perspective

>
>I went over to the neighbors who has cable to see the video.
>The kid was a scrawny little thing who couldn't have weighed
>more than 80 lbs. The cops were 200 lbs plus.
>
>The kid was on the ground handcuffed, hands behind his back.
>He did not commit any crime -- his father was only cited for
>not having a license.
>
>
>The cop picked him up and started slamming him against the
>side of the car. It was at this time that the kid allegedly
>grabbed the cop's balls through his pants I suppose. Then,
>without any discussion, the OTHER cop beside him punched the
>kid in the face. AT no time is the kid seen doing anything to
>provoke tnhe cops.
>
>But some people will look at a scene like this and say it was
>justified. I guess that's how the world ends up with people
>like Stalin and Hitler and such -- people figure the weak and
>

WEll thanks. It's amazing how a few facts can paint a situation
differently. The impression I got from the major media (i.e. CNN) was:
"A legitimate arrest was occuring. A kid grabbed a cop's balls. The cop
punched the kid." Or maybe it was my fault for not reading closely
enough.

In any case, as far as the success of Hitler and Stalin, well at least in
Hitler's case, it was probably a similar issue: people didn't have the
facts, the press didn't present them clearly, and people didn't take the
trouble to find them out. And then of course if you don't know what bad
shit is going on, you can't act to stop it.

Hi Chris,

> It's amazing how a few facts can paint a situation differently. The
> impression I got from the major media (i.e. CNN) was: "A legitimate
> arrest was occuring. A kid grabbed a cop's balls. The cop punched
> the kid."

Oh! That's interesting.
I guess I can try it out:

"Police were arresting a young black man today who was in the
process of selling crack cocaine to elementary school children
after having robbed a bank. During the arrest, a struggle
ensued in which the suspect violently grabbed the police
officer's testicles. The police officer, unable to stop the
suspect, punched him, causing him to release his grip. The
officer has been placed ont administrative leave while the
matter is being investigated."

OK, I can see that there is a scenario in which the punching
is not ideal, but might be the cop's only recourse.

> In any case, as far as the success of Hitler and Stalin, well at
> least in Hitler's case, it was probably a similar issue: people
> didn't have the facts, the press didn't present them clearly, and
> people didn't take the trouble to find them out.

Actually, the German public knew what was up. I had the
opportunity to have dinner with an Argentinian guy who grew up
in Nazi Germany and whose father was a SS type who moved to
Argentina after the war. He said that the 'jewskin' lampshades
with the tattooed numbers were worth a lot more than the ones
without. Also, that people bought the soap made with cremated
ashes to show their patriotism. Everyone knew what was going
on. It is unfortunate that there are those over there trying
to escape responsibility by denying their own involvement but
that seems to be human nature.

> And then of course if you don't know what bad shit is going on, you
> can't act to stop it.

That's true in many cases, but I don't believe it was
something true in Germany. People freely elected Hitler to
power and then worshipped him as a god and demanded that he
solve the 'jewish problem'. He was just doing what his
constituants wanted. It's the peolpe of Germany and not Hitler
who are to blame for the Holocaust. Hilter was just a random
sociopath. He never should have been elected to power - he
should have been a crazy homeless person wandering through the
parks and sleeping on benches.

- Jeff

----- Original Message -----
From: "X. J. Scott" <xjscott@...>

> People freely elected Hitler to
> power and then worshipped him as a god and demanded that he
> solve the 'jewish problem'.

Maybe not all of them...

* David Beardsley
* http://biink.com
* http://mp3.com/davidbeardsley

> Maybe not all of them...

Right, I agree.

--- In metatuning@y..., Christopher Bailey <cb202@c...> wrote:
<snip>
> In any case, as far as the success of Hitler and Stalin, well at least in
> Hitler's case, it was probably a similar issue: people didn't have the
> facts, the press didn't present them clearly, and people didn't take the
> trouble to find them out. And then of course if you don't know what bad
> shit is going on, you can't act to stop it.

I have noticed a definite trend in the two city papers here since 9-11. They now seem to be slanting their coverage and editorials to the right and parroting government and other official sources rather than doing any real investigation or thinking. The trend is indeed scary.

John Starrett