zlacker

[parent] [thread] 93 comments
1. softwa+(OP)[view] [source] 2020-05-30 01:02:36
Post US Civil war, we encoded a set of rules that on their face did not discriminate on race. But their effect was basically to prevent black people from voting and enjoying their civil liberties.

Now we are encoding these biases into models built with mass surveillance. Many of us upper middle class white folks turn a blind eye. Subconsciously we know that’s not really targeting us. “We have nothing to hide” is the battle cry of the apathetic middle class person... when you trace the origin not just to law and order but the “war on terrorism” the relationship to race is even more depressing.

Maybe when we examine deeper we see those using the tools of mass surveillance look like us (heck are from this industry!). This same people working in the surveillance industry only imagine getting the “bad guys” not people that look like them!

On their face this has nothing to do with race. Examine deeper and you see, it’s far easier to take away civil liberties when it’s the “other” it’s being taken away from. Where the in group can blissfully rationalize what’s happening to get on with their day

replies(4): >>ikeyan+Q4 >>yosito+x9 >>nevera+NQ >>dannyp+pU
2. ikeyan+Q4[view] [source] 2020-05-30 01:52:13
>>softwa+(OP)
As long as it's only happening to "thugs", why should we stick our necks out on the line and make noise?

I mean I'll grumble on social media, but taking time out of my day to protest is inconceivable.

replies(5): >>csa+oe >>mister+4n >>rumana+ro >>fsflov+nr >>aetch+3M
3. yosito+x9[view] [source] 2020-05-30 02:51:32
>>softwa+(OP)
> we encoded a set of rules that on their face did not discriminate on race. But their effect was basically to prevent black people from voting and enjoying their civil liberties.

That is quite a claim. I am neither agreeing or disagreeing, as I don't know enough about this. Could you share some specific examples of the rules that you are referring to and evidence that they were intended to prevent black people from voting and enjoying their civil liberties?

replies(9): >>claude+Ca >>throwl+Qa >>natdem+Ua >>re+eb >>joe_th+Xb >>kerkes+0c >>3131s+zd >>candu+uj >>chowar+in
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4. claude+Ca[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 03:07:16
>>yosito+x9
Allowing slavery to continue as a legal form of punishment is an obvious one
replies(2): >>thunde+9b >>geofft+0n
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5. throwl+Qa[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 03:09:47
>>yosito+x9
What do you think share cropping and Jim crow laws were? What do you think the several civil rights acts following the 14th amendment were addressing? What do you think separate but equal and then desegregation was? Why is it that there's always someone asking for "proof" of racism? Anyone with a high school diploma knows about these things and yet all of that well known history is insufficient proof.

edit: we rightfully so recognize people demanding proof of the holocaust as bad actors. why not with this?

replies(1): >>x86_64+WQ
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6. natdem+Ua[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 03:10:12
>>yosito+x9
I think the best/most common example of this is the Jim Crow laws implemented shortly after the civil war: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Crow_laws

That Wikipedia article has a lot of detail in it that explains things well beyond what I could within an HN comment, but I think one example is "separate but equal" which was anything but equal.

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7. thunde+9b[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 03:13:21
>>claude+Ca
This user is referring to slave labour in prisons, explicitly allowed by the 13th amendment to the USA constitution.
replies(1): >>throwl+fb
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8. re+eb[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 03:14:36
>>yosito+x9
I don't know specifically which rules the parent is referring to--their phrasing ("Post US Civil war, we encoded a set of rules") makes it sound like it is referring to the US as a whole, but I'm not sure if that is their intent. Some rules at the state level, before they were forbidden by the Voting Rights Act of 1965, included poll taxes and literacy tests. This is also where the term "grandfather clause" originates, as people whose grandfathers could vote (i.e. whites) were sometimes exempted from these requirements.

> evidence that they were intended

I will say that evidence of intent is not necessary or relevant to the claim. Subjectivity in the application and execution of the voting process--for instance, where to place polling stations--can end up disadvantaging minorities due to implicit/unconscious bias in administrators, even unintentionally.

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9. throwl+fb[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 03:14:46
>>thunde+9b
Indeed. And note that black men are overrepresented in the prison population.
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10. joe_th+Xb[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 03:24:04
>>yosito+x9
The parent is referring (not that accurately) to the variety of laws known as Jim Crow[1]. It's remarkable that these aren't widely if not universally known today. They were effectively eliminated by the Voting Rights Act[2].

Note, that Jim Crow was enacted not immediately after the Civil War but after the reconstruction period[3]. The aftermath of reconstruction involved a period of racist terror where the Ku Klux Klan and other forces effectively engaged in a guerilla campaign that restored white supremacy in the South.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Crow_laws

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voting_Rights_Act_of_1965

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reconstruction_era

replies(3): >>germin+Od >>markc+hl >>donw+tp
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11. kerkes+0c[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 03:24:22
>>yosito+x9
Some of these no longer exist, but some do:

Grandfather voting clauses: https://www.thoughtco.com/grandfather-clauses-voting-rights-...

Felony disfranchisement: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felony_disenfranchisement_in_t...

Related to felony disfranchisement, the war on drugs: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race_and_the_war_on_drugs

Gun control laws: https://newrepublic.com/article/112322/gun-control-racist

Literacy tests: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literacy_test#Voting

Cash bail: https://harvardlawreview.org/2018/02/bail-reform-and-risk-as...

Stop and frisk: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop-and-frisk_in_New_York_Cit...

Some of these fall under the broader category of Jim Crow Laws[1], but most the original Jim Crow Laws are more obvious in their racism.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Crow_laws

replies(2): >>SEJeff+od >>throwl+Dg
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12. SEJeff+od[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 03:45:12
>>kerkes+0c
redlining wasn't a law (it is illegal now), but it really supercharged these sorts of things by putting all of the PoC in very specific areas that were always depressed away from all of the white folk.
replies(1): >>throwl+zf
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13. 3131s+zd[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 03:48:30
>>yosito+x9
It's a widely accepted claim, just so you know.
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14. germin+Od[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 03:51:30
>>joe_th+Xb
And before Jim Crow we had the Black Codes.
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15. csa+oe[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 04:00:46
>>ikeyan+Q4
> As long as it's only happening to "thugs", why should we stick our necks out on the line and make noise?

1. The chilling effect it has on the general population.

2. Your group might be next.

replies(1): >>ikeyan+Nr
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16. throwl+zf[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 04:18:49
>>SEJeff+od
what's the difference between a law and a policy? redlining explicitly excluded black neighborhoods from FHA loans.
replies(1): >>dannyp+KV
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17. throwl+Dg[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 04:33:23
>>kerkes+0c
btw in florida the voters literally overwhelmingly voted for an amendment that re-enfranchised felons

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_Florida_Amendment_4

and republicans are still trying to subvert it by sneaking in restitution as a prerequisite. it was challenged in the courts, overturned, and now appealed

https://www.npr.org/2020/04/27/844297011/voting-rights-for-h...

check out this tweet

https://twitter.com/mrddmia/status/1264687609995026437

Edit: what exactly am I getting downvoted for? Did I post something that wasn't factually correct? Did I use foul language? Did I antagonize?

replies(2): >>JarlUl+Tj >>chrisc+Kk
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18. candu+uj[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 05:19:54
>>yosito+x9
Assuming charitably for a moment that you're posting in good faith: if you're wondering why you're being downvoted, it's likely because these laws, their effects, and exceedingly strong evidence of racist intent behind them are all easily verifiable matters of historical fact.

(See, for instance, Jim Crow laws, redlining policies, poll taxes, etc. as many other commenters have already pointed to.)

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19. JarlUl+Tj[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 05:25:36
>>throwl+Dg
You're not explaining the other side of the story.

Many felons are convicted and owe fees to their victims, or to the govt. If you commit a violent crime, or a financial crime, there can be a financial penalty. Many of the felons that want to vote, never paid back their victims, or the state, for the crimes they were committed.

The Florida proposition "restored the voting rights of Floridians with felony convictions after they complete all terms of their sentence including parole or probation"

Now, they want to vote, but still haven't compensated their victims, which was a part of the sentence, based on a lawful conviction.

replies(5): >>throwl+xq >>saagar+Qs >>baddox+Uw >>yardie+hU >>kerkes+eJm
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20. chrisc+Kk[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 05:33:45
>>throwl+Dg
How dare they make felons pay restitution to victims of violent crimes before voting.
replies(3): >>throwl+tm >>geofft+Fm >>charle+zV
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21. markc+hl[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 05:42:17
>>joe_th+Xb
>They were effectively eliminated by the Voting Rights Act

Except that key provisions of the act were struck down in 2013. Those provisions prevented states with a history of disenfranchisement from changing their voting laws. Since the court ruling several of these states have started back on the path of disenfranchisement.

replies(2): >>joe_th+Lo >>kmonse+Vp
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22. throwl+tm[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 05:58:07
>>chrisc+Kk
How dare they indeed? It wasn't in the amendment. No one voted for that.
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23. geofft+Fm[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 06:00:21
>>chrisc+Kk
Indeed. Really, felons currently serving their sentence should be able to vote. It's your only protection against the government throwing its political opponents in prison.

If we had a magical, objective, 100% accurate way of determining whether judgments are fair and punishments are appropriate, then maybe it would make sense to suspend the voting rights of criminals. But we don't, and the only check on whether the criminal justice system is doing the right thing is the popular ballot. Allowing the criminal justice system to disenfranchise people is an obvious loophole.

Besides, what are we worried about? That criminals would vote to legalize their own crimes? If more than half the population are criminals, it's not clear that any sort of government is going to work at all....

replies(1): >>mister+pn
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24. geofft+0n[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 06:04:11
>>claude+Ca
Here's a concrete example from about a month ago: sanitation workers in New Orleans went on strike, so the state ordered prisoners to pick up trash instead. Quite convenient to have a bunch of laborers that you can order around. https://www.wdsu.com/article/livingston-work-release-inmates...
replies(1): >>masoni+7o
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25. mister+4n[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 06:04:57
>>ikeyan+Q4
There may be mismeasured or even unseen variables in the broad, ultra-complex system that you are overlooking.
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26. chowar+in[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 06:08:29
>>yosito+x9
Did you grow up in the US? If so, did you have any history classes?
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27. mister+pn[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 06:10:18
>>geofft+Fm
> It's your only protection against the government throwing its political opponents in prison.

Well, the second amendment may offer some protection as well.

replies(2): >>kmonse+Mp >>geofft+oq
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28. masoni+7o[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 06:20:22
>>geofft+0n
Your "concrete example" doesn't say that any prisoners were forced to do anything. Many volunteer for work release to make money, get outside, and/or gain work experience.

If you have firsthand knowledge of any of these individuals being forced to work in this effort, by all means share it.

replies(1): >>geofft+Sp
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29. rumana+ro[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 06:25:12
>>ikeyan+Q4
> As long as it's only happening to "thugs", why should we stick our necks out on the line and make noise?

Because this is a pretext to create infrastructure to go after you and your family.

replies(2): >>chrisc+FM >>sambul+WS
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30. joe_th+Lo[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 06:30:06
>>markc+hl
Indeed, I should have mentioned that too.
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31. donw+tp[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 06:44:21
>>joe_th+Xb
It's also important to mention the Black Codes[1], which were, effectively, a reimplementation of slavery that just didn't use the word "slave".

Many of these laws existed before the Civil War, and were simply "updated" to replace the word "slave" with "freedman".

Other laws cleverly redefined common terms, introducing technical language, so that they could claim that a former slave, forced to work for little or no pay, was "serving an apprenticeship" or "being punished for vagrancy". E.g., a slave in reality, but "on paper" an apprentice, a volunteer, serving a criminal sentence, etc.

Black Codes also severely limited the ability of black citizens to gather and organize, required impossible "literacy tests" to vote, and prevented black citizens from owning any type of weapon, either outright:

Louisiana: "No freedman shall be allowed to carry firearms, or any kind of weapons."

Or via a "may issue" licensing scheme:

Alabama: "Freedmen must not carry knives or firearms unless they were licensed so to do."

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Codes_(United_States)

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32. kmonse+Mp[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 06:47:49
>>mister+pn
No it does not. The second amendment offers no realistic protection for a civilian in any sort of way.

I have been part of a special forces raid to capture or kill and I can tell you the opponent has no realistic way to win that day. Sure you can win in the long run if you are fighting at home with the enemy fighting far away from theirs but not they you will suffer heavy losses and live in a condition far from what most of us can imagine or are prepared to do.

replies(1): >>pnako+Kt
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33. geofft+Sp[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 06:49:03
>>masoni+7o
Slaves also weren't forced to do anything. They volunteered to work to avoid being whipped.
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34. kmonse+Vp[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 06:49:13
>>markc+hl
Yeah, the Supreme Court argument was the racism was no longer an issue so no reason to keep watching over those good old boys in the south.
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35. geofft+oq[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 06:53:58
>>mister+pn
Arm me with the same arms as my government - nukes, drones, and tanks - and then that's a realistic option.
replies(1): >>pnako+St
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36. throwl+xq[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 06:56:50
>>JarlUl+Tj
False. I'm drawing attention to the amendment and what the will of the people was/is and efforts made to subvert that will. The amendment as on the ballot said nothing about requiring money as a prerequisite. That's what Florida voted for: returning freed felons their rights. To ascribe some other interpretation to "terms" is to subvert the will of the people of Florida.

Ultimately the courts will decide whether the legal language "terms" includes fines and restitution. Seeing as these felons are free and fines are a civil matter I don't know how the courts could find that such things are part of their criminal sentence.

Edit: also btw I linked to reputable sources. I didn't obscure anything or omit anything.

It's right there on wiki:

>However, by mid-2019 Republican Governor DeSantis signed a bill into law which originated in the Florida Senate, SB 7066, which required that "people with felony records pay 'all fines and fees' associated with their sentence prior to the restoration of their voting rights"

It's a post facto qualifier. If fines were implied by the initial amendment this bill would be unnecessary.

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37. fsflov+nr[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 07:10:48
>>ikeyan+Q4
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_they_came_...
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38. ikeyan+Nr[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 07:20:17
>>csa+oe
3. It's not only happening to thugs. And even if it were, thugs should still have their rights.
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39. saagar+Qs[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 07:37:03
>>JarlUl+Tj
I still don’t understand why we deny felons the right to vote while they are serving their sentence, so extending this to nonpayment of fines seems even more arbitrary.
replies(2): >>calpat+1w >>luckyl+Mw
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40. pnako+Kt[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 07:49:09
>>kmonse+Mp
Suppose a small town in rural US decides to refuse carrying out whatever order or restriction coming down from the federal government. Population ~5,000, they have guns and ammo.

What exactly would you, special forces or the government be able to do, to force them to comply with whatever order it is you are trying to impose?

replies(3): >>jakela+wu >>ikiris+VV >>kerkes+LLm
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41. pnako+St[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 07:50:28
>>geofft+oq
What would you do with nukes and tanks, or even drones?

You defend your rights with guns, not aircraft carriers.

replies(1): >>lotsof+fA
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42. jakela+wu[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 07:59:53
>>pnako+Kt
Seems to me that ensuring small rural towns can disobey federal laws is the wrong thing for which to optimize our society.
replies(2): >>pnako+cx >>mister+lu2
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43. calpat+1w[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 08:19:37
>>saagar+Qs
In the UK people in jail (so a subset of convicted people) are not allowed to vote. The argument is that while you are detained in jail you are being punished by loss of civil rights and that voting is one of these.
replies(2): >>nerdpo+5M >>DanBC+r21
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44. luckyl+Mw[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 08:28:38
>>saagar+Qs
One obvious answer is that we've found them to be problematic with regards to living peacefully with other people, so much so that we feel the need to physically remove them so they cannot hurt others. Why would we allow them to vote under those circumstances?
replies(1): >>kelnos+LK
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45. baddox+Uw[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 08:30:18
>>JarlUl+Tj
What does that have anything to do with whether someone ought to have representation in the very government that created and enforces the laws they were found to have violated?
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46. pnako+cx[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 08:33:01
>>jakela+wu
I do believe in the self-determination of communities. It's fine to have some sort of government at the federal or supra-national level but it should be restricted and unanimous (i.e. a libertarian, "nightwatchman state").

It doesn't feel right that higher levels can interfere in lower levels in matters that does not affect them. We're seeing this right now in the EU, with various states trying to have their ideas promoted at the level of the EU as a whole, i.e. other nations, which clearly doesn't work because people have different cultures, traditions, etc. That's one of the reasons why Britain left.

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47. lotsof+fA[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 09:14:20
>>pnako+St
You defend your rights by being part of a tribe willing to defend you. One person with a gun is useless against more than one person with a gun. And even one on one, the odds aren’t good.
replies(2): >>pnako+vC >>mister+wu2
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48. pnako+vC[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 09:45:29
>>lotsof+fA
Exactly.
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49. kelnos+LK[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 11:26:12
>>luckyl+Mw
It's analogous to taxation without representation.

Jailed felons are subject to the laws of the land, but have no say in what those laws are. I think that's unjust.

It's especially nefarious when you consider all the people in jail for non-violent offenses.

replies(1): >>JoeAlt+7L
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50. JoeAlt+7L[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 11:32:27
>>kelnos+LK
There's the idea that, felons have opted out of civilized intercourse. You can't do that, then pick and choose which rights you want to keep. After you've deliberately violated rights of others.

In the past, felons were transported. It was cruel and caused unspeakable suffering. Kind of like what the felons did. So a balance of a sort.

I've got the strange feeling that Mars may not be the rich person's paradise folks joke about. It may be a prison colony. The rigors of the trip (permanent physical impairment) may preclude soft rich people from applying for the trip.

Anyway, to return to the topic, if I were officiating a baseball game and somebody came out on the field and broke the bat, pried up the bases and tossed the ball over the fence, I'd evict them from the park. It's only sensible. They can't obey the rules, they're out. Otherwise the game is completely disrupted.

replies(3): >>charle+8U >>maxeri+6V >>newacc+M31
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51. aetch+3M[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 11:45:24
>>ikeyan+Q4
You forgot /s
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52. nerdpo+5M[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 11:45:40
>>calpat+1w
As far as I understand, in Florida even people with past felony convictions can't vote, even if they served their sentence.
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53. chrisc+FM[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 11:54:03
>>rumana+ro
Good thing everyone was pushing those contact tracing apps a few weeks ago.
replies(1): >>Saucie+DX
54. nevera+NQ[view] [source] 2020-05-30 12:39:59
>>softwa+(OP)
Do you feel the same is true about surveillance used on January 20, 2020 in Richmond, VA (2nd amendment protestors)? The one that a state of emergency was declared for it in advance of the event.
replies(4): >>charle+3S >>kunai+kU >>newacc+vV >>sgnels+yf2
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55. x86_64+WQ[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 12:41:55
>>throwl+Qa
Because the people demanding proof are generally sympathetic to with whatever they are acting like didn't happen. In the US we don't ask for "proof" on the Holocaust, but we do have Holocaust deniers which is similar in the sense that it seeks to dismiss any claims of harm or violence.
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56. charle+3S[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 12:52:48
>>nevera+NQ
That was a gun rally. A gathering of people with literal killing machines. Seems somewhat different than a normal protest?
replies(3): >>SpicyL+cS >>nevera+lS >>wavepr+A24
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57. SpicyL+cS[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 12:55:25
>>charle+3S
People in Minneapolis are throwing rocks and setting buildings on fire. That seems a lot more worse than people holding (but not threatening to use) weapons.
replies(1): >>Broken+DV
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58. nevera+lS[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 12:57:39
>>charle+3S
Not really. Any large gathering of angry people is dangerous (and especially capable of killing). No?
replies(2): >>sophac+d71 >>charle+Z02
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59. sambul+WS[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 13:03:32
>>rumana+ro
Example is a representative in the sate of WA, Matt Shea; He'd like to know who doesn't pass his fealty tests:

"The document, consisting of 14 sections divided into bullet points, had a section on "rules of war" that stated "make an offer of peace before declaring war", which within stated that the enemy must "surrender on terms" of no abortions, no same-sex marriage, no communism and "must obey Biblical law", then continued: "If they do not yield — kill all males"." [0]

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Shea#%22Biblical_Basis_fo...

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60. charle+8U[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 13:17:06
>>JoeAlt+7L
Where is this “idea that felons have opted out of civilized intercourse”? Spaghetti Westerns? North Korea? It certainly isn’t an idea aligned with American values.

Imprisonment is meant for rehabilitation in addition to punishment. There’s the idea, at least in theory, that people who commit crimes can eventually be functional members of society with full rights given a second chance. So we send people to prison and then let them resume their lives as citizens afterwards. If they owe money due to a civil suit they can still vote because why wouldn’t they? Franchise isn’t tied to financial means and shouldn’t be.

replies(1): >>luckyl+lV
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61. yardie+hU[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 13:19:04
>>JarlUl+Tj
The state doesn't know how much they owe because they weren't all that concerned before. Also, the Florida DOC has a nasty habit of inventing fines and fees.

According to you it should be simple. Whatever the sentencing judge has put in the sentence is the sentence. But that has proven not to be the case. The governor wants the DOC to find any and all unpaid fines and fees. And they want to be allowed years to resolve it.

The judge looked at the excuses the DOCs counsel was offering and quickly swatted it down. An ex-convict that has satisfied the terms of his sentence as it is written on the sentencing docket has no reason not to have their rights restored.

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62. kunai+kU[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 13:19:32
>>nevera+NQ
I personally feel the same is true for those protesters as well. We all have the right to protest for Constitutional rights and the right to do so free of invasive surveillance measures. As far as I know the VA protesters were not Nazis or other individuals with violent ideologies, they were just normal gun owners.

Most of the MPLS protesters are also normal people fed up with the lack of attention given to the plight of minorities and the poor in the United States. So yeah, no false equivalence/hypocrisy here from me.

63. dannyp+pU[view] [source] 2020-05-30 13:19:56
>>softwa+(OP)
> Post US Civil war, we encoded a set of rules that on their face did not discriminate on race. But their effect was basically to prevent black people from voting and enjoying their civil liberties.

The laws about voting (poll taxes, grandfather clauses) did claim to not be about race to pass muster regarding the 15th amendment, but the same is not true of laws concerning exercise of other civil liberties. The bulk of Jim Crow laws were quite explicitly discriminating on race.

replies(1): >>softwa+o21
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64. maxeri+6V[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 13:26:43
>>JoeAlt+7L
What the fuck is it with this site and shitty, specious analogies?

Society is not a game or stadium. There is no outside.

Justice is imperfect.

Laws are not all as obvious as 'breaking the bat'.

Now, responding to the part of your comment that isn't the shitty, specious analogy. You beg the question, saying that felons don't get to vote because they've opted out of civilized intercourse. You don't bother to argue the antecedent, you just assume it. That doesn't address the question being asked in the thread, it just affirms the way things are.

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65. luckyl+lV[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 13:28:30
>>charle+8U
> Imprisonment is meant for rehabilitation in addition to punishment.

Don't forget the third big part: stopping them from violating the rights of others.

They do temporarily lose some rights, they do (and should) get them back when their "debt to society" is paid (which I find a slightly weird term, but whatever), why shouldn't the right to vote be one of the rights that you get back when you're rehabilitated and reintroduced into society, just like your right to freely move about?

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66. newacc+vV[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 13:30:28
>>nevera+NQ
Were the same or similar tools used in Richmond? I can't find any coverage of that specifically.

I mean, I'm sure someone had a CCTV turned on the guys, but surely you'd agree that the Richmond protest was less surveilled and less attended by law enforcement. Broadly, I think the fact that 2A protests tend to be met with gentle indifference by law enforcement instead of the mass surveillance and control techniques used against civil rights folks rather reinforces the upthread point, no?

replies(1): >>giardi+Gy1
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67. charle+zV[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 13:30:56
>>chrisc+Kk
The law conditions votes on fines or fees related to their sentence. There is no system for actually determining what’s owed, so some felons who could vote may not register for fear of committing another crime.

Now that you’re aware of this issue, I’m certain that you agree that conditioning voting on fines and fees related to a sentence is wrong.

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68. Broken+DV[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 13:31:11
>>SpicyL+cS
Who are you more afraid of - a dude holding a rock they might throw or a dude holding a gun that he could possibly fire?

Yeah, the gun. It is more likely to hurt you. It doesn't matter if folks are threatening to use it or not. The gun can, in general, do more bodily harm. Just because folks didn't use them doesn't mean it isn't a threat. Rocks at least have more purpose than to put holes in things - guns are there to kill other things even when used responsibly. Gun ranges are simply training for this.

replies(3): >>SpicyL+om1 >>giardi+Sv1 >>hleach+gS1
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69. dannyp+KV[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 13:31:53
>>throwl+zf
Laws are passed by Congress, policies are created by the executive to define things left unspecified by law, pursuant to broader powers granted by Congress.

Policies that aren't laws carry the same effective force of law, but they can be changed on a whim by the president with an executive order.

The Federal Home Loan Bank Act established the agencies that would create redlining, but the redlining itself was created by the administrators and independent agencies created by the act.

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70. ikiris+VV[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 13:33:26
>>pnako+Kt
They will quickly learn that their fantasy of rugged individual resistance can be quickly quashed if the government is willing to have civilian casualties. And spoiler, it clearly is, we just saw a guy casually suffocate a guy in broad daylight and there were no consequences until public outcry was so bad they caved and have fired them and started with token charges that will likely not stick based on historical evidence of prior examples.
replies(1): >>pnako+iZ1
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71. Saucie+DX[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 13:48:21
>>chrisc+FM
I think you'll find that a substantial portion of those of us who are opposed to police surveillance are also opposed to the mandatory use of contact tracing apps, especially ones designed by some of the least trustworthy surveillance companies in existence (Google, palantir, etc).
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72. softwa+o21[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 14:34:29
>>dannyp+pU
Though the “separate for equal” doctrine rationalized the protection of black civil rights. We have a long history of putting a fig leaf over racial power dynamics.
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73. DanBC+r21[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 14:34:47
>>calpat+1w
People might be interested in this which describes attempts to allow some prisoners in the UK to vote: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-...
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74. newacc+M31[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 14:46:10
>>JoeAlt+7L
> There's the idea that, felons have opted out of civilized intercourse.

Not all felons, though. Only the ones we choose to surveill and prosecute. So coke-sniffing bankers tend never to be caught. But 19 year old poor hispanic kids with weed in their pockets end up in jail on a three strikes violation because the police stop them all the time just for standing on the street.

> if I were officiating a baseball game

Now extend this analogy appropriately: what if the RULES of the baseball game were only written by the winning team? And that team made it so they were allowed to do this stuff without penalty? So they always win.

And the loser team can't fix that. Because to change the rules to make them fair they have to win, and they can't. Because of the rules.

That's how this works in reality: the point to disenfranchising felons isn't to punish them, it's to keep them from voting for the party whose policies might make them less likely to be felons.

replies(1): >>jacobu+kb1
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75. sophac+d71[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 15:21:18
>>nevera+lS
I think this is a good point to throw out a reminder: danger is not binary. If it were binary all of these activities would be equivalent:

* taking a nap * eating a meal * riding a bicycle * playing Russian roulette

replies(1): >>nevera+Xd2
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76. jacobu+kb1[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 15:57:31
>>newacc+M31
Oh dear, that was so beautifully put. Thanks.
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77. SpicyL+om1[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 17:10:17
>>Broken+DV
I mean, I'm more afraid of the dudes who are throwing rocks, not merely holding them.
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78. giardi+Sv1[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 18:15:24
>>Broken+DV
Broken_Hippo says>"Rocks at least have more purpose than to put holes in things - guns are there to kill other things even when used responsibly. "

- Broken Hippo apparently hasn't been hit by a rock recently!8-) I joke, but...

We're speaking of men holding rocks. You underestimate the effectiveness of rocks as weapons. Every man knows how to use a rock as a weapon and almost everyone has thrown a rock or pounded something with a rock. You needn't throw a rock to kill/harm someone; it's likely faster and easier if you keep the rock in your hand.

Rocks have been used as weapons since before prehistoric times. Rocks have possibly been instruments of death for more of our ancestors than have bullets.

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79. giardi+Gy1[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 18:35:55
>>newacc+vV
2A attendees who are carrying firearms are usually licensed, which means they aren't felons and have clean background records. In most states training and licensing is required to carry short firearms (pistols, revolvers). Licensed firearms owners are an unusually safe and cautious group of people.
replies(2): >>newacc+t52 >>sgnels+df2
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80. hleach+gS1[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 21:00:31
>>Broken+DV
I don't believe it is that rational. It's an ideological assessment, not a risk assessment.

If you agree with the people holding the guns, you feel safer with them. If you agree with the people holding the rock, you feel safer with them. It doesn't matter what they are holding.

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81. pnako+iZ1[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 21:55:24
>>ikiris+VV
So... Don't have guns, because the government will kill you anyway? That's encouraging.
replies(1): >>kerkes+dIp
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82. charle+Z02[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 22:09:38
>>nevera+lS
It’s a lot easier to kill with a gun than without a gun.
replies(1): >>nevera+Pc2
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83. newacc+t52[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 22:44:19
>>giardi+Gy1
What about the three guys arrested prior to that very 2A protest in Richmond? What about the nuts in Malheur? Hell, the second worst terrorist attack in the history of the country was carried out by an avowed gun rights advocate (though not, of course, with a gun).

I think if you go look this up, you'll find that these people are not, in fact, particularly peaceful as protestors go. They're simply ignored by the police in ways that the dreadlocked hippies are not.

(I mean, sure, those are all exceptions. But then most of the people in Minneapolis weren't burning anything down either. Have you ever been to a left-wing march? This isn't a demographic known for temper.)

replies(1): >>nevera+cd2
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84. nevera+Pc2[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-30 23:58:07
>>charle+Z02
Indeed it is! However, in the case of the Richmond, VA rally there was no violence. And the people that participated in the rally did so in accordance with the law.
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85. nevera+cd2[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-31 00:02:27
>>newacc+t52
"you'll find that these people are not, in fact, particularly peaceful as protestors go"

Painting with a mighty broad brush. So if YOU have a gun that automatically makes you a non-peaceful individual?

"Have you ever been to a left-wing march? This isn't a demographic known for temper."

Are you serious? Ever hear of Antifa?

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86. nevera+Xd2[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-31 00:11:45
>>sophac+d71
What do any of these have to do with a large group of angry people?
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87. sgnels+df2[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-31 00:27:21
>>giardi+Gy1
I wouldn't say that many in VA are licensed, because in VA (and many other states), you don't need a license to purchase or carry firearms. Most states don't require any sort of training to buy a firearm. And every single state requires a background check for any firearm sold by a dealer, (thus the infamous "gun show loophole"), this is a federal law.

Concealed carry does require a license (and sometimes a "training" class, which is laughable at best. (Seriously, I have never known anyone fail this class in my state. A driving license test probably has a 100 times higher failure rate.). And of course, as we are talking about a pro gun rally, carrying concealed defeats the purpose.

I'm a 2nd amendment proponent, but I've been in too many public gun ranges, too many gun shows, and been around too many idiot gun owners to think that the firearms training the vast majority of states (maybe every state?) has or provides is nearly enough. Owning a firearm in this country solely amounts too: have you yet been convicted of a felony or smoked weed?

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88. sgnels+yf2[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-31 00:30:55
>>nevera+NQ
I think to an extent, that was his point. When laws like this are enacted, they are targeted at a perceived enemy or class. And yet inevitably they are turned elsewhere, finally targeting everyone.
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89. mister+lu2[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-31 03:52:07
>>jakela+wu
Seems to me that's not the question that was asked.
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90. mister+wu2[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-31 03:54:52
>>lotsof+fA
One person with a gun is not useless against more than one person with a gun.
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91. wavepr+A24[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-05-31 21:40:12
>>charle+3S
I've seen multiple videos now from the recent riots of people being beaten either to death, or near death.

I didn't see anything like that from the 2A protests.

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92. kerkes+eJm[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-06-07 04:49:59
>>JarlUl+Tj
You haven't actually presented another side to the story, you've just cited a legitimate, but completely irrelevant, concern.

If people aren't paying their debts, garnish their wages, seize their assets, or if they're flagrantly avoiding paying back debts, put them back in jail--you know, normal things that we already do which actually get people to pay back their debts. Failure to pay reparations is a legitimate concern, but it's not relevant to voting rights.

Let's not pretend this is about reparations. It's about disfranchising people.

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93. kerkes+LLm[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-06-07 05:29:14
>>pnako+Kt
The blast radius of a modern nuclear warhead is big enough to encompass many cities of population ~5000. Or if obeying international law is a concern, carpet-bombing would be pretty effective.

The idea that people with handheld guns are going to take on a government with nuclear capabilities is an absurd fantasy.

I'm a supporter of the second amendment. There is plenty of justification for supporting the second amendment without entertaining absurd fantasy scenarios.

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94. kerkes+dIp[view] [source] [discussion] 2020-06-08 13:29:54
>>pnako+iZ1
Being "encouraging" by ignoring reality isn't particularly useful.

There are plenty of reasons to own firearms which have nothing to do with defending yourself against the government. When seconds count, the police are minutes away.

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