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@Spencermon: Before the serious stuff... you welded and built your own hardtail frame? That’s awesome. I’m saving up vacation time and money with plans to attend one of the frame-building classes offered. I really enjoy mechanical work, but I don’t want to invest in the tools and jigs myself, so I figured taking a class to build a frame would be a great vacation. I like your point about how the video didn't cover how the officers should have acted. I should also say that I’m really disappointed in the militarization of the equipment and tactics used by our federal agencies and police departments. I agree with you that both parties are to blame; I wish Alex could have had his day in court instead of being killed. I also hope those officers stand trial for their actions and that it isn’t handled merely as an internal matter. I'm really big on taking personal responsibility and owning my actions. I blame my catholic upbringing and reading Extreme Ownership by Jocko sure didn't help. You gave me a lot to think about regarding the de-escalation the officers could have used. In every interaction I’ve had with LEOs, I’m always very polite and assume they will reciprocate that attitude. I also do it because I worry they can make my day much worse if they wish. There are two sayings I always keep in mind when dealing with LEOs: "Don't argue with a cop; argue in front of a judge." "You may beat the rap, but you’re going take the ride." Lastly, I really hope politicians on both sides stop using citizens and LEOs as pawns in whatever games they are playing. All of this could be avoided if they provided a simple and realistic path to citizenship.

@Spencermon: thank you as well I appreciate someone willing to talk. I’m going to keep pinkbike to bikes, but happy to read or watch something you send. Kinda mad at myself for bringing politics into a hobby I use to relax. With that what did you ride. I’m just a fat old guy that rides a TopFuel and Ripmo.

@Spencermon: It seems we may not reach an agreement on this matter. I do not believe his rights were violated, as he chose to interfere while ICE was acting legally. Consequently, I don't believe this situation meets your criteria regarding the duty of citizens to stand up to the government, as no constitutional rights were being infringed upon. Regardless of whether his firearm was holstered, entering a conflict while armed escalates the situation, and I don't believe he should have been there. I have included a link to an eight-minute video below that explains some of my reasoning. The speaker is very articulate and expresses my perspective well: https://youtu.be/QePoawDA_48?si=mRtLtceqMhbOTLey (https://youtu.be/QePoawDA_48?si=mRtLtceqMhbOTLey) I am happy to review anything you would like to share to help me better understand your point of view. I look forward to hearing from you.

@bgoldstone: What laws do you deem acceptable for a citizen to intervene and block law enforcement with deadly force? The answer is ZERO because that leads to anarchy. He should never have been there and put himself in that situation. How many times did he ignore lawful orders and resist before he was pepper-sprayed? How many times did he fight that resulted in him being thrown to the ground?

@Spencermon: I wish I lived in your black-and-white world. It’s obvious you don’t understand that the real world operates on nuance and context; like almost everything, the answer is 'it depends.' I can say with certainty that I’m blessed I haven't been put into a situation where I had to make a decision like that in a fraction of a second, like those officers had to do. If you have, I feel for you and will cede the point to your real-world experience. You still didn't answer my question. So let me ask it a little differently: What laws do you deem acceptable for a citizen to intervene and block law enforcement with deadly force?

@Spencermon: Alex should never have been there; he escalated the situation by carrying a deadly weapon. He had no business intervening in a law enforcement action. He created a situation that he should have avoided entirely—the best way to win a fight is to never get into one. The LEOs were not looking for a fight with Alex; he chose to fight them while breaking numerous state and federal laws. As for the question regarding multiple rounds: how many should they have fired, and are they expected to ask for compliance after every shot? Alex started a gunfight by entering a confrontation with a weapon, and he lost. plain and simple. Serious question for you: do you stop and confront police while they are making a traffic stop while you are carrying a firearm? I don’t; I mind my own business.

No, we don't. You’re leaning on a media-driven narrative that lacks both nuance and accuracy. Frankly, it comes across as both prejudicial and bigoted. Im assuming based on your post, that you claim Australia 'has its shit together,' but how do you reconcile that with the reality of the last few years? Between the totalitarian mandates and the extreme isolationism seen during COVID-19, the precedent for government overreach is already there. Furthermore, how can a country be considered stable when it's seeing a rise in targeted violence, such as recent attacks on the Jewish population? I suspect you’ll dismiss these as 'isolated incidents' that don't represent the state of the country. But at what point do these 'incidents' become a trend? It seems you're buying into a curated version of events designed by the media to drive engagement, rather than looking at the ground reality as a whole.

Carrying a firearm demands a level of restraint that most people never practice. It demands humility in situations where pride is begging for the wheel. It requires you to walk away from things that feel unfair, insulting, or enraging. Alex did none of that. He brought a gun to a fight, and that automatically makes it a gunfight. Whether you draw the weapon or not, having it on your person changes the math. It’s now a "deadly force" situation because that weapon is an option—one that could be used by you, or one that could be used against you. When you’re armed, you lose the luxury of losing your temper no matter how just you feel the cause is. Gunfights have deadly consequences. May God have mercy on Alex's soul, and may God have mercy on the officer who has to live with his actions.

I assumed I was the only ID-10-T that didn't get it after watching it once and need to watch video every time i wrap a set of bars.