religiousforums.com has now become politics forums

[Wandering Monk]

I wish those on the right would learn what's really being sought -- which is to divert some money from simple policing to where it might do more good. How about the case of Sammy Yatim in Toronto, where I live. Better to have a troubled young man shot be a cop with a gun, or might the situation have been handled better if a mental healthcare professional was on hand?

Not every situation we face is best served by coercive force. I think anybody should be able to realize that.

It bothers me that there aren't more ways to deal with situations than deadly force.

 

[Valjean]

It bothers me that there aren't more ways to deal with situations than deadly force.

There are -- they just haven't been implemented.
Correcting the causes of a problem isn't sexy, like confronting it with violence is. There's no vindictive thrill, and little a candidate can use to rile up voters.

 

[PruePhillip]

I wish those on the right would learn what's really being sought -- which is to divert some money from simple policing to where it might do more good. How about the case of Sammy Yatim in Toronto, where I live. Better to have a troubled young man shot be a cop with a gun, or might the situation have been handled better if a mental healthcare professional was on hand?

Not every situation we face is best served by coercive force. I think anybody should be able to realize that.

Why not just cut every police force in half and spend the money 'saved' on building gyms
and amusement parks? I suggest the crime rate would go through the roof - it already is.

 

[ADigitalArtist]

Why not just cut every police force in half and spend the money 'saved' on building gyms
and amusement parks? I suggest the crime rate would go through the roof - it already is.

How about cut police budget and spend the money saved on health and human services, with things like more job counseling, mental Healthcare providers, child services, rehab centers and affordable housing plans?

The mother of crime isn't less police. It's poverty. Lot of countries with far less police spending per capita with way less crime than we have.

 

[Secret Chief]

Am I missing something?

You aren't, but I'm clearly missing a brain. Post deleted.

 

[ADigitalArtist]

You aren't, but I'm clearly missing a brain. Post deleted.

No worries we've all been there.

 

[Evangelicalhumanist]

Why not just cut every police force in half and spend the money 'saved' on building gyms
and amusement parks? I suggest the crime rate would go through the roof - it already is.

Doing anything in such a simplistic fashion is hardly ever a good solution.

 

[Valjean]

Why not just cut every police force in half and spend the money 'saved' on building gyms
and amusement parks? I suggest the crime rate would go through the roof - it already is.

Nobody's suggesting that. Please pay attention, do some research, and understand what reforms are actually being proposed.

 

[PruePhillip]

Nobody's suggesting that. Please pay attention, do some research, and understand what reforms are actually being proposed.

I am not American. But 'defund' to me means cutting back on police funding.
Maybe police can just keep out of 'black' areas - not Indian, Pakistan, Nigerian
etc black, but 'African American' Black.

 

[PruePhillip]

How about cut police budget and spend the money saved on health and human services, with things like more job counseling, mental Healthcare providers, child services, rehab centers and affordable housing plans?

The mother of crime isn't less police. It's poverty. Lot of countries with far less police spending per capita with way less crime than we have.

True, sort of. Plenty of poor and honest people in this world. It amazes people in poor areas
of India there can so much crime in America.
I suggest with African Americans they take a good look at themselves. Lots of ethnic groups
came to America as poor people and worked their way up - look at the Irish for instance, or
the Jews or Chinese - they worked their buts off and took menial jobs on partial pay. Now they
own America. No-one has been more hated than Jews, but they took the persecution in their
stride.
I would count the ethnic groups in America libraries -
20% were white
80% were Asian
0% were African Americans.
This suggests to me that in the future Asian Americans will own 80% of America's wealth -
put crudely.

 

[ADigitalArtist]

True, sort of. Plenty of poor and honest people in this world. It amazes people in poor areas
of India there can so much crime in America.
I suggest with African Americans they take a good look at themselves. Lots of ethnic groups
came to America as poor people and worked their way up - look at the Irish for instance, or
the Jews or Chinese - they worked their buts off and took menial jobs on partial pay. Now they
own America. No-one has been more hated than Jews, but they took the persecution in their
stride.
I would count the ethnic groups in America libraries -
20% were white
80% were Asian
0% were African Americans.
This suggests to me that in the future Asian Americans will own 80% of America's wealth -
put crudely.

Wow, that's a really cringy take.

 

[Valjean]

I am not American. But 'defund' to me means cutting back on police funding.
Maybe police can just keep out of 'black' areas - not Indian, Pakistan, Nigerian
etc black, but 'African American' Black.

Understood. The stupid slogan is just begging to be misunderstood.

It's another liberal semantic blunder. The slogan does not mean what it literally says.
I suppose they expected the public to research their proposals before passing judgement, but people don't do that. That would take some intellectual effort, whereas going with one's immediate emotional impression is easy -- especially when it conforms to the literal meaning of the slogan.

Republicans would never make that mistake. They have messaging down to a science.

 

[PruePhillip]

Wow, that's a really cringy take.

I noticed something striking in American national parks - almost no African Americans.
Some liberal 'explained' this as 'racism.' It was a cheap, lazy shot - fact is there were
plenty of blacks in the parks - Nigerian, Ethiopian, Indian, Pakistani, South African etc..
No Afro Americans.
I was intrigued. In some national monuments I did the sums - 1% of the tourists were
African Americans. Didn't count non-AfroAmerican blacks but I suggest 5-10%. What
gives? I suggest African Americans have their own culture as you see many of them
at Universal Studio and Disney parks - which are expensive to enter. This culture, sadly,
includes crime. Rap music makes this point.

 

[capumetu]

Is religion really just politics then?

In a way sir. Most people think of governments as political, God's Kingdom is a government. We have a King (Jesus) and a cabinet (the 144k)

 

[Revoltingest]

In a way sir. Most people think of governments as political, God's Kingdom is a government. We have a King (Jesus) and a cabinet (the 144k)

Well, I prefer that my politics be devoid of religion,
which hasn't served me all that well.

 

[SalixIncendium]

Well, I prefer that my politics be devoid of religion,
which hasn't served me all that well.

Conversely, I prefer my religion to be devoid of politics, and it's served me quite well.

 

[Revoltingest]

Conversely, I prefer my religion to be devoid of politics, and it's served me quite well.

This strikes me as detente.
Has that ever happened on RF before?

 

[capumetu]

Well, I prefer that my politics be devoid of religion,
which hasn't served me all that well.

Virtually everything has roots in religion. I know nothing of the country you live in, but very likely many of the laws are based in some kind of religious roots.

 

[Revoltingest]

Virtually everything has roots in religion. I know nothing of the country you live in, but very likely many of the laws are based in some kind of religious roots.

Various religions have influenced everything here.
But we've made efforts to separate them from governance.