Kamala Watch

[BackInTex]

You should come out of your basement more often, and watch real news. We've had lots of incidents where border patrol agents have been fired upon, and even shot, by coyotes and cartel types. You can go back to sticking your head in the sand (or wherever you stick it).

You should know by now that by replaying the same footage of a single incident 100 times (as Fox News is prone to do), it isn't magically transformed into 100 incidents. That's what they did with the shots of looting and burning last summer trying to make people believe that major cities became months-long nighttime combat zones. So, I looked up actual statistics from the Customs and Border Patrol. Keep in mind that the federal fiscal year begins on October 1, so that 2017 statistics include the last 3+ months of the Obama administration and those for 2021 include the last 3+ months of the Trump administration but don't include figures for June - Sept. These figures reflect total incidents, not the number of people involved, so that if three people throw rocks at officers, that's considered one incident.

Here's what we get.

Total Assaults on Officers (all types of force from physical assault to firearms)

FY 2017 370
FY 2018 455
FY 2019 487
FY 2020 415
FY 2021 298 (to June 2)

The vast majority of these assaults are physical assaults. Use of firearms against officers is extremely rare.

FY 2017 11
FY 2018 15
FY 2019 9
FY 2020 8
FY 2021 4 (to June 2)

So, four people shooting at border patrol agents in eight months, almost half of which were during the Trump administration. I guess that qualifies as "lots of incidents" under Fox News logic.

https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/stats/assaults-use-force

That is four more than fired shots during the "insurrection" on Jan. 6, not counting the policeman who shot an unarmed woman at point blank range.

[silverscreenselect]

That is four more than fired shots during the "insurrection" on Jan. 6, not counting the policeman who shot an unarmed woman at point blank range.

An irrelevant attempt at deflection that has nothing to do with your claim of "lots of incidents" in which border patrol agents have been shot at. The figures I cited were for a 2,000 mile border over an entire year's time, during which there were fewer assaults than occurred in one building in a few hours time. And I'm glad you have so much sympathy for the "unarmed" woman who was in the process of smashing down the doors of the Capitol to get in as opposed to the police who were trying to protect the lives of our elected officials. The real crisis at the border is a humanitarian problem which is getting better, as opposed to a law enforcement problem which is well within the bounds of what has always been going on there.

Why do I always get the feeling that your response would have been very different if a similar gathering of BLM activists had engaged in similar activities at the Capitol.

[BackInTex]

And I'm glad you have so much sympathy for the "unarmed" woman who was in the process of smashing down the doors of the Capitol to get in as opposed to the police who were trying to protect the lives of our elected officials.

She was neither a ex-con / felon or high on drugs. She was executed on site. But she was white so I understand why you have no sympathy.

Why do I always get the feeling that your response would have been very different if a similar gathering of BLM activists had engaged in similar activities at the Capitol.

I've seen the aftermath of BLM protests, burned and looted buildings, overturned cars, bricks thrown on officers, innocent people caught in the middle terrorized and sometimes assaulted. There is no comparison. Not even close.

[Bob78164]

And I'm glad you have so much sympathy for the "unarmed" woman who was in the process of smashing down the doors of the Capitol to get in as opposed to the police who were trying to protect the lives of our elected officials.

She was neither a ex-con / felon or high on drugs. She was executed on site. But she was white so I understand why you have no sympathy.

Why do I always get the feeling that your response would have been very different if a similar gathering of BLM activists had engaged in similar activities at the Capitol.

I've seen the aftermath of BLM protests, burned and looted buildings, overturned cars, bricks thrown on officers, innocent people caught in the middle terrorized and sometimes assaulted. There is no comparison. Not even close.

You saw this live and in person? Or mediated through one of your favored propaganda channels?

Because I did see some of the protests live with my own eyes. Including some that were carried on national TV. And if you're trying to say that they were anywhere near as bad as an insurrection that forced Congress to flee the building, then you're peddling bullshit. --Bob

[silverscreenselect]

I've seen the Fox News version of BLM protests, endlessly repeated footage of isolated incidents made to appear as if entire cities were being destroyed. There is no comparison. Not even close.

Fixed it for ya.

[BackInTex]

I've seen the Fox News version of BLM protests, endlessly repeated footage of isolated incidents made to appear as if entire cities were being destroyed. There is no comparison. Not even close.

Fixed it for ya.

Go on and keep your blinders on. You're safe, in your basement. Maybe.

Unlike you, I've been to the Minneapolis area in the past few months. I know and work with a lot of people who live there. No one goes downtown if they don't have to. They know. I know. You know, you just deny because you can't accept that your world view is broken.

[silverscreenselect]

Unlike you, I've been to the Minneapolis area in the past few months. I know and work with a lot of people who live there. No one goes downtown if they don't have to.

Did you go downtown after dark? Or are you just relying on anecdotal information from your friends or Fox News? There do seem to be a number of protests in the Minneapolis area because there seem to be a substantial number of blacks being shot by police in the area. But that's a far cry from the conditions you describe.

[BackInTex]

Unlike you, I've been to the Minneapolis area in the past few months. I know and work with a lot of people who live there. No one goes downtown if they don't have to.

Did you go downtown after dark? Or are you just relying on anecdotal information from your friends or Fox News? There do seem to be a number of protests in the Minneapolis area because there seem to be a substantial number of blacks being shot by police in the area. But that's a far cry from the conditions you describe.

No, I didn't go downtown after dark, but this guy did

But he's white, so it doesn't matter.

Question: If a conservative white person is shot and killed and it is reported on Fox News, is it not a murder?

[Bob78164]

Unlike you, I've been to the Minneapolis area in the past few months. I know and work with a lot of people who live there. No one goes downtown if they don't have to.

Did you go downtown after dark? Or are you just relying on anecdotal information from your friends or Fox News? There do seem to be a number of protests in the Minneapolis area because there seem to be a substantial number of blacks being shot by police in the area. But that's a far cry from the conditions you describe.

No, I didn't go downtown after dark, but this guy did

But he's white, so it doesn't matter.

Question: If a conservative white person is shot and killed and it is reported on Fox News, is it not a murder?

Now I know you're changing the subject. This is tragic, of course, but it doesn't appear to have a damn thing to do with Black Lives Matter or any political protest. The background of the story also gives the lie to your characterization of downtown Minneapolis as a war zone that people avoid when they can. The incident occurred near a nightclub that, to all appearances, was in business.

Given the prevalence of guns in this country, it's not a shock when innocent people get shot. I'll note, though, that these stories tend to make the news more often when the victim is white.

And as for wanting to avoid areas of a city after dark, I'm pretty confident there are still a lot of Black people in this country who are forced to live that way every single day. Sundown towns still exist. --Bob

[silverscreenselect]

The background of the story also gives the lie to your characterization of downtown Minneapolis as a war zone that people avoid when they can. The incident occurred near a nightclub that, to all appearances, was in business. Given the prevalence of guns in this country, it's not a shock when innocent people get shot. I'll note, though, that these stories tend to make the news more often when the victim is white.

The nightclub was apparently doing quite good business when the argument occurred outside that led to the shooting. A second man was also killed; he was arguing with the arrested man when the argument escalated to physical violence and then both men pulled guns. I haven't seen any photos of the second victim, but he appears to have been black. Ironically, at his funeral, a man was shot to death in the parking lot following another argument between two of the attendees at the funeral. The nightclub closed for a few days after the shooting but is back open again and still doing good business.

You won't get any arguments that there are too many guns on the streets, but again that wasn't your point.

[BackInTex]

The background of the story also gives the lie to your characterization of downtown Minneapolis as a war zone that people avoid when they can. The incident occurred near a nightclub that, to all appearances, was in business. Given the prevalence of guns in this country, it's not a shock when innocent people get shot. I'll note, though, that these stories tend to make the news more often when the victim is white.

The nightclub was apparently doing quite good business when the argument occurred outside that led to the shooting. A second man was also killed; he was arguing with the arrested man when the argument escalated to physical violence and then both men pulled guns. I haven't seen any photos of the second victim, but he appears to have been black. Ironically, at his funeral, a man was shot to death in the parking lot following another argument between two of the attendees at the funeral. The nightclub closed for a few days after the shooting but is back open again and still doing good business.

You won't get any arguments that there are too many guns on the streets, but again that wasn't your point.

There are not too many guns on the street. There are too many bad people on the street. And blaming the guns give them cover.

[silverscreenselect]

There are not too many guns on the street. There are too many bad people on the street. And blaming the guns give them cover.

Two angry, probably drunk men in Minneapolis without guns equals a barroom fight and minor assault charges. Two angry, probably drunk men in Minneapolis with guns equals ten people shot and two dead. The guns don't excuse what the killer did. The guns just made the results much, much worse.

[Estonut]

Two angry, probably drunk men in Minneapolis without guns equals a barroom fight and minor assault charges.

Unless they're unarmed "insurgents." Then, they're on the verge of overthrowing the government.

[silverscreenselect]

Two angry, probably drunk men in Minneapolis without guns equals a barroom fight and minor assault charges.

Unless they're unarmed "insurgents." Then, they're on the verge of overthrowing the government.

Apparently, they didn't teach you the difference between two and 20,000 in school.

[Estonut]

Two angry, probably drunk men in Minneapolis without guns equals a barroom fight and minor assault charges.

Unless they're unarmed "insurgents." Then, they're on the verge of overthrowing the government.

Apparently, they didn't teach you the difference between two and 20,000 in school.

And they didn't teach you the difference between "armed" and "unarmed."

[silverscreenselect]

And they didn't teach you the difference between "armed" and "unarmed."

Armed = With weapons
Unarmed = Without weapons

Do these people look unarmed to you?

[silverscreenselect]

No, I didn't go downtown after dark, but this guy did

But he's white, so it doesn't matter.

Question: If a conservative white person is shot and killed and it is reported on Fox News, is it not a murder?

I stand corrected on one detail. It is dangerous to go out in Minneapolis at night and engage in a protest. You might get run over and killed by a car driven by a conservative white man.

Woman killed after car drives into protesters in Minneapolis

And that's not the only time this has happened. But you don't see this reported on the news. Especially on Fox News. I guess their reporters were too busy scouring the streets in search of a broken window they can claim as evidence of mindless BLM mobs on the loose.

There have been at least 104 incidents of people driving vehicles into protests from May 27 through Sept. 5, [2020] including 96 by civilians and eight by police, according to Ari Weil, a terrorism researcher at the University of Chicago's Project on Security and Threats who spoke with USA TODAY this summer. Weil began tracking the incidents as protests sprung up in the wake of George Floyd's death in police custody. There have been at least two fatalities, in Seattle and in Bakersfield, California.

Weil said that by analyzing news coverage, court documents and patterns of behavior – such as when people allegedly yelled slurs at protesters or turned around for a second hit – he determined that at least 43 of the incidents were malicious, and 39 drivers have been charged. Most of the incidents happened in June, in the weeks following Floyd's May 25 killing, Weil said, and half of the incidents happened by June 7. While incidents continue to happen, they've trended downward since then, he said. "While these incidents were clustered in the beginning of the protest period, they continue to occur," Weil said on Twitter on Thursday. "As violent rhetoric intensifies in the lead up to the election, I worry about an uptick in these incidents."

New York, California, Oregon and Florida have seen the greatest number of incidents, according to Weil's data. Just this past week, drivers struck protesters in Denver, in Laramie, Wyoming, and in Los Angeles, where one person was hospitalized, according to local news reports.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nat ... 397700002/

This story was written in September of last year, but these assaults and, in some cases, killings have continued. The only thing slowing them down is fewer protestors out in the street to hit.

[Estonut]

And they didn't teach you the difference between "armed" and "unarmed."

Armed = With weapons
Unarmed = Without weapons

Do these people look unarmed to you?

Yes. Not a gun in sight, except for Capitol Police.

[silverscreenselect]

And they didn't teach you the difference between "armed" and "unarmed."

Armed = With weapons
Unarmed = Without weapons

Do these people look unarmed to you?

Yes. Not a gun in sight, except for Capitol Police.

What part of "with weapons" and "without weapons" don't you understand?

[Estonut]

And they didn't teach you the difference between "armed" and "unarmed."

Armed = With weapons
Unarmed = Without weapons

Do these people look unarmed to you?

Oooh! They're throwing their flags. That leaves them unarmed.

[jarnon]

The VP has finally visited the border.