Originally Posted By sherrytodd <--- Believes in and upholds the Constitutional freedom to curse at any household fixture.
Originally Posted By jonvn "Police have a lot of personal discretion" Then they apparently don't use it.
Originally Posted By jonvn "People, get a clue! A law is always a law." You would have made a great nazi. Lets round up the jews, it's the law.
Originally Posted By jonvn No, it is the exactly correct thing to say. You just don't blindly follow "the law." The defense that people were just following orders, or following the law did not fly at Nurmemburg, and does not fly now. Just because something is a law does not make it right nor just. That is a blind and ruinous path to take if we want to have a government of the people, and not of a tyrannical government.
Originally Posted By SingleParkPassholder And continuing to compare cops to Nazis gives you zip credibility on this issue.
Originally Posted By jonvn It is that sort of attitude that allows a society to slip into a totalitarian regime. Which we are. With power crazy cops making the papers day after day, and no one bothering to care because it hasn't affected them, yet. What we are doing is making the police in this country stronger and stronger, and militarizing them in the process. Eventually, people are going to wake up and say "What happened to my rights," and you'll be laughed at and told you don't have any. And you won't.
Originally Posted By SingleParkPassholder If you really knew what you're talking about, you'd realize the exact opposite is happening with police department. More and more, independent police commissions are stripping cops of most of their operating tools necessary for the job. Do a little bit of research on the LAPD and Chief William Bratton's ongoing battles with the local police commission, just to cite one example. He's constantly doing mea culpas and finding he has to revise procedures to be less confrontational and combative and more "service oriented". Ever since he came here from New York, Bratton's been amazed at how much say this civilian panel has over him and how they've had to do so many policy retreats. Conversely, look up recent LA County Sheriffs' deaths and read about Jerry Ortiz, a gang unit officer. He was knocking on a door after a homicide when from out of nowhere the suspect he was looking for put a bullet in the back of Ortiz' head in broad daylight at close range. Following protocol, knocking, announcing himself, and waiting for someone to come to the door is what got him killed. But go ahead and paint a broad brush over an entire profession because of a few bad apples. It makes it easier for you to avoid real knowledge on the subject.
Originally Posted By jonvn "More and more, independent police commissions are stripping cops of most of their operating tools necessary for the job." I guess that's why they are tasering people for basically no reason. "But go ahead and paint a broad brush" Yes, I will. Because while I have no problems with the police doing what they need to do to arrest murder suspects, the police still have to figure out that selling pot is not the same as murder, either. On a daily basis we here of more and more cops flat out going power crazy and throwing people in jail for basically nothing. The laws in this country are set up in such a way that the entire population has been criminalized. They can find something to pin on you no matter what. From laws such as "lying to a police officer" to behaviors such as tasering handcuffed women, to putting pepper spray in the eyes of girls having a sit in and not behaving violently, we are seeing more of these things pop up and it's not a good trend.
Originally Posted By barboy "And continuing to compare cops to Nazis gives you zip credibility on this issue." You tried to discredit jonvn and I see right through it-- what a cowardly and defensive thing to write because you know damn well(or should know)what jonvn is actually saying but you posted that anyway. jonvn's position can be expressed by: A lance corporal has a duty to disobey a direct unjust order issued by a superior(like killing unarmed civilians). A cop should not enforce a law which is absurd, unfair or flat out terrible public policy(like busting someone down for a victimless "crime"). The district attorney's office should never pursue child support collections on an individual whom they know is indeed NOT the "biodad".(and no this is not a personal shot at you Pass since I have no idea if it even applies to you--- I really hope that you're not involved in that disgusting practice though) In short ethics, righteousness and fairness should always trump legal responsibility/job descriptions/public policy.
Originally Posted By SingleParkPassholder Again, generalizations and broad brushes from someone with no real or intimate knowledge.
Originally Posted By jonvn I don't need intimate knowledge of police procedures, and thankfully I don't have it. It doesn't matter, when people are tasering those already in custody, pepper spraying non violent kids, or having people arrested for coughing on them or cursing in their homes. None of that requires any sort of special knowledge.
Originally Posted By Mr X **But they ARE the ones determined to legalize every possible behavior known to man.** You're thinking of libertarians, not liberals.
Originally Posted By Mr X **But some Liberals would like to see our Government with a level of control in our daily lives equal to the world depicted in Orwell's 1984. Big Brother is watching!** Wow, I had it all wrong! I never realized it was the LIBERALS who were behind the patriot act. Go figure.
Originally Posted By Mr X **Police have a lot of personal discretion within the law and have some lattitude in whether or not to enforce some laws.** **Increasingly cops are required to enforce stupid, biased and frivolous laws.** I'm confused. This was all written in the same post. These two ideas totally contradict each other. Which is it, Kennesaw Joe? Either cops have discretion over stupid laws or they don't, no?
Originally Posted By Mr X **I don't need intimate knowledge of police procedures, and thankfully I don't have it. It doesn't matter, when people are tasering those already in custody, pepper spraying non violent kids, or having people arrested for coughing on them or cursing in their homes. None of that requires any sort of special knowledge.** **You're not making any sense.** Makes perfect sense to me. Funny how this ParkHolder guy continues to go with the "well, you're clueless and have no right to comment because you haven't been a law enforcer". Can't come up with anything better than that, and "you're not making sense", huh? Pretty weak arguments.
Originally Posted By Mr X <a href="http://tinyurl.com/3bge32" target="_blank">http://tinyurl.com/3bge32</a> Video of cops gleefully setting people up by selling them fake marijuana in order to arrest them. Notice the violence of the "take downs" for these oh so dangerous stoners...
Originally Posted By jonvn TO someone in law enforcement, the responses "we have the power, we don't need to justify its use." That's what has been the response here.
Originally Posted By barboy Those cops featured in that video are despicable low lifes--- I have more respect for parasitic arachnids, pimps and scam artists.
