Originally Posted by Sam Spade

This was posed to me privately. I've sanitized it enough to protect privacy; I think it goes to underlying concerns and ought to be addressed. Apologies in advance if the response rambles a bit--I'm composing as I type and the question is more complex than can be addressed with a sound bite.

The easy part: Are

Originally Posted by barbedwiresmile

Reading this thread, it's easy to see how lynch mobs came into being.

The day this verdict was read was a great day for America, even for someone as skeptical as me. Why? It illustrated that the state, which can bring vast resources against the accused, is still held in some check by the systems designed to hold it in check.

That a bunch of gun owners are so quick to convict another American based on what they heard on the news, with

Originally Posted by Sam Spade

Ya know, we don't have a conversational history, so I don't really know your character. But I do know that you waltzed into the thread and led off with an assumption of wrongdoing on the part of LE, tying what you later claim to be a misunderstanding of my clear meaning to a snarky comment. So I'm going to invoke Big Boy Rules and give it to you straight.

If you're inept enough to get caught filming

Originally Posted by Sam Spade

Words have meaning. Connotations. They're important to have the full flavor of what's going on. I had a run in with the IRS; you got audited; he cheated on his taxes. Beyond just spin, it goes to values: identical acts performed for different reasons take on different worth. Cops are very used to moral relativists trying to justify bankrupt concepts and actions by drawing parallels that aren't justified. It's part of defining deviancy down. In the thread, you're seeing

Originally Posted by Dragoon44

1. Many Netzians views are formed and held emotionally rather than rationally.

2. The more vocal, passionate, and adamant they are on a subject the less likely they are to actually know what they are talking about.

3. The average Netzians reading comprehension is abysmal.

4. As long as it conforms to their bias, prejudice, or ideology many will accept the most absurd story or claims as the gospel truth.