Here Are The 'Muslim Neighborhoods' Cruz Wants To 'Patrol And Secure'

Cpl Jeff N. - Deterrence is great in concept, "if" and I stress if they are part of the community. When Police are "predatory" to a community, all they do is further radicalize said community.

The classic "beat cop" is a GREAT concept. I fully support that. But that isn't what Sen. Cruz is suggesting. He's on the far end of the spectrum aiming for looking at "Guards" as opposed to Shepherds.

I'm PRO Shepherd (and Sheepdog), anti-Guard mentality. The problem is that when you assume that the flock are wolves, you stop being a Shepherd altogether. That's a line I don't want our Police to cross, which I believe we are dangerously close to having if we have not already done so in many instances.

PO3 Steven Sherrill
First, you have given up far more liberty than you might like to think already. Acting as though you have not or are not willing to is self deception. Almost every time a law is passed, a statute, code etc. liberty is eroded to some degree.
The notion that the founders were “terrorists” somehow akin to ISIS today is a complete misunderstanding of our history and a misinterpretation of the word “terrorist” and how this nation was founded. The founders were elected representatives of the people in the colonies. After many usurpation and many failed attempts at resolution with the crown, they penned the Declaration of Independence from the crown. This was duly signed by the people’s representatives, in Congress at great personal risk to them at the hands of the most formidable army and navy in the world at that time.
The colonies fielded armies and militias, built a leadership structure, gained support from those that elected them to fund and conduct the war. Was everyone on board? No, there many loyalists that supported the crown.
How you can compare the founders of this country to ISIS (terrorists) today is unfathomable. ISIS is elected by no one; they murder in cold blood anyone that does not believe as they think they should. They target civilian populations, they wear no uniforms they follow no conventions of war. They trample individual rights and squash freedom of speech, assembly, the press, religion and every other right our founders valued. They are so bad we finally (a week or two ago) declared their activities to be genocide. I could go on but I think you get the point. Your comparison is hideous at best

Cpl Jeff N. - I made no mention of ISIS at all, nor did I imply the comparison. You inferred the comparison.

The dictionary defines Terrorism simply as the use of violence and intimidation to achieve political aims. The FBI makes a distinction between International and Domestic terrorism. with the main difference being location. Though if you really want to take it in this direction, there are some similarities. Some people just want to watch the world burn. Some fight for a cause. There is the distinguishing factor. Another problem is when you throw in the definition of war. "a state of armed conflict between different nations or states or different groups within a nation or state." ISIS to the United States is simply only meets the dictionary definition for terrorism. Go to Syria, and now it becomes War. All about semantics. So war can be terrorism, terrorism can be war, but it doesn't have to be.

I don't know why you say it is unfathomable. It is all a matter of perspective and dates. I am glad that someone finally pulled their head out of their ass and identified what ISIS is doing as Genocide. If the comparison is hideous, but makes people think, then it is not wasted. What I really don't want to see in my lifetime is the United States going back to a time when we are willing to throw out our humanity, and principles out of fear as happened with the Japanese internment camps of WWII.

https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/investigate/terrorism/terrorism-definition

PO3 Steven Sherrill You did call the founders terrorists and ISIS is clearly a terrorist organization. You did more than imply the connection, you made it by connecting the two groups with the word. Words have meanings.

ISIS is clearly a terrorist organization by almost any definition. They are not he standing army of any officially recognized nation. Their tactics violate virtually every rule of war established. You can try to change the perspective but the reality is still there.

I don't know how we get from community policing (to help ID murderers and terrorists) to Japanese internment camps. That is another red herring but par for the course. I guess for some, you will need ISIS standing in Times Square beheading Americans for all to see before the threat is fully recognized and you are ready to act.

SSG John Thornton - The response from the "Muslim Neighborhoods" shows just how "Average American" they can be. The only thing missing from the response was someone giving the single finger salute.

SSG John Thornton - I couldn't agree more. That whole brain mouth filter thing doesn't always work so well.

PO3 Steven Sherrill - holy shit, somebody with logical thinking. have my upvote