Painting a Bridge

selfmademug · Post by **selfmademug** » Sun Dec 12, 2004 8:42 pm

bobster wrote: "retry Mumia, then probably find him guilty again, or not, but can't we all find someone's who's not a big ol' psychotic idiot to free?"

I'm right there with ya on that.

How about 'FREE MARTHA STEWART'

El Vez · Post by **El Vez** » Mon Dec 13, 2004 12:10 am

Free The West Memphis 3!

bobster · Post by **bobster** » Mon Dec 13, 2004 12:25 am

Actually, Roger Ebert says yes, but I haven't seen the movies yet, though my strong tendency is to agree.

miss buenos aires · Post by **miss buenos aires** » Tue Dec 14, 2004 12:23 pm

bobster wrote:
selfmademug wrote: "but can't we all find someone's who's not a big ol' psychotic idiot to free?"

I missed the part where he was a big ol' psychotic idiot...when was that?

selfmademug · Post by **selfmademug** » Fri Dec 17, 2004 3:38 pm

miss buenos aires wrote:
bobster wrote:
selfmademug wrote: "but can't we all find someone's who's not a big ol' psychotic idiot to free?"
I missed the part where he was a big ol' psychotic idiot...when was that?

Quoty, quote, quote!

Well, those are the Bobster's words and I'll let him explicate them, but the reason I agreed is that Mumia and most of his organized supporters are part of MOVE, which in my opinion is deceptive in its aims and a cult in the classic sense. I have no doubt he was mis-treated, and I am ferociously opposed to the death penalty, which is an abomination, but his cause ain't what it's purported to be.

The scale and methods of the police assault of MOVE's headquarters in Philly back in the mid '80s (following the incident in which Mumia was arrested) were likewise an utter abomination, fueled by arrogance and racism and resulting in horrible deaths and local destruction. However, the group itself was (again, my opinion) far from innocent in its actions, especially the care of its 'members' including children, who were confined to one building a la the Branch Davidians and other cults.

My 2 cents.

bobster · Post by **bobster** » Fri Dec 17, 2004 3:44 pm

I've basically come to the point in my life where I've lost all patience with wacky extremists of all sorts. I'm not sure if MOVE ever took up the "C" word (communism), but anyone who still tries to sport that moniker is clearly not living in any world I'd care to visit. Sure, it's not fair that Stalin and others subverted the original vision, but Marx, with his dictatorship of the proletariat was no small-d democrat. Or, to put it another way, "if you go carrying pictures of Chairman Mao, you ain't gonna make it with anyone anyhow." This is not just pragmatism. Mao may have started out as an idealist, but he ended up as a mass murderer.

On the other hand, I'm totally cool with Democratic Socialism (though I'm not 100% sure it's always the best root...as if anyone cares in the U.S. anymore anyway). In any case, if you go carrying pictures of George B. Shaw, H.G. Wells and George Orwell, I'm following right behind!