There's some waffling in my head, but I find myself thinking like you in the end. This is America. This is Texas. We don't imprison people for thought crimes. At least, not in standard.The Annoyed Man wrote: ↑Thu Dec 06, 2018 11:15 amGreat answer! And it kind of speaks to what I’m asking here. We can suspect intent, but until we can prove it, on what basis do we suspend the constitutional rights of the person whom we suspect? Example: I STRONGLY SUSPECT that the entire DNC is a conspiracy to overthrow the Consitution of the United States, and by extension, its gov’t. In fact, MANY of its leading lights have committed crimes that we know for a certain fact, but have skated on prosecution and prison time because of politically motivated disinclination to pursue it. (Yeah, I’m looking at YOU, Hillary!) But I can’t just go declare that, because he or she claims membership in the DNC, they have no free exercise of the 2nd Amendment. Until that person is actually accused, tried, and convicted, their rights are not affected. And based on the record of actual crimes committed by both the leadership and the rank and file of the democrat party, it is as much of a gang as the Crips are.Bitter Clinger wrote: ↑Wed Dec 05, 2018 11:06 pmMy grandfather used to steal horse from the Cossacks...the REAL Cossacks.treadlightly wrote: ↑Wed Dec 05, 2018 10:49 pm I know several Cossacks, but I didn’t know they were members until after that horrid shootout.
My knee jerk is to despise gangs. On the other hand, the only Cossacks I know wouldn’t trigger the slightest concern in a dark alley. Maybe the local Cossacks “gang” didn’t fit the mold.
Membership in a gang signals intent but we cannot gauge intent, only actions. Too bad. I stay out of dark alleys, especially ones with gang members lurking in them. I suspect that they have bad intentions.
So is it merely a matter of the Crips not having enough friends in DC?
So in the end, either we agree that this guilt by association is unconstitutional nonsense, or we permanently revoke the rights and freedom of everyone who voted for or worked for Beto O'rourke.