Lots of reading material:

http://tinyurl.com/6jwrz5

Why are you even comparing these people (Castro people ) to Somalis whipping people in the first place?I think my analogy of segregatioists fits the model of their open voicing of dissent ( and not hypothisized acts of violence ) better than broad-clothed violent fundementalists. That’s my main difference that I have- you can compare their actions to a whole host of things, yet seem to push the Islamic button repeatedly. We seem to be going around in circles on this

Not all terrorists bomb things, some use fear itself as a tool, or State positions to inspire fear and loathing as in Than Schwe’s case in Burma. .

“It makes me sad that you believe all Muslims are terrorists WWJDGAKB. (humor intended)”
Even in jest I’m not sure where you get that impression, though I do appreciate the qualifier. .

Not all, just the one’s who belong to “The Base”.The ones who killed two of my friends on a flight over Scotland, the ones who flew into two buildings in my city. Question for you- do you know any? Do you know the difference between Sunni and Shia and the reason why there is such friction between the two?
Most people don’t. I applaud you if you do. Not even John McCain or many in Congress could.

Interesting to note that Reagan called them ( al qaeda in the early days of Afghanistan ) “Freedom Fighters” in the 80’s. We sow what we reap, I suppose.

…but we seem to brush every civil disobedient act off now as a potential terrorist threat- which, in effect lets the real terrorists win.

Who said anything about terrorists? The article Scott posted was about Fundamentalist Islamic thugs imposing their religious beliefs on their fellow Somalis by use of force and intimidation. Those Somali insurgents may be unlawfully fighting their own government and using barbaric tactics to enforce their vision of Islam, but they aren’t planting bombs on Spanish and British trains, in Indian or Iraqi marketplaces, or flying planes into skyscrapers. It makes me sad that you believe all Muslims are terrorists WWJDGAKB. (humor intended)

Actually, the comparison is still valid even if it is off by a few degrees of violence. Both the Fundamentalist Somalis, and the Gay rights activists who behave like those on that video seem to feel that intimidation and violence (or the threat of it) are better solutions to the lifestyle differences they have with their neighbors. If the ballot box does not favor them, they throw a dangerous public tantrum. In any case, I never once accused the Prop 8 protesters of planning to bomb anything. Abortion clinic bombings are terrorist acts. Overstepping the civilized and constitutional bounds of the right to assemble is not terrorism. Criminal behavior if it becomes violent, but not terrorism.

I find it interesting that you would prefer that the Prop 8 protesters be compared to intolerant, segregation supporting racists than to Muslims. Are you saying that Gay rights activists are doomed to become social outcasts like open racists are today? That Gay Marriage will go the way of segregation? Or are you warning that if they do not get their way that Gay right’s activists will start lynching “straights” and burning crosses in their yards?

Well I guess you have. I suppose you were a punker in those days. That lifestyle itself walks a thin line between society and violence. I’ve been in a mosh pit or two myself-almost got kncoked out cold once, and that was by a friend!

I wonder what WWJDFAKB would be saying if we started marching on Washington determined to stop Barack Hussein Obama from being inaugurated?

Been to a lot of riots in your lifetime?

WWJDFAKB-

If you count situations that include groups of people of about that size, then yes. Situations where two sizable chunks of such a crowd either wanted to or did come to physical violence between each other? Then yes I have. During the 80’s and early 90’s I watched a dozen skinheads get set upon and beaten soundly while being “evicted” from a Butthole Surfers show. I have watched two groups of 20+ skinheads beat the crap out of each other, including stabbings and a serious concussion caused by a 2X4 all in the middle of a crowd of 100+ people. Something like 20 out-of-towners get assaulted and driven off from a show by locals. (both from a local, and from an out of town viewpoint) Crowds of Blacks from a Reggae club mix it up with a crowd of punkers and skins. I have been mixed up in most of a dozen of such “gang” fights. I think I have seen enough to know the look of violence in somebody’s eyes. Did every protester have that look? No. Did some of them? Would some of them have resorted to violence if the cops had not been present? I would bet yes.

You are correct. I am/was making assumptions based on some crappy video evidence. But if I had been part of the crowd that was being harassed, I would have been fully expecting violence. The police were not keeping them separated because they wanted to prevent hugs being exchanged, and if you don’t trust my judgment on this type of situation, then trust theirs. Also, the smaller group that was made up of about 1/2 females would have been suicidally insane to start a physical confrontation, but I’ll concede your point that one of them may have been the “spark” if police had not been present.

Regardless of my accuracy concerning violence or possible violence, and my slipping a bit into hyperbole, I stand by my opinion that protests with such vitriol as their theme are not serving the best interests of the protesters. Nor are such angry scenes the proper way to respond to a defeat in a legal constitutional amendment vote. Besides all of which, shouldn’t these protesters be marching through Latino and African American neighborhoods protesting the 2/3’s majority with which those minorities voted for Prop 8?

This whole issue is screwed up enough without these anger fests. Would you want to have someone shouting in your face that he was going to “follow you home!”, simply because you did not see eye to eye with him politically?

I agree with both of you. I would like the consent age to be raised to 18. But Canada has a step ahead of USA on tolerance liberal bullshit. We are very socialized here. And when you are a tolerant country, there is no end to the demands of the population.

We have the same problems with Muslins and Sikhs and all those different groups of religious people. The Sikhs won in Court 2 years ago, the right to go to school with their “kirpan” a ceremonial knife. It is banned on airplanes though. Go figure out what the Court thinks!
Last year, believe or not, voters where aloud to voted with a Burka… the face all covered up. This year the Court finally did not accept it anymore.

“Tolerance is the virtue of the man without convictions.”
G.K. Chesterton

“We tend to idealize tolerance, and then wonder why we find ourselves infested with losers and nut cases”
Patrick Nielsen Hayden

I didn’t see any violence- other than one person ineffectually push a car in frustration-
Was the crowd menacing? Perhaps- did there need to be so many cops? Well usually in this day and age it seems they all tend to swarm an event for backup. All I could see from that clip was a crowd chanting “shame on you”. Did they need to follow? Probably not,- but perhaps did because they were being taped?
“They acted like they would” Been to a lot of riots in your lifetime? Seriously, it’s just speculation on your part.
If the police weren’t there who’s to say who would /would not instigate violence.
One side or the other could easily spark the fire.

ok, chalk it up to a misinterpretation of a misinterpretation. I was addressing that comment in and of itself and not linking it to the other posts. So perhaps guilty as charged- it seemed to me you were being hyperbolic in any event.

What it boils down to is people are passionate about their causes- it is how they choose to exhibit that passion that merits looking at.

Craig:

P.S.: The age of sexual consent in Canada is 14, Stephen Harper wants to raise it at 16.

eww. Hell go for 17-18. Ok at 14 I was hormones on legs, but no steering wheel, I’ll admit.

They should put them in the military at that age then- old school British Navy style!