WDSmart

That depends on who I was and where and when I encountered them. - If I were a policeman, national guardsman, or in some other group assigned to guard a federal building, and if it was being attacked by people who were armed and firing guns or wielding other weapons that were threatening our safety, yes, I would consider shooting them. - But, if you're talking about me, someone who only watched some of the insurrection on TV, and now, after the turmoil has subsided and some of the "insurrectionists" have been captured and arrested, no, I wouldn't think they should be shot. They should be charged with whatever crimes they are believed to have committed and brought to trial. If found guilty, they should be sentenced to serve whatever time was appropriate. The only situation in which I would agree that they should be executed would be if they were found guilty of murder while engaging in insurrection, and a jury and judge agreed to that.

I don't know about the "bulk" of my fellow countrymen, but I do despise all those who are Trump supporters. I think that is about 35% now. According to the Bing online dictionary: "The main difference between agnostics and atheists is: - Atheists lack belief in God, believe there is no god, or have an absence of belief in gods. - Agnostics either believe that it is impossible to know whether there is a god (even if they believe in the possibility) or are noncommittal on the issue. It is possible to be both an agnostic and an atheist." Please reread the last sentence in that definition. I do support: - abortion on demand, for any reason, at any time, - supporting Ukraine in its resistance against the Russian invasion, - open borders, at least borders that are open to all who want to come and file immigration requests, especially those based on asylum, - I believe the belief that other cultures with different beliefs and customs than we have should not be automatically treated as inferior, - I definitely believe in structural racism. Our country, the USA, is a good example of that, - I had to look up "d e I" and found it stands for "diversity, equity, and inclusion." I do support that. I'm not mainstream. I'm a far-left liberal, a socialist. But, as I've said repeatedly, I don't think Trump supporters are "mainstream" either. At least, I certainly hope not.

I vehemently disagree with you on all the points above except...I like football, but American football only. I think you should be able to say whatever you want in a public forum on social media without censorship. I am an agnostic, but I prefer the term "atheist." I like science fiction. I support all types of tax increases. And, other than that, I despise people like you have described yourself above.

Five people died as a result of the Jan 6 Insurrection... "A police officer was beaten, a rioter was shot, and three others died during the rampage." These Are the People Who Died in the Capitol Riot - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

I actually think that no matter who wins, Biden or Trump, the other side will believe the elections have been rigged or misconducted in some way. Neither side will accept the results, and I think then, there will be violence. I'll be watching it all on CNN from my living room up in the jungle-filled mountains of Thailand.

well, there is your answer..... if he is as bad as you say, but the people still chose him what does that say for the people he ran against IMO, it doesn't say much about who he ran against. He only says what kind of people would vote for him. And most of them are so conned by him that they believe all the bad things he and his other supporters say about his opponents. There are two types of people, IMO, that support Trump: Those who have been duped and conned by him and those who are the same, corrupt, disgusting type of person as he is. Right now, it doesn't matter to me which type someone is. I loathe them all.

Yes, I may be, and I'm sure there are some problems there, but I will NEVER understand why anyone in their right mind would support Trump. He's the epitome of dishonesty, vulgarity, and chaos, as far as I'm concerned.

Jill Biden, Joe Biden's wife, is a woman. Joe is a man. Of course, I have no proof of this. What do you mean by "got nothing"? Do you mean jail time or a fine for something? No, as far as I know, Joe Biden has never been convicted of anything.

I agree with your supposition, but these "buffoons" broke into the capital building, fought with police, and just MIGHT elect Trump president again. I say, lock 'em all up.

I define religion as "a system of belief based on faith." So, I do consider Buddhism a religion. I also consider all science, physics, and math as a religion.

Come and get us big boy I think the US justice system is doing fairly well at doing that right now, including the 91 (at last count) indictments against Trump himself. I hope he gets convicted and sent to jail before the election in Nov, but if he doesn't, I sincerely hope he isn't re-elected president. That would be a catastrophe. Of course, I'm living in Thailand now and have for 20 years, and I don't expect to ever go back there to live. But I would hate to see what would happen to the country if Trump got re-elected for my kids', grandkids', and great-grandkids' sake. What bothers me the most about Trump is how many supporters he has. It's about maybe 35-40% if the citizens. I just can't understand that, but it makes me sad there are so many who evidently think like he does.

I'm not trying to justify this shooting, but usually, incidents like this are prompted by a history of disagreements between the parties.

"Lock 'em up!" Lock them all up, including their leader, Trump...

IMO, there are way too many Farang men who come to Thailand expecting low-cost or free sexual encounters with Thai women or ladyboys. I suspect that the majority of these clashes are because the Farang has not had all of his expectations fully realized. I think there is also the possibility that some of these incidents that do not have a sexual aspect are due to a lack of understanding on the part of the Farang of the customs and the language of Thais. Most Thais that I come in contact with are very polite and never aggressive, even when we have a disagreement or misunderstanding.

Yippee Ki-Yay!

More than 10,000 according to CNN: January 16, 2024 Israel-Hamas war (cnn.com)

I wouldn't call the IDF "intentional" children killers. I'd use the adjective "indiscriminate."

I've told you before that I don't make up quotes. I do sometimes interpret what you say, but I do not claim it was a quote. What I think you are talking about is where I said you claimed I was "justifying" Oct 7 or something like that. And I do claim you have accused me of that. That is all I remember about what I think this is about. I don't "justify" terrorism, but (and there's the "but" again!) I do attempt to explain why I think the perpetrators justify them.

I answered the question. Are you now asking if I see the connection between those bombings and why they were done? Or the connection of those bombings with the bombings of Gaza? In both cases, my answer would be the same. Those bombings and the bombings in Gaza were done to completely decimate large enemy cities, knowing it would mean the deaths of mainly non-combatants, in the hopes of convincing their military forces not to continue fighting. It was wrong then, and it is wrong now. Overkill...

Wobble, Wobble, Wobble... My answer to my question would have been "No."

I answered, "Overkill," I think the bombings in London, Dresden, and especially Hiroshima were "overkill." They were done in excess and caused many, many needless deaths of non-combatants. Is that answer good enough for you?

Wow! I'm beginning to understand where the first part of your AseanNow name, "Wobbly," comes from. You seem to be unable to answer a simple question. When I am asked a direct question, I immediately respond with "Yes," "No," or "I don't know," perhaps followed by my now-famous "but" and a clarification of my answer. I'll try a third time with you... My question was not about terrorist lives, it was about Palestinians' lives. Do you value Israeli lives more than Palestinian lives?

Overkill...

Okay, but you've seen the photos. In many places, ALL the buildings were destroyed. People were lying dead in the rubble. They weren't all Hamas terrorists. The reports I've read say 30,000. So you don't believe that. How many do you think there might be? 20,000? 10,000? How about only 5,000? My question again is, do you value Israeli lives over Palestinian lives?

So you're not concerned with the 30,000 or 20,000 or 10,000 Palestinians who have been killed in Gaza? Do you value Israeli lives over Palestinian lives?