Why all the killing?

Is it this one?
https://youtu.be/nIGPk_C4OAw

May the force be with you. Sorry it wasn't the right one. Brian or WhoP will be here soon.

Ah, fuck it.

Free said:

I thought this belongs in this thread too. A good place to start:

show previous quotes

Free said:

'It's Not Us vs. Them'
One police chief's humble solution to violence.

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2016/07/its-not-us-vs-them/490493/

From the tiny town of Kenyon, Minnesota, Police Chief Lee Sjolander has a message for the 12,000 other police districts across the country.

Writing from his department’s Facebook page this morning, he advocates a humble role of public servitude that is antithetical to the toxic masculinity with which some police departments have been infected. “If I were your chief,” he writes, “and we worked for the same agency, serving the same great community, I would attend roll call, and here is what I would say”:

We have calls for service that we need to respond to. We have a grateful public that needs us, we have responsibilities. Yes, there are those out here who do not like us, or what we represent. It's been that way long before I or you became officers, and it will be that way long after we're gone.

I, as well as the public we serve have certain expectations, and we would all like them met when you can.

Here are just a few...

We expect you to be kind, we expect you to be fair, we expect you to be professional, and we expect you to do the best you can on every call for service.

We expect you to know the difference between the letter of the law, and the spirit of the law, and when to use your best discretion.

We expect you to leave people better than you found them when you can, and never take away someone’s dignity.

We expect you to be well-trained, and to know when, and when not to apply your training.

We expect you to be human. That means it's ok to laugh, cry, and be scared at times.

I want you to remember why you chose to answer this public service calling. I hope it was to be part of something bigger than yourself, I hope it was to serve the public that we love, and I hope it was to build relationships with coworkers, as well as our public.

I hope you chose this calling because you love having a front row seat into the lives of people, love problem solving, and know that what you do makes your family and friends proud.

Yes, we are all sharing in some dark times right now. But, we still expect you to be brilliant at the basics and do your job to the best of your abilities. ...

I expect you to patrol your areas with a smile on your face, kindness in your heart, calmness in your soul, and a wave to those you see. I expect you to get out of your patrol car and visit. I want you to listen to the compliments, the concerns, take them all in, and remember, it's not "us vs. them"

I expect you to show others that we are better than these tragedies, and we are striving to be better in so many ways.

I expect you to be safe at work, and at home. I hope you visit with your family openly about the current state of our nation, and how if we give into fear, violence, propaganda, etc. we will not be part of the solution.

If you or another member of our public service family is struggling, I expect you to get help, and I expect you to help others. I promise you, there is no shame in seeking help and being well.

I, as well as so many others are here for you. If you need me, I will be just a phone call, or radio call away.

I truly appreciate, and love each and everyone of you.

Stay safe,

Lee

OMGOODNESS that's the type of interaction from police I was talking about. That's simply outstanding THIS message should be broadcasted across this nation now.

Peace

I want to know why it's always all or none?

Why isnt each circumstance considered separate from the whole?

Why do police continue to go for their guns so quickly in too many situations?

Why does the black community ignore the criminal history of every black person shot by police?

Why do police officers always support the cops regardless of the situation/data/facts?

Why do good cops continue to let bad/racist cops exist?

Why is the family unit so broken in our poor communities?

Why do we describe guys that have 5 kids by 5 women as fathers? They aren't. They are assholes.

Why does no one care that before being shot many of those involved were engaging in illegal activity? And why do others think that engaging in any illegal activity means it's ok if it ends up in death?

Why are black people guilty until proven innocent by some? Why are cops guilty until proven innocent by some? And vice versa? Why do we only find the parts of a story that help out own personal agenda and latch on to them, ignoring the rest?

Why is it that on one hand people fight for the right for every citizen to have some serious fire power, and then when 1 is caught having a gun they think that is justification alone to shoot them?

And most recently:

Why do BLM advocates post all over Facebook about the killings of black peoples by cops one day and then are completely silent when cops are killed?

Why do people one day ignore the fact that police have killed another couple of black people in a suspect manner and then the next they all of a sudden care so much about police killed?

And why do people think you need to address everything on Facebook and if you don't you are part of the problem? When did Facebook ever solve any real issue? Twitter? Go ahead a break down a complex issue in 140 characters and try not to sound like a 1 sided asshat, can't be done.

And who is going to fix this?

jnimhaoileoin said:

Ok Brian, you want questions? As an Irish girl, your culture is completely incomprehensible to me, so here are my questions regarding America

Why does mental illness lead to violence and murder to a far greater extent than in other Western countries?

because of our healthcare system and laws

Why is there such distrust of government and figures of authority in general amongst citizens?
because the media only portrays authority in a negative light. i think the distrust is overblown and most people in their daily lives don't think this way

Why do citizens seem to have no faith in the ability of law enforcement to protect them and believe the answer to this is to have a fully armed citizenry?
see above

Is there any true sense of community in America? Do you feel a bond of kinship with your fellow American that gives their life added value to you?
yes i think some do but often it gets lost in our daily lives. in our toughest times us Americans pull together wonderfully though.


Does it mean anything to be American or has the lack of shared heritage led to a fractured society where your fellow American means no more to you than a citizen of any other nation?
absolutely it still does. i think we treat ourselves like brothers. sometimes we fight but if someone from the outside wants to question us or challenge us our bond shows through. we are bound together when needed.

Do Americans see violence and premature death as simply a part of modern life? Have you become so desensitised to it as to barely register news stories concerning such incidents?
no, and the problem is highly overblown by the media. we are still a very safe country. crime is as low as it's ever been here.

Do Americans ever look at their country and culture through objective eyes and view it in relation to other countries? Do they see aspects of other countries which they envy and do they recognise the faults of their own country?
no, unfortunately one of our biggest faults is many people just think how great we are. every day americans go about their lives and mostly don't think about the rest of the world.

Do Americans believe your country has the ability to change? If you have no faith in your government, what possible hope for you have for bringing positive change?
yes absolutely. one of the greatest strengths is how flexible our laws are that allow change. we have undergone some very nice societal changes over the past decade or so. we may not always change quickly but we can adapt. one of the greatest strengths of the millennial generation is how tolerant they are of all types of people. my generation is never quite as tolerant but many of us are coming around.

If indeed there is no faith in government, what exactly is it that the average American wants? Is there actually any clear view on the kind of country you want to have?
most every day americans just want to go to work, have a family and frankly not be bothered. our lives are pretty damn good here despite what some might have you believe.

There seems to be an acknowledgement of a serious problem with racism. In a country where everyone but the native Americans can trace their roots to a foreign country, how can this be? How can a supposedly advanced country have such horrifically outdated views towards black people in particular?
it's been built into the culture and is not something that will change over night. too much ignorance and separation at this point. it's gotten better since the 60s or 70s but it's a slow change. everyone has to be more adaptable including the black community. there are many problems in the black communities in America and not all are due to racism. they must find a way to stop their children from being raised without their father's being involved. too many are brought up in broken homes. it's a vicious cycle that needs to be broken somehow.

When parents get that first sight of their newborn child and as they watch them grow up, do they envisage them buying a gun in preparation for the eventuality of them being the victim of a violent crime? Does this thought not sicken them and mobilise the nation to change their children's future?
uhh no. 90% of American's want gun control. some people are into guns but don't let the lobbyists, NRA, Media and some people here make you feel like America is a land of gun toting outlaws on every street corner. it's not.

I could go on but I'd likely piss people off...

Don't go, g! I think asterisk got the song right!

Nice clip, Asterisk! Not even lip-synced which was unusual for TV back then.

I did a lot of searching, g under p, but I didn't even think of David Essex. The 2 I thought of were Questions by Buffalo Springfield, which Stephen Stills incorporated into CSNY's Carry On.