Poll: Do you think we'll see an assassination on a major political leader in our time?

[SpectacularWebHead]

I wouldn't be surprised if Obama was shot as he was re-elected again.

I'm not saying I want him to be but considering the damage he's caused and people are wanting him out of office who knows what could happen.

As a Non-American all I see a man wanting to make some (not all of them) decent changes but is constantly pushed back by a system too ingrained in corruption to change for the better, the end result is even more suffering from the clash of interests of the people vs interests of the profit.

Corporate lobbying is legal bribing and the MOST dangerous thing to your country to me, you people hardly get a say in the matter in most Legislation decisions.
Land of the FREE my ass

Killing him wont change a thing only make it WORSE with the global and State wide panic this would cause. you should have made this poll about DICTATORS that could be be assassinated instead

The general consensus of everyone outside america is "Why the fuck don't we get to have obama?" And to be honest, every complaint I have heard is either bollocks or untrue. Most of the criticism obama is facing are things that, if you do a little research into, Aren't actually correct. But their must have been some kind of get together, because the shear amount of the same criticisms you hear from various sources makes the entire thing seem credible.

 

[Jaeke]

Oh i thought it said "Poll: Do you think we'll see an ass of a major political leader in our time." I was just gonna say...

Look around?

OT: Well it happens a lot, it's just not something we typically see in the U.S. but if you mean in the U.S. and other first-world major political powers, it's not impossible for it to happen, I mean it'd be tough with all the security of modern-day society but it could happen.

 

[Tilted_Logic]

To be honest, I'm amazed it doesn't happen more often. Not just to political people... But anyone in general. In the grand scope of things (at least here in Canada) people seem to have such restraint. Even something as simple as an arsonist. Anytime I pass a forest it makes me realize just how easy it'd be for someone with the will to toss a match or light a fire and watch the blaze.

I am in no way saying I support or feel the urge to do any of this, it just occurs to me how easy it could be for terrible things to happen, and the fact that they don't (well, too often) is cause for appreciation.

As for political leaders? I really don't know how hard it'd be for someone with the will and the capability to do something like that. I know many people disliked Bush, and he's still kicking.

Well you could educate yourself on forest fires, the forests of North America NEEDS those fires and the naturally happen from lighting strikes and have had periodic fires for millions of years. Forests need fires every couple decades to clear the small bushes, the large trees survive the fire, but only if there is a small amount of brush. The problem is forest fires have been prevented so well for over a century the brush has built up so thick that any fire would completely destroy all trees from the intensity of large amount of brush burning. Human involvement in trying to prevent fires have meant fires when they DO come will be worse than ever and completely destroy even the large trees, and the fire-fighters cannot prevent.

The "Only you can prevent forest fires" is a lie. No one can prevent lighting strikes which are common over vast areas of forest.

Now forestry services are practising controlled burns through really every couple decades, every forest should have a fire burning the small amount of brush - so low intensity - to clear and leave the trees. But it's arguably too late now. And human interact with the environment in completely different way from pre-Columbian North America.

You couldn't just "burn down a forest" but discarding a match. The forestry services are very good (arguably TOO good) at containing forest fires not by extinguishing the fire but by cutting it off with firewalls in the forest.

It was just an example, and you're missing my point. I'm well aware fires are a healthy part of the cycle of regrowth, what I'm talking about is how easy it'd be for anyone with an interest to start fires, even if they get stunted after the fact. This applies for anywhere: bushes in a yard, house fires, etc. You don't hear about many failed attempts of arson up here, which stands to reason that most people don't try it.

And that's my point. The fact that things could happen, so easily, but they don't.

 

[algalon]

3. Didn't the 9/11 hijackers want to fly an airplane into the White House?

This. Flight 93. That's about as close as I want to see in my lifetime. As stated before, all of these claims about Obama don't mean jack once you actually do some research rather than believing everything Fox News or the local teabaggers chapter tells you. If I had a drink for every time that the republican congress has filibustered a progressive bill supported by Obama I'd have died from alcohol poisoning long ago. They disagree with him just to disagree with him. They wreck our economy just so he'll look bad. In order to get anything useful done, Obama has to use executive acts rather than rely on the legislative branch to be sensible.

 

[munkyforce]

Already have, Yitzhak Rabin Prime Minister of Israel back in 1995.

 

[TheNamlessGuy]

DELETED

 

[cybran]

Seriously though? I'm not sure. That's the thing about assassinations, they're usually characterized by their unexpectedness.[/quote

Why doesnt the guy with the assualt rifle have a magazine in his weapon ?

 

[Fractral]

I wouldn't be surprised if Obama was shot as he was re-elected again.

I'm not saying I want him to be but considering the damage he's caused and people are wanting him out of office who knows what could happen.

As a Non-American all I see a man wanting to make some (not all of them) decent changes but is constantly pushed back by a system too ingrained in corruption to change for the better, the end result is even more suffering from the clash of interests of the people vs interests of the profit.

Corporate lobbying is legal bribing and the MOST dangerous thing to your country to me, you people hardly get a say in the matter in most Legislation decisions.
Land of the FREE my ass

Killing him wont change a thing only make it WORSE with the global and State wide panic this would cause. you should have made this poll about DICTATORS that could be be assassinated instead

The general consensus of everyone outside america is "Why the fuck don't we get to have obama?" And to be honest, every complaint I have heard is either bollocks or untrue. Most of the criticism obama is facing are things that, if you do a little research into, Aren't actually correct. But their must have been some kind of get together, because the shear amount of the same criticisms you hear from various sources makes the entire thing seem credible.

My dad told me that, in Americans who have lived in another country for an extended period of time, then gone back to america, the vast majority decide to vote Democrat. No source unfortunately, so make of it what you will. Personally, I don't really care who runs america as long as the crazies don't start influencing other countries, and for the most part republicans seem to do an okay job of being government, when they're not trying to run Obama into the ground.
OT: Yeah, probably. I don't count Gadaffi, as he wasn't exactly assasinated, more executed. Chances are, in the 70 odd years I'm supposed to have left to live, some political figure will be assasinated.

 

[viranimus]

Personally I dont know about an assasination attempt, but I think if Romney is elected it could possibly be the catalyst of a potential second civil war. Not specifically to follow behind Obama but simply that the US cannot bear the weight of another republican president who is clearly just going to keep with the status quo and has no clue about the public who he is seeking to represent.

 

[Sean Steele]

Well there are a ton of developed countries, and not all of them are known for an extreemly delighted with their political leadership. so it seems likely that eventually a bang bang badguy might try to bang bang podium guy.

 

[Treblaine]

It was just an example, and you're missing my point. I'm well aware fires are a healthy part of the cycle of regrowth, what I'm talking about is how easy it'd be for anyone with an interest to start fires, even if they get stunted after the fact. This applies for anywhere: bushes in a yard, house fires, etc. You don't hear about many failed attempts of arson up here, which stands to reason that most people don't try it.

And that's my point. The fact that things could happen, so easily, but they don't.

OK, nothing personal but untruths oft-repeated without correction soon are given undue weight as "well I heard it everywhere".

As to comparing Canada with America, Canada has 1/10th the population. If there was the same rate in population of arsonists, you'd hear about them in America 10x more often than in Canada, to the point of making it seem like there are none north of the border. Also, "hearing about it" says nothing for actual figures nor considering other factors.

It being physically easy to commit crimes takes a view of society that is in utter contradiction of the way it could ever work. Society and civilisation work because there IS a barrier stopping everyone starting fires, and it is in our minds. Groups that did not have the inhibition soon found their group is splintered and everyone alone and vulnerable to nature. It is the extreme exception, from extremely dysfunctional individuals who spontaneously commit arson. Though some are by individuals who through dysfunctional reasoning conclude they "deserve it" like that some guy they 'reckon' is a sex criminal, they should go burn his house down.

People don't go burning down houses as the danger of being found out is so high where they will lose everything. And even at the fundamental level they know they wouldn't like their house burned down so it would be unfair to burn theirs down. That if they start a trend of houses being burned down theirs will be next.

 

[Ekit]

It's already happened.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Olof_Palme

But if you're thinking of something more current, then no. The security is too good and a majority of people in the developed world trust in democracy.

 

[Joseph Harrison]

A fact often overlooked in this era with the collective memory of a goldfish is that "our lifetime" is quite a while.

In the US already it's hitting a rough average of an assassination every 50 years (4 assassinated presidents, 200 years existence). Throw all the other developed nations into the mix, and I would be genuinely surprised if I don't get to see one.

You seem to forget that three of those assassinations occurred in a fifty year period (Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley). Don't estimate that there will be an assassination because there hasn't been one an awhile.

I do agree that we will probably see one in our lifetime, the world is vast and none here is probably older than 40, but since the tumultuous 60's, 70's and 80's, assassinations and assassination attempts have died down. I think that terrorism is the new way of striking fear into peoples hearts nowadays.

 

[Olas]

Ya, probably several, there are lots of crazies in the world and it only takes one crazy with a gun and a clear opening to make it happen.
Still, assassins should realize that killing a political leader turns them into a martyr for their cause and makes those who oppose their cause seem more like the badguys.

 

[FoolKiller]

So, simply, I've been watching quite a bit of TV and film recently and some of them have had major political leaders (mainly the president of the US) either being assassinated or had their has been an attempted assassination at least.

So I pose a question to my fellow Escapists, just as an interesting thought. Do you think we shall see a major political leader be assassinated, a JFK moment if you will, or do you believe that the leaders are too well protected nowadays for anything like that to happen?

P.S By major political leader, I mean leaders of developed countries. So your Obamas, Merkels, Camerons and so on. I figure in the less developed nations, something like the head of state is much more likely.

And...discuss.

EDIT: Changed the title from Head Of State to major political leader as it makes more sense with what I have said in the OP

Umm... how young are you?

1984 - Indira Gandhi
1995 - Yitzhak Rabin
2007 - Benezir Bhutto

These were the really big ones, but there were other significant ones and lets not even get into the attempts. From Reagan to George W. to John Major and even the previous Pope (yes, he's also a major politcal figure) had attempts made on their lives. So while it may be an interesting thing to speculate on, I think you haven't been paying attention to the world around you.

 

[Tilted_Logic]

OK, nothing personal but untruths oft-repeated without correction soon are given undue weight as "well I heard it everywhere".

To be fair, I never said fires were a bad thing in my original post, I was just stating the potential for them to be started is there. A match is far-fetched then, but anyone with enough of a maniacal trait could get one going.

As to comparing Canada with America, Canada has 1/10th the population. If there was the same rate in population of arsonists, you'd hear about them in America 10x more often than in Canada, to the point of making it seem like there are none north of the border. Also, "hearing about it" says nothing for actual figures nor considering other factors.

It being physically easy to commit crimes takes a view of society that is in utter contradiction of the way it could ever work. Society and civilisation work because there IS a barrier stopping everyone starting fires, and it is in our minds. Groups that did not have the inhibition soon found their group is splintered and everyone alone and vulnerable to nature. It is the extreme exception, from extremely dysfunctional individuals who spontaneously commit arson. Though some are by individuals who through dysfunctional reasoning conclude they "deserve it" like that some guy they 'reckon' is a sex criminal, they should go burn his house down.

People don't go burning down houses as the danger of being found out is so high where they will lose everything. And even at the fundamental level they know they wouldn't like their house burned down so it would be unfair to burn theirs down. That if they start a trend of houses being burned down theirs will be next.

I can understand and appreciate the insight into the subject, but I'm still talking on a broader scale. I was using arson as merely an example among many: murder, animal abuse, less drastic things such as breaking windows, smashing mailboxes... general damage to property.

I'm aware society coexists as well as it does because of the metal barriers, but you must agree that there are many people with minds deficient in that sort of understanding.

For many people passing through an area far enough away from anything precious to them, what's the harm in doing some damage? That's the mindset I'm viewing it in; the fact there are so many opportunities to do severe damage without consequence (assuming they're not being caught).

And yet it doesn't happen.

I use Canada as my example because it's the country I'm most familiar with. I hear news from America all the time, and it absolutely blows me away how vile and insane some of the crimes are. In comparison, yes, we have a much smaller population, but it only takes one person to cause havoc.

And again, that's my point. Just the fact that if someone wanted to, they could do severe damage to property, people, etc. The fact the potential could be so easily there, but there's restraint on such a grand scale, when certainly there are people out there with mental instabilities that could encourage such behaviour.

My original post was simply trying to convey the fact that if someone had the desire and the mind to do something bad (even on such a scale as to egg someone's house), it could happen. I'm just appreciating the fact it doesn't; restraint and logic aside, there are people out there with no remorse. I'm finding solace in the fact that we don't see as much of an impact from them as we could.

 

[Grathius22]

To be honest, I'm waiting for the day a group of people walk into the House of Congress during an important session 'No Russian' style and just waste everyone there with machine guns.

I'm seriously surprised it hasn't happened in the past ten years considering how emotional people get about politics. Understandably, of course. Considering we're showing signs of possibly slipping into a Big - Brother state. But, that's not on topic...

 

[Chunga the Great]

we already did, just a year or so ago that leader , Father of two and loving husband was shot on his knees in his own home in front of his family by a government owned murder squad.
osama something? os was it saddam i cant remember

I lol'd.

OT: Not counting the ones that have already happened, yes.

 

[Ryotknife]

Yes. We already have. Gadaffi.

Quoted for truth...

Assassination: "Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons.""

So, that is what we saw in Libya when Qadaffi was murdered by his opposition...

Yes, killed by his POLITICAL OPPOSITION! It wan't personal. He was killed for his politics.

By your own definition he was assassinated.

ehhhh

it probably got pretty personal towards the end due to all of the bombing, shelling, and whatnot.

 

[Jamash]

What about the Tuscon shooting last year?

A Congresswoman and a Federal Judge may not be "major political leaders" as such, but that doesn't really detract from the assassination attempt and the people who died during it.

Anyway, it's already happened many times in my lifetime, even in my own country.

During the 80's the IRA blew up a hotel that the Government were having a conference at and in the 90's they attacked Downing Street with a mortar salvo in another assassination attempt on the PM and Cabinet.

Then you have the numerous other "lesser" politicians and military leaders attacked and assassinated in terrorist actions during The Troubles.

Also in my lifetime are the aforementioned assassinations/attempts of/on Regan, Pope John Paul II, Ghandi, Rabin, Bhutto.

This kind of shit happens all the time, but some people will only take notice if it happens to a President or other top tier leader, when in fact political assassination is serious at any level whether it succeeds or not.