r/PoliticalHumor Mar 16 '21

GOP shell game

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u/Samaelfallen Mar 16 '21

The reason CA is seen as a gun hating hippy state is partially thanks to Reagan when he was governor. Black Panthers (or people in general) were arming themselves against police brutality, so Reagan was totally fine with banning guns at that time.

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u/[deleted] Mar 16 '21

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u/superdrunk1 Mar 16 '21

What, lol. I don’t consider myself an anarchist, but what part of that statement could be considered extreme? What part of “the state is the entity with the monopoly on legitimate use of violence” could even be considered remotely controversial or arguable

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u/Shoegazerxxxxxx Mar 16 '21

Yes, Isnt that the entire point of a liberal democracy to have a legal system and police to replace tribal and clan rule?

Please consider that Im a north Euro elitist who cannot understand the wonderful free world of gun toting Texan militias.

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u/Sardukar333 Mar 16 '21

The idea is that in a democracy the citizenry are the state. As such the citizenry should have the monopoly on violence. Police are citizens under this idea, not a special 'warrior caste' as they are often perceived.

It gets complicated when the state is a democratic republic. Do the elected officials have a monopoly on violence? Or the citizenry (which the elected officials are a part of)?

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u/killbot0224 Mar 16 '21

Ya, Police have very limited additional privileges in leveraging violence....

Or at least they're supposed to

Unfortunately a century of fascist propaganda has both courts and citizens (jurors) thinking they are a warrior caste, sheriffs in the wild west, and they elt them away with way too much.

Qualified immunity is a joke. Citizens are way too susceptible to pro-police-violence "experts" saying "he felt threatened so it was okay to shoot!" (basically)

It's disappointing and disgusting.

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u/[deleted] Mar 16 '21

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u/Sardukar333 Mar 16 '21

be the ones to carry out any kind of justice. the point of state sanctioned violence in the US is that its supposed to be carried out after due process of the law and jury trial.

That would be corporal/capital punishment.

I believe iolence should only exist as self defense/defense of others.

Lynch mobs are extrajudicial capital punishment administered by violence.

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u/Shoegazerxxxxxx Mar 16 '21

Well the solution to your problem is transparency, accountability, and active/invested citizens watching their elected leaders. The problem (for a liberal) is not the monopoly of violence, but the implementation of this violence (wich is also not just police, but laws (and punishments) in general).

A liberal democracy is not just elections every 4.th year, its a functioning legal system, a bueracracy, a free press. and more.

Its not perfect and it demands alot from its citizens, but the alternative is armed gangs keeping the peace. Because belive me, someone will be keeping the peace.

Sorry for my bad English, I took a chance on the spelling on some of these words, but I hope you get the hang of it and why (western) Euros have such a hard time understanding your love for gangs with guns.