Jenksismyhero

I'll add too that i'm 100% behind the right to peaceably assemble in protest (obviously). I went to many a tea party gatherings in the City, and you know what? They were all peaceful. They were people talking on a microphone while others stood around and listened. I didn't see too many people feeling the need to cover their faces in fear of being pepper sprayed.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ May 16, 2012 -> 05:18 PM) Making it a headache to get to work and being ineffective does not warrant being pepper-sprayed for exercising their first-amendment rights. A majority of them do not have "one goal" to f*** with people/destroy things. At some protests sometimes, a very small minority get violent or destructive, and sometimes it's agent provocateurs (the police themselves). Since at least Seattle, all leftist protests are met with heavy police presence and crowd dispersal weapons (pepper spray and rubber bullets, typically) are usually deployed regardless of provocation. I am not painting them as hippies holding hands but as American citizens exercising their right to protest. If you wish to remain willfully ignorant of unwarranted use of pepper spray by police against protesters, that is your prerogative. I gave you two very recent, very clear-cut examples. Exercising their first amendment rights while violating various other laws in the process. Sorry, the UC case doesn't dissuade my opinion here. They were trespassing and wouldn't leave. It might have been excessive, but use of pepper spray in that situation was not wrong. Look, i'm all about freedom of speech and revolution and all that. I think our system is currently f***ed and change is needed. But bringing a bunch of furniture into a Citi bank lobby "in protest" doesn't change a damn thing. Throwing bags of vomit/piss/s*** on people in suits doesn't do a damn thing. We've seen in the past what happens when the "peaceful protestors" are coddled - they riot and get out of control.

Spare me. These assholes are making it a headache for the hundreds of thousands that work downtown, and their little get together accomplishes NOTHING. Yay to them for spending the time/energy to do this, but I don't feel sorry at all considering a good chunk of them have one goal and that's to f*** with people/destroy things, not to peaceably assemble in protest. These are organizations with histories of doing this stuff year after year. To paint them as hippies holding hands in a circle singing songs is dishonest.

Part of it is to hide their identity too, so they can't come after them later (See, Vancouver riots). That they know they're about to do something to warrant getting pepper sprayed also pisses me off.

Drone headed toward the City. We're officially like Afghanistan! Also, this s*** pisses me off: If you're going to protest, have the balls/labia to show your face.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ May 16, 2012 -> 11:13 AM) And let's stop pretending that there isn't a strong overlap between "oppose LGBT rights" and "would act with malice towards LGBT people, especially if it was their child" Wait a minute. 40-50% of the country thinks homosexuality is wrong. Are you suggesting that the vast majority of those people would be accepting of a father beating his child over it?

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ May 16, 2012 -> 11:16 AM) I suggest you re-read that image. Ha, ok fine. But even the inclusion of "rights" doesn't change my point. If I don't act on that and I just think it i'm not perpetuating malice behavior.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ May 16, 2012 -> 11:01 AM) So, since you don't oppose LGBT rights, the image isn't directed at you. Why take offense? I do object to your phrasing that implies you don't think it's right to deny them their rights because of the society we live in. It's not right to deny people their rights regardless of the society you live in. But the message in the image is that if I think that homosexuality is wrong I must be accepting of violent or disrespectful behavior, How is that not directed at me?

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ May 16, 2012 -> 10:45 AM) Equal rights and free speech aren't the same thing, but I agree 100% that people have the right to be homophobic, just as they have the right to be antisemitic or racist or any other sort of bigot. That doesn't mean you can't work to change those mindsets and eliminate hateful ideology, though. These are still the real consequences of opposing LGBT rights regardless of one's personal approval of these consequences. I don't think by telling those people that believing they way they do means they accept violence or whatever is the best way to go about that. Because, frankly, that's just not true, hence the masturbation joke. You're trying to shame those people for what they think by placing the blame on them for what other more extreme people think (or do). It's perfectly logical and acceptable for me to think homosexuality is wrong, that it's a sin, but that in this world we live in, in this society we live in, it's not my place to deny that person the right to be married or visit their partner in the hospital or whatever. Having that belief doesn't fuel hatred or violence anymore than me not liking Cubs fans fuels hatred or violence by moronic Sox fans over two weekends of the year.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ May 16, 2012 -> 10:43 AM) Anyone who is against LGBT rights is ok with LGBT people being treated as less-than-equal. That's sort of the definition of "against rights" But you're equating "everyone who thinks LGBT people are living in sin/wrong" with "everyone who thinks LGBT people shouldn't be given equal rights." One does not necessarily lead to the other.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ May 16, 2012 -> 10:00 AM) I mean, to me, his insulting dismissal of the very real problems many LGBT face displayed on those signs as equivalent to "masturbation kills kittens" seems like a pretty good illustration of the message of that pic. Both hostility and indifference enable that sort of treatment. That's pretty much exactly what you're doing. "Anyone who doesn't agree with me is 100% ok with X, Y and Z."

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 16, 2012 -> 09:55 AM) I'm guessing he is laughing at the extreme over simplification and misleading representation of the issue. Yes. I'm all about equal rights here, but that includes a persons right to think homosexuality is wrong and a sin and whatever follows from that. I don't think having that viewpoint means that you accept fear/violence/suicide as acceptable reactions to that belief.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ May 16, 2012 -> 09:03 AM) LOL. Yeah, people that think homosexuality is wrong are 100% behind violence. That's the ticket. I also heard that every time you masturbate a kitten dies. Masturbation=advocating for the murder of kittens.

Speaking of hate crimes, i'm sure the FBI is all over this one: http://www.wtsp.com/news/topstories/articl...in-South-Tampa-

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ May 16, 2012 -> 08:27 AM) It shouldn't matter how much he got his ass kicked if they have convincing evidence that he started it. I'm guessing they're going on what Zimmerman told them - he was following Martin before getting attacked. They're going to try to use this case as an example of when "reasonable belief of imminent death or injury" does not include tailing someone. Similar to going back into a house with a gun and shooting, even after you successfully ran away from your abusive husband.

Played for about an hour last night before another log-in error knocked me out. So far so good. A lot like Diablo II, but that's what I expected.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ May 16, 2012 -> 08:49 AM) Lol, yeah or that. Instead of being known as the Al Capone city, we're known as the 2012 NATO riot city.

Eh, what does Lisbon look like?

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ May 15, 2012 -> 09:48 AM) There's serious, legit talent there, but it could use some coaching. He has a ton of athleticism. Not sure about skill.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ May 15, 2012 -> 11:09 AM) Well that's exactly the point of non-violent civil disobedience: you are highlighting the use of force or the implied use of force by the state to enforce these laws. It's meant to create tension to make society question if this is a good and just thing to do. It was the central point of King's Letter from Birmingham Jail. Putting someone in handcuffs is a use of force?

QUOTE (Tex @ May 15, 2012 -> 02:04 PM) Tourism. Economic mini-boomlet It's a summer weekend in Chicago, when 90% of the hotels are full anyway. And really, TONS of offices are closing for Friday and Monday (if not more) and travel is restricted in certain areas, so the local economy is hurt just as much as it's helped because of this. Add the extra cost for all the security and inevitable damage to property. I bet this thing ends up costing more money than it's bringing in.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ May 15, 2012 -> 11:11 AM) google #error37 oh that sucks. glad i'm waiting until tonight!

Anyone grabbing Diablo III today? Hopefully it doesn't disappoint after 10 years. I never grabbed Starcraft II, but that was the big complaint-- that it was just upgraded visuals and not worth the long wait.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ May 11, 2012 -> 02:19 PM) This is what happened to two women who applied for a marriage license in NC: I think this is BS too, but it's no different than me smoking a joint in front of the police station and getting arrested. The law's the law.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ May 15, 2012 -> 08:42 AM) Add in a dose of "Rahm", that has to fit in there somewhere. So the players are in place, but what does this do for the City other than cause the residents (and businesses) a gigantic f***ing headache. One of the guys in my office has a friend that works at the Merc Exchange. According to him (who knows if this is true) some asshole dropped a bag of vomit on him from the L platform over on Wells. In talking to the cops about it apparently they fear this will be a common thing, in addition to bags/jars of piss and s***. Hence the "dress down" suggestion.