Oregon Capitol Incident 12-21-20

[HCM]

Right wing groups this time.

https://deadline.com/2020/12/armed-protesters-enter-oregon-state-capitol-building-assault-police-chemical-agent-1234660385/?fbclid=IwAR3BbDRAxT1wFj6-x6ZqfOwbnCpGGU0bbo04U6osIygwSmlI6jKkPOZ3G3Y

Armed Protesters Break Into Oregon State Capitol Building, Break Windows, Assault Journalists, Hit Police With Chemical Agent


December 21, 2020 5:18pm


According to the Oregon State Police and multiple media reports, a group of armed protesters broke windows and stormed the capitol while the state legislature was in session on Monday. Legislators were debating Covid-19 restrictions and related public assistance in closed session. The only people permitted inside the building were members of the Salem Police Department and the Oregon State Police as well as lawmakers, staff and reporters.

The protesters, many with flak jackets, military helmets and some carrying long guns with multiple magazines, entered the capitol building at about 8:30 am. According to Salem PD, “at least one of the protesters used chemical agents on the police…OSP [Oregon State Police] used inert pepper ball, while dealing with these protestors.”

At 10:30 police had gathered in sufficient numbers to push the crowd out of the building. It was then that “another individual used bear spray against police officers,” according to an OSP statement. “He was arrested on multiple charges including trespassing and assaulting a police officer.

Later in the day, the protesters returned and tried to gain entry again, kicking in glass entryway doors, before police again repelled them.

[LittleLebowski]

Great.

[Joe in PNG]

65036

[Totem Polar]

I’m just waiting to see if the prevailing mindset of not charging “protesters” on misdemeanors holds.

[Balisong]

I’m just waiting to see if the prevailing mindset of not charging “protesters” on misdemeanors holds.

I'm just impressed the article called them protestors. I would have expected them to be "violent militants"

[blues]

I'm just impressed the article called them protestors. I would have expected them to be "violent militants"

You left out racist and white supremacist.

[Duke]

Good.


Shitbags of all kinds have done as they wish all summer.

Can’t be surprised when shitbags you disagree with do the same thing.


#resist is a 2 way street.

[RJ]

You left out racist and white supremacist.

“Trump Supporters”.

Same thing.

[Nephrology]

Good.


Shitbags of all kinds have done as they wish all summer.

Can’t be surprised when shitbags you disagree with do the same thing.


#resist is a 2 way street.

Oh yes, I am sure this will go very far to advance political causes that you believe in. It is unambiguously a good thing to assault police officers in the name of .... what again, exactly?

If you think there's an upside to this event, I recommend more Risperdal.

[Borderland]

That's kind of a turn of events. I thought Antifa and the radical left was the problem in Portland. Maybe it still is but now it looks like it may be Trump supporters who feel they need to break things.

I noticed the po-leece ran all of the squatters out of Anderson Park in Seattle which was in the CHOP occupied zone.

https://komonews.com/news/project-seattle/activists-accuse-seattle-police-of-selective-enforcement-at-cal-anderson-park

[Clusterfrack]

IMO, the problem is selective enforcement of the law. I don’t care who the rioting vandals are or what they supposedly support. Book them all, issue citations, and jail the serious or repeat offenders.

Problem solved.

[HCM]

I’m just waiting to see if the prevailing mindset of not charging “protesters” on misdemeanors holds.

You get more of the behavior you facilitate. This should not be a surprise to anyone.

Between the tacit facilitation of lawlessness and the change in administration I would expect to see more of this.

[Nephrology]

You get more of the behavior you facilitate. This should not be a surprise to anyone.

Between the tacit facilitation of lawlessness and the change in administration I would expect to see more of this.

This is regrettably likely to be true. It will continue to debase the state of our country's political discourse.

[BehindBlueI's]

IMO, the problem is selective enforcement of the law. I don’t care who the rioting vandals are or what they supposedly support. Book them all, issue citations, and jail the serious or repeat offenders.

Problem solved.

That's certainly a part of the problem. The increasingly radicalized and Balkanized society are the underlying issue.

[Clusterfrack]

That's certainly a part of the problem. The increasingly radicalized and Balkanized society are the underlying issue.

I agree. However, even if the US becomes significantly less politically and culturally polarized, there will still be a bunch of people who will ass out just because they can. I think HCM called some of them "political violence hobbyists". Just as with a counterinsurgency (https://fas.org/irp/doddir/army/fm3-24fd.pdf), security and stability have to come first.

[Nephrology]

I agree. However, even if the US becomes significantly less politically and culturally polarized, there will still be a bunch of people who will ass out just because they can. I think HCM called some of them "political violence hobbyists". Just as with a counterinsurgency (https://fas.org/irp/doddir/army/fm3-24fd.pdf), security and stability have to come first.

I also feel the motives for and against this behavior will increase/decrease, respectively, as financial security continues to decline for a very large swath of Americans in the post-COVID economy.

[Casual Friday]

If an ump is gonna call pitches at the very top of the strike zone a strike, as long as they're calling it for both sides there shouldn't be a problem.

But what we have in the US right now is a bunch of people who only want the law to apply to the other side.

When a local historic place was vandalized a couple years ago with boobs and bad words spray painted on the structures, there was outrage. People wanted cameras put up, surveillance, they wanted those teens found, prosecuted, the families to pay for the damages, and the kids locked up.

Fast forward to the summer of 2020 and that same landmark had Black Live Matters and actual gang graffiti spray painted all over and the outrage couldn't be mustered except for a few. This time, it was because the people are scared, they feel nobody is listening to them, and they're lashing out so their voices can be heard. Locking up teens for property crimes suddenly was no longer the answer.

So, when one group of shitbags is given a free pass for anarchy, it shouldn't come as a surprise that shitbags from another take advantage of it.

[Balisong]

You left out racist and white supremacist.

Damn, my bad! Only got a C on my last wokeness exam. The instructor said if I didn't step up my privilege recognition I'd have to sit in the corner of the class with a MAGA hat. Please don't tell him/her/other that I messed this up ok?

[Borderland]

I also feel the motives for and against this behavior will increase/decrease, respectively, as financial security continues to decline for a very large swath of Americans in the post-COVID economy.

I think that's a safe bet. The economic decline of a social demographic (middle class) will fuel this behavior from both the right and the left.

I was talking with a liberal relative from Portland yesterday and he feels that the economic divide, the chasm between the haves and have not's, is mostly to blame. I have to agree with that. This civil unrest isn't going away. We'll be lucky if it doesn't spread through the entire country.

[TheNewbie]

I think that's a safe bet. The economic decline of a social demographic (middle class) will fuel this behavior from both the right and the left.

I was talking with a liberal relative from Portland yesterday and he feels that the economic divide, the chasm between the haves and have not's, is mostly to blame. I have to agree with that. This civil unrest isn't going away. We'll be lucky if it doesn't spread through the entire country.


It’s about values not money. These “have not” dopes need to go see real have not people.

[Casual Friday]

I think that's a safe bet. The economic decline of a social demographic (middle class) will fuel this behavior from both the right and the left.

I was talking with a liberal relative from Portland yesterday and he feels that the economic divide, the chasm between the haves and have not's, is mostly to blame. I have to agree with that. This civil unrest isn't going away. We'll be lucky if it doesn't spread through the entire country.

The riots and looting were carried out mostly by well off white liberals with impeccable hygiene, iphones, Jordans, and Supreme tshirts. Ed Calderon spoke on this during his Vigilance Elite interview.

[LOKNLOD]

Six or so months ago, they burnt down a police station and it was all fun and games. We condemned it; they applauded it.

Now we've got the the other side armed and attacking a building and now both sides will condemn it. Now it's just fodder for more reason why people can't be armed. Armed people can do shit we don't like and we can't have that. An "unarmed" mob is a movement. A few armed individuals are just crazies.

I'm assuming that it's true these are "right wing" folks. By today's standards that just means they're somewhere on the right-two-thirds of the spectrum. Doesn't matter, this wasn't the right thing for them to do. It undermines everything and is practically handing a loaded gun to the other side. It was stupid and short-sighted. Doesn't matter that the Oregon capitol building probably deserves a tar-n-feather enema, it's a no-go. America today isn't about what anyone deserves.

All year we've been saying we just want law and order, and we're going to get it. Good and hard. Dumb shit like this is just going to help us get it faster and harder.

[TAZ]

Oh yes, I am sure this will go very far to advance political causes that you believe in. It is unambiguously a good thing to assault police officers in the name of .... what again, exactly?

If you think there's an upside to this event, I recommend more Risperdal.

While I agree with you, I’m not at all surprised. A whole segment if society spent months rioting and looting without consequences. Heck not only did they have no consequences to their criminal activity they were rewarded by politicians accepting their views and acting upon them. That whole squeaky wheel thing.

The last year was spent telling folks who quietly write letters, vote, work hard, pay taxes ... that they will be ignored until they throw imbecillic temper tantrums. Guess, what????

[Baldanders]

Good.


Shitbags of all kinds have done as they wish all summer.

Can’t be surprised when shitbags you disagree with do the same thing.


#resist is a 2 way street.

Yeah, random acts of lawlessness always balance out.

Tit-for-tat worked out great in Weimar.

Hail Discordia.

[Baldanders]

While I agree with you, I’m not at all surprised. A whole segment if society spent months rioting and looting without consequences. Heck not only did they have no consequences to their criminal activity they were rewarded by politicians accepting their views and acting upon them. That whole squeaky wheel thing.

The last year was spent telling folks who quietly write letters, vote, work hard, pay taxes ... that they will be ignored until they throw imbecillic temper tantrums. Guess, what????

How many of these folks were quiet letter writing types before now?

Of course this is completely unconnected with previous groups of armed White folks surrounding governor's mansions, Trump giving tacit acceptance to the Proud Boys, etc. Only the Dems/left/liberals accelerate violence......no thugs in our house, dear.

[cheby]

https://www.koin.com/news/civic-affairs/citing-hostility-portland-police-leaving-mid-career/

[DrkBlue]

Yeah, random acts of lawlessness always balance out.

Tit-for-tat worked out great in Weimar.

Hail Discordia.

No doubt. Horst Wessel died in the context of mutual combat between right and left-wing “mostly peaceful” thugs. Hitler got elected as a law and order candidate who hadn’t tried to overthrow the government for almost a decade.

The lesson for policy makers across the nation is rule of law does matter. The PDX mass delusion about 130 days of protests has proved to be a wee bit of a lightning rod for the whackjobs across the spectrum. Insurgencies grow out of unaddressed grievances that do not have any plausible way to resolution.

That and COVID has prompted a smorgasbord of DSM-5 diagnoses.

[Borderland]

It’s about values not money. These “have not” dopes need to go see real have not people.



Where would I find those "have not" dopes with those "values". Surely you won't send me to NM. I was just there a few years ago to visit relatives.

[Gadfly]

Jesus.... they are NOT helping the cause. Not at all.

65048

[TheNewbie]

Where would I find those "have not" dopes with those "values". Surely you won't send me to NM. I was just there a few years ago to visit relatives.

Go to Iztapalapa sometime. Not the safest area, you’ll be the only gringo, but they aren’t rioting and burning it done. Lots of poor devoted people at the church my wife’s uncle is the priest of.

[Borderland]

While I agree with you, I’m not at all surprised. A whole segment if society spent months rioting and looting without consequences. Heck not only did they have no consequences to their criminal activity they were rewarded by politicians accepting their views and acting upon them. That whole squeaky wheel thing.

The last year was spent telling folks who quietly write letters, vote, work hard, pay taxes ... that they will be ignored until they throw imbecillic temper tantrums. Guess, what????

Somehow I believe that burning buildings, looting and generally causing mayhem for people who pay their taxes, operate businesses, go to work everyday and want to carry on their lives in a peaceful manner isn't going to become the norm. The segment of society that you refer to is less than 1%, so lets call them 1%ers. MSM has given them center stage. Once the cost to appease this behavior is calculated I expect some kind and gentle incentives to find another way to express their displeasure with their government. ;)

[Nephrology]

While I agree with you, I’m not at all surprised. A whole segment if society spent months rioting and looting without consequences. Heck not only did they have no consequences to their criminal activity they were rewarded by politicians accepting their views and acting upon them. That whole squeaky wheel thing.

The last year was spent telling folks who quietly write letters, vote, work hard, pay taxes ... that they will be ignored until they throw imbecillic temper tantrums. Guess, what????

Sure, but at the end of the day, no matter their political beliefs, I have nothing in common with someone who is going to go to the state capital to bear spray a cop. Period. I wager most people I would choose to share my company with feel e same way.

edit: To make my point, you know who else (https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2020/08/27/906642178/one-authors-argument-in-defense-of-looting) thinks the occasional "temper tantrum" is justified?

[camel]

The continued Balkanization of us will continue as we frame the conversation of us vrs whoever you want to call the other side. The media gets there pay off it. Everybody else can take there stance. Nobody’s going to win if we don’t make a deal.

[OlongJohnson]

I'm not sure what I mean by this, but it's something that comes to mind.

65054

[Borderland]

Go to Iztapalapa sometime. Not the safest area, you’ll be the only gringo, but they aren’t rioting and burning it done. Lots of poor devoted people at the church my wife’s uncle is the priest of.

No, they just kill each other a lot. Rioting, burning and looting will just get you shot by the Federales. Has nothing to do with poor people. Has to do with the federal gov't and how they deal with civil unrest.

Jess, I've been to MX numerous times. Used to fish south of La Paz. Wonderful country and I love the people.

[TheNewbie]

No, they just kill each other a lot. Rioting, burning and looting will just get you shot by the Federales. Has nothing to do with poor people. Has to do with the federal gov't and how they deal with civil unrest.

What?

I thought it was a have vs have not thing.


Which is very condescending to the have not crowd. That’s the left for you though, hold the poor and minority groups in contempt.

[Borderland]

What?

I thought it was a have vs have not thing.


Which is very condescending to the have not crowd. That’s the left for you though, hold the poor and minority groups in contempt.

Mexico is a relatively poor country. To compare poor people in MX to poor people in the US is ridiculous. People in MX don't riot because the gov't would absolutely not tolerate it. A good example is those assholes who went into the OR legislature armed. They would have all been shot in MX. People in MX don't even have the ability to face off with the police unless you happen to be riding with a cartel.

Values has nothing to do with it. More like an inability to change anything. You do know that Mexico had a pretty bloody revolution, right? They were all just as poor in 1910 as they are now, comparatively speaking. Did their values change?

[TheNewbie]

Mexico is a relatively poor country. To compare poor people in MX to poor people in the US is ridiculous. People in MX don't riot because the gov't would absolutely not tolerate it. A good example is those assholes who went into the OR legislature armed. They would have all been shot in MX. People in MX don't even have the ability to face off with the police unless you happen to be riding with a cartel.

Values has nothing to do with it. More like an inability to change anything. You do know that Mexico had a pretty bloody revolution, right? They were all just as poor in 1910 as they are now, comparatively speaking. Did their values change?


It’s not ridiculous. What’s ridiculous is people not appreciating how good they have it here.


I guarantee you my father in law grew up more poor than any of the rioters and communist. Yet he made a life for himself and became quite successful. He didn’t burn down buildings and support communism.


Mexico has tons of problems, including culturally. I’m surprised they have only been as bloody as they have. That said, I’ve seen true poverty and those people were not burning things down.

If a person don’t understand this as a values issue, then that person is so naive that it’s scary.

Maybe I just have more respect for poor people than many do, and think that they are just as capable as non poor people at being decent.

A poor person with good values and a quality meaning to his life will do less harm than a rich person with poor values and no meaning.

[Joe in PNG]

The whole "haves" and "have-nots" theory as the driver of bad stuff thing really should be discarded as the flawed remnant of a 19th Century Pseudoscience that it is. One would make as much scientific sense arguing that rioters are under the influence of miasmic air or poor blood humors. Maybe it's the malign influence of a particularly bad set of astronomical bodies, or that they all have oddly shaped skulls.

[HCM]

Mexico is a relatively poor country. To compare poor people in MX to poor people in the US is ridiculous. People in MX don't riot because the gov't would absolutely not tolerate it. A good example is those assholes who went into the OR legislature armed. They would have all been shot in MX. People in MX don't even have the ability to face off with the police unless you happen to be riding with a cartel.

Values has nothing to do with it. More like an inability to change anything. You do know that Mexico had a pretty bloody revolution, right? They were all just as poor in 1910 as they are now, comparatively speaking. Did their values change?

Mexico is NOT a poor country. Mexico has a lot of poor ]people and a lot of inequity.

Mexico is the 2nd largest economy in South America and the 15th largest economy in the world. yet it has the 4th highest percentage of poor people among 15 richest economies.

You really have no idea what you are talking about.

[BehindBlueI's]

I guarantee you my father in law grew up more poor than any of the rioters and communist. Yet he made a life for himself and became quite successful.

Wealth divides in and of themselves don't cause civil unrest. Wealth being highly concentrated in 1-2% of a society is the historical standard, not a modern aberration. A large middle class is the aberration. Great wealth gaps will be tolerated as long as the people feel they have mobility and a chance of improving their lot. Else, order has to be kept purely by force or other forms of coercion. In other words, the Have Nots will accept their lot in life as long as they reasonably believe they have a shot at becoming a Have.

That's being compounded by the differences of the Information Age vs the Industrial or Agricultural Age, not least of which is instantaneous mass communication available to all and the ability of charismatic individuals to spread dissent and rally followers in a much larger way then ever before. People are thirsty for meaning and purpose. Many people don't have that in their lives. Combine with a general feeling society isn't working for them, or is actively working against them, and it's easier for those charismatic individuals to create followers and convince them to protest or riot or even kill. It's even better if you can convince them it's all someone else's fault and that someone else is easy to dehumanize.

[JodyH]

“Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.”
- H.L. Mencken -

"I'm not saying he should have killed her... but I understand."
- Chris Rock -

[Kyle Reese]

Has this been classified as a “mostly peaceful” protest yet? We saw lots of that over the summer.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[blues]

Mexico is NOT a poor country. Mexico has a lot of poor ]people and a lot of inequity.

Mexico is the 2nd largest economy in South America and the 15th largest economy in the world. yet it has the 4th highest percentage of poor people among 15 richest economies.

You really have no idea what you are talking about.

They're not going to like being physically removed from North America...just sayin'.

I wonder how Trump managed to deport the entire country? ;)

[Borderland]

Mexico is NOT a poor country. Mexico has a lot of poor ]people and a lot of inequity.

Mexico is the 2nd largest economy in South America and the 15th largest economy in the world. yet it has the 4th highest percentage of poor people among 15 richest economies.

You really have no idea what you are talking about.

There's a bigger economic divide in MX than in the US. The only reason it stays that way is the average Mexican doesn't own a firearm and the gov't makes it damn hard to purchase one. If there were as many SA rifles in MX as there are in the US there would be another revolution. Ever notice the signs going into MX about firearms? My understanding is the economic inequity is what drove the 1910 revolution. Best estimates put the deaths at 1 million. To say that Mexicans except their poor living conditions because of some "value" system seems odd to me. If they were so content why do so many of them try to enter the US illegally? Life expectancy is probably higher than trying to overthrow the federal gov't without any weapons.

Looked like a pretty poor country to me every time I was there. I'm not relying on a google search, but rather what I saw with my own eyes. Of course my travels only included Chihuahua, Sonora and Baja. The streets may be paved with gold in the rest of the country, being so prosperous. IDK.

[Crow Hunter]

Wealth divides in and of themselves don't cause civil unrest. Wealth being highly concentrated in 1-2% of a society is the historical standard, not a modern aberration. A large middle class is the aberration. Great wealth gaps will be tolerated as long as the people feel they have mobility and a chance of improving their lot. Else, order has to be kept purely by force or other forms of coercion. In other words, the Have Nots will accept their lot in life as long as they reasonably believe they have a shot at becoming a Have.

That's being compounded by the differences of the Information Age vs the Industrial or Agricultural Age, not least of which is instantaneous mass communication available to all and the ability of charismatic individuals to spread dissent and rally followers in a much larger way then ever before. People are thirsty for meaning and purpose. Many people don't have that in their lives. Combine with a general feeling society isn't working for them, or is actively working against them, and it's easier for those charismatic individuals to create followers and convince them to protest or riot or even kill. It's even better if you can convince them it's all someone else's fault and that someone else is easy to dehumanize.

God's honest truth. (Or Allah if you prefer).

I WOULD 100% vote for you if you ran for public office. Heck, I would retire early and actively campaign for you just to try to save this country.

[Baldanders]

It’s not ridiculous. What’s ridiculous is people not appreciating how good they have it here.


I guarantee you my father in law grew up more poor than any of the rioters and communist. Yet he made a life for himself and became quite successful. He didn’t burn down buildings and support communism.


Mexico has tons of problems, including culturally. I’m surprised they have only been as bloody as they have. That said, I’ve seen true poverty and those people were not burning things down.

If a person don’t understand this as a values issue, then that person is so naive that it’s scary.

Maybe I just have more respect for poor people than many do, and think that they are just as capable as non poor people at being decent.

A poor person with good values and a quality meaning to his life will do less harm than a rich person with poor values and no meaning.

My maternal grandpa left school in eighth grade to start working to help support his large family. He joined the Army in his 20s, served in the Pacific in WWII, and nearly died from wounds on his way home. He managed to buy land for a house and build his own home, and eventually supported a family with 3 daughters. My grandmother worked some outside the home, but not full time. They farmed a bit too to make ends meet.

I often ask myself, where would a junior high drop-out with no skills beyond a little farming be today? Definitely not joining the military, and probably not ending up owning his own land, ever.

Today ain't yesterday.

[HCM]

There's a bigger economic divide in MX than in the US. The only reason it stays that way is the average Mexican doesn't own a firearm and the gov't makes it damn hard to purchase one. If there were as many SA rifles in MX as there are in the US there would be another revolution. Ever notice the signs going into MX about firearms? My understanding is the economic inequity is what drove the 1910 revolution. Best estimates put the deaths at 1 million. To say that Mexicans except their poor living conditions because of some "value" system seems odd to me. If they were so content why do so many of them try to enter the US illegally? Life expectancy is probably higher than trying to overthrow the federal gov't without any weapons.

Looked like a pretty poor country to me every time I was there. I'm not relying on a google search, but rather what I saw with my own eyes. Of course my travels only included Chihuahua, Sonora and Baja. The streets may be paved with gold in the rest of the country, being so prosperous. IDK.

Gee... I don’t know am I relying on google search or 20 plus years of working border, immigration and customs issues for a living including dealing with Mexicans on a daily basis multiple trips to Mexico and working with Mexican government officials ?

No fishing trips though - maybe that’s my problem ?

There is a bigger economic divide in Mexico ? No shit - that’s what “inequity” means


inequity
noun [ C/U ] fml
US /ɪˈnek·wɪ·t̬i/

the quality of being unfair, or something that is not fair or equal:
[ C ] We’re working to reduce the inequities in school funding.

Like I said - Mexico is not a poor country, it’s a rich country with a lot of poor people and an inequitable economic and political system.

The busiest land border ports in the world in terms of trade are on the U.S. Mexico border. Mexico is also one of the top oil producers, and would produce at least twice as much as they do now if not for corruption and government control of the oil industry.

There are plenty of firearms in Mexico - just not “legally owned” firearms. I’m not just talking about cartel guns, hunting type firearms are ubiquitous in rural areas and 98% of them are “illegal.” There is a lot of “don’t ask don’t tell” going on in rural areas and on ranches etc.

Mexico is not the US. The inequities and corruption there have deep roots.

[HCM]

They're not going to like being physically removed from North America...just sayin'.

I wonder how Trump managed to deport the entire country? ;)


Latin America.

That what they get for referring to us a “Norte Americanos.”

[Borderland]

Gee... I don’t know am I relying on google search or 20 plus years of working border, immigration and customs issues for a living including dealing with Mexicans on a daily basis multiple trips to Mexico and working with Mexican government officials ?

No fishing trips though - maybe that’s my problem ?

There is a bigger economic divide in Mexico ? No shit - that’s what “inequity” means



Like I said - Mexico is not a poor country, it’s a rich country with a lot of poor people and an inequitable economic and political system.

The busiest land border ports in the world in terms of trade are on the U.S. Mexico border. Mexico is also one of the top oil producers, and would produce at least twice as much as they do now if not for corruption and government control of the oil industry.

There are plenty of firearms in Mexico - just not “legally owned” firearms. I’m not just talking about cartel guns, hunting type firearms are ubiquitous in rural areas and 98% of them are “illegal.” There is a lot of “don’t ask don’t tell” going on in rural areas and on ranches etc.

Mexico is not the US. The inequities and corruption there have deep roots.

Well, lets just say we both have a good deal of experience with Mexican's in Mexico and leave it there. ;)

[BehindBlueI's]

God's honest truth. (Or Allah if you prefer).

I WOULD 100% vote for you if you ran for public office. Heck, I would retire early and actively campaign for you just to try to save this country.

I appreciate it, but I figure I'd likely draw tens of votes nationwide, tops. Plus I'd never subject my family to the dirt grubbing of the media and politics scene. Just the cop thing is tough enough on my wife.

[Borderland]

Wealth divides in and of themselves don't cause civil unrest. Wealth being highly concentrated in 1-2% of a society is the historical standard, not a modern aberration. A large middle class is the aberration. Great wealth gaps will be tolerated as long as the people feel they have mobility and a chance of improving their lot. Else, order has to be kept purely by force or other forms of coercion. In other words, the Have Nots will accept their lot in life as long as they reasonably believe they have a shot at becoming a Have.

That's being compounded by the differences of the Information Age vs the Industrial or Agricultural Age, not least of which is instantaneous mass communication available to all and the ability of charismatic individuals to spread dissent and rally followers in a much larger way then ever before. People are thirsty for meaning and purpose. Many people don't have that in their lives. Combine with a general feeling society isn't working for them, or is actively working against them, and it's easier for those charismatic individuals to create followers and convince them to protest or riot or even kill. It's even better if you can convince them it's all someone else's fault and that someone else is easy to dehumanize.

I wouldn't have believed it but I saw it with my own eyes.