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You're Eight Times More Likely to Be Killed by a Police Officer Than a Terrorist

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Re: You're Eight Times More Likely to Be Killed by a Police Officer Than a Terrorist

#71

Post by gotchange »

> You're Eight Times More Likely to Be Killed by a Police Officer Than a Terrorist

I hate to say this and defend those people but that statistical observation is due to the fact that security, intelligence and law enforcement officers are doing their job in foiling most of the terrorist plots and averting disasters.*

However, if terrorists were given free rein, the casualties number on their side would much much higher just like what's occurring in Afghanistan, Iraq or Syria.

*: Not counting false-flags or stand-down operations.

Re: You're Eight Times More Likely to Be Killed by a Police Officer Than a Terrorist

#72

Post by dandare »

cubano wrote: post #45

And you are five times more likely to be killed at a railroad crossing then by a police officer.[1] Headlines like these are obviously created for sensationalism , and while you will be hard pressed to find someone with a bigger animus towards the current USCJS then I, I think we should all be on the lookout for hyperbole, no matter what underlying meme it may be promoting. [1] http://www.popularmechanics.com/technol…

I understand what you mean but it is not just the absolute level of the thread, it is also our reaction to the thread. We have sacrificed freedoms, hundreds of thousand of lives and trillions of dollars to mitigate the terrorism thread.

Re: You're Eight Times More Likely to Be Killed by a Police Officer Than a Terrorist

#73

Post by llamataboot »

steveeq1 wrote: post #65
xacaxulu wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm scared of police and I'm basically a WASP. If I were black or latino, I'd be even more scared. Civil asset forfeiture, drug dogs that always indicate presence of drugs, camera/drone tracking of movements of people, illegal phone searches, militarized police departments with special forces type weapons and vehicles, etc. I'm a former US Marine and the police are basically becoming a domestic occupying military for…

And you are statistically more likely to be killed by a black man than you are by an actual policeman. I agree with chrisBob in that you shouldn't worry about the dangers of policemen in the same way you shouldnt worry about the dangers of black people, even if it's statistically "true". It's simply a bad way to look at it. There is a lot of police brutality news lately in the media so I suspect a lot of availability…

Police have lots of ways to ruin your life than just killing you (which they can also do with impunity) -- plenty of people have plenty of reasons to fear/dislike the police.

Re: You're Eight Times More Likely to Be Killed by a Police Officer Than a Terrorist

#74

Post by vezzy-fnord »

steveeq1 wrote: post #65
xacaxulu wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm scared of police and I'm basically a WASP. If I were black or latino, I'd be even more scared. Civil asset forfeiture, drug dogs that always indicate presence of drugs, camera/drone tracking of movements of people, illegal phone searches, militarized police departments with special forces type weapons and vehicles, etc. I'm a former US Marine and the police are basically becoming a domestic occupying military for…

And you are statistically more likely to be killed by a black man than you are by an actual policeman. I agree with chrisBob in that you shouldn't worry about the dangers of policemen in the same way you shouldnt worry about the dangers of black people, even if it's statistically "true". It's simply a bad way to look at it. There is a lot of police brutality news lately in the media so I suspect a lot of availability…

Whether or not you actually get killed by police, there's still plenty to fear from a paramilitary organization.

Re: You're Eight Times More Likely to Be Killed by a Police Officer Than a Terrorist

#75

Post by msandford »

schrodinger wrote: post #67
skywhopper wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh, you should be very scared of the police. They have complete power over you, your life, and your property any time you interact with them, even if you do nothing to invite the interaction. If they choose to invade your home, confiscate your cash, or shoot you dead because you didn't respond to their commands fast enough, or slow enough, or deferentially enough, you have no power to respond.

You have no power to respond on the spot, but you certainly have power to respond later through the court system.

Doesn't do you any good if you're dead or impoverished as a result of your civil asset forfeiture, or things of that nature.

Just because some people are able to get justice when their rights are violated, it doesn't automatically mean that the system works. It just means that some people are able to get justice.

Re: You're Eight Times More Likely to Be Killed by a Police Officer Than a Terrorist

#76

Post by Zigurd »

a3voices wrote: post #11
Zigurd wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, there isn't such a chance. The only WMDs with the ability to kill tens of thousands are nukes. Terrorists only have nukes on TV, the kind with big countdown displays on them. It's the difference between a black swan and the fantasy of a black swan. The is no real-world hypothesis of how such a black swan happens. That's why black powder bombs are the highest technology terrorists actually use, because it is the m…

It is possible terrorists could gain access to nukes. You don't know this for sure.

Yes, anyone could know this to a high certainty. It is incredibly difficult to handle and move nuclear materials undetected. It is in fact impossible for non-state actors to deliver nuclear bombs.

This is why every discussion of "nuclear terrorism" also includes "dirty bombs" because otherwise there would be no such topic as "nuclear terrorism."

Re: You're Eight Times More Likely to Be Killed by a Police Officer Than a Terrorist

#77

Post by llamataboot »

forgetsusername wrote: post #52
mgrennan wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Correct - More people die in hospitals then anywhere else. So should you be scared of going to the hospital?

> So should you be scared of going to the hospital? Ludicrous. Hospitals are where the sick and dying go for treatment. Police are there to Protect and Serve. Terrorists try to kill you. Why do the former do more damage than the latter? I agree that the headline is sensationalist, but if you don't think we've got a real police problem, your head is in the sand. Fortunately, the solution isn't that difficult (body cam…

It's important to remember that there is a downside to bodycams. #1) It turns all cops into walking surveillance machines. #2) We don't know yet how much violence it deters, or whether it makes the police more likely to be prosecuted when they commit illegal acts. Initial studies seem promising that it is helpful in some ways, but we don't know how helpful yet.

Personally, I think disarming the police would have a lot more effect than body cams.

Re: You're Eight Times More Likely to Be Killed by a Police Officer Than a Terrorist

#78

Post by hnamazon123 »

cubano wrote: post #45

And you are five times more likely to be killed at a railroad crossing then by a police officer.[1] Headlines like these are obviously created for sensationalism , and while you will be hard pressed to find someone with a bigger animus towards the current USCJS then I, I think we should all be on the lookout for hyperbole, no matter what underlying meme it may be promoting. [1] http://www.popularmechanics.com/technol…

5 years ago this wouldn't have made it to the front page, let alone have so many comments defending it as intellectually honest.

Notice how no one ever laments how "HN is turning into Reddit"?

There used to be a statement specifically about saying this in the HN guidelines.

No one says this anymore because the full Reddit-ification of HN happened a while ago.

Re: You're Eight Times More Likely to Be Killed by a Police Officer Than a Terrorist

#79

Post by cryoshon »

cubano wrote: post #45

And you are five times more likely to be killed at a railroad crossing then by a police officer.[1] Headlines like these are obviously created for sensationalism , and while you will be hard pressed to find someone with a bigger animus towards the current USCJS then I, I think we should all be on the lookout for hyperbole, no matter what underlying meme it may be promoting. [1] http://www.popularmechanics.com/technol…

It isn't hyperbole that US cops are far more violent and unstable than the cops of other developed countries. Look at how many people Germany kills per year. Now look at how many people China kills per year. Now look at the US...

Re: You're Eight Times More Likely to Be Killed by a Police Officer Than a Terrorist

#80

Post by airza »

cubano wrote: post #45

And you are five times more likely to be killed at a railroad crossing then by a police officer.[1] Headlines like these are obviously created for sensationalism , and while you will be hard pressed to find someone with a bigger animus towards the current USCJS then I, I think we should all be on the lookout for hyperbole, no matter what underlying meme it may be promoting. [1] http://www.popularmechanics.com/technol…

This extensively documented site (http://www.killedbypolice.net/kbp2013.html) suggests that 768 people were killed by police in 2013, compared to the 784 people murdered by trains. If my math is correct, 784/768 is not five. Additionally, that site's statistics are only for may-december, so the actual number is probably around 50% higher.
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