a. there is no "we", except individuals with the freedom to chose their own actions.

Bullshit. Live in New York for a while and you'll see there's a "we".

b. cops have guns.

So do we, and guns they're not allowed to have. (Well, we're not allowed to have 'em either...)

Yeah, "Not totally." Just like Red China isn't a total totalitarian state, and it allowed the students at Tienamen Sq to demonstrate. We're not too far away from that, except these cops don't (yet?) have tanks and as far as has been reported in the media, haven't murdered anyone in the protests, and that the arrested have been let out a few days later rather than tortured.

This ain't Red China. We're armed and not peaceful. We're not cream of the crop, true-believer Beijing DaXue types like the Chinese kids in TianAnMen Fang. If we grew up here we know how to fight back, and we will after a certain point.

It's certainly inching towards totalitarianism and away from "the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress" (not, there's nothing in that text about protest pens, open your bag searches, show me your ID, or protest permits.)

Well, I didn't say it was going to be a downhill ride. But you're clearly "not from around here, are you boy"? Try growing up in Washington Heights and Brooklyn, and you'll understand why the cops were nervous enough to even try this kind of shit. This ain't the nice little suburb you do your contract programming in...this is New York City. We only obey the law because we know there's a thin line between order and chaos in this town. -TD

----------------------Kaos-Keraunos-Kybernetos--------------------------- + ^ + :"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. /|\ \|/ :They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country /\|/\ <--*-->:and our people, and neither do we." -G. W. Bush, 2004.08.05 \/|\/ /|\ : \|/ + v + : War is Peace, freedom is slavery, Bush is President. -------------------------------------------------------------------------

On Wed, 1 Sep 2004, Tyler Durden wrote:

...

Not totally. That cop on a scooter rightfully got the crap kicked out of him for mowing down demonstrators.

They can gain local, temporary control but if we take to the streets en masse then there's not much they can do, and they know it.

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