"Occupy" Protests

Slartibartfast wrote: TheMasterMofo wrote: I would actually support this. ESPECIALLY if the super soakers were designed to look like real machine guns. The looks on the protesters' faces would be priceless. But police do sometimes use water hoses on crowds and that usually gets decried as too militant, too. No those are true weapons grade super soakers.  Have you ever been hit by a freaking fire hose stream?  I haven't, but I've heard they hurt.  I'm luring you into an actual discussion.  Does the availability of non-lethal weapons make it easier for the police to act with force than they might use otherwise?  Which isn't to say some of the attacks on the protestors haven't been harmful.

I've never been hit by one, either, but I'm pretty sure it would hurt...
And I totally think that non-lethal weapons make it much more enticing and less risky for police to use violent force. If they have a gun, they can't use it unless it's an absolute necessity or their job is gone because guns can kill. If they use pepper spray on a random person, they're probably not actually going to answer for it.

If I had any cop friends I'd probably try to convince them to randomly spray someone in the mall some time and see what happens...

That's the problem... Sometimes when you try to make things more peaceful, i.e. replace guns with pepper spray, you wind up making them more violent, i.e. many cops will never even fire a gun at someone while on duty but may have no qualms over pepper spraying the $#%@ out of people.

Slartibartfast wrote: JJLehto wrote: Padraic wrote: don't *hic* tase me brah! That's an oldie, I do remember thinking it seemed very unnecessary but when ya are acting like an a****le and tell a cop dont tase me bro....cmon man, asking for it. I think we will truly advance to next level as a species when we can freely tase people at the podium when we don't like what they are saying.

Just for emphasis, but every college student knows the mentality cops take against them, I mean be smart kid. Were you looking to get tased? Why'd you say such a thing? He must've been hoping to make internet fame!

But I like Chase Student bank service....

That's why I said Student 

TheMasterMofo wrote: That's the problem... Sometimes when you try to make things more peaceful, i.e. replace guns with pepper spray, you wind up making them more violent, i.e. many cops will never even fire a gun at someone while on duty but may have no qualms over pepper spraying the $#%@ out of people.

I don't buy this. Before pepper spray, they would just get a nightstick to the back of the head, like they still do today when the cops are brave enough in their riot gear to get within arms reach of the protesters.

Slartibartfast wrote: You better run run run run run run run Congress Bribers Smear Occupiers  by Reuters   Link

KoS wrote: vs

What's the point of this comparison?? 

Equality 7-2521 wrote: I don't buy this. Before pepper spray, they would just get a nightstick to the back of the head, like they still do today when the cops are brave enough in their riot gear to get within arms reach of the protesters.

Wouldn't a nightstick be more "peaceful" than a gun, too?I'd list it as a slightly better alternative to a gun, too. Same concept as pepper spray.

TheMasterMofo wrote: Equality 7-2521 wrote: I don't buy this. Before pepper spray, they would just get a nightstick to the back of the head, like they still do today when the cops are brave enough in their riot gear to get within arms reach of the protesters. Wouldn't a nightstick be more "peaceful" than a gun, too?I'd list it as a slightly better alternative to a gun, too. Same concept as pepper spray.

Ask that to people like Rodney King. Yeah no damage can be done with nightsticks.