Copsuckers hating me for what they imagine I said
Recently I've seen a lot of people asserting that it is NEVER OK to shoot a cop. Not under any circumstances. That's pure, weapons-grade Balonium.
When I clearly said that in the specific case of those two who were shot while sitting in their car, I would not have shot them, but I understand why someone might, I got a lot of flack.
People imagined I said those cops should have been shot at that moment under those specific conditions. But I didn't.
I was laughing at the copsuckers for hating me for what they imagined I had said.
Understanding why someone might do something isn't the same as endorsing what they did. It just means being able to think from different perspectives.
When someone is violating life, liberty, or property it is often OK to shoot them-- depending on the level of threat they pose. Ethically OK, if not "legally" OK. This doesn't change when the bad guy wears a badge.
If it's OK to shoot Freelance Thug A under the specific circumstances, then it is OK to shoot Badged Thug A under the same circumstances. The presence of a badge doesn't change the circumstances. Not even close.
Kidnappers deserve to be shot if they are in the act of committing a kidnapping.
Rapists deserve to be shot if they are in the act of committing a rape.
Thieves deserve to be shot in the act; murderers deserve to be shot in the act.
Attackers who are in the act of committing an attack deserve to be shot.
If they don't want to be shot they have the option of not doing those things which make it ethically OK to shoot them. Even if their paycheck depends on them doing those things. An honest job is always an option.
On the other hand, to wear the gang colors of the Blue Line Gang is to proclaim that you are a willing part of a gang which is fueled by stolen money and spends all its "on the clock" time enforcing legislation of varying degrees of illegitimacy, imposed upon the threat of death. Their mere presence is a credible threat to your life, liberty, and property-- more so in some situations than others, but you had better remain vigilant as long as they are around.
Any "society" where cops can do things to you and you are prohibited to defend yourself from them is probably already a police state. Cops have no "extra" rights because those don't exist. They have no rights you don't have, but they do have extra responsibilities to avoid violating rights, and the consequences they face for doing so must be higher. If they don't like this added burden, they need to quit the "job".
Is this the same as saying "they should be shot on sight"? No. But copsuckers will read it that way-- bet on it.
I will admit I can never work up the energy to grieve over a shot gangster of any sort. Aggressors who complain about being aggressed against are just dumb whiners. Live by the sword, die by the sword.
I feel like a SHTF event is imminent. Notice I don't say I think it is, rather it's just a feeling. Possibly triggered by the upcoming election.
I don't have a crystal ball. I'm almost definitely wrong.
If you can see it coming, it's not going to happen. That's almost a guarantee.
Just like the Coronapocalypse came at us out of nowhere, triggered by unexpected government overreactions to a fairly normal virus, a more serious event will also be a surprise. Consider the Coronapanic a practice run. It should have shown you the holes in your preps if you were paying attention.
I lucked out with the panicdemic because I was ready. Well, maybe it wasn't completely luck; I've prepped for years "just in case", and it finally paid off. I was pretty sure I wouldn't see it coming when it finally happened, and I didn't. But it didn't matter because I stay ready all the time-- and I have done so since well before the Y2K fizzle. I intend to be just as ready, if not more ready, the next time something ...
Sometimes it's good to just listen to people's stories without interrupting, even when you know the stories are nonsense.
My 2nd wife used to tell of a ghost that lived in her house when she was a kid. It was an interesting story even though I didn't believe it. I learned quickly that her family was very prone to believe anything as long as it fit with their magical worldview.
Other people tell me stories about beneficial things political government can do. These stories are no more true-- in the sense of being objective reality-- than ghost stories, but they can still be informative if you want to know which particular superstitions a person is living under.
Interrupt and you'll never hear the whole tale. Listen and you might be entertained by some fantastical tales of magical realms. Just don't bet your life on them being true.
My nature is such that I simply can't see government as a solution to anything. This puts me at odds with most of the rest of my species.
Yes, I think "social media" has become a horror. This doesn't mean I want government to regulate it; it means I think people who don't like it (or are too dumb to know not to take it at face value) should probably stop using it.
The same is true of so many other things I don't like.
Litter/pollution, scammers, sexual predators, abortion, animal cruelty, Hillary Clinton, poverty, drug abuse, pandemics, crime, and all manner of awful things.
I may hate them, but that doesn't mean I want government to step in. Look how often that has the opposite effect anyway; making the original problem worse-- or at least not solving it-- while also creating a host of new problems that never would have existed otherwise (anti-gun legislation being a perfect example).
And even if government intervention doesn't make this specific problem worse this particular ...
