Pioneer1

1. They didn't have to shot him at all. They could have repeatedly tased him into submission or used CO gas on him until he was so incapacitated he posed no threat....then use their batons to knock the knife out of his hand. 2. If they DID shoot him, they didn't have to shot him so many times. They could have just shot him once and probably in the arm he had the knife in. But the policy to kill serves 2 purposes: -It's part of an overall plan for population reduction so killing a "criminal" is one less person to feed and take care of in the penal institution. -Killing him prevents him from telling HIS side of the story.

Stefan Uh...because they're REAL. They actually exist. That's why. And you'd be a naive idiot to believe that people don't plot and plan to get together and harm others. Ever heard of Slavery? Ever heard of Jim Crow? Ever heard of Sundown Towns? What the hell do you think THEY were if not a result of Conspiracies??? And exactly how do YOU know they're not true? Have you done research on and investigated them to confirm that they're not? I guess you know and monitor all the activities of White folks to know exactly what they're doing all the time to KNOW that they don't conspire together to harm people of color. How else would you be so sure and confidence that the above mentioned "Conspiracy Theories" simply aren't true and absolutely impossible...lol.

richardmurray I'm not exactly sure why so many other people loved Crooklyn but I loved it because it got my on a deep level for so many reasons, as most of Spike Lee's movies do. -Opening scenes of a block filled with Black kids out playing and doing their thang, immediate brought back nostalgic images from my childhood. -The family going down South for vacation reminded me of my own childhood and that of others in my neighborhood. -The family sitting around by candle light eating dinner after the power was cut. Come on, if you grew up in the hood you CAN relate to that...lol -How the neighbors would watch your home while you were away on vacation reminds me of how they used to do when I was a kid. I don't recall anyone else putting that in a film or even on television -There was a scene I'd never forget how when the family was leaving to go down South everybody on the block was waving them good bye as they were driving off. That's EXACTLY what they used to do on our block when a family would take a trip out of town. Everybody outside who saw you pull off would wave and bid you a good trip with love and smiles and promised to watch your house while yall were gone. -How the little girl was hallucinating about her mother still being alive when she woke up and heard her father cleaning the stove. Something most children who lost a parent can relate to. -I can't forget all of the sisters, brothers, and cousins crowded together in a little room watching Soul Train. Reminded me of my family every time we went over relatives houses...lol. Spike Lee is a GIFTED Filmmaker...no doubt. The brother has a way of taking AfroAmerican life and history and reality of AfroAmerican life and experience and presenting it on the big screen in a way that nobody had done before him.

I told you there was some sort of intelligent being or Being behind it running the show. So many Black folks just LOVE to eat up whatever White folks sit down on a plate before them. Don't even know what the hell they're eating, but if White folks present it to them....they gobble it down and think about the consequences later. Now just think about that term itself: Artificial Intelligence. That name ALONE should make you ask questions about what the hell it is and why are "they" trying so hard to push it on the world.

Let's start with the fact the they are two different sets of words....lol. The term "not absolutely" can be reconciled with "various degrees of" as they may overlap eachother from time to time however they aren't NECESSARILY the same because one term is often more appropriate than the other when describing a subject. Let's take liquor for example: Everclear is a type of liquor that is almost 100% alcohol but "not absolutely". It's actually about 95% alcohol. Beer and wine on the other hand contains "various degrees" of alcohol. To say that beer or wine is "not absolutely" alcohol is true, but it can be seen as misleading to some because the alcohol content is so low it doesn't even come close.

@Dee Miller Dee Miller Not sure why that poster up there is being so obnoxious and insulting but...... I too thank you for your input in this otherwise civil discussion!!

That's why I draw a distinction between FREEDOM and LIBERTY. Nobody on this planet is absolutely free, but we do enjoy various degrees of liberty based on environmental conditions.

Dee Miller @Pioneer1 you have my head spinning, yo Lol...it might be my cologne. Excellent observations......... Show Proof (sufficient enough (who determines this) to establish that a thing is true, or produce belief in its truth). Is this then, Proof? hmmmm. Under ONE definition of "proof"....it's quite simple. Whoever you're trying to prove an incident TO is the one who determines what constitutes "proof". If they accept it...it's proof, to them atleast. Thus, proof and evidence can result in false positives. Not sure your what you mean. Maybe you can flesh that statement out a little more. If it's related to your statement about statistics and crime, keep in mind that statistics are just numbers and figures on a sheet or on the screen. They may or may not necessarily be true or accurate. Let us remember that statistics aren't necessarily "evidence". Evidence are FACTS. Things that are actually true. Statistics are just a bunch of numbers and figures and other information on a sheet or on a screen that can EASILY be manipulated or falsified, so it doesn't necessarily count as evidence. Only statistics (or any other documentation for that matter) that have been VERIFIED AS TRUE can count as evidence.

ProfD You know I said that earlier. I'm inclined to believe that that balloon may have been from China, but some other institution....likely a Western one....was behind it and used China as a smoke screen.

Malcolm X The BlacKKKlansman Jungle Fever Da 5 Bloods Crooklyn My top 5 in that order

I've discovered that sometimes SEEMING Randomness is the key to many successes in life. Randomness is what gives us HOPE! Image if everything were organized, controlled, and on lock-down. If you're already a loser, chances are you'll probably remain one. But in this world...... You got Earthquakes Revolutions Covid and other pestilences Hell, sometimes people just GO CRAZY and fuck up the whole program.....lol. Look at how many common people became millionaires because of the lottery. We should also throw in Spontaneous Remissions of diseases into the same category. Perhaps what we call "randomness" are gifts and opportunities from Higher Powers bestowed to humans to give us a way when we don't see one ourselves.

Nels and Coggins are clearly Republican Stefan and maybe Cynique are clearly Democrat. Everybody else seems to either be double dipping from both sides depending on the issue or like Rodney totally anti-politics period.

Rodney campbell It's working, but not to their liking....lol. I'm sure whoever was/is orchestrating the organized outrage over this sad incident were looking for a MUCH larger reaction from the AfroAmerican community. Certainly a more violent one. And they didn't get it.

That's what I'm saying...... They offered too many bullshit excuses for not taking what THEY admitted was a weapon for a foreign (and hostile?) power, down when traveling across the U.S. posed an obvious threat. Infact, they didn't decide to shoot the balloon down until AFTER a lot of outcry and questions from the public as to why they didn't. So the action taken was basically a PR move to quell the anxiety of the public.....which is NOT a military tactic. Now I've read some reports claiming that Biden ordered the balloon shot down as far back as Wednesday. WTF???? So the President "ordered" it shot down but somebody in the military "decided" to wait until it got off the coast? That is NOT how the military works let alone how the U.S. government operates. If Biden ordered that balloon taken down Wednesday...it would have been taken down Wednesday. It sounds like a bunch of people trying to "clean up" a messes situation as to why a spy balloon was being allowed to fly over the U.S. population.

Cynique 3 ain't MULTIPLE to me. That's because you didn't make it past the 2nd grade. So we know YOU don't know any better....lol. But most educated people recognize that multiple = 2 or more. (i did forget that in a debate, you never let your opponent supply the definitions.) No worries. You didn't break any rules....because this isn't a debate. There is no debate over FACTS and TRUTH. Either you accept it....or you don't. When was the last time you saw a "debate" over whether or not Hydrogen and Oxygen made up Water? Or whether or not meat should be cooked before consumption? Some things aren't up for debate.

I'm not sure if "proud" is the word I would use, but I'm certainly glad that Black folks didn't get out in the streets and clown the way some in the media were trying to push them into doing. 20 years ago I would have been a bit disappointed because of my subconsious desire to appear "fair" to White folks. Although they wouldn't admit it, subconsciously many of our people are thinking: "Oh lawdy..... If Black folks don't start cussing and raising hell out here in deez street; dem White folks go point da' fanga and claim we'z not fair and only cry foul when it's dem White poleecez who dooz wrong. Oooh lawdy... We better HURRY UP and get out in deez streets and git ta' protestin' and tearin' up over these nigga cops and show deez White folks weez fair too!" As UNFAIR and biased as White folks have been to them for so many centuries; many silly Negroes STILL feel some deep seated obligation to go out of their way to show White folks how fair they are and how the decisions we make have "nothing" to do with race. Hell no we aren't gonna riot over Black cops abusing Black folks because it's not the norm. It happens, but not nearly as much as when White cops do it.

Yeah, grab a nice big leg tenderoni (or go out and find one....lol) to snuggle up with, along with a couple of glasses and a bottle of Paul Masson....lol. Maybe put on a little Jodeci featuring Father M.C. if it's cold enough.....lol. "Everythiiiiiing's gonna be alright...."

Wah wah wah whaaaaaaaaaaat? Is this Mr.Democrat HIMSELF Stefan talking????? I didn't trust AOC no further than I could throw her anyway. Plenty of Black and dark Mulatto Puerto Ricans up in New York and they pick a light Meztizo looking one to represent the community? She looks more like she should be representing Mexicans than Puerto Ricans; which is probably why she gets so much support from the Mexican American community where most other Blacker Puerto Ricans don't. I don't hater her. Nor do I think she's a bad person. But I know she's looking out for "her people" and not Black folks despite all of this "progressive" talk. She's also appealing to the Middle class liberal White population with her "Green New Deal" agenda that doesn't include Universal Healthcare and affordable housing but a ton of shit about climate change and the ecology....something most Black and poor people are struggling too much to focus on. Notice how the Republicans will criticize AOC all day long but don't really TAKE ACTION against her like they just did Ilhan Omar, and remove her from office. Because she doesn't really pose a threat to their agenda.

Don't forget.....slavery STILL EXISTS in the United States. Millions of people are still enslaved. It's called "Mass Incarceration" and the inmates are Constitutionally considered ENSLAVED. Slavery didn't end in 1865, it just transformed.

Most major cities with a huge AfroAmerican or Latino population have some sort of special policing unit designed to bypass normal Constitutional procedures and give these units permission to abuse people in the community and deny them of their rights. This is nothing new. It's been going on since atleast the 70s if not longer. Infact, many major cities have UN-NAMED units designed to target and abuse the community. In Detroit we called them the "goon squad". A bunch of thuggish.....seriously thuggish...cops dressed in civilian clothes who did nothing but ride around all day and night (especially at night) looking for people to beat up, rob, and occasionally kill. They'd go after dope dealers, pimps, and other street hustlers....rough them up and take their money, dope, and jewelry and threaten to lock them up or kill them if they made a fuss about it. Their main motive was not to enforce the law or clean up crime but to instill FEAR in the people. They just started giving them names in the 80s. I remember as a kid seeing some of these goon squad cats riding around in their unmarked but obviously police cars, many of them had patches over an eye....missing teeth, a couple were slobbering at the mouth. Totally unprofessional and neanderthal characters who seemed like they were made for violence. Looked like people out of some Texas Chainsaw flick....lol.

Lovely art. When I first saw the title, I thought it had something to do with Kwanza.

I can't say that I've experienced obsession....but I HAVE definitely experienced Love, many times. It has inspired me to do many things. Simply thinking about the woman I loved at the time, and what it would take to impress her. Years ago a secret was uncovered........... Most men will do almost anything to gain the Attraction or atleast the Attention of the women he desires. This is one of the reasons sports teams often have scantily clad cheerleaders making noise and bouncing up and down while showing support.

It stops when intelligent AfroAmericans...especially the men....DECIDE to stop it. When they decide collectively to stand up and put an end to it, it will stop.

I agree also that most things events have a pattern or rhythm to them and aren't truly random, most people just haven't figured out the code or pattern. However, we can go a step further and add that same logic to what we call "magic". It can be said that Magic is real and is indeed a science, however since most Western scientists have yet to identity and establish a set code or pattern for most magical phenomena....the word "magic" to them is usually synonymous with fraudulent or charlatanry.