God 
Students disappearing off the streets into unmarked vans isn’t a “scandal," it’s straight up terrorism and the media is too chicken-shit to say that.
Karl Auerbach@godpod The term of art in Solzhenitsyn's book "Gulag Archipelago" for the vehicle used in these snatch-and-grabs is "Black Maria".
Darlene Cypser@karlauerbach @godpod That was the term in the English-speaking word in the 19th century.
the gripe ibis@karlauerbach
[SELF-MODERATION: POST REMOVED BY USER]
@karlauerbach
i’ll try to think of a nicer way to say it. civility is so important, don't you think?
@thegarbagebird @godpod Well, I've been beaten by police and seen police murder a naked person, so I understand strong words. And I can understand the anger of those who have been on the receiving end of police and maga/white-nationalist/racist terrorism.
A big chunk of my extended family died at the hands of the Nazis in Germany and Poland.
(I am rather a fan of Emerson's comment about using words as hard as cannon balls. It is my sense that euphemisms lead to ambiguity and can fuel a dispute that shouldn't have happened in the first place. On the other hand, our words are almost always ambiguous so some explanatory words to clarify anticipated uncertainty can be useful as well.)
By-the-way, I once ran face-to-face, in the dar, with a person in a full dress KKK outfit, slapping an aluminum baseball bat against his palm. Scary!! (And I knew who it was - it was back stage on a play about Marcus Garvey that I was working on. And under the costume he was [and certainly still is] black.)
@karlauerbach oh I'm with you and emerson, when it comes to speaking with conviction, my difficulty is one of aim. when my blood is up i speak carelessly, which can also fuel disputes.
also i am prone to casual profanity which can be off-putting.
i am in the process of clarifying my thoughts, it may come to nothing worth saying.
@godpod