Say something good about Portland!

[Bodhisattva]

If you don’t know about Memphis, why are you insisting that federal troops should solve Memphis' crime issues?

I never said that. In fact, I've said the opposite.

If I were president, I wouldn't send in the feds (barring legitimate disaster). If the residents of a city tolerate a certain level of crime due to the policies they vote for, that's on them.

 

[92tide]

How is it a job of the federal government to solve the problem?
If people want less crime, then they should vote accordingly in the local and state elections.
If financing the local police is an issue, then TN's congressional delegation in the US Congress should try to secure more federal pork funds to resolve it.
Sending the US military is a costly short-term fix, which won’t solve the problem long-term.

it won’t solve the problem in the short term either

 

[crimsonaudio]

How is it a job of the federal government to solve the problem?
If people want less crime, then they should vote accordingly in the local and state elections.
If financing the local police is an issue, then TN's congressional delegation in the US Congress should try to secure more federal pork funds to resolve it.
Sending the US military is a costly short-term fix, which won’t solve the problem long-term.

Look, I agree completely with ALL of this.

But the reality is that there is no end in sight of this, so at some point, something has to be done. You can stick to ideologies all day long, but when people are literally dying because the local and state governments are failing at their most basic responsibility (protecting the rights of the citizens), this is the last resort.

Now again, I'm specifically speaking about Memphis as I've intimate knowledge of what's happening there, but in this instance, are we supposed to just let people's lives be ruined by criminals because the local and state governments suck?

At the most basic level government exists to protect its citizenry.

 

[crimsonaudio]

Did they “defund” the police in Memphis?

Not in that sense, no.

But they've driven many of the good officers into retirement (or other jurisdictions) due to claw-backs on promised COL raises, 'progressive' prosecutorial practices, etc.

They're low on officers because they're unwilling to pay them appropriately to fight this war and few people are willing to take on that job for crap pay knowing they can arrest someone for a shooting and they'll literally be released that day on zero bail.

 

[crimsonaudio]

it won’t solve the problem in the short term either

Most of them have some non-TF-friendly language so I cannot share, but there are tons of videos on X from Memphians thanking the FedGov for making the streets safer. Kids out riding bikes in bad areas (something they couldn't do just two weeks ago), people walking to the store (likewise).

Again, it's no long term fix, but the people of Memphis - particularly those in the poorer (high crime) areas, are already seeing some relief.

It's no fix, but even if it's temporary relief I'm for it. Maybe the taste of this will drive them to vote differently and reevaluate things.

 

[Displaced Bama Fan]

It's creeping martial law, getting us used to armed soldiers in the streets...

Do you believe there are enough troops to occupy our country?

 

[Bodhisattva]

Do you believe there are enough troops to occupy our country?

I've heard North Korean troops can fill in the gaps on the cheap.

 

[Displaced Bama Fan]

I've heard North Korean troops can fill in the gaps on the cheap.

"Will work for food." Literally.

 

[Bazza]

Do you believe there are enough troops to occupy our country?

Good to see you again DBF.....have missed you, man

 

[Huckleberry]

Not in that sense, no.

But they've driven many of the good officers into retirement (or other jurisdictions) due to claw-backs on promised COL raises, 'progressive' prosecutorial practices, etc.

They're low on officers because they're unwilling to pay them appropriately to fight this war and few people are willing to take on that job for crap pay knowing they can arrest someone for a shooting and they'll literally be released that day on zero bail.

Why don’t the citizens of Memphis elect people who will change things for the better?

 

[crimsonaudio]

Why don’t the citizens of Memphis elect people who will change things for the better?

That's part of the lack of education / cultural rot that needs to be addressed...

 

[Bodhisattva]

Why don’t the citizens of Memphis elect people who will change things for the better?

That's part of the lack of education / cultural rot that needs to be addressed...

Yep. Politicians are successful because they convince enough voters that somebody else is responsible for their misery and that said politician will right all the wrongs. How many time did DC elect Marion "I love crack and hookers" Barry?

 

[Huckleberry]

That's part of the lack of education / cultural rot that needs to be addressed...

That sounds like an uphill battle. Knowing the area and people as you do, do you have any ideas as to what might work?

 

[Huckleberry]

Yep. Politicians are successful because they convince enough voters that somebody else is responsible for their misery and that said politician will right all the wrongs. How many time did DC elect Marion "I love crack and hookers" Barry?

Our current president is also a fine example of this.

 

[Bodhisattva]

Our current president is also a fine example of this.

Yep. And just about every other politician as well. Each side has their boogeymen and it works. For the left, it is some or all of the list including: rich people, white people, capitalism, Christianity, American values, Western culture, heterosexuality, anatomy, genetics, men with penises, women with vaginas.

 

[alabama mike1]

Back on topic about Portland. It in the far northwest part of our country.

 

[crimsonaudio]

That sounds like an uphill battle. Knowing the area and people as you do, do you have any ideas as to what might work?

Honestly, I don't. It saddens me to no end.

The reality is we've collectively allowed an entire generation of youths to grow up in an environment that eschews education, shirks their roles as parents (particularly fathers - the last numbers I saw indicated that >3/4s of children born within the Memphis city limits lack any father figure), and have been largely catered to by the legal system rather than punished for breaking the law. Now there are thousands and thousands of <18 kids who essentially have no value for life as they don't think their lives have any value.

My wife and I once planned to start a NFP to help address some of these issues, but after a few years of research we realized we couldn't do anything. I can go way deeper but the reality is the cultural rot I refer to is almost completely part of the poor, black communities that, in essence, see nothing wrong with the lives they live. Unless or until they realize their lives are valuable and they can live differently - better - by making different / better choices, nothing we do will change them. It's not unlike the behavior of an addict.

There are SO MANY good people in the bad parts of Memphis, but I fear the current generation of teens, which is already having babies of their own, are just going to perpetuate the broken culture.

And that's without even addressing the incredible amount of corruption in local politics.

 

[some_al_fan]

Most of them have some non-TF-friendly language so I cannot share, but there are tons of videos on X from Memphians thanking the FedGov for making the streets safer. Kids out riding bikes in bad areas (something they couldn't do just two weeks ago), people walking to the store (likewise).

Sorry, but I am having hard time to believe that this is perception rather than a reality.
To me that reminds me of a poll where Republicans opinions about the state of the economy has improved right after Trump was elected, while Democrats opinions have dropped. No real change has occurred in the economy; it's just a perception.

"all videos on X” seems like a biased source from Memphis republicans trying to push the agenda and support their vote for Trump.
According to Reddit (

https://www.reddit.com/r/memphis/comments/1o7gjwe

), the National Guards are not doing anything useful there to help with crime.

 

[92tide]

Back on topic about Portland. It in the far northwest part of our country.

and they have regular nekkid bike rides

 

[crimsonaudio]

It's not the NG, though they're getting the press. It's the entire task force, which includes the DOJ, FBI, ATF, DEA, US Marshals, Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee. They've also sent in a huge concentration of THP and TBI agents.

In two weeks, 43 missing children have been found (!) along with over 800 arrests.

Say what you want - it's easy to post from afar about somewhere you don't live - but the people I know (people who voted for Biden, Trump, Harris, you name it) are seeing far less violence already.