La Cucaracha by Lalo Alcaraz for August 27, 2014

Yeahhh, don’t think you’d want that to happen. They’d just make things a whole lot worse.

That way the rioters an looters could have a freer hand.

Sadly misinformed. Over-militarized police are a real issue in the US (and third world countries). Rioting is known to happen mostly in oppressed areas. And a critique of a poorly run police department does not constitute racism – or would you care to make your case for that claim?

Breaking News: Since the feds have assisted police forces with surplus equipment the violent crime rate has dropped in half for the all time high in 1991. The largest benefactors of this drop are minorities in low income areas. Also young black males are 10X likelier to be a victim of a violent crime from another young black male than a cop. Sounds to me that what is needed is parental control of their children, ensuring they keep their nose clean and get a full education. Businesses are crying for educated workers. If you doubt my facts check out US Today and the Detroit Free Press. These stories were in last weeks papers.

Notgonnahappen. Those ISIS guys are armed. Too dangerous.

Racist!?!

Sorry but that’s not a word you just get to drop and then walk away. After yesterday’s discussion I fully understand that you think that the police in Ferguson are the ones being treated unfairly but you have to understand that there are those of us who believe the opposite – does this define us as racist? Does the fact that Lalo’s strip often points out the disparities in the way that minorities are treated in the U.S. define him as a racist? What are you basing your accusation upon? Or are you just upset because he’s acting “uppity”?

@Don57 As usual you have distorted what I said. If Lalo’s strip is so fair when is he going to do one on the young white man shot and killed in Utah Monday. He was just coming out of a convenience store when he was confronted by the police who had had a call about someone with a gun, They ordered him to set down and when he went to adjust his pants so he could comply one of the cops shot and killed him. No gun. No weapon of any kind, Oh yes the cop was black but the story was dropped because the policeman in question may have been partly Hispanic. No rioting. No looting. No gang violence. No street justice. No judge, jury and executioner. As to arming the police with better weapons, it is a well known fact that the NRA has assured that American criminals are the best armed in the world. Just ask the North Hollywood, California police department. 1997 No I’m not giving the police a pass on this I’m just saying rioting and looting are not legitimate responses for civilized people and should be condemned for the thuggery that it is and I’m sorry if the word “thug” offends you. Maybe you would like the word “Coward” better.

@Don57 I called him racist because he chose to make this incident a “cause celebre” when these kinds of things have been going on for years, but on this one he doesn’t have any facts or evidence that the police were in the wrong. I know it is hard for you to fathom, because you seem to have already made up your mind and you are not going to let facts get in the way. That sounds like Republican thinking. UH.OH. I think I have just ticked off the right wing faction. I am in trouble. As for Alcazar, I have been reading his stuff since 2002 when Go-Conics first published it. I even read some of his editorials, when I have the time, and I think it is spot on most of the time and entertaining. I just happen to think he is wrong on this one. So sue me for having my own opinion and if it differs from yours then go tell someone who cares. I got under your skin and riled you up so my work here is done.

Another question is, how will the police officers be treated by the court system based on the race of the victim?

Oh, indie, there seems to be something in your eyes. Let me help you get it — nope, not coming off — some sort of film covering them — almost like it’s melded onto them — might take surgery — it seems milky, sort of rageful and red-colored (though not rose-colored). Can you see past it? I’m really concerned, because it seems to be at least blocking out any perspective. You might want to get it looked at. Don’t know how film over one eyes would do that, but it seems to be making you sound even more childish these days.

Now, in terms of over-militarized police, much as I think our military should be drastically reduced and we need to cut the adventurist crap that pretty much every US president since at least the 20th Century has engaged in, those cops would not fit in with our military. Those cops are undertrained and undisciplined. Soldiers know, for instance, that you don’t point a weapon at someone unless you are absolutely willing to shoot, and you think you will need to. (Though to be fair, maybe those Ferguson cops do know that and are willing to mass-murder their protesting countryfolk.)

@agrestic Just for fun I think I would like to wander around in your brain to see if there is anything there. You are so wildly off the subject I can’t believe you actually read what you write that is why it is so easy to dismiss tour rambling as rubbish. At least read your postings before sending them out into the world.

@indiethinkWith all the money I save by not building aircraft carriers, cruise and intercontinental ballistic missiles, Diego Garcia Islands, stealth bombers, etc… I could be very LIBERAL and take care of lots of people’s needs, fund schools and infrastructure and have money left over to wipe out the deficit.P.S. It would require though that people give up on their “holy scriptures good enough to die for.”

and porous borders

It is hard to achieve lofty goals when half of the ruling body is totally dedicated to your failure which includes the “Less than Supreme Court” Possibly the worst court in American history and along with the Republican Party has done more to destroy this country than anything else.

Oh, indie, it’s a nice play at inversion, but you definitely need work. I’m not the one who basically whined, “You’re not the boss of me!” This, based on a stretch so long that your arm must be made of taffy.

As to Obama, if you’d actually read what I said, you would know that I know that I’m decidedly not on the same page as Obama with regards to sending our military all over the world to kill people. I would also say that many, many fewer people have died in US-prosecuted military campaigns under he and Clinton combined than under Bush Jr. (and, separately, under Bush Sr.). That does not absolve Obama from the death and destruction that is happening under his watch. But you seem blind to the fact that people on “the Left,” as you call it, are really very critical of Obama’s military adventures. Next time, be a good ‘un and try thinking beyond your preconceptions.

I also find it quite amusing that you of the Cult of Non-specificity in your own posts see fit to ask for specifics in mine, especially when I gave you a specific for-instance: it is not my opinion, but actual military (and supposedly police) protocol, that you are not to point your weapon at someone unless you are under direct and significant physical threat or, in military engagements, going to try to kill your enemy. The Ferguson cops have been pointing their rifles directly at crowds of protesting citizens. This is not bias; this is fact, backed up by reports in newspapers, on television news, and in videos on the internet. In other words, it’s not exactly a secret.

Or how about the more than one cop at more than one time yelling at protesters and journalists that “I’ll flig-floggety kill you!” (paraphrased for sensitive ears).

Or how about the cops defying direct orders from superiors not to arrest journalists?

But you seem content to protect the current gun-wielding power structures with your actually quite silly “arguments” and dysfunctional posts. And you know, I’d expect nothing less, indie. I’d expect nothing less.

PS: I’m kind of disappointed that I haven’t seen any running tallies from you the last couple of days. Haven’t I been giving your fevered brain enough persecution-complex fodder?

And if one argues that the Republicans are unreasonable, let me say that dealing with reasonable people or those already on your side is easy.

And this is where we get another little insight into that walnut rattling around indie’s head. See, what indie thinks is that when someone is being completely unreasonable, it’s everyone else’s job to make that person (or party) nice and comfortable, give them what they want, even if they have made very clear that their idea of compromise is for you to lay down in the street while they sit in their nice steamroller and drive it over you. Know who that didn’t work out so well for? Chamberlain. And yes, I went there. Because it’s an apt analogy.

According to pretty much every political scientist worth their salt, Congress has become much more polarized since the 1980s. Radically so. And the polarization has been much more pronounced among Republicans, as is demonstrated by this link right here to Voteview.

But hey, it’s of course not the Republicans’ fault. They only nihilistically shut down the government because the Democrats wouldn’t take back their evil, nasty, democratic vote establishing the ACA. And only agreed to end the shutdown when it became clear just how badly it was trashing their ratings.

So, yeah, the supposed “indie” once more demonstrates how much of a shill he/she/it is for right-wing ideology. Thanks for the reminder, indie!

Police officers are under no obligation to do anything to help anyone or to put their lives in danger for anyone or anything.

Um, hate to break it to ya, but you just defined exactly what a police officer is signed up to do.

Hooray! A list! It’s good that we’ve figured out something you could do with you time. Though it maybe distracts you a bit from making actual arguments about the issue(s) at hand. Anyway, could you maybe put this out in spreadsheet form like I asked before? The trend lines would be fascinating.

PS: In the US, Liberal is not a major party. And you might want to think about how you’ve become a de facto representative for so-called “independent” folks. I mean, you don’t come across as very fun company.

great post! Night G, The police that shot him said “I dont have time for this. Just shoot him”.When you are working, doing your job Is to do the right thing, and time doesn’t count while you are on the clock.

Maybe some people have forgotten that even Before Obama took office,(after he was elected) Mitch McConnell and a can’t think of his name, Took an Oath to do Everything they can to make Obama fail. In order to put politics over the good of our antion, they

They said from the start,it was their TOP Priority over any other goals and took that oath and that meant vote against things they were for, before Obama. THey killed jobs bills and veterans jobs bills and more.they have nearly suceedded in their

@Wabbit It’s heartening to find someone that can think for him/her self. It’s surprising how many people have forgotten that vow the Republicans took and stood against everything Obama was for even when it was their own idea. I’m sorry but to me that is very close to the defilation of treason.