What if King George III had a Police Force and Pepper Spray in 1776...

[madinmaryland]

[Spider Jerusalem]

1. Because that's somehow a scarier prospect than regiments of redcoats with muskets and bayonets?

:eyes:

[DFab420]

3. +1000 beat me too it. I suppose if he had pepper spray the boston massacre may have been just a riot

[dawg]

2. There was more justification for what we call the "Boston Massacre" ...

than there was for the abuses in Oakland and elsewhere.

[DFab420]

4. ???? That has to be one of the dimmest things I've heard here..

[dawg]

6. Maybe you should read more.

n/t

[DFab420]

7. They shot and killed 5 civilans for harassing british regulars with curse words and thrown objects.

Explain to me how that is less out of line then the oakland PD beating the shit outta people?

[dawg]

8. A very small number of soldiers .... surrounded by a large mob ...

being pelted by hurled objects. They lose it and fire into the crowd.

Contrast that with an orderly demonstration, peacefully occupying an intersection, being assaulted by cops in riot gear, ramming women in the stomach with truncheons, spraying pepper spray on old ladies and pregnant women.

Those British soldiers felt they were under attack. They were defended in court by John Adams. Most were acquitted.

Wikipedia says:

"The jury agreed with Adams and acquitted six of the soldiers after 2 1/2 hours deliberation. Two of the soldiers were found guilty of manslaughter because there was overwhelming evidence that they fired directly into the crowd. The jury's decisions suggest that they believed the soldiers had felt threatened by the crowd, but should have delayed firing.<59> Patrick Carr, the fifth victim, corroborated this with a deathbed testimony delivered to his doctor.<60> The convicted soldiers were granted reduced sentences by invoking Benefit of clergy, which reduced their punishment from a death sentence to branding of the thumb in open court.<61>"

[DFab420]

9. It's funny you are using the "We felt under attack" line. I'm pretty sure that's what the Oakland PD

and the UC Davis cops have said in their response too.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

5. The traitorous tories would have approved of its use and told the real Tea Partiers to

"take a bath and get a job". They called Thomas Paine "an unkempt nomad" who could't hold a regular job.

[Spider Jerusalem]

10. the Tories weren't the traitors.

Colonists generally took an oath of loyalty to the Crown. If the Confederates were traitors, then so were the American colonists who rebelled.

[apocalypsehow]

12. Once you begin to see the "Revolution" for what it was - an English Civil War - and not an actual

revolution, things get easier. The "Founding Fathers" did not believe they were instituting a new order of things, but, rather, reasserting what they viewed as the ancient rights of Englishmen. In point of fact, had the rebelling colonists failed in their bid for independence, it would've been the signers of the Declaration who would have been hung as traitors.

[deaniac21]

11. In 1776 people would have appreciated the condiment. Terribly

bland food.:hide:

[taterguy]

13. The Brits weren't in Philly in 1776 dumbass

NYC was occupied so some folks there would have gotten sprayed.

BFD.

[fascisthunter]

14. we still have Tories today.... the GOP

[lynne]

15. Bringing pepper spray to a musket fight???

Not smart even in 1776.