Greg Abbott declares open season on protesters in Texas

jeffw@lemmy.world to politics @lemmy.world – 342 points –
Greg Abbott declares open season on protesters in Texas
motherjones.com
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Those that make peaceful revolution impossible, make violent revolution inevitable. - John F Kennedy 1962

I do hope no violence happens in Texas, I really do.

Though anyone who has picked up a history book knows how this ends. And usually forced to sit as a bystander as it happens.

Yeah the problem is that the other side says the exact thing, with the difference that they aren't oppressed, they simply lost the "right" to oppress others

The violence already happened.

You are delusional if you think more will never come.

I didn't say that.

Well you used the past-tense "happened"...

Yes?
My comment should not be read as "the violence has already begun and ended, and no more will occur" but rather more like "we are past the point at which violence has begun". I was implying that violence is not inevitable, it's already here.

No offense, but then "happening" would have been more appropriate. The other commenter is correct about "happened" being past tense as in... it's over. Or you could have used "has happened" which leaves a bit of room for future violence. But this is pedantry at it's best - you're intent having been acknowledged. :)

From the police, yes.

Worse: From a random citizen that was tried in a court of law and found guilty. The governor used his powers to claim absolution (or worser still: justification).

In this context your comment means the violent from protestors/revolutionaries has already happened. That's why everyone's confused and asking for clarification

This is how we descend into vigilantism - when the justice system is fundamentally unjust people need to seek their justice elsewhere.

This isn't an endorsement of vigilantism either - it's fucking horrible and can be used against justice just as easily for justice.

This is the true price we pay for our sham supreme court. It’s a strong indicator to all that justice is not done. It encourages dangerous vigilantism and violence because as you write, where will it come from then? How are the wronged to be made whole?

This is seriously dangerous territory and I’m quite concerned for where we are headed.

How's that saying go again — "The only way to stop a bad vigilante with a gun is with a good vigilante with a gun?"

Texas is undemocratic. If you can't protest you have no power as people

That's not specific to Texas, protesters are always silenced by the state when they are deemed a threat to the status quo.

It’s even worse than it seems, because the killer can pull a Kyle Rittenhouse and go on the MAGA speaking circuit and get rich.

They’re not just incentivizing killers. They’re going to make them the MAGA version of rich and famous.

The family of the person he killed need to file civil charges. Sue this asshole into destitution

...so they're encouraging the escalation of peaceful protests into actual riots... in Texas... where at least half of the pop is armed... sure, that'll go well.

Gov. Abbott is definitely teaching the lesson that anyone who tries to drive into protestors should immediately be shot and killed, because all attempting to deescalate does is get more protestors murdered with no recourse.

People need to protest using all rights afforded to them by the Constitution. The right to free speech, which they use, the right to protest, which they do, and the right to carry arms, which they need to do.

People need to address the state in the only language it knows.

and the right to carry arms, which they need to do.

The victim was doing exactly that (he was open-carrying an AK-47), which is the pretext the murderer used to falsely claim "stand your ground."

In retrospect, the tactically correct thing to do would've been for Foster to have preemptively shot Perry through the car window, citing the same "stand your ground" defense (with infinitely more legitimacy, since Perry had just been trying to run over protestors).

People need to address the state in the only language it knows.

All the state knows is obstruction and violence. So that's what they should get and deserve.

I'm declaring open season on Greg Abboott. Someone please let a bear into his home while he's at work.

Someone please let a bear into his home while he’s at work.

Wish granted… a large, hairy man now waits in his bed.

Freedom?

Freedom to hunt down anyone left of the GOP!

But look at these shiny guns, now THAT'S freedom

Or, scary!, depending on who's holding it. Guns are either a god given right or the devil's playing depending on the presumed political leaning of those holding them.

Maybe asshole Abbott will find himself in the middle of one of these violent protests.

Abbott would never go to a protest because he doesn't stand for anything.

First time a protester kills one of these murderous maga fools they will do a speed run getting them to execution.

The Deregulated Texas Oblast is turning into f'n Muscoviteville.

Remember: If you see someone with a gun, shoot on sight. It's your constitutional right to use guns to defend yourself against people with guns.

This sounds like protestation, therefore it's open season on Piss Baby.

Peaceful protesting only works for so long.

Peaceful protest accomplishing anything is basically a myth anyway.

Yes, and you can tell how ineffectual it is with how much effort they are going through to stop it!

Wasn't fundamentalist protestants "protesters" before?

Yeah, but 1517 isn’t exactly recent memory.

Apparently they already forgot what it means...