"Oath Keepers" Patrolling Protests with Semi-Automatic Rifles

http://news.yahoo.com/oath-keepers-ferguson-michael-brown-protests-164305035.html

What good can come of this? If one of them fires a weapon, provoked or not, shit will hit the fan. This doesn't offer anything even close to productive.

 

[Von Clausewitz]

Okay, I usually really like to stay out of these kind of topics, since it is my personal opinion that once you allow your citizens to carry firearms in public, your country has already failed on several levels. But:

For the moment O.K. seem to have the moral high ground: they're not shooting anyone nor protesting for some particular interest, they're keeping the peace. And although the police complain, they benefit from this.

Since when has the presence of an armed, non-government group ever helped to relieve tensions? From what I can tell, the last thing Ferguson needs is another element of uncertainty, as tensions are still high. If anything, these idiots are provoking an escalation and the police not doing anything about that feels like "tacit approval". If only one of these rifles goes off, the phrase "the shit hit the fan" won't be enough to describe what happens after.

 

[Dudeofteenage]

I'm sure they don't view themselves as terrorists but that is still what they are, the US definition of terrorism is: "the unlawful use of force and violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives"

Does anybody ever view themself as a terrorist?

Amusingly, by this definition, the various illegal police shootings have been acts of terrorism, too.

 

[AnOminous]

Okay, I usually really like to stay out of these kind of topics, since it is my personal opinion that once you allow your citizens to carry firearms in public, your country has already failed on several levels.

Well, that would put the U.S., Finland, Israel, Germany, Canada, Sweden, and many others beyond the pale. Many if not most countries allow some form of firearm ownership, including for hunting. So those firearms are going to be transported, somehow. That would, by definition, be in public.

Now, the Cliven Bundy terrorists are another thing, and any country that does not prosecute terrorists who obstruct the lawful orders of its courts has certainly failed, and can be accused fairly of being ineffectual cowards who encourage future similar conduct.

 

[XYZpdq]

So did anything actually happen?