U.S. Military ‘Power Grab’ Goes Into Effect

[Ducimus]

Originally Posted by Stealhead

I for one would be more than willing to resist an oppressive government but I have as much of a problem with racists so if they where active in a fictionalized US civil war situation they would be in my sights just the same as someone wearing the uniform of a tyrannical government in that case the enemy of my enemy is not my friend.One tyrannical ideology replacing another sounds bad to me.

Same here. Right now, any named "militia" in our society currently has two connotations associated with. Anti-government extremists and/or White Supremacists. If a movement to resist an oppressive government were to materialize, one would have to make sure it is properly constituted, less you throw your lot in with the nutjobs.

I had a "friend" in the USAF once tell me all sorts of things "Turner Dairy" sort of things and things about how wonderful Hitler and the Nazis where.I guess he thought I felt the same way as he did not sure why at the time I was married to a Korean woman and he knew this. Of course some Koreans are a bit racist.

I ran into my own dealings with racism in the USAF. Nothing as spectacular. I was stationed at Keesler for a year or so, and found out just how the southern boys stationed there really felt about some people. Thankfully, one day i learned i was "in the club" by virtue of not being black. "Yeah when we saw your name and heard you was coming, we thought you was black. But, you're alright". After I heard that, they were a little more open with me. I just kept my mouth shut. And koreans can be very racist themselves. They are a very proud and stupid people. I wonder if that comment is racism too?

[Red October1984]

Originally Posted by Ducimus

I wonder if that comment is racism too?

In America these days, if you open your mouth in an elevator full of African American people you are considered Racist.

It seems that way at least. Political Correctness is one of our major weaknesses IMO. You can't please everybody. You can do stuff politely without trying to please every group out there.

[Tchocky]

GT US Civil War Prediction Count

[Stealhead]

@Ducimus I think personally some people say a lot of racist talk but then they will also have a friend or co-worker that is the race they seem to dislike and they always have the "they are an exception" mentality.

One thing that has always bugged me is how people think that people down south are all prejudice.Man that really ticks me off.True we might have a history down here but other parts of the country where/are just as bad if not worse but that fact always gets swept under the rug.

@Red October I am not sure what makes you feel that even opening your mouth in the presence of a certain group of people automatically makes you racist.Don't complain about PC and then use the most PC term there is to to describe a certain race.

I use the term "black" because I have had many black friends and peers and that is the term that 95% of them use to describe themselves.At the same time I typically do not use a racial or ethnic term to describe someone unless it has some relevance to the topic at hand.


For example if I buy a car from a car salesman his race has no particular relevance if I where to describe to someone the event of buying the car.

I personally feel that focusing heavily on race/ethnicity when it has no true relevance plays heavily into the hands of both the PC nuts and the racists.

As to the whole civil war thing I think honestly that it is pretty unlikely.Sooner or later (hopefully sooner) enough Americans of all stripes will grow tired of governmental ineptness and vote accordingly and something will be done about our broken system and Congress members will no longer be able to draw their own district boundaries and they will change how elections will be funded so on so fourth.Like I have said before apathy is the worst human trait right now there are too many apathetic citizens.

[Red October1984]

Originally Posted by Stealhead

Don't complain about PC and then use the most PC term there is to to describe a certain race.

That was a poor attempt at irony.


I generally say Black instead of African American. I've got black friends too.

There is something that really is strange. Have you ever wondered why it's okay for a black guy to call another one the N word but the moment a white guy says it you better call the NAACP?

There's these two black/african american/whatever you prefer guys on my baseball team. One is a player and the other one helps coach. They're both brothers. (They're family. I'm not being racist.) They refer to themselves as the N word and they even do to certain others they know and that's even how they refer to other blacks. There's another guy on my team who is a complete idiot and he decides to say "What's up my N" and he gets flattened by a punch.

Why is it okay to use derogatory terms for your own race but when somebody else uses it it's offensive. You see this in rap music and movies all the time.

A classic example is the scene from Rush Hour where Carter and Lee go to the pool hall/bar thing. Det. Carter (Black) walks into the bar and says "What's up my N" to the guy behind the counter and Det. Lee (Asian) walks in and says the same thing and then every black guy in there launches an attack. I've seen it in movies, music and real life.

Just one of the unanswered questions floating around in my head.

EDIT: WAIT! I passed 3000 posts 47 posts ago! I missed it! Dang...

[Stealhead]

Originally Posted by Red October1984

There is something that really is strange. Have you ever wondered why it's okay for a black guy to call another one the N word but the moment a white guy says it you better call the NAACP?

Well I notice that some black people use the word "nigga" as a term of endearment and "******" as an insult.Personally I think that its stupid to use an insulting word like that the majority of black people I know/have known do not use that vernacular.

I have seen white people call each other "honky" some times and I think that is just as stupid.How you can use a term in one context and have no problem and then flip out in another context is utter stupidity.

I notice in both cases the use of such terms is more common with poorly educated people.

[Red October1984]

Originally Posted by Stealhead

Well I notice that some black people use the word "nigga" as a term of endearment and "******" as an insult.Personally I think that its stupid to use an insulting word like that the majority of black people I know/have known do not use that vernacular.

I have seen white people call each other "honky" some times and I think that is just as stupid.How you can use a term in one context and have no problem and then flip out in another context is utter stupidity.

I notice in both cases the use of such terms is more common with poorly educated people.

I think it's stupid too.

By poorly educated you mean the guy with his pants sagging halfway down and a backwards hat complete with chain and wife-beater shirt?

I know exactly who you're talking about.

[Stealhead]

Originally Posted by Red October1984

I think it's stupid too.
By poorly educated you mean the guy with his pants sagging halfway down and a backwards hat complete with chain and wife-beater shirt?

Not necessarily.The style your talking about is worn by a lot of people and I do not think that each one of them is poorly educated they might have poor taste in my opinion.

I have seen people that do not dress in that style use the whole "N" thing.Maybe poorly educated was a poor choice of words.Personally I find the idea that racial slur be wrong in one case but acceptable in another pretty foolish it is too easy to card that out in my opinion.


Something that I can understand is a "right" that some black fraternities started doing back in the 70's.What they did/do is get a brand on their body the idea behind this was that they are symbolically placing ownership onto themselves.It is a throw back to the slave days where many slave owners would brand their slaves to show ownership.Their is a symbolism to getting the brand willingly.Of course most black people you can see the brand in that case they did it for some other reason.The frat version would have been hidden from plan view.

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by Red October1984

There is something that really is strange. Have you ever wondered why it's okay for a black guy to call another one the N word but the moment a white guy says it you better call the NAACP?

...

Why is it okay to use derogatory terms for your own race but when somebody else uses it it's offensive. You see this in rap music and movies all the time.

...

Just one of the unanswered questions floating around in my head.

It's quite simple really. Have you ever called a friend a rude, insulting name? Jim and I do it on skype all the time. If a stranger, or even a casual aquaintance, used that kind of language to me there would be words if not blows exchanged.

The 'N' word is a corruption of a racial descriptive, which in itself is nothing more, but the word was used for a couple of centuries to keep black people "in their place". It was meant to be insulting and derogatory, and was never used any other way. For me to say that word to a black person is the same as using any other rude or insulting term. For a black man to use it on a friend is the same as some of the names my friends and I have called each other. Insulting in a friendly way, which is accepted among friends.

It also depends on the cultural context. Busta Rhymes or Snoop Dogg probably think it's cool when their friends use that language. Neil deGrasse Tyson and Annette Gordon-Reed probably would not.

Not really a question at all in my mind.

[eddie]

I have a real hard time believing the NSA can read all our emails. With over 100 million computers in the US alone, along with all the tablets, cell phones, etc. Think of all the emails going around everyday, how the heck are they going to read them all. They might flag certain emails from certain groups or if the emails are going over seas on a regular basis, but everyones emails, everyday?
You'll never convince me that they can do that.

[Platapus]

Originally Posted by eddie

You'll never convince me that they can do that.

Especially considering the NSA budget and the fact that they have a responsibility for monitoring a bunch of foreign countries.

[eddie]

Originally Posted by Platapus

Especially considering the NSA budget and the fact that they have a responsibility for monitoring a bunch of foreign countries.

And how many analysts do you think they would need to do that?

[Platapus]

Originally Posted by eddie

And how many analysts do you think they would need to do that?

Quite a few actually. Computers, even if the NSA had enough, can only do part of the work.

[Red October1984]

Originally Posted by eddie

I have a real hard time believing the NSA can read all our emails. With over 100 million computers in the US alone, along with all the tablets, cell phones, etc. Think of all the emails going around everyday, how the heck are they going to read them all. They might flag certain emails from certain groups or if the emails are going over seas on a regular basis, but everyones emails, everyday?
You'll never convince me that they can do that.

ECHELON

This thing supposedly intercepts all of our electronic communication.

Yes, it might intercept and log it....but nobody will ever get around to reading it all. I would think that they have a list of "hot" words. When a certain number of those words shows up in an email they flag it for reading.

That's my guess.

Yes, it might intercept and log it....but nobody will ever get around to reading it all. I would think that they have a list of "hot" words. When a certain number of those words shows up in an email they flag it for reading.

That's my guess.

Its like the British system at Cheltenham which monitors phone calls in europe or made to europe.
Start every phone conversation with the word semtex and some poor analyst will have to listen to every detail of your everyday conversations.

Just one of the unanswered questions floating around in my head.

Red october, your question answers itself.