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TOE: Section 2: Chapters 10-15
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I have very mixed emotions about this whole section. There are a lot of parallels between events in this book and things that are going on in the US right now.
The militarization of the Police Force has been taken to the extreme of military forces being deployed to put down rioters.
I initially felt sympathy for the rioters, but there is obviously something deeper going on here. How did these people get military grade hardware? Some of them seem to be pretty well trained to use their weapons too.
There has to be something bigger going on here than we know at this point. I hope what really happened is revealed in the final part.
The biggest issue for me is Grayson's use of excessive force. However since we're in his head at the time it's hard for me to find fault in his actions. He and his unit were at risk of their lives against a force with impressive weaponry.
It's not a black and white issue. You can blame him for what he did, and he has some culpability despite being let off the hook. At the same time, the rioters (or whoever they really are) put those people at risk by using their homes to stage their ambush of soldiers.
I don't know whose side I'm on. Both sides are guilty, and both sides have reasons for their actions. Grayson nearly gets himself killed because he doesn't want to shoot a civilian, despite her being armed and shooting at him first.
What's really missing is the motivations behind the rioters. I hope we get that too.
Now off to space!
There really was no explanation for the competence and firepower of the rioters and I agree, I hope we find out the particulars. I didn't really have a problem with his response while they were under attack, very similar to current urban warfare. You can tell he has a military background. Some of the scenes were right out of Black Hawk Down.
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Rob wrote: "I don't know whose side I'm on. Both sides are guilty, and both sides have reasons for their actions. Grayson nearly gets himself killed because he doesn't want to shoot a civilian, despite her being armed and shooting at him first."You mean, the welfare rats of Detroit, a government-run slum, peopled by government-selected welfare recipients and under-supplied by the government resulting in them rioting which means the government sends in the government-controlled military. And all because the government is spending all it's money on outrageously expensive terra-forming operations so that they can expand faster than the government's enemies.
I have no idea who Kloos sees as the bad guy here. :)
I'm hoping we will get explanations for how well supplied the rioters were, whether it's returning soldiers (although we're told there aren't any) or the SRC is hitting the NAC's weak spot.
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But maybe my view of the world just conflicts with the author's so much that I had a harder time with the situation than he intends.
I agree that what happened in Detroit was highly controversial. This part of the book read quite well, but wasn't very pleasant. I just kept hoping Greyson would get a transfer ASAP. This version of future Earth was grim. How could they afford space colonies if people back home had to live in such crappy conditions, with no chances at having a normal job?
That's why they can afford space colonies. No money being spent at home.
Please keep all discussion and speculation to the events of Chapters 10-15.
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Please do not discuss events from later sections/books. Referring back to events from a previous section is fine.