"War On Terror" Board Game Confiscated In UK 598
An anonymous reader writes "The board game The War On Terror is a satirical game in which George Bush's 'Axis of Evil' is reduced to a spinner in the middle of the board, which determines which player is designated a terrorist state. That person then has to wear a balaclava (included in the box set) with the word 'Evil' stitched onto it. Kent police said they had confiscated the game because the balaclava 'could be used to conceal someone's identity or could be used in the course of a criminal act.' Balaclavas are freely sold all over the place in the area." Schneier has blogged this stupidity, of course.
Police thugs (Score:5, Interesting)
All too often Police confuse "fighting crime" and "protecting the peace" with authoritarian "because I said so and I have a gun" mentality.
I refrain from a rant, but the more police I meet, the more I hate the police.
Re:Police thugs (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Police thugs (Score:5, Interesting)
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and can be pickier with who you choose.
And actually fire people when they abuse their power. If police were actually penalized for egregious abuses of power like this, we wouldn't have enough police officers to generate revenue for the city.
Re:Police thugs (Score:4, Interesting)
Ok...so, I gotta ask. In the UK, are costume shops and halloween masks against the law?
Can you be busted for wearing the fake nose attached to the eyeglasses thing?
It is against the law over there to use the Lil Bastard disquise kit, and alter your appearance? Hair dye a no-no?
Re:Police thugs (Score:5, Informative)
This confisaction happened at a protest rally, not in game stores. The police confiscated items which seemed likely to be used by troublemakers, including bolt cutters and balaclavas with the word evil stiched on them.
Still a horrible abuse of police power, IMO, but not the work of drooling idiots.
Re:Police thugs (Score:5, Interesting)
In Canada recently a women's car was hit from behind by an off-duty cop in the wee hours of the morning, after being pulled over by an on duty cop.
The off duty cop was returning from a cop party, he was not given a sobriety test and all the cops who were asked to testify as to his soberness declared that they could not recall.
This is just one example from many.
I totally distrust the police. The only attitude to take is us vs them. We are expected to testify against offenders but the police will *never* testify against their own.
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Re:Police thugs (Score:4, Insightful)
Oh, no, there's a slight difference:
Cops mostly have a similar mindset and agenda. The majority of people have had negative personal experiences with the police. The police force works as a unit to accomplish its goals and protect its members.
Black people are generally very diverse and may have a variety of motivations and agendas. The average racist has not had any negative personal experiences with black people and hates them based on assumption and hearsay. Lastly, there is no evidence of a vast racial conspiracy. The black community is notorious for its fragmented nature and black people rarely strive to do anything as a group.
Re:Police thugs (Score:5, Insightful)
I don't disagree with this, they should be policed more rigorously than the general public, and they usually are. If a cop comes under investigation for a crime, it is a lot more likely to make it to Court than if it is a private citizen, at least in Canada anyways.
Wow, that is certainly not the case in the US. In my state we actually have special exemptions in our handgun laws for police officers because normal people convicted of domestic violence are not allowed to carry concealed pistols... but so many police officers have such a conviction, they made sure to exempt them. My brother used to be a cop. When pulled over for excessive speeding, the police saw he was a cop, chatted a bit, and let him go with no mention of the speeding, not even a warning. I suppose a lot of that falls under the category of police not being investigated when they are likely suspects in crimes, but in general the police are not policed well in the US.
Re:Police thugs (Score:5, Insightful)
I don't disagree with this, they should be policed more rigorously than the general public, and they usually are. If a cop comes under investigation for a crime, it is a lot more likely to make it to Court than if it is a private citizen, at least in Canada anyways. The best solution to this problem is to allocate more money to police budget so that you have more people wanting to become police officers (since now you'll have an actual benefit to the amount of work they have to do) and can be pickier with who you choose.
Are you kidding me? You want to pay them MORE?? Are you insane?
Here is what happens.
1. Cops do something terrible. (Tazer a man to death, shoot an unarmed man at point blank range, raid the wrong house and shoot grandma, dump a quadriplegic out of his wheelchair, etc.)
2. The police department starts an official investigation.
3. The officers are suspended with pay. This is in effect a paid vacation.
4. After several months the department concludes that no wrong doing took place.
5. Police officers involved in the incident return to work, and sometimes are even promoted.
I can cite case after case after case of this happening.. search google for "police cleared of wrong doing" .. it will make you sick.
Re:Police thugs (Score:5, Informative)
I'm curious how closely you've dealt with the Military. I used to work loss prevention for AAFES and I've gotten a pretty good glimpse into Military Justice. I'd say that if anything the majority of the time the Military is harder on their people than civilians. On top of all the punishments that come at a soldier from civilian court they face further discipline up to and including loss of their career for their actions.
If crimes are committed on post they may be relegated to the command to handle and commanders can issue punishments including loss of rank, loss of pay, confinement and separation from the military. If the crimes occur off post the civilian courts get first crack followed by the commanders.
I have to disagree that it's likely to be dismissed out of hand.
Thanks
Eric
Re:Police thugs (Score:5, Insightful)
Well, this is going to be based on what I can glean from the news, so it's biased at best, but just about all the cases involving the military that I can remember were pretty hard on the lower echelons but the people higher up almost always escaped real punishment.
Re:Police thugs (Score:5, Informative)
As a gun enthusiast myself and someone acquainted with a fair number of police officers, I will tell you that the average police officer doesn't have all that much interest in guns, either. Most cops shoot just enough to qualify (which doesn't involve much!) and don't know much about guns at all, including their own service weapons.
Generally speaking, though, you're right -- police officers tend to be blue collar (or light-blue-collar junior college types) and not terribly interested in making subtle distinctions.
But at the same time, having done ride-alongs and gotten to know some of them well enough, its easy to see why. There is a certain percentage of the population willing to believe that cops are always wrong and that crime is actually the rational response of the oppressed, the police bureaucracy in most larger departments is viciously political, and their job is entirely thankless.
Re:Fascist state (Score:5, Insightful)
There's an interesting documentary on the subject called V For Vendetta.
Re:Police thugs (Score:5, Insightful)
There should also be an effort made to ensure that the Police are in fact aware of what the laws are.
Re:Police thugs (Score:5, Insightful)
The only way law enforcement can truly hold any power over mind is if the command equal parts fear and admiration.
With this lack of discretion becoming more common, people are losing both.
Re:Police thugs (Score:5, Informative)
Case in point: I sold a car (on a trailer) to an off duty police officer. When I said I'd tow the car to his place because the registration wasn't current he said he could just drive it home. I pointed out the expired tags and he said, "It's OK, if I get pulled over I'll just Badge 'em."
I wish I were lying.
Re:Police thugs (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Police thugs (Score:4, Funny)
coastguard?
-homer
Re:Police thugs (Score:5, Funny)
We'll use the slashdot moderation system and let the public police the police that police the police.
What's great about this is that we already have a metamoderation system, so we can police the public that police the police that police the police.
Re:Police thugs (Score:5, Insightful)
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I have to disagree w/ your signature though. Taking guns out of the hands of law abiding citizens only lets criminals have a free reign.
Re:Police thugs (Score:5, Insightful)
You do realize this happened in the UK, right?
No federal government there. And no concept of by or for the people either.
Re:Police thugs (Score:5, Insightful)
*sigh*. Find a country that has more stringent gun control - but a higher gun-related crime-rate than USA, then maybe you'll have some credibility. Hell, I'd settle for a comparison between "crimes-thwarted-by-armed-joe-sixpacks" versus "crimes-committed-with-legally-purchased-guns" which favours the former situation (and no, don't tell me that the knowledge of armed victims scares would-be criminals into lawfulness, if it did you'd have less crime). Besides, any "law abiding citizen" can purchase a gun, and then become a "criminal" once they have it - it's not like would-be criminals are born with the word "DANGER" tattooed into their foreheads.
Re:Police thugs (Score:5, Insightful)
I was born here. I have every right to be here without consenting to any agreement whatsoever.
Re:Police thugs (Score:4, Insightful)
That only works if: A)There is somewhere else to go where a man can be free. B)The rules you originally consent to remain unchanged. Option A is kinda viable in rural Alaska and the Australian outback, but the careful databasing of all citizens is rapidly destroying that freedom of remoteness. You could practice civil disobedience an refuse to pay taxes to fund a standing army, but even living in the remote wilderness the IRS would track you down and make you submit. Option B doesn't hold true when when things regarded as inalienable rights, become the objects of steady erosion and obscurification. When the way the agreement document (The Constitution) reads and the way it is enacted are so very different, you may have consented to being governed, but you are not getting the government you consented to.
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
I suggest we stick with fact-based discussions.
Why start now?
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Who shall guard the guards?
A reference to the notorious Praetorian Guards.
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Come on man, just google for Latin to English translators.
It means "Anyone protection ipsos protection" according to the one I found. So, yah...pretty deep.
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They don't have guns, this is the UK
Re:Police thugs (Score:5, Informative)
Since when did our police not have guns? The unarmed bobby on a bicycle toting a whistle is very much a thing of the past.
As one unfortunate Brazillian man found out, our police have guns and they are all too happy to use them.
Re:Police thugs (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Police thugs (Score:5, Interesting)
Though, I do worry a bit about the highly trained specialist Firearms Unit shooting *eleven* dumdum bullets at the guy on a busy subway train. Three of the bullets actually missed at close range.
It doesn't sound like the work of a trained marksman, it's the sort of behaviour I would expect of a scared lunatic.
Re:Police thugs (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Police thugs (Score:5, Interesting)
Furthermore, some have suggested that the ridiculously gung-ho attitude displayed by the police on that day may in part be a result of having received counter-terrorism training from the Israelis, hardly renowned for respecting the civil rights of those they consider enemies of the state.
Of course, that hardly exonerates the officers in question, any more than 'we were obeying orders' exonerated Nazis.
Re:Police thugs (Score:4, Insightful)
He was shot by someone doing their job. If you're going to blame people, at least blame the right people. It was the superiors who made the mistake. If you're the member of a firearms squad and State Red is declared as you're running after a suspected terrorist who just got on a train, then you can hardly be blamed for shooting the person when he looks like he's about to blow himself up.
I'm not defending the intelligence services, but don't blame the person with the gun; blame the people who declared JCDM to be a threat that needed to be stopped.
[ Reference: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/629/629/7073125.stm [bbc.co.uk] ]
Re:Police thugs (Score:5, Insightful)
The person with the gun is the one that pulled the trigger.
Sure his superiors fucked up, and royally so.
But he was the one to make the call, and by the looks of it anybody with a coat on on a warm day is now subject to possible shootings by overzealous police officers.
I repeat, there was *0* and I really mean absolutely no evidence whatsoever that the person they were following was a terrorist. Whoever gets to follow the orders carries part of the blame, you can not be absolved for killing an innocent person by claiming to simply be doing your job, that sort of excuse went out the window a long long time ago, and for a very good reason.
The hand that pulls the trigger is connected to an arm that is connected to a brain, that is supposed to think for itself, not to blindly follow orders, especially not if they're coming from a group of people that have been known to err before.
The whole system of justice is based on evidence, that's not a thing to throw overboard lightly.
The person that was shot had not committed any crime, was not about to commit any crime, was not charged with any crime (regardless of whether they committed one), had no history of committing crimes that would require that person to be stopped with such force.
ESPECIALLY NOT TO BE SHOT IN THE HEAD FROM POINT BLANK RANGE.
Re:Police thugs (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Police thugs (Score:5, Informative)
yeah, well I have some news for you too, look at these two photos side by side and tell me if you can tell the difference:
http://www.theage.com.au/ffximage/2005/08/17/menezes_osman_wideweb__430x253.jpg [theage.com.au]
The guy on the left is the guy that got shot, the guy on the right is the guy they were looking for.
Some other guy a bit further below posted an excellent link to an article in the register that details just how screwed up the situation really was. This should have *NEVER* happened. Really, there is absolutely no excuse for it.
Police apprehend, they certainly do not kill before having a positive id.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
You are already lost to propaganda...
Labeling someone a terrorist, no matter how 'apt' the description is, does not really justify shooting an unarmed person several times at close range.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
I don't know how it is in the UK.
But in most the rest of Europe we do not have summarily public executions on just the suspicion of being a terrorist.
Re:Police thugs (Score:5, Insightful)
Yes, in the US i suppose you would expect to risk your life. At least if I should believe guys like you on ./, what I read in the newspapers and what we see in American movies and television shows.
I still hope it is a bit exaggerated, and not really representative for the majority of cases.
If not I feel truly sorry for your people.
In most of Europe (in fact most of the world) the police would chase after you but will not open fire unless you start shooting back at them. If they have reason to believe you are dangerous they will still warn you, usually several times before opening fire.
And at least in my country I know for a fact they have instructions to shoot to disable and not to kill.
After all we are not barbarians and have done away with the death penalty a long long time ago.
BTW: The man in question here was unarmed and had nothing to do with the terrorist attacks or any other criminal activities.
It has also been established that he never ran from the police as they initially claimed. The police later issued an official apology after this fact leaked to the press.
He did however resemble slightly the man they were looking for. So does a lot of people in London.
The fact of the case is that the police officers in question were jumping the gun in this case. Perhaps understandable after the bombings but that is a poor excuse.
If we surrender our rights, freedom and justice system because of the threat of terrorist then the terrorist have won and we may be safe but not free.
One should also remember that the terrorist threat might be spectacular and frightening but in reality it is relatively trivial.
Many many more people die every year in traffic accidents than are being killed by terrorist.
In fact there is a much higher probability that either of us will commit suicide than become victims of a terrorist attack.
It is a sorry state of affairs but people seems to have lost all perspective about this.
Re:Police thugs (Score:5, Informative)
The problem with Stockwell wasn't with one individual getting it wrong; it was the entire intelligence operation that couldn't communicate properly and panicked in the aftermath of the 7/7 bombings. The result was a tragic mistake.
I wouldn't call the people who shot Jean Charles de Menezes morons. He/They got the wrong man, but they followed a man who they thought was going to be a suicide bomber down into the Tube to stop him. That actually calls for a fair amount of bravery.
Of course, this might all be completely off-topic because according to The Times [timesonline.co.uk], the "policemen" might have actually been Special Forces Military Intelligence (the super secret SRR).
Although the anti-Police sentiments seem to be popular on Slashdot, my personal, limited experience with the UK Police has always been postive. I find that if you are polite and show them respect, and don't automatically take a defensive position, they tend to be absolutely fine. YMMV.
Re:Police thugs (Score:5, Insightful)
OK then you racist, authoritarian tosser, let me tear apart your idiotic rambling
1. His overstaying his visa has nothing to do with it. The punishment for that is not summary execution, outside your right-wing fantasies.
2. He was never given a warning to stop, you are simply lying. If you think otherwise, provide a credible claim for this source of stop pissing on the poor mans grave.
3. The idea that he ran in response to the presence of the police is absurd because the police who were tailing him were in plain clothes. He had no idea what was going on until they entered the carriage and murdered him. I challenge you to prove otherwise.
4. Shut the fuck up you BNP loving organ of the police state, and have some respect for an innocent victim of extreme police brutality.
Scum like you make me ashamed of Britian.
Re:Police thugs (Score:5, Informative)
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Hmmm
It is more accurate to state that the majority of Police officers in the UK do not carry guns. There are, of course, specially trained officers that do carry guns are part of the course of their normal duties.
Re:Police thugs (Score:5, Insightful)
I am older, and was raised to always trust a policeman.
As an adult, I rarely say this: My parents were wrong.
The Republic is now an Empire.. with the centurions carrying assault rifles
Rei Publicae Scutum no longer...
Re:Police thugs (Score:5, Insightful)
I am older, and was raised to always trust a policeman.
As an adult, I rarely say this: My parents were wrong.
The Republic is now an Empire.. with the centurions carrying assault rifles
when I traveled to the UK, many years ago, I ran into the same sentiment - that 'ask a friendly policeman on the corner' if you need help or have a question. nice friendly guys (....)
that ship has sailed. now, the current wisdom is to never talk to cops (2) [youtube.com] never talk to cops (1) [youtube.com]
this is BOTH a copy AND a lawyer giving this advice!
clearly, they are not anymore representing 'the will of the people'. they are anti-freedom and you would be best advised to consider the huge risk by even talking to them, even if you are innoncent. a slip of a casual word CAN be used against you and there is never ever 'off the record' when you talk to cops.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
when I traveled to the UK, many years ago, I ran into the same sentiment - that 'ask a friendly policeman on the corner' if you need help or have a question. nice friendly guys (....)
that ship has sailed. now, the current wisdom is to never talk to cops (2) [youtube.com] never talk to cops (1) [youtube.com]
Wow, you are completly misrepresenting those videos. Neither one says anything about not talking with the neighbourhood police. If you are a witness, victim or simply have a question they don't apply.
The videos specifically address the issue of being a suspect or in a position where you can become a suspect. In that kind of situation you shouldn't volunteer anything freely as it is never in your own interest to do so. Instead just shut up, repeat your rights, be polite and call a lawyer. That is just simple
Re:Police thugs (Score:5, Insightful)
go watch BOTH, videos, dude. its a cop AND a lawyer. no, its not someone who THINKS they are a lawyer, its the real deal and he's giving valid legal advice.
if you don't believe him, why would you reject the cop's view - it ALSO echo's the same thing. he goes into detail about how they are TRAINED to probe you for info and even an innocent statement can hang you by the 'nads.
this is not 'an interesting video' it should be REQUIRED READING/WATCHING in civics class. people must be taught that the state is now to be held with strong distrust. in fact, that was some of the basic operational concepts in the founding of america!
Re:Police thugs (Score:5, Insightful)
Comment removed (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Police thugs (Score:5, Informative)
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Fredy Villanueva, Montreal.
yeah, moral of the story is if you're a teen don't play dice outside, or else expect to be shot dead by cops when they come to harass you for making the grave mistake of not being born white.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Police thugs (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Police thugs (Score:5, Informative)
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Nothing in TFA indicates whether or not the raid was justified, but it is pretty clear that the group's ownership of the game was not the cause of the raid.
Re:Police thugs (Score:5, Interesting)
it's just not a good enough reason to "hate the police."
I'm not going to go on my typical police rant, but this is not an isolated incident, but a general pattern of behavior seemingly for police everywhere.
I know a LOT of police. I have a step brother who is head of a police union. I have plenty of stories.
The police almost NEVER come to your door to "help" you. Even if they save your life, keep your mouth shut. In Boston the last few years we've had fairly peaceful celebrations after some sports wins, and the police are leading the homicide and injury count.
In dorchester and southie (Boston, MA) under-achievers became criminals or cops. The cops are worse.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Why not? They are given power and responsibility beyond a normal citizen. They should be held to a higher standard.
Re:Police thugs (Score:4, Insightful)
Atheil said: That being said, I do agree that it is ridiculous that they took the board game, it's just not a good enough reason to "hate the police."
May I credit you as the inspiration for the Atheil Doctrine?
The Atheil Doctrine
The probability that the police are considered trustworthy, professional, and "not worth hating" is inversely proportional to whether you've been the recipient of police criminal behavior, misconduct, or overzealousness.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Agreed. There may be many good police, but you only need a few bad ones...
The main problem with giving police discretionary powers is that many police have no discretion.
Re:Police thugs (Score:5, Informative)
I refrain from a rant, but the more police I meet, the more I hate the police.
I don't. Refrain, I mean; here's my rant from January- Police State: In USSA, cops hassle YOU! [slashdot.org] The police ought to serve a good purpose, protecting us from robbers, thieves, rapists, murderers, etc. But all too often the police themselves are the villians [illinoistimes.com]. The last link is about a cop here in central Illinois who was charged with 49 felonies including one count of obstructing justice, three counts of criminal sexual abuse, seven counts of criminal sexual assault, seven counts of armed violence, 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault, and 21 counts of official misconduct. He plead guilty to TWO MISDEMEANORS and got off. Anybody else would have been behind bars for the rest of their lives.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
I'm all for highlighting examples of police corruption and brutality, but that second article you linked to raises more questions about the prosecution than the cop involved. Seems like something especially shady was going on (especially with the possible FBI investigation into the prosecutor).
Re:Police thugs (Score:5, Informative)
To be fair, from TFA:
"The satirical board game was confiscated along with knives, chisels and bolt cutters, from climate protesters during a series of raids near Kingsnorth power station, in Kent, last week."
The game was one of the items they took along with the real dangerous stuff. They were presumably caught planning a break-in to a power plant (the article is scant on important details, and chooses to focus on the board game). It's still kind of stilly that they took the game, but realizing that they had knived and devices intended to break into and probably sabotage a power plant puts a whole different perspective on the situation. I would chalk it more up to police officers being overcautious (or clueless) and siezing anything that could possibly be considered evidence of their intentions. Had they has other baclavas, they probably would have siezed those as well).
Re:Police thugs (Score:5, Insightful)
"The real dangerous stuff" is "...knives, chisels and bolt cutters..."
I have all of those in my home, too. Along with even more dangerous stuff like shovels, hedge clippers, wire cutters, electronics tools, chemicals, an axe, a lawnmower and a couple of rakes.
I also have a good deal of satirical materials, including a card game about Nuclear War.
And I've even been involved in "climate protests" - there are even pictures of me online before the Iraq invasion carrying a mass-made sign proclaiming "Go solar, not ballistic".
Yet, it's never even occurred to me to try to "break into and probably sabotage a power plant". Not even when I lived near one.
Perhaps I'm safe because I don't own a balaclava?
Re:Police thugs (Score:4, Insightful)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Ironic in so many ways... (Score:5, Insightful)
One of which is that this is great publicity for the game and will surely increase sales.
Re:Ironic in so many ways... (Score:5, Interesting)
Deserved publicity. I've played this several times and it's a great game. Never fails to cause humorous infighting with plenty of obvious parallels with current world politics. I'd highly recommend it to anyone with a sense of humour who likes Risk.
Free Publicity (Score:4, Funny)
They need another card. (Score:5, Insightful)
They need the "Police in free country crack down on their own people for idiotic reasons and abusing their authority thereby turning free country into a less-free country thereby aiding the terrorists" card.
Re:They need another card. (Score:5, Insightful)
They need the "Police in free country crack down on their own people for idiotic reasons and abusing their authority thereby turning free country into a less-free country thereby aiding the terrorists" card.
Actually, that's how the terrorist player wins the game.
Re:They need another card. (Score:5, Insightful)
That's kinda long-winded. How about an "Idiots Elected" card instead?
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
If you honestly don't see a qualitative difference between the idiocy of the current administration and (just to keep it non-partisan) that of his father's, you really should give up both voting and handling sharp objects.
Re:They need another card. (Score:4, Interesting)
I don't understand? (Score:5, Funny)
Why would you wear a dessert on your head? I mean I can see it if the game was like "Spin the bottle" or something of that ilk...
fashion statement (Score:5, Funny)
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If you can afford to ski, you can afford to buy something better than a scratchy knit hat with face holes in it. I don't think I've ever seen anyone wearing one while skiing, and that includes historical pictures. And besides, the pair of eye holes isn't shaped well for accommodating the kind of ski mask I have seen a lot of. The kind that is polarized and/or tinted. More often called "goggles."
Make a list (Score:3, Interesting)
-Any article of clothing
-Towels
-Sheets
-Paper Bags
-Ski masks
-My Hands
Re:Make a list (Score:4, Funny)
Shhhh ... he hasn't figured that out yet. :-P
Cheers
Context, context (Score:5, Informative)
If the police seize a pack of ladies' stockings from your home, that's absurd. If they seize a crate of ladies' stockings, bank plans, and a toy gun from your car outside a bank, that's reasonable.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Not if the bank is in a row of shops containing a toyshop and a lingerie store,
Context (Score:5, Informative)
Here's the thing: a bunch of people were protesting by chaining themselves to gates and generally impeding operations at a power station. The police came along, hauled them off, and took away the tools they were using. Knives, chisels, bolt cutters, and balaclavas.
It's got nothing to do with balaclavas being illegal, any more than bolt cutters are illegal. It's got nothing at all to do with the game itself. It's the fact that the masks were being used in the process of shutting down a power station.
Did anybody spot that most of the article was dedicated to describing the game and its distribution hopes, as if it were a game review, while the confiscation itself got just a single sentence in the article? This is a fucking advert. The creators, from Cambridge, heard about it, and got their mate at the local paper, in Cambridge to write about it as a favour. This is a local paper, and the event the article is supposed to be talking about happened in Kent, 100 miles away.
Re:Context (Score:4, Informative)
Sounds plausible, but no. The Cambridge News article [cambridge-news.co.uk] is actually a word-for-word re-print of a story in The Independent [independent.co.uk], a national newspaper. The Indie published 2 days earlier, if you check the dates. And the Cambridge News didn't attribute the story. Naughty.
Unless these publishers of War on Terror have got some really cool pals in the UK national press, it looks like a sense of whimsy, local colour, and what looks a lot like a penchant for plagiarism are the real reasons behind the publication of this article.
Re:Context (Score:4, Interesting)
Here's the thing: a bunch of people were protesting by chaining themselves to gates and generally impeding operations at a power station.
Your citation for this? Climate Camp [climatecamp.org.uk] was a peaceful legal protest from everything I have read.
Yes, you are right that this is more an issue of the protest than the board game - the article is rather misleading to miss this out. But last time I looked, police confiscating things because they don't like what you are protesting about is just as worrying a thing, if not more so.
The actions of the police have been criticised by politicans (one MEP was at the event) [guardian.co.uk]
Also see:
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/08/405874.html [indymedia.org.uk]
http://www.hippyshopper.com/2008/08/climate_camp_a_report_from_the_front_line.html [hippyshopper.com]
Unless you have evidence that the board game was seized as part of crimes committed, please refrain from spreading misinformation about "shutting down a power station", and making the "protester == illegal" assumption.
(Personally I don't have a strong opinion on the issues being protested either way, but I do have concerns about police action, and I was alerted to these events from a friend who was present as a Legal Observer and witnessed these events.)
Bloody pigs (Score:5, Interesting)
The UK police are a serious threat to liberty, and I say this as someone who used to work for them.
They are monumentally petty, generally taking the view that who they arrest should be based on who they don't like the look of rather than who has done something wrong, and then sort out the crime they are to be charged with later.
A common method is to approach people whose appearance suggests poverty (normally written down as "looking suspicious), and intimidating them until they do something that could be construed as resisting arrest or assaulting the officer, then haul them away and throw them in a cell.
They then whinge about having to do loads of 'paperwork' which basically translates to 'its difficult to pin crimes on everybody we haul in'. Having been on the paperwork end of policing I can safely say that if someone has be caught for a specific crime (rather than hauled in for wearing a tracksuit and leaned on) then it isn't hard to get them convicted.
The majority of policing in the city I worked in (where I saw every file that went through the local magistrates court, albeit briefly in most cases) consisted of protecting the property of city businesses, banging up drunks, and bullying chavs.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
A working class stereotype, roughly equivalent to 'white trash' in the US I think.
The stereotype involves a person wearing sportswear, cheap jewelry, burberry caps, and being unemployed. They are supposed to spend their days drinking and doing drugs, and supplement their government benefits by committing petty crime.
Obviously, this view makes them a target for the police. Equally obviously, the reality of the British working class is much more complex and not so totally scummy.
Many people I have met whose d
Also there are restrictions on the spinner device (Score:5, Funny)
Technically the spinner is a munition, developed specifically for US intelligence.
More information on the game (Score:4, Informative)
The official site [waronterro...rdgame.com] seems to be slashdotted, but there's plenty of info at the Board Game Geek entry for the game [boardgamegeek.com].
Article misses the point completely (Score:4, Informative)
This isn't about police confiscating some stupid board game, which TFA practically reads like an advert for.
This is about far more widespread use of police powers to harass and intimidate demonstrators protesting the planned construction of a new coal fired power station near Kingsnorth in Kent.
There was a large, week long "climate camp" attended by around 1000-2000 people near the site. Police used intimidatory tactics such as blanket stop and search of anyone approaching the site (with confiscation of such dangerous items as penknives, children's crayons, and apparently board games) there were night-time raids on the camp, confiscation of food supplies and bicycles, low flying helicopters over the camp at night, etc. etc.
On the final day of the "camp" there was a march to the gates of the existing power station, after about an hour at the gates the police announced via megaphone from a helicopter that the march would be over at 1 pm; and threatened the use of dogs and riot batons against anyone who remained, as well as arrest under section 14 of the public order act.
Some people did break into the power station in an attempt to make their point, I don't want to pretend that no laws were broken, but the protest was entirely non-violent. The police response was disproportionate, and designed to intimidate protesters rather than uphold the law.
All in all the police spent some £3 million intimidating a group of entirely peaceful, and largely law abiding people exercising their democratic right to protest.
The powers granted to the police under recent criminal justice and terrorism legislation passed by the Labour government are sweeping, and disturbing for anyone who believes in little things like freedom of assembly. Most people don't really realise the extent of it until they do something the government disapproves of, the media don't really make a fuss, and so public protest is practically non-existent. Given the total lack of public awareness of or response to these incidents I think it's likely things are going to get far worse for anyone who dares challenge authority in Britain. That's what we should be talking about, not making light of the situation by focusing on some inane story about a board game.
Forget the balaclava! (Score:4, Informative)
Following a series of raids on the climate change camp near Kingsnorth power station, officers displayed an array of supposed weapons snatched from demonstrators: knives, chisels, bolt cutters, a throwing star â" and a copy of the satirical game, which lampoons Washington's "war on terror".
Okay, making off with the balacalva, I get it. Maybe taking the board game as well, because it's a whole set, sure. Making off with them, then displaying the board game as part of the success story?! Are you kidding me? At what point does "satirical board game" become a serious part of the investigation?
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Here's an article with pic [independent.co.uk] of the police displaying the confiscated "War on Terror" boardgame. Here's the BBC version [bbc.co.uk].
Again, what's with the "signed tag" (Score:3, Interesting)
What's a Balaclava? (Score:3, Informative)
I had no idea what the word meant.
Of course we can look it up - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balaclava_(clothing) [wikipedia.org]
The answer is that a balaclava is what I normally think of as a "ski mask". Covers the face.
Re:John McCain: Warmonger Part 2 +1, Helpful (Score:4, Funny)
John McCain has a comprehensive economic plan that will create millions of good American jobs, ensure our nation's energy security, get the government's budget and spending practices in order, and bring relief to American consumers. Click to learn how the McCain Economic Plan will help bring reform, prosperity and peace to America. Read More... [johnmccain.com]
Straight Talk Express, here I come!
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
I have my fingers crossed, though it would be very nice to see an independent win.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
No, this [wikipedia.org] is the definition of Irony