The offensive has started ..the battle of Portland

Now you are just making **** up.

Were you there?

There was multiple people using pepper spray and paintballs at multiple locations so this was in defense of the same flag?

 

Spitting on someone is assault and doesn't cause injury. The spittee will retaliate against the spitter 9 times out of 10 and everyone would agree that's a warranted reaction. Spit is just an example. Throw anything at someone and expect retaliation. Keep your hands and fluids to yourself.

Did you watch the video?

 

I watched multiple videos of several instances of paintball shooting and mace spraying.

So you think it was one instance?

 

I never saw other videos. Only the one where the flag was burned and liquid thrown. If there are other instances, whoever was the initial aggressor is the wrong party.

 

Of course context matters. I agree with that. I just want to caution in discussions about the consequences that we don't use context to trump the real consequences of actions.

 

fair enough.

pre-trump supporter intervention, how would you judge the actions of folks rioting, burning, and looting? i know some of it happened in your neighborhood, so i'm assuming you have personal, rather than political, feelings about it.

 

I wonder if paintball guns are allowed at a Trump rally. I guarantee he wouldn't like being shot with paintballs. Do they allow people with weapons within Trump's range? Give me a break defending people walking the streets with weapons.

I can't wait until Democrats take over the Senate and ban the carry of weapons. A bunch of Patriots (As they call themselves) sporting assault weapons is ridiculous. It's like we are some 3rd world country, with some crazy Dictator type leader in charge.

 

I don’t know if anyone has died from a paintball but I personally saw some bad injuries from the marker rounds (paint balls) which the LE were using. Again they are officially classified as less than lethal. If you think they are OK try going to a paint ball war without protective gear and get back us.

 

I don’t know why the mayor of Portland is doing what he’s doing. I know he’s opposed to Trump but not living in Portland or following him closely I don’t know what his reasons are. Given that when Federal authorities were acting there without local coordination things sounded like they were worse.

I live in one of those Democratic cities that the President brings up but while things started out bad things have been peaceful for the most part. When looting broke out again last week the Mayor Frey didn’t hesitate to call out the National Guard. He definitely opposes Trump but he’s also been protested against too by BLM and people sympathetic to the movement.

Federal authorities aren’t the end all of maintaining peace. In MN we didn’t use federal authorities and both Mayor Frey and Governor Walz told Trump not to send them into Minneapolis. I myself am pretty certain that if they had been deployed especially against the wishes of local authorities it would’ve made things worse. Before the things happened in Portland with unmarked federal authorities there were rumors flying here in MN that that was happening and anger over those rumors.

If the argument is that the Portland mayor is doing a bad job I think that is valid. If the argument is that Democratic mayors are tacitly supporting the rioting for political reasons I don’t see that all. That doesn’t mean all of them are doing a good job or doing enough but it makes more sense to me that they might just be bad mayors and / or trying to balance competing interests.

 

My feelings are pretty well documented here.

I will not justify or excuse looting and arson. I don’t think they are helpful or represent any legitimate protests. Doesn’t mean I don’t think there isn’t systemic racism or that we have a serious problem regarding the justice system and LE.

I also strongly oppose outsiders coming in for political reasons or misguided reasons such as they are going to protect property when they haven’t been asked to and have no training as such.

 

what about outsiders coming in to burn, loot, and riot?

 

No doubt they'll cause bruises and injuries, and possibly loss of an eye. But nobody has died from a paintball in the history of paintball with billions of them shot. A pencil is more lethal than a paintball.

 

It's kind of hard to wound someone with a pencil at a distance.

My point is that paint balls are not innocuous they are less than lethal weapons and the use of them especially as crowd control certainly is violent.

 

Same thing.

 

this is very interesting.....

 

oh boy, federal charges, these riots are going to disappear quick

no more catch and release

 

I'm neither defending or not defending them here, but have you considered WHY they needed to be there in the first place? That we have mayors willingly giving up control of their own city is fairly astounding to me, regardless of political affiliation.

Have also heard that his main contender is not just sympathetic towards antifa, but an actual member. When you have anarchists taking control of your city...your city has real problems. But, if you actually vote them in, on purpose, then you still have real problems, but I'd suggest we just leave you to your fate. All the law abiding people will leave, along with the money... and then what?

Your disregard for our Constitution is duly noted.

You're referring to the mayor of Portland, right? ;-) The one allowing lawlessness on his streets?

 

You mean Trump?

I changed a couple words in your other statement to reflect the bigger problem.

When you have Felons taking control of your Executive Branch...your country has real problems. But, if you actually vote their leader in, on purpose, then you still have real problems, but I'd suggest we just leave you to your fate. All the law abiding people will not be able to stop him, along with his dirty money favors in making policies and hiring his crooks... and then what? Dictatorship?

 

am i correct that you're voting against trump because the mayor of portland won't do his job?

 

Do you get paid by the gallon for drinking the blue kool aid? Or do you just swill it willingly, as they hope and require? My money is on willingly.

In either case, your support for anarchy, looting, and violence is duly noted. Until, I'm sure, you are the victim of such, but then Trump, amIright? And I'm going to guess that you don't even get that anarchy means the Dems aren't in control, either (as we see happening in Portland right in front of us, fwiw, but you can lead a donkey to water....)