(September 29, 2016 at 1:59 pm)RobertE Wrote: As I mentioned in one of my earlier posts, I couldn't give a rats ass how bad some cops are, as long as there are cops on the streets.

First, nobody said anything about a world without cops. That's you making it up.

Secondly, every sane person should care how bad some cops are. There's a high responsibility coming with that job and only the ones being able to handle that kind of responsibility should be admitted into the ranks. And the ones having shown to be bad apples should be removed at a moment's notice.

It's not a job where everything will do. To take the provocative road here, if you don't care how bad some cops are and any kind of cop will do, my guess is, you would be pretty content with the cops of dictatorships also.

(October 2, 2016 at 7:22 am)abaris Wrote:

(September 29, 2016 at 1:59 pm)RobertE Wrote: As I mentioned in one of my earlier posts, I couldn't give a rats ass how bad some cops are, as long as there are cops on the streets.

First, nobody said anything about a world without cops. That's you making it up.

Secondly, every sane person should care how bad some cops are. There's a high responsibility coming with that job and only the ones being able to handle that kind of responsibility should be admitted into the ranks. And the ones having shown to be bad apples should be removed at a moment's notice.

It's not a job where everything will do. To take the provocative road here, if you don't care how bad some cops are and any kind of cop will do, my guess is, you would be pretty content with the cops of dictatorships also.

No shit sherlock. You have never heard of a hypothetical situation then? What is it with you and quote mining? 

Here is the full quote if you wish:

Quote:RobertE Wrote:[url=http://atheistforums.org/post-1404785.html#pid1404785][/url]As I mentioned in one of my earlier posts, I couldn't give a rats ass how bad some cops are, as long as there are cops on the streets. I mean, they could just turn around and say "stick the job." Imagine a world without the police and no law and order.

Now, come back to me when you stop quote mining which is just as bad as me doing the group registry.

(October 2, 2016 at 6:27 am)RobertE Wrote: Just to try and balance this out. Here is a relatively old article where an unarmed white man was shot by police:

http://www.allenbwest.com/michellejesse/...-by-police

When you watch the bodycam video, it is clear for all to see that his right hand behind his back could have concealed a weapon, and the police had every right to shoot. As I said earlier, it doesn't matter if you are black, white or Asian, if you don't comply with simple instructions in English then you are going to get shot. It doesn't take intelligence but simple common sense not to play around with the police when they are trained to shoot to stop.

The police -always- have "every right to shoot"....that;s part of the problem.  The bar for that "right" is phenomenally low and it's a "right" that only they have, apparently.  Meanwhile, failure to comply with instructions..last I checked, wasn't a capital offense, and cops aren't empowered as judges, juries, and executioners even in the event that it were, so what are we discussing, really? Cops, btw, are not trained to "shoot to stop". Common misconception fostered by sitcom cops and movies. They;re trained to shoot, to kill. If they draw their weapon, they will aim center mass and end your life with a parabel round (or two or three or a dozen). They aren't trying to wing you.

"Do what I say or I'll kill you"

Yeah, sounds legit...

(September 29, 2016 at 5:32 am)abaris Wrote:

(September 29, 2016 at 4:59 am)Tazzycorn Wrote: .... along with any oaths used in wtate ceremonies which explicitly reference a deity (eg so help me god).

Isn't there a provision for a secular oath? I mean, the default in my country is also religious, but if you claim to be a non believer, they make you swear without any god. Especially at court.

I gave testimony in Superior Court two days ago and the oath had no mention of deities. If I recall correctly, the entirety of it was "Do you swear to tell the truth?" and an affirmation of that was all that was required. No bible, no "so help you GoD".

Somehow I managed to tell the truth even without al the trappings of Christian privilege.

(September 29, 2016 at 6:09 pm)Thumpalumpacus Wrote:

(September 28, 2016 at 5:19 pm)Drich Wrote: As any good military man will tell you their responsibilities are: God, Country, Family in that order.

Mine are no different. and I would die defending this country from any domestic threats, even if that means i am in a fox hole next to you. (even though by then you'd be a brother as there are no atheists in fox holes )

Having never enlisted, you don't know jack-shit about military service. And if you ain't got the balls to enlist, you shouldn't be bragging about having the balls to get into a foxhole.

Indeed - I was in the military and I would say no such thing.

I sense a No True Scotsman to be forthcoming.

I never met an overtly christian person in a foxhole.  Such is the changing face of religious demographics in america.  I served with a bunch of nones.

I couldn't tell, from their actions under duress, what they believed...but I can tell you this, if any of my joes abandoned their duties, fell to their knees, and prayed to almighty god to save them....I'd have to explain to them that, for the moment, I was that almighty god...and gods -hate- a coward.  So get up, pick your gun up, and point it at the other guy....or just get the fuck on with it, lay down, and die so that the -rest- of us can continue to value our lives without having to carry your sniveling ass to safety. Prayer, on a battlefield, is for the dead and defeated. It serves no other purpose. Jesus might save you from your sins, but he isn't going to save you from arthur when it comes down on your ao. The piles and piles of dead soldiers in the world ought to make that plainly apparent...even to the religious.

My experience was very much the same. If someone thinks that the typical soldier is like Lt. Kendrick (played by Keifer Sutherland) in "A Few Good Men", or even that there are a significant number of them...well, they're just mistaken.

Even the Christians riding my fire-truck were too busy fighting fire to be praying when the shit hit the fan.

(October 2, 2016 at 8:43 am)Cthulhu Dreaming Wrote: My experience was very much the same.  If someone thinks that the typical soldier is like Lt. Kendrick (played by Keifer Sutherland) in "A Few Good Men", or even that there are a significant number of them...well, they're just mistaken.

You know, I usually like Kiefer Sutherland. But the most abyssmal role he was playing was in 24. Nothing but a big torture advertisment to encourage the climate of what they called enhanced interrogation at the time.

You know what you never find in a foxhole, for realsies? ...a fucking apologist.