I was young and well indoctrinated. I stayed there and went back because Saddam and AQ were massive assholes the locals didn’t deserve. I left because my body couldn’t handle the physicality of the job anymore. At no point was I looking at that stuff going, “you know the one thing we don’t have at home is religious zealots planting bombs, we need more of that!”
Yeah I know. We knew when they announced Bremer’s orders. Then we got home and found out just how much lying went into starting the war and it became obvious they wanted a forever war. If they had won the election in 2008 they would have found some way to destabilize Iraq again, not knowing ISIS was just around the corner.
They’ve also interrupted public life with threats of violence related to their religion and politics. They have been past the line for awhile and any vet who dealt with the reality of terror campaigns over seas can recognize this trajectory. If we don’t start enforcing this stuff soon we’re going to have our own version of Al Qaida policing our lives.
I tell people as often as I can, especially my trans and bipoc friends; now is the time. Get a couple guns (a long one and a short one) and learn how to use them. Learn some basic first aid, you really just need to know how to stabilize someone. Start networking with like-minded people in your communities.
The police will not protect you, they’ve proven they’ll happily club senior citizens to the ground and shoot any protesters in the face with rubber bullets while escorting a rightwing murderer to safety.
Iran was a secular, liberal monarchy until almost 1980 when they (mostly) elected an Islamist theocracy; it could happen here.
It’s hard for me to recommend that because what most people don’t know is the political violence in Iraq reached levels that would have been a civil war if not for the coalition’s presence. And having watched that level of violence once in my life I’m really hoping we can elect someone that puts the government to work stopping this violent far right theocracy movement. On the other hand I can’t in good faith deny anyone the basic tools I had to defend myself in that situation. I just know that every gun in the mix makes violence more likely and violence only begets more violence. If this kicks off we’ll need a real focus on deprogramming and welcoming people back into the normal population. The zero tolerance approach just doesn’t work, you can’t shoot an idea. Only defend yourself from the person who believes it.
Spoken like a person with absolutely no skin in the game. Talking it out is great but what happens when that doesn’t work? What happens when the next one successfully takes power and the congress and judiciary side with them?
I guarantee the crime rate of maga is greater than the undocumented immigrant population. We already know undocumented immigrants commit less crime than native-born Americans as a whole.
At what point do we consider Trump voters as terrorists? Waiting until they actually kill people or destroy everything doesn’t sound like a good idea.
Voters? Never.
Supporters who organize to commit acts of terror like shutting down local libraries via threats of violence? Now. We should be doing that now.
I didn’t fight shit heads in Iraq just to have more shit heads do it here.
Enemies, foreign and domestic…
Why did you fight shit heads in Iraq?
That’s a deep question. But I’m in a mood tonight so fuck it. I got there because I was young and well indoctrinated. I stayed there and went back because Saddam and AQ were massive assholes the locals didn’t deserve. I left because my body couldn’t handle the physicality of the job anymore. At no point was I looking at that stuff going, “you know the one thing we don’t have at home is religious zealots planting bombs, we need more of that!”
The people here who want to fight you herehad a hand in installing those s*** heads in Iraq.
Yeah I know. We knew when they announced Bremer’s orders. Then we got home and found out just how much lying went into starting the war and it became obvious they wanted a forever war. If they had won the election in 2008 they would have found some way to destabilize Iraq again, not knowing ISIS was just around the corner.
Didn’t they march inside some important government building and try to overthrow an election at some point?
They’ve also interrupted public life with threats of violence related to their religion and politics. They have been past the line for awhile and any vet who dealt with the reality of terror campaigns over seas can recognize this trajectory. If we don’t start enforcing this stuff soon we’re going to have our own version of Al Qaida policing our lives.
I tell people as often as I can, especially my trans and bipoc friends; now is the time. Get a couple guns (a long one and a short one) and learn how to use them. Learn some basic first aid, you really just need to know how to stabilize someone. Start networking with like-minded people in your communities.
The police will not protect you, they’ve proven they’ll happily club senior citizens to the ground and shoot any protesters in the face with rubber bullets while escorting a rightwing murderer to safety.
Iran was a secular, liberal monarchy until almost 1980 when they (mostly) elected an Islamist theocracy; it could happen here.
It’s hard for me to recommend that because what most people don’t know is the political violence in Iraq reached levels that would have been a civil war if not for the coalition’s presence. And having watched that level of violence once in my life I’m really hoping we can elect someone that puts the government to work stopping this violent far right theocracy movement. On the other hand I can’t in good faith deny anyone the basic tools I had to defend myself in that situation. I just know that every gun in the mix makes violence more likely and violence only begets more violence. If this kicks off we’ll need a real focus on deprogramming and welcoming people back into the normal population. The zero tolerance approach just doesn’t work, you can’t shoot an idea. Only defend yourself from the person who believes it.
Spoken like a person with absolutely no skin in the game. Talking it out is great but what happens when that doesn’t work? What happens when the next one successfully takes power and the congress and judiciary side with them?
Fascists love pacifists committed to talking things out.
Don’t forget planned to murder every Democrat, Republican who didn’t do what they wanted, and the Vice President.
“HANG MIKE PENCE!”
I guarantee the crime rate of maga is greater than the undocumented immigrant population. We already know undocumented immigrants commit less crime than native-born Americans as a whole.
Not paying attention to NYC, huh?
Nobody tell this guy the population-adjusted crime rate of rural white republican Appalachia…
Or that violent crime is at a 50 year low under Biden.
*Citation not found
In my news podcasts, “Crime has reached a fifty year low.”
(Go outside to my peaceful quiet neighborhood)
My pro-Trump neighbor, “Crime is out of this world!”
I sometimes just pause and consider what their life must be like… constant paranoia, fear, worry… all over things that aren’t occurring.
Your comment is the same.
Waiting for them to actually commit a crime is usually necessary.
There have been crimes committed. Armed men have shut down kids events with violent threats. Where’s the arrests?
Good question. If there aren’t arrests perhaps there were no crimes. Just things you want to be crimes.
Are terroristic threats not a crime?
Oh look they are!
So what is your expert legal theory for why no crime was charged then?
The cops are on their side.
Removed by mod
I’ve always considered them as such.
I already consider them to be terrorists. Maybe not all trump supporters. but, there’s definitely a lot that are.
Oh no, they are not terrorists. I know because the cops told me they are very fine people.
Was it the cops saying that, or mostly just the Commander In Thief? It certainly wasn’t all cops.
If you beat cops up you are a terrorist. If you beat up the same people the cops like to murder, you are a very fine person.
After Jan 6 I’d say now. Now is good.
Even if they did do a terrorism and kill people, they’d probably just blame it on trans people and get away with it.