Why isn't this murder?

[Aeson]

http://www.gunpolicy.org/firearms/region/syria

Syria has 3.9 guns in private hands for every 100 people. America has 88.8.

But... how many of them are in the hands of Americans who aren't planning on shooting and pillaging their neighbors the moment the opportunity to get away with it arises?

[regexcellent]

Felch, I think that number only accounts for guns legally in private hands, not illegal guns like the ones held by criminal gangs.

[Whoha]

I'm moving into multivariable calculus now. My counting skills have fallen by the wayside.

This one is my favorite:

Juvenile black male “apprx 7–9” years old, four feet tall “skinny build short blk hair” last seen wearing a blue t-shirt and blue shorts

It is pretty awesome isn't it

4/22/2011 19:11:31 1017 OREGON REF BM S43 APPRX 7-9YOA APPRX 04FT/SKINNY BUILD SHORT BLK HAIR LSW BLU TSHIRT/BLU SHORTS/

4/22/2011 19:11:58 COMPL ADVD S43 IS WALKING ALONE & IS NOT SUPERVISED ON BUSY STREET // COMPL CONCERNED FOR WELL BEING

http://www.sanfordfl.gov/investigati...allHistory.pdf pg 37.

In any event he can be shown to be culpable for manslaughter, and if the police feel that they can make the case they'll charge him.

[Felch]

Felch, I think that number only accounts for guns legally in private hands, not illegal guns like the ones held by criminal gangs.

It's the best estimate that we have. If you've got a more accurate source, feel free to share it.

[The Mad Monk]

NBC News Accused of Editing 911 Call in Trayvon Martin Controversy (Video)

Critics say the "Today" show attempted to incite racial anger when it cut crucial seconds from audio of a phone call placed by George Zimmerman just before he killed the teenager.

our editor recommends
Ann Coulter Compares Trayvon Martin Media Coverage to 'Lynch Mob,' KKKIn Interview With Piers Morgan, George Zimmerman's Brother Breaks Silence on Trayvon Martin Shooting (Video)In Trayvon Martin Case Developments, ABC Airs Police Footage, Spike Lee Apologizes, Parents Speak (Video)Russell Simmons Slams Geraldo Rivera's Apology in Trayvon Martin ControversyNBC News is being excoriated in some circles – with competitor Fox News Channel leading the charge – for selectively editing audio of the 911 call placed by George Zimmerman just before he killed Trayvon Martin.

The NBC segment in question featured anchor Ron Allen and ran on the Today show on Tuesday. On Thursday, Sean Hannity and guest Brent Bozell played the NBC version of the 911 call and compared it with the unedited version.

In the NBC segment, Zimmerman says: “This guy looks like he’s up to no good. He looks black.”

The full version, though, unfolds like this:

Zimmerman: “This guy looks like he’s up to no good, or he’s on drugs or something. It’s raining and he’s just walking around, looking about.”

911 operator: “Okay. And this guy, is he white black or Hispanic?”

Zimmerman: “He looks black.”

After playing both versions, Hannity said: “They forgot the dispatcher’s question! How could NBC, in good conscience, do that?”

“This isn’t bias, this isn’t distortion, this is an all-out falsehood by NBC News,” answers Bozell, who runs a conservative watchdog group called the Media Research Center.

“When you hear him say, ‘he looks black,’ anyone watching that believes that there are racial overtones to what this man did,” Bozell says. “How could you not believe that? It goes with the narrative of the profiling. The only problem is, they edited out the dispatcher asking him, ‘what does he look like?’”

NBC News declined to comment.

Zimmerman, a volunteer community-watch participant shot and killed Martin on Feb. 26 in Florida, and some Democratic lawmakers and civil rights activists have called it a hate crime, accusing Zimmerman, who is Hispanic, of racially profiling Martin, who was a 17-year-old African American male.

“This is NBC News, Brent, and this is what they did at a time when emotions are running very high in this country,” Hannity said during his Thursday night TV show.

“Tom Brokaw, Matt Lauer, I wonder if they’re proud tonight?” Hannity asked.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/trayvon-martin-nbc-news-editing-911-call-306359

[kentonio]

I wouldn't discount the ability of a sufficiently well-armed populace to overthrow the government. It happens every now and then. American citizens are the most heavily armed in the world, with 90 legal privately owned guns per 100 adults.

Oh come on now dude, you know the power of the US military and intelligence agencies. As PLATO said, without the US military remaining neutral or being on side, it would be a complete wipeout.

The worrying thing is that the military almost certainly would not remain neutral or stay on one side though. It would almost certainly split and you'd end up with military on military, which would be horrendous.

[giblets]

We better cut the military budget then.

[Felch]

Oh come on now dude, you know the power of the US military and intelligence agencies.

Yeah, it took them ten years to track down bin Laden, and longer than that to fail in Afghanistan.

[notyoueither]

Any civil insurrection is going to be very difficult if the military stays loyal and motivated to the regime, unless there is outside assistance for the rebels.

[notyoueither]

The trick is keeping the military loyal in the face of widespread unrest. Soldiers and officers have family and friends who are affected by the conditions that spark the unrest.

[Felch]

Why would the American military remain loyal to the government if there were a civil insurrection? They're human beings, not robots, and civil insurrection is officially lauded in our childhood propaganda.

[notyoueither]

I would think the modern US military would be a poor implement for combating widespread civil insurrection.

Units are a mix of people from all parts of the country. In any given place soldiers will have comrades in their unit who have friends and family nearby. It would be difficult to inculcate the view of 'the enemy' as 'others' who deserve to have a bayonet stuck in them.

Sure, they can blow the hell out of any given area on Earth when they want to. The question is how much the rank and file would want to blow the hell out of their own home towns.

[Hauldren Collider]

Yeah, it took them ten years to track down bin Laden, and longer than that to fail in Afghanistan.

I think putting down an American rebellion is well within their abilities, however.

[Hauldren Collider]

I would think the modern US military would be a poor implement for combating widespread civil insurrection.

Units are a mix of people from all parts of the country. In any given place soldiers will have comrades in their unit who have friends and family nearby. It would be difficult to inculcate the view of 'the enemy' as 'others' who deserve to have a bayonet stuck in them.

Sure, they can blow the hell out of any given area on Earth when they want to. The question is how much the rank and file would want to blow the hell out of their own home towns.

Even worse, National Guard units tend to be made up of soldiers from one area (from what I understand). In the hypothetical scenario of a rebellion, you would probably see a lot of National Guard defections.

Regardless, the only reason there would be a rebellion is if America stopped being a democracy. I think just about everyone would sooner vote someone out of office than commit acts of violence.

[notyoueither]

Guard units would be more effective in a hypothetical insurrection, assuming the states were listening to the federal government. If units from Montana were sent to New Jersey and Nevada they would be more open the indoctrination it would take to have the military remain motivated. The rank and file would be more easily led to see the locals as 'others' who need a good bayonetting.