Republican Congressman Peter King on Eric Garner "If you can't breathe, how can you speak?"

[951-Riverside]

You usually see politicians and leaders from despotic 3rd world nations saying stuff like this not America.

What the hell is happening to our country?

[eppur_se_muova]

1. So, he was speaking okay right up until he died ?

Oh, wait, he was speaking in a voice that can only be described as "strangled" -- sort of like a man being choked to death. Never mind.

[Kalidurga]

2. Oh good

I was afraid that he had stopped breathing. Oh wait...

[JDPriestly]

3. Peter King is unable to understand a lot of things. I'm surprised he is still in Congress.

His reelection does not speak well for his constituents.

Apparently he does not understand that the issue is not whether this man could breathe but that our police too often respond to situations such as that with Erick Garner with this reaction: violence.

If Eric Garner was illegally selling cigarettes on the street and otherwise creating commotions in the community, the answer was not a chokehold. The answer was to get a social worker or someone compassionate to gently tell him that he needed to either stop his behavior or go with the police. Maybe one of his friends if he had any or a family member should have been with the police.

The message in the Brown and Garner cases and many other cases is that our police forces need to incorporate new techniques, ways of communicating and working with communities and, yes, even people like Garner who may have had a lot of problems including possibly mental illness or mental disabilities to avoid violence. Maybe if our police try to avoid violence in their work, we will have less violence generally in our society and police work will not be so dangerous.

Garner was selling cigarettes. The violent solution that the police applied to what was essentially a nonviolent crime was out of place. Again, the police escalated violence when they did not need to. Our police forces need to try to resolve situations with non-violence.

I don't know whether the techniques that Rosenberg writes about in Non-Violent Communication could be somehow adapted or incorporated into our police methodologies, but it might be worth some trying, some investigation.

http://www.amazon.com/Nonviolent-Communication-A-Language-Life/dp/1892005034

I took a short course in this methodology, but I am not otherwise associated with the movement. I am on the e-mail list I think. That's it. This is not spam. It's a really good book.

[Jack Rabbit]

4. How dare Peter King disparage Al Sharton?

Isn't Mr. King the same jack ass who held congressional hearings on American Muslims based on the proposition that all Muslims are terrorists and all mosques are centers of sedition?

He calls Al Sharpton an agitator? I call Peter King a demagogue.

[lobodons]

5. Seriously, a forced violent handcuff arrest for loosies..??

Seriously..??

[longship]

6. Peter, the death certificate will inform, as well as the autopsy. Drops mike... nt

[bulloney]

7. Umm, Congressman King, he died from the incident. Small detail you're overlooking.

The coroner ruled the death a homicide from the chokehold.

There was a time when ignoramuses like Rep. King never saw the light of day because they were institutionalized. Now, they're out in the open and getting elected and re-elected to public offices. If this isn't another testimony on the stupidity of the American voter, then I don't know what is.

[tomm2thumbs]

8. Peter King... the most useless 2 words I've used all day

Giving a well-rehearsed, well-practiceds speech. Loves to hear himself talk, doesn't he?

That makes one of us.

[drynberg]

9. SO, KING, ARE YOU SAYING ERIC GARNER DIED TO SPITE THE CHOKER

And, could breathe, but chose not to? LIAR!

[Derek V]

10. And how can YOU speak without a brain, Congressman?

It's actually kind of a neat trick! You should be working in a circus, Mr. King.

[frylock]

18. he does work in a circus

[90-percent]

11. An unintended consequence for King

He may be the lone voice in support of the excessive use of police force that murdered Garner. I do not think many in his wing nut Fox talking head fixture community will side with him.

I could be wrong, but I think some Conservatives realized defending the police in this case is over the top, in a no justice totalitarian police state kind of way.

-90% Jimmy

[Leopolds Ghost]

13. Sadly, CNN commentator Tom Fuentes agreed with him.

In response to Wolf Blitzer last night.

The same Tom Fuentes (ex-FBI chief) who argued that Mike Brown "indeed looked like a demon" because "I have seen that demonic face" on CNN.

[sorefeet]

15. Sean Hannity said it wasn't a chokehold

he was going to have his karate instructor on to explain to all the stupid people that was not LEGALLY a chokehold. And the cops were only upholding the law. If Hannity didn't hide behind body guards he wouldn't last 10 minutes on the street alone. A busybody coward. Constantly starting trouble, nothing but a right wing propagandist.

[frylock]

19. is hammity going to have himself choked, like he had himself waterboarded?

[Leopolds Ghost]

20. His karate instructor, lol

I bet Hannity has a brightly-colored belt.

[gregcrawford]

12. King is a maggot...

... but what does that say about the people that elected this lower life form? And what qualifies him as an expert on physiology? Since Mr. Garner was asthmatic, the panic induced by being thrown to the ground and strangled by a psychotic murderer could easily trigger an asthma attack, compounded by the weight of three more psychopaths on his back. Small wonder he couldn't breathe. All this over loose cigarettes? These racist cops are just the tip of a very ugly iceberg.
The Nazis slow-jammed WW II and won after all. We are, indeed, DOOMED.

[Leopolds Ghost]

14. My response to King: "If you can't think, why do you speak?"

I believe Mark Twain said something similar.

"Better to have people think you're an idiot than to open your mouth and remove all doubt"

[Dopers_Greed]

16. What a fucking asshole

I have asthma even though I am in good shape and do heavy workouts 5 days a week.

It is definitely possible to talk when you can't breathe.

This is like the worst thing I've seen from a repug, and I thought I'd seen it all.

[americannightmare]

17. Yet another enemy of civilization...

King should be in a padded cell with Inhofe!!!

[DeSwiss]

21. ''What the hell is happening to our country?''

- It is being exposed for what it truly is and always has been. Mostly thanks to the same technology that we paid for with our taxes and with which they now monitor us quite effectively without having to left a finger.

But be thankful for the TRUTH, there's more to come.....

K&R

''If we don't fight now, we'll have to get used to being kicked.....''




RealityIsButADreamWhenYouBeginQuestioningTheDreamItMeansYouAreWakingUp.....

[zebonaut]

22. Of course Garner could breathe just fine. Thats why he is alive today. Jeeeeezus!